The scent of coffee permeated the cramped shop. Qiyue stared at the dark liquid in his cup, where the foam on the surface was slowly forming a spiral—not from human latte art, but a natural phenomenon caused by subtle quantum fluctuations. He looked up at Jane, who sat across from him; the sunlight streaming through the window behind her gilded the tips of her hair.
"So," Jane said, gently stirring her coffee with a spoon, the clink of metal against porcelain sounding unnervingly crisp, "you're saying we were once guardians of different worlds?"
Qiyue’s fingers subconsciously traced the fabric over his chest. To ordinary humans, there was nothing there, but to anyone capable of seeing on a quantum level, a miniature W-Infinity Engine Model would be visible, pulsing against his sternum with every heartbeat.
Chapter 32