Qi Yue’an pleaded, the anger that had stemmed from her defiance now utterly dissipated, exposing her most vulnerable and pitiable self.She spoke of a desire for freedom, to live solely for herself, yet where, truly, was that self to be found?She could only cry out, utterly powerless against the tide of events…
****
Unbeknownst to her, the protective barrier had dissolved, the starlight leaving a colossal, circular crater in its wake. The very fabric of this space now teetered precariously, threatened by the opening of the door.Blood flowed freely from Qi Yue’an’s wounds; her spine and left hand had already fractured under the relentless attacks of the preceding battle. Mysteriously, however, the starlight itself inflicted no further harm, instead imparting only a profound sense of dizziness.The power Xiyin had unleashed through the chalice seemed to transcend mere explosion; it possessed the insidious ability to distort space, spiriting Qi Yue’an away from her initial position while simultaneously binding all others who remained there.Such turbulent energies, in truth, ought to have shredded her body and soul to oblivion. Yet, a different, gentle power shielded her, allowing her to traverse the chaotic currents as though sailing a tranquil vessel to her intended destination.A single drop, then two, of rain descended from the heavens. In the end, she had accomplished nothing at all, reduced to a pitiable creature, crawling forward in futility like a dog with a broken spine, swept away by the merciless spatial currents.Before her, the familiar silhouette of their former apartment building loomed, its windows still aglow with lights, seemingly awaiting the return of its absent inhabitants.She distinctly heard Bai Jin’s startled cry, the sound suggesting a frantic rush in her direction. However, Qi Yue’an, utterly depleted of both physical and mental reserves, could no longer register such concerns. She collapsed to the ground, a growing pool of blood blooming beneath her.Just before consciousness completely abandoned her, the figure that had once consumed her thoughts, now a haunting specter, materialized abruptly before her eyes.The world abruptly bled into monochrome, all color draining from existence save for his solitary form. Simultaneously, the entire surroundings froze, suspended in the precise moment before Bai Jin could reach her.
“An…”
He opened his mouth to speak, but the instant her gaze fell upon him, all light in her eyes finally extinguished, utterly and completely. Not even a flicker of hatred remained, leaving her resembling nothing more than a discarded rag doll.
“You see now, destiny is predetermined…”
“Though I bear the blame for this iteration, in countless other timelines, she would still make such sacrifices for her companions.”
His form shimmered with an ethereal quality, a mere projection rather than his true self. The crown, too, rested in his hand, yet it held no tangible substance.
“To utter such words at this juncture… Are you not omnipotent? Simply accomplish what you desire.”
All luminescence had drained from Qi Yue’an’s silver eyes; she no longer cast her gaze upon his face.
“My true form resides elsewhere, sealed within that distant space, destined not to emerge for at least a decade… By then, all would have long since concluded.”
Perhaps spurred by guilt, or by some other unseen compulsion, he, too, averted his gaze.
“Forgive me… Perhaps I, too, strayed from my path long ago, to have devolved into this current state.”
Lin Xiao extended a hand, only to find it passing through her ephemeral form, utterly incapable of contact.
“I have never been without need of you… Quite the opposite, in fact; to me, the most paramount existence is you, as you are now.”
As he spoke, his form began to dissipate.
“The genesis… the very first instance… I find myself struggling to recall it clearly.”
“She was correct; it was not my place to decide for you. Time and again, I deceived you, stripping you of the opportunity for solace at the precipice of the end.”
“Perhaps all of this was a mistake from the very beginning.”
He delved into the vast expanse of his memories, recalling the initial cycles: how he would accompany Qi Yue’an, sometimes as an ally, sometimes as an adversary, ultimately watching with bitter resignation as she repeatedly sacrificed herself at the moment of the end, merging into the essence of the crown.In subsequent iterations, he would meticulously conceal the truth, allowing her to spend the world’s remaining moments in blissful ignorance, surrounded by companions. Yet, inevitably, she would still smile, willingly merging into the cycle of reincarnation.Further back still, the memories of childhood, illusory as dreams, layered one upon another. He retained every minute detail, yet found himself irrevocably barred from returning to those bygone eras.This time, he had acted with undue haste. Having completed all his intricate preparations, his sole desire was to reclaim her. This marked his very first reunion with her primordial self, with the only soul in this world truly dear to him. Yet, a projection from the past had, by indirect means, hastened the arrival of their fated end.Unbeknownst to him, she had somehow prematurely detonated the Cup of Emptiness—a power beyond his intervention—thereby accelerating the fated end of those dearest to her…In essence, he had utterly blundered. He had failed to anticipate that the maiden capable of such momentous decisions might, in her innermost core, harbor a profound unwillingness. For the first time, he witnessed her outright “rejection” of everything.
