[The Mask Crumbles]
Deep in the night, Gu Xingyu couldn't find rest. She stepped out of her tent and followed the cool breeze until she found Cang Yuan by the stream. He sat alone, tossing pebbles into the water, a familiar smile on his lips that looked hollow under the moonlight.
"You're lying, Cang Yuan," she said softly, sitting beside him.
He tried to laugh it off, but she caught the tremor in his hands and the erratic fluttering of his eyes. "You can make your voice as light as you want, but your body is honest. Your breath is shaky. Your eyes are searching. You are in pain."
The silence that followed was heavy. Cang Yuan's smile vanished. "I thought I could wait," he whispered, his voice cracking. "I thought I could just smile and stay by your side. but when I saw you in his arms earlier... I felt like I was going insane. Xingyu, is there a place for me in your heart?"
"There is," she whispered. "But saying it... would only become a shackle for you and everyone else."
[A Desperate Kiss]
Cang Yuan leaned in, his forehead resting against hers. "You think I fear shackles? You are the only thing I'm willing to wear like a brand."
Before she could respond, he leaned down and kissed her.
It was a kiss born of desperation and long-suppressed agony. Xingyu froze, her heart racing as a searing heat flared in her chest. For a few seconds, time stopped. But then, she forced herself to push him back, creating a cold inch of distance between them.
"Don't force me, Cang Yuan," she rasped, her eyes shining with unshed tears. "If I can't stay, this will only hurt you more."
Cang Yuan recoiled as if struck. A cold, broken laugh escaped his lips. "You are truly cruel, Gu Xingyu." He turned and vanished into the trees, leaving her alone by the water.
[The Tears in the Stream]
Xingyu sank to the ground, pulling her knees to her chest. Her lips still burned from his touch, but her heart was colder than the stream.
If I leave... what will happen to them? The thought of pushing them all into this abyss of pain made her throat tighten. She buried her face in her arms and wept silently, her tears falling into the water and disappearing without a sound.
[The Watcher in the Shadows]
In the deeper shadows of the forest, Lin Lie stood motionless. He had seen it all—the kiss, the rejection, and her silent breakdown. His fists were clenched so hard his knuckles turned white.
Xingyu... he thought, his gaze dark and resolute. If you choose to leave, I will carry the world for you until you do. But if you choose to stay... even if the whole world turns against me, I will never let anyone take you away.
As the Gates of the Yao-Source drew near, three souls stood under the same moon, each drowning in their own version of loneliness and resolve.