On an edge overlooking numerous mountains and a large river stood a small wooden house.

Well, you couldn't really see either the mountains or the river, considering that this peak stood higher than the clouds.

On the other hand, the house was clearly visible.

The house was, by all means, ordinary. It had two floors and was barely above average in width. The front porch featured two chairs and a table, while the house was surrounded only by grass.

From the front, the house had just two windows—one near the door and another on the second floor. If one were to try looking through the windows, they could see a room that was most likely the living room from the window on the first floor.

If you managed to see through the window on the second floor, despite it being a few meters higher than the first, you would glimpse a bedroom.

The house was not far from the edge—perhaps a dozen meters. Strangely enough, the entire mountain peak was covered in snow except for the area surrounding the house.

In a circular patch of grass that extended evenly from all sides, animals that you wouldn't expect to see this high up roamed freely—dogs and cats. The cats groomed each other while the dogs chased one another in playful abandon.

Suddenly, from outside the blizzard emerged a figure stepping into the circle.

The figure was a man with white hair slicked back, wearing a black garment that hung empty and ripped in numerous spots. He had a wide face that couldn’t exactly be called thin or fat but rather lean and toned. His cheekbones were high, and his chin narrow. His green eyes sparkled beneath long white eyelashes—overall, he possessed a strikingly masculine appearance.

Upon entering the circle, he checked his garment for any empty spots before noticing a claw mark on his forearm.

Looking at it, he neither frowned nor scowled; in fact, he showed no reaction at all. His wound, along with his clothes, began to repair themselves as if time were rewinding.

It looked as if his clothes were growing back together and his wound closing at breakneck speed. Only after both his clothes and wounds returned to their peak state did his expression change; he looked satisfied for a moment before setting his sights on the house.

As he walked up to it, he noticed the animals and smirked.

Approaching the front door, he cautiously looked through the window. After confirming that there was indeed no one in the living room, he turned the door handle and entered.

The hallway contained several pairs of shoes lined up neatly along with framed pictures. The portraits depicted identical-looking men wearing blue top hats and red suits. There was also a chair draped with a red suit placed prominently in one corner.

The man picked up the suit and examined it closely, his expression hard to read before he ultimately put it back down.

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Taking a right turn, he entered the living room and walked toward a drawer. Upon opening it and checking inside, he found nothing.

Undeterred, he opened every drawer in the room. Most were empty; those that weren’t contained mundane items like paper and tools.

After searching through the entire first floor without luck, he ascended to the second floor. This level was much the same until he stumbled upon an intriguing poem.

Most of it was unreadable despite his ability to understand each letter; he couldn't grasp its larger meaning. However, one word stood out: "Darkness." He tried to decipher more for several minutes but to no avail.

Eventually, he tucked it into his pocket and stepped outside again. Upon exiting, a frown creased his brow as he began walking around the house until he discovered a back door that he hadn’t noticed from inside.

Taking a deep breath, he opened it to reveal stairs leading down into a basement.

Seeing this made him smile as he descended. At the bottom of the stairs stood another door which he tried to open but found it wouldn’t budge.

He paused for a moment, falling deep into thought. The next second, he kicked down the door with force.

There—sitting on the ground—was a golden crown inlaid with gems that emanated a fiery aura.

Seeing it caused him to flash a wide smile before he picked it up and placed it on his head.

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Opening his eyes in a daze, Urvashi immediately rolled over and pushed himself up against a wall. His mind spun as he came to a conclusion: 'That was one of his memories! That means... No! I have no time to waste. I need to escape before that damned crow comes back.'

Crawling toward the exit, he noticed his hands were frail and old. Upon seeing this transformation, he paused for a moment before touching his face.

He laughed in disbelief.

Quickly reaching for his gun—which thankfully remained unaffected—he continued crawling toward the exit while keeping watch for any sign of the crow's return.

Then he heard it—the flapping of wings.

The crow appeared this time without blood covering its feathers.

Seeing it approach made Urvashi start firing his gun at it desperately in an attempt to wound it.

The bullets flew toward the bird until they left the alleyway; at that moment, they stopped moving entirely—frozen mid-air. The crow prepared to open its beak menacingly.

Urvashi only laughed.

While cawing loudly above him, he struggled to think of something—anything—that could save him now.

One thought consumed his mind: he had woken ahead of time last time he encountered this creature. The blood on its feathers must have meant something could interrupt this cycle and give her a chance to escape.

Having come to that conclusion, he slumped weakly against the ground.