“You can reverse time, can’t you?”
Qi Yue’an’s voice suddenly pierced the stillness, carrying the weight of a profound decision.
“To be precise… it is to rewind time itself…”
“Yet, such an act demands an immense expenditure of magical power, and it will not postpone the ultimate culmination of the end… rather, it will only hasten its arrival. In the end, all will still be annihilated, paving the way for a new world-line.”
He shook his head in negation, yet Qi Yue’an’s gaze, at that very instant, fixed intently upon him.
“Then rewind it. Do not abandon hope, nor harbor pity or hesitation. Take me away, and never again allow me to flee.”
Her words caused Lin Xiao’s eyes to widen in astonishment.
“She instructed me to live for myself, and thus, even if my former self would never comprehend this decision, I must still make this choice.”
“She chose me over this world.”
A profound sense of relief, as if she had been utterly saved for the very first time, now graced ‘this’ Qi Yue’an’s countenance.
“Then I, too, shall choose both her and this world, for from that pivotal moment, I had already found my salvation.”
A faint, knowing smile played upon her lips. In that instant, she transcended the role of a mere puppet, yet simultaneously, it became utterly impossible for her to ever truly belong to Lin Xiao.
“Therefore, hesitate no longer, Lin Xiao. Act decisively upon your desires, abandon this indecisiveness that forces her to such a choice, and spare me those words. Possess me, control me, and forge the future that is rightfully yours.”
Around them, the world began to reverse its flow. Yet, Lin Xiao remained utterly silent, a profound hollowness echoing within his heart. Despite suffering no defeat in battle, the void he felt was far more desolate than having lost everything.Such was her ultimate retribution against this self of his, one that had strayed irrevocably into extremism.
****
Time rewound…
In the fleeting instant before the star, born of Xiyin’s unwavering resolve, was poised to erupt completely, engulfing all in a maelstrom of destruction, time itself seemed to be violently choked, its flow arrested.A figure, shrouded in deepest black, moved with a velocity that defied the very limits of time, momentarily solidifying the fabric of space-time around them.Lin Xiao’s movements were precise to a terrifying degree, as though honed through countless rehearsals. One hand, swift as a bolt of lightning, forcefully pressed the flower woven from Qi Yue’s very soul back into Xiyin’s rapidly dissipating chest.His other arm swept around Qi Yue’an, who, lost to the haze of severe injuries and despair, was cradled securely against his chest.
“Sleep now.”
A voice, almost a sigh, resonated in Qi Yue’an’s ear, imbued with an ineffable weariness and… a profound, resolute sense of release.
“For now… it is all over.”
In the very next instant, a devastating starlight consumed the immediate vicinity, and spatial turbulence raged like an untamed tempest.Yet, at the periphery of that blinding core of light, a fissure of absolute blackness flashed into existence and vanished. Lin Xiao, clutching the utterly unconscious Qi Yue’an, seamlessly merged into the interstitial spaces of reality, thereby escaping the collapsing domain of bizarre rules.
****
When Qi Yue’an’s awareness flickered back into a faint semblance of consciousness, her first sensations were the soft yet frigid touch of fabric beneath her, and the crisp, aromatic scent that permeated the air, eerily identical to that of the apartment’s sixth floor.With arduous effort, she managed to pry open her heavy eyelids, her gaze falling upon a sight both familiar and profoundly alien: a magnificent vaulted ceiling, stone pillars adorned with intricate carvings, and a soft, diffused light radiating from embedded crystals.This place… mirrored the illusory sixth-floor room with unsettling precision. Yet, the palpable texture of magic swirling through the air, coupled with the undeniable reality of the sensations beneath her body, screamed one undeniable truth: this was reality.She now found herself within Lin Xiao’s true demesne, his authentic residence as the “Demon Lord.”
