Qin Mian screamed when the resonance snapped tight.
Not because it hurt more.
Because it hurt differently.
The pressure she had been holding—carefully, painfully—was torn out of her grasp all at once, like something ripped from her hands without permission. Her Anchor flared violently in response, light exploding behind her eyes as her body convulsed.
She hit the floor hard.
"…Lie—!" she gasped.
Her voice cracked—not from pain.
From terror.
Fear Arrives First
For a split second, relief flooded her.
He was here.
He had moved.
He hadn't left her alone.
And then the fear followed immediately after.
No—
worse than fear.
Understanding.
"You promised," she whispered hoarsely, fingers clawing at the ground as the Anchor surged and recoiled inside her like a trapped animal.
She could feel him now—too clearly.
No restraint.
No patience.
Movement.
Action.
Everything she had begged him not to do.
Across the Distance, He Feels Her Reaction
Yin Lie staggered as the backlash from moving tore through him, blood spilling from the corner of his mouth as the drift screamed inside his chest.
But beneath the pain—
he felt her.
Not relief.
Not gratitude.
Anger.
Sharp. Hot. Terrified.
It hit him harder than the city ever had.
"…Qin Mian," he breathed.
When Relief Turns Into Rage
Her vision cleared just enough for her to drag herself upright, spine screaming in protest. She slammed her palm against the floor to steady herself, breath coming in short, furious bursts.
"I told you not to," she said.
Her voice shook.
Not weak.
Uncontrolled.
"I told you to wait."
The Anchor flared again, responding to her emotional spike, destabilizing instead of stabilizing.
"You didn't trust me," she continued, louder now, words tearing out of her chest.
"You decided for me."
He Tries to Answer — Too Late
"I did trust you," Yin Lie said hoarsely.
His knees threatened to buckle, but he stayed standing, forcing his body to obey.
"I trusted you enough to know you'd kill yourself doing this."
The words landed like a slap.
Her breath caught.
"…So you broke your promise," she whispered,
"because you knew better?"
He flinched.
"Yes," he said.
And that honesty shattered what little control she had left.
Anger Beats Fear
"Do you know what you just did?" Qin Mian shouted.
Her Anchor surged violently, light rippling through the space around her as the city's containment systems flickered in delayed response.
"I wasn't sacrificing myself," she said.
"I was choosing!"
Her hands trembled uncontrollably.
"You took that away from me."
The Part He Can't Argue With
Yin Lie opened his mouth—
and closed it.
Because she was right.
He hadn't intervened to save her from danger.
He had intervened to save her from a choice he couldn't accept.
"I couldn't watch you die," he said quietly.
"That wasn't your right," she snapped.
The words cut clean.
When Love Becomes a Threat
Qin Mian pressed her fist against her chest, breathing hard, tears streaking down her face without permission.
"You think this makes me feel safe?" she demanded.
"You think knowing you'll ignore me when it matters helps?"
Her voice broke.
"It makes me afraid of you."
The sentence hung there.
Heavy.
Irrevocable.
He Takes the Hit
Yin Lie felt the drift shudder—not from power, but from the weight of her words.
He didn't argue.
Didn't defend himself.
He bowed his head slightly, breath shaking.
"…I know," he said.
"I know."
Two Kinds of Breaking
Around them, alarms finally escalated.
Containment grids snapped into clearer focus.
The city was moving now.
But neither of them cared.
Qin Mian wiped her face roughly, fury still burning beneath the fear.
"If you do that again," she said, voice low and deadly,
"if you take my choice away again—"
She swallowed.
"I don't know if I can keep standing next to you."
What He Chooses to Say
Yin Lie met her eyes—bloodied, exhausted, terrifyingly steady.
"I won't apologize for saving you," he said.
Her jaw tightened.
"But," he continued, voice breaking just enough to be human,
"I will never pretend this didn't cost something."
The drift roared.
The city closed in.
And between them—
something fragile cracked, but did not fall apart.
Not yet.
Because even in anger, even in fear—
they were still facing each other.
And that meant the worst was still coming.