He is the leader of the Tantric sect in Chagdu.

When I send a question mark (?), it's not that I have a problem, but rather that I think you have a problem.

Ai Yi, with a cigarette dangling from her lips, looked dejected, feeling betrayed.

"I'm not making fun of you; I'm seriously trying to solve the problem!"

Door quickly sensed Ai's distrust and seemed a little anxious: "As Ai, you can't find a foothold in this world—but what if you're 'Grey'?"

"Ash?"

Ai couldn't take it anymore: "I don't even know what kind of person he is. Gray, my original self, a mysterious cult leader, died inexplicably and left me with a bunch of secrets..."

He still harbored some resentment, after all, his current predicament was largely due to the influence of the Ashes. Although it sounded like displaced anger, Ai could always find some kind of influence in many places, these remnants of the Ashes, which were always subtly guiding him.

Nirvana, Secrets, Moth, Mirror of Radiance and the Foundation, The Silent Club, The Silent Raven...

Those faint, invisible, and ubiquitous influences even attracted beings of Si Chen's caliber. Through Ai Yi's red fluid, Si Chen extended tentacles and wove a complex giant net with a series of seemingly tiny nodes, dragging Ai Yi into the center of this net—the outskirts of the city—and capturing him, rendering him unable to move or escape.

That's just how that guy is.

The door sensed Ai's resentment and spoke with an air of profound understanding of Grey: "He and you are the complete opposite. You're carefree and oblivious, while he's meticulous and detail-oriented. You're lazy, indecisive, and hesitant, while he's resolute and decisive to the point of being a madman—Grey, he's the ruthless king, a gambling madman. He can weave the entire world, along with his own life, into a plan, a ritual..."

To him, everything is a component, providing the foundation for the execution of his grand plan. And as long as he firmly believes that the machine he has created can still function properly, Grey will never care about the condition of the components, nor will he understand their fate—you enjoy empathy, but he despises it.

Ai asked, puzzled, "And then what? What does this have to do with me?"

"You still don't understand... Ai, you are rootless, traceless, homeless, a phantom existing in this world. All things are separated from you, and the world will be isolated by your will. This is an innate disease, but also a talent—"

-talent?

"Yes, talent, an unparalleled talent. You are colorless, and colorlessness means absolute malleability, like a blank sheet of paper, a pool of clear liquid: you can become whatever you choose to touch. Learn to mix black and white, and you can become 'gray'."

To become...ash.

"Ash"

Ai gradually lost in thought; the words on the door seemed like the devil's whisper, exuding a sweet temptation:

"Imagine this: you don't need to invest emotions in anything, you don't need to be responsible for anyone's fate. Similar to the color of 'Lightbringer Gray,' yet different, he is merely a profile of you, a mask, a phantom of nothingness—you can invade his territory without any scruples. The esoteric sect he painstakingly built, the disciples he recruited, the beautiful girl dolls he left behind, the powerful rituals, the precious secrets—these are all your toys, toys that you can discard at any time, toys you can possess without responsibility."

- No responsibility.

The word seemed to have an immense pull on him; Ai Gan swallowed, and the sharp nodule in his throat trembled violently.

"Toy."

"Didn't you just recently get into role-playing...? As a phantom thief, what's wrong with having a few Personas? Not just 'Mr. Grey,' Ai, you can be anyone—Eileen, the Foundation's rising star, or Fox, the Downtown's top male escort!"

-don't want!

Ai shuddered, a chill creeping over her; this profession was terrifying...

After a moment of contemplation, he quietly expressed his thoughts:

"However, such a future sounds very interesting."

"interesting?"

The writing on the door suddenly stopped, and the light before Ai's eyes surged to an almost frenzied intensity in the next instant—

"That's right, that's right! Interesting, that's exactly how it should be! With the remnants of gray, Si Chen's friendship, and the essence of colorlessness, your starting point is the end for all other mystical scholars. What are you wasting your energy on this internal strife? A second-generation mystical guy, who can compete with you!"

Ai tilted her head, a half-smile playing on her lips.

- You look very excited.