‘He had, in the end… brought me back.’
This realization settled upon her heart like a cold, leaden weight. She recalled her own near-broken, self-destructive plea and “suggestion” uttered just before consciousness had abandoned her.Had he, then, acquiesced? Had he embraced her desperate plea to possess her entirely, to halt Xiyin’s intervention? If so, what fate now awaited her? Was it to be “completed,” to be supplanted by that “more correct” version of herself, and thus vanish utterly?Though her body still throbbed with waves of excruciating pain, and the profound weakness born of depleted magic seeped into her very bones, a deeper agony resided within her heart. It was a heart that had seemed numb, yet upon recognizing her dire predicament, now pulsed with a renewed, finely-honed sting.She lay motionless, her silver eyes staring vacantly at the vaulted ceiling, much like a life-sized effigy laid within a lavish sarcophagus, passively awaiting her ultimate “processing.”Just then, the measured, rhythmic cadence of footsteps echoed from beyond the door, drawing steadily nearer until they ultimately ceased directly outside the room.The heavy door swung open without a sound, revealing not Lin Xiao, but a man clad in a impeccably tailored, antiquated black formal suit, his every movement radiating a fastidious precision.His face, though undeniably handsome, remained utterly devoid of expression, like a meticulously carved mask. His eyes were placid, unruffled by emotion. In his hands, he bore a silver tray upon which rested a bowl of food, emanating a faint herbal aroma, and a single glass of pristine water.He approached the bedside, executing a slight bow with a precision so absolute it seemed measured by an invisible ruler.
“You are awake.”
His voice was utterly devoid of inflection, conveying neither deference nor arrogance, but merely a pure, dutiful pronouncement. “The Master instructs you to rest quietly until your body has recovered. This is the medicine and food prepared for you.”
Qi Yue’an did not stir, nor did she even glance at him, her empty gaze fixed upon the ceiling, as if she had heard nothing at all.The attendant seemed entirely unsurprised by her silence. He gently placed the tray upon a low table beside the bed, continuing in his flat, uninflected tone:
“You are currently within the ‘Castle of Evernight,’ situated at the heart of the Dawn Star Palace. Until you have fully recovered and received the Master’s permission, you are unable to leave this room or make contact with the outside world. Should you require anything for your daily needs, you may ring the silver bell by the bed, and I will endeavor to fulfill them.”
His words solidified the reality of her “captivity,” yet she saw none of the crude chains or dismal dungeons she might have imagined.Having fulfilled his duty of notification, the attendant bowed slightly once more, then turned to leave without another word, betraying no superfluous curiosity or emotion.Just as he was about to step through the doorway, Qi Yue’an’s parched lips moved almost imperceptibly, her voice barely a whisper:
“…Where is he?”
She knew not why she asked, perhaps only to confirm the whereabouts of the man who had thrust her into this very predicament.The attendant’s footsteps paused. Without turning, his voice remained perfectly even:
“The Master has urgent matters to attend to and is not currently within the castle. He has instructed the esteemed Provisional Consort to rest assured and recuperate.”
With that, he departed directly, and the heavy door silently swung shut once more, sealing the interior and exterior into two separate worlds.A profound stillness returned to the room, broken only by Qi Yue’an’s faint breathing. She slowly closed her eyes, acutely aware of the pervasive pain in her body and the even more desolate void within her heart.
“Provisional Consort, then…”
‘Lin Xiao… he has imprisoned me within this opulent cage, awaiting some unknown “completion.” And when I am no longer myself, is this truly the position that awaits me by his side?’
She sighed to herself, unaware that, upon exiting the room, the attendant had begun speaking with other colleagues.
“His Majesty said his Consort might be mentally unstable due to emotional trauma… but she seemed quite alright just now? Just a little vacant.”
“I don’t know, they must have their own plans. We should hurry and prepare for the wedding…”
At this moment, Qi Yue’an remained oblivious that her story had only just begun.