[The Demon in the Dark]
In the damp shadows of the Dark Cell, Wan Luo cringed as a wisp of black mist coalesced into the phantom of Feng Mian.
"Save me!" she pleaded. "You told me the Princess's blood was impure! I did it for us!"
The phantom laughed, a sound like a serpent's hiss. "I only said that so you would steal her for me, you fool. Who knew you'd be cruel enough to cast her into the Yao-Gate?"
When Feng Mian threatened to abandon her, Wan Luo unleashed her final, desperate gamble. "You cannot leave me! I know your secret! You are not Feng Mian. You are a Soul-Shifter (轉曜者)! You used the forbidden arts of the Gold-Yao Clan to steal this body!"
The cell fell into a deathly stillness. The black mist surged with a murderous intent. Feng Mian leaned in, his voice cold as ice. "You are indeed a viper, Wan Luo. To have glimpsed the truth... you are fortunate you still have a use. From now on, you are not my ally, but my puppet."
Wan Luo trembled as a shadow-blade shattered the stone wall beside her ear. She smiled a twisted, frantic smile. Even as a puppet, as long as she stayed by his side, she believed she could still turn the tables.
[The Memory of the Night]
Wan Luo's mind flashed back to a night long ago. She had seen Feng Mian in his sleep, his body wracked with shifting Yao-energy. A dark shadow had drifted from his chest, whispering in a voice that was not his own: "This vessel... it is not yet perfectly aligned. The forbidden art needs more time..."
In that moment, she realized the man she loved was a monster wearing a human mask. And she was the only one holding the leash to his secret.
[The Rite of the Crimson Eyes]
Meanwhile, in the grand Ancestral Shrine, the atmosphere was one of solemn dignity. Hades You Nian stood before the tablets of his ancestors, his voice resonant and commanding.
"Ancestors of the Underworld! Today, the blood of You Nian is restored. This child shall be recorded in the scrolls of the Crimson-Eye Clan. Her name shall be—You Qing (幽晴). May she carry the legacy of our line forever."
Qing Fei handed the jade scroll to her daughter. Gu Xingyu looked at the name "You Qing" and felt a sharp pang in her chest.
Gu Xingyu. That was her name from the modern world, the name her parents gave her in a land of skyscrapers and classrooms. Now, that name would be buried in the depths of her memory, a relic of a past life.
She knelt and pressed her forehead to the ground. "You Qing... accepts her name."
The drums thundered. The attendants cheered, "Princess You Qing—Enter the Lineage!"
As she rose, bathed in the glow of ten thousand lanterns, Gu Xingyu was gone. In her place stood the daughter of Hades, the true heir of the Rift-Realm. Her gaze was clear and resolute. This was her name, her burden, and her destiny.