The Chaos Within the Box

From the outside, the box remained as unassuming as ever—simple, peaceful, and undisturbed. But within…

Inside was chaos.

A mist-like silhouette drifted through an endless dark space, its form shifting restlessly. At the edges of this void, a faint glimmer of reality seeped through—a glimpse of snow-covered ground, the towering trees of a frozen forest, and the silhouette of a young man struggling to catch his breath.

Beyond him, a pack of wolves lurked in hesitation, their predatory instincts clashing with an unnatural fear.

And deep inside the box, Chenwei Guo watched it all.

A Soul Trapped in Mist

It had been one and a half years since Chenwei had awoken in this strange form.

A body of mist, weightless and formless, devoid of warmth, touch, or sensation. No heartbeat. No breath. Only existence.

He had tried everything to escape this prison—desperate, relentless attempts to break free. But nothing worked.

At first, he had hoped that something had gone wrong with his reincarnation. That maybe, he was meant to be born into a new body, but the process had failed. Or perhaps—this mist-like existence was his destined form.

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Either way, he had no answers.

Over the years, he had become intimately familiar with the silence.

Occasionally, he would hear distant voices—woodcutters passing through the forest, talking amongst themselves, oblivious to the strange box buried in the snow. He had tried to reach out, to call for help, but no one ever noticed him.

And so, his only company had been the books within the space.

For reasons beyond understanding, he could read them effortlessly, as though the knowledge had always been within him. But even knowledge could only distract him for so long.

He had resigned himself to an eternal, unchanging existence.

Until he appeared.

The young man outside looked exhausted, his clothes soaked in sweat despite the biting cold. He had clearly been running for his life.

And for the first time in over a year—Chenwei felt something stir within him.

Is this it?

Is he… the reason I’ve been waiting?

Yuntai surveyed his surroundings, his chest rising and falling with labored breaths. He knew he couldn’t keep going like this—his body was exhausted, the night was creeping in, and the cold would only grow harsher as the sun dipped below the horizon.

If he didn’t find a way to break free from this situation, he might not live to see the morning.

His parents and siblings were probably already searching for him, but out here, in the depths of the forest, there was no one to save him.

His options were bleak.

He could try to fight the wolves with nothing but the wooden stick he had picked up—a foolish thought.

He could run again, but with his body at its limit, he wouldn’t make it far.

Or… he could take a gamble on the box.

The very thing that even the wolves feared.