"Of course, because your condition has improved: Ai, you are both an actor and an audience member, you are both the writer and the appreciator of the play, so you deserve this sense of superiority—to casually offer a few words of praise or encouragement from a high position, telling them, 'The only value you mediocre people, wandering in your cages, have is that you find entertaining.'"

The door was tempting him, with a venomous, sweet scent: "Treat this nest as your playground."

-That sounds really awful...

Ai shook her head and smiled gently.

"So, I was born to be a villain."

"Bad guy? Do as you please, you can become a saint if you want—all the thoughts you can contain will eventually become your fulcrum and your strength. This is the essence of the path to ascension, the sublimation of the mind, and the ascent of the soul."

It turned out to be the case.

- I think I understand.

To take someone else's life to fill my void.

At the same time, the fox's voice became much lighter: "What is this? A loan leverage point...?"

The door seemed to be part of a secret conspiracy: "Loans with no liability, loans that don't need to be repaid... isn't that just freeloading?"

Always getting something for free, always having a blast!

"That's exactly it..."

Ai looked at herself in the light screen, exhaled a puff of smoke, and muttered to herself in a daze:

"I can be anyone, as long as it's not 'myself'."

I don't want to be that foolish, weak fox, so I can try to become anyone but him first—

He threw the cigarette on the ground and stomped it out. Glancing around casually, he noticed the piled-up black embers were gradually thinning, leaving only a thin layer. The distant sky was no longer claustrophobic or nauseating; it was now the twilight color of burnt-out tar.

It looked much clearer, regaining the color of the sky from the swaying world, and faintly, the hoarse cawing of crows came from the far end.

I can hear voices from the real world—I'll be able to get out soon.

You look much better.

"Perhaps..." Ai's expression seemed to be self-deprecating. "This is my way of surviving: imitating others, replacing others, licking everything that doesn't belong to me. Only in this way can I have a future to speak of."

After a two-second silence, the door sent a sweating emoji: "There's no need to be so extreme... Actually, besides role-playing, you have other fulcrums you can build on; there's more than one solution."

-for example

"For example, a beautiful girl."

-?

Ai tilted her head.

The text on the screen sounded quite loud: "For every beautiful girl you meet in this world, your connection with the Nest will strengthen. Once you've met every single one of these beautiful girls, your support will be endless, and your vessel will be indestructible—before you conquer them, why would you have time to cry and whine? This is simply a genius plan!"

-...

Ai thought for a moment, then suddenly smiled with narrowed eyes.

"That's very interesting."

"?"

Door seemed surprised by Ai's reaction, appearing overly calm. Door had expected a scolding. "Ai, you know what? You look a little scary right now."

"As you said, I'm trying to play the role of 'Grey'."

Ai stroked the scorched earth, watching the thin layer of snow melt in the warming air. He squinted, raised his eyes slightly, his gaze seemingly piercing through the three-chambered vessel, beyond the mortal world, and projecting onto that boundless red pool. "Door, I should thank you."

"Yes, of course you should thank me..."

The door seemed a little guilty—

"But then it suddenly occurred to me that you seem to have lied to me."

Ai raised her right hand, quietly observing each knuckle, then silently clenched her fist twice, finally leaving only her middle finger sticking out.

"...Damn it!"

"I remember—" He seemed oblivious to the meaning of the gesture, rubbing his middle finger, then pulling a section of coiled, ring-shaped green plant from nothingness, "Not long ago, Veltin gave us a ritual object, a heart anchor... With its power, it could easily drag me back from here."

"So, Door, you scared me half to death by saying I might not be able to go back, but actually, I wasn't in any real danger, right?"

The fox closed its eyes, a half-smile playing on its lips.

I've already heard their voices—

Subtly, as the emerald green between the fingers grows further, the world is gradually becoming more stable, and the ashes are being completely devoured by the oval leaves.

The red orb of light floating in mid-air, Ai's vessel, was gradually enveloped by the surrounding roots and returned to the three cavities.

[Mental Anchor]

"Brother—" He had already heard Nie's voice calling in his ear. He smiled like a fox, then turned angrily toward the door:

"Door, you're a bad guy too."

"Likewise, are you leaving?"

-Um.

