The brilliant, arrogant Lu Zeyan would become confused. Slow. Dependent.
The business associates who'd respected him would begin to whisper. The family who'd valued him would start to plan around him. Yueling would watch the man she'd chosen become something diminished, something that required caretakers and patience and endless, exhausting accommodation.
And through it all, he would remember Shuyin. Her name would be the one thing that remained crystal clear in his deteriorating mind. He would say it at random moments, interrupting meetings and dinners and quiet evenings. "I love you, Shuyin." Over and over. A broken record that couldn't be stopped, couldn't be explained, couldn't be fixed.
The magic sank deep, embedding itself in the architecture of his brain like roots through concrete. Irreversible. Permanent. Growing stronger with each passing day.