An upward force of gravity is taking over the world; the scorched earth is regaining its vitality; and the broken heart has been healed by the healing power of the door and the repair of the ring.

So, is my illness cured or not?

"Who knows? Psychotherapy is a long process, and even a doctor of my caliber has difficulty controlling the progress. But for now, at least, in order to find more enjoyment, you can climb a few steps higher—consider it rehabilitation!"

Does health obtained through loans not equate to health? As I've said before, irresponsible loans are just freeloading!

-Too.

"However, I quite like Ai's little fox, so don't mess with her to death."

This seems like a cryptic warning.

It brings to mind a philosophical question, like that ship whose parts have all been replaced.

- I will try my best.

Ai nodded: "Maybe I can do role-playing while finding something to do."

"Whatever makes you happy."

"So, the first thing Ai wants to do is help the stupid bird get rid of its degradation..." he said to himself. "But that's too far off, too far to be a starting point. So, perhaps I can find some simpler goals first, like..."

For example, I want to let Nie Neng taste the flavor.

The door seemed surprised, but quickly regained its composure, as if it were re-examining Ai's mind: "Please, this sounds too kind and too selfless. It doesn't fit your future persona at all. You're supposed to play the role of Gray—a cult mentor, the lord of the outskirts, the ruthless king."

Ai smiled:

That's the image of "Grey," not "Ai."

"You seem to be adapting quickly."

The door sighed:

"Please remember, the Ash Wood Gate has always been on your side, whether it was the Ash of the past or you now, Ai."

"Thank you. So, what exactly are you?"

Ai felt his consciousness being gradually stripped away from his three-cavity world. He could not see the door now, but could only imagine its shape—a pure white door that was always tightly closed, with only a ray of light shining through the cracks.

"It's just a collapsed road."

Unexpectedly, the door made no attempt to conceal anything; for Ai, this was not a truth that needed to be kept secret.

"Silent Raven has already told you that the Path of Light collapsed with the fall of 'that principle.' That once complete and magnificent road is now nothing but the remnants of its beginning—a solitary doorway."

"This is the door, a door behind which is nothingness."

A line of small print silently surfaced in his eyes:

"The Lost Path: Dawn"

I see……

Ai recalled the coded text he saw during his first insight, and while he could vaguely understand a part of its meaning, he still couldn't see the whole picture.

But he still asked, "What can I do for you?"

"You don't have to do anything, because you don't even know what Ash has done—not even me! He created a ritual for the restoration of the light of day that he poured everything into. It was a giant net, and all you had to do was walk through it and wait to be entangled by invisible threads and roll down into the center of the net, and the mystery would be revealed to you."

Ai felt her tail bristling: "It's as scary as a conspiracy theory."

"A mentor who instills fear even in the Foundation is far more terrifying than you can imagine. However, from now on, he will only serve as one of your masks..."

"That sounds so cool." Ai looked at his limbs, which were gradually becoming transparent, and felt his body becoming lighter. With just a light leap, he could escape from the vessel, which was no longer out of control.

He put his hands behind his back: "The door, I just thought of a third target."

"Um?"

"I will restore you and rebuild the path of the heavenly light."

"Haha, that sounds really good..." Door opened with a laugh, trying to brush it off, but Ai interrupted with a smile.

"What I just said was what Gray wanted to tell you."

"...!" The light screen flickered suddenly.

A fox, its eyes half-closed, swishing its tail, stood still on the colorless earth, its thin, frail gray shadow resembling the towering pine tree's silhouette on a lakeside at night.

Even if I don't know why the edifice collapsed, I understand how the road should extend forward—when I stand here again, I still hope that my long-lost friends will recognize my red liquid and give me the proper respect, at least be willing to call me by name...

"Mr. Grey"

The next moment, Ai's figure completely disappeared into the vessel.

.

.

【Big gift pool】

The still-warm, bubbling red liquid hinted at the recent turmoil. A pure white door stood in the boundless pool, its radiant glow trembling slightly, like cellophane wrinkling and curling up near the intense heat.

After a long while, the radiance gathered on the door slowly coalesced into a line of meaning:

"Holy crap, that scared the hell out of me!"