Wei Chen landed hard on black stone, still holding Lin Xue with one arm and Su Mei's wrist with the other. The air in this hall was cold and clean, like old metal. Dim light came from symbols carved into the floor. They looked like the thorny black sun on Wei Chen's chest.
In the center of the hall sat a giant coffin. It was not wood. It was dark stone, wrapped in thick chains that crawled over it like snakes. The chains were covered in tiny runes that blinked like eyes.
Wei Chen's black sun brand pulsed once, sharp and cold, as if the coffin called it by name.
Then the voice came again, quiet and happy. "Vow-maker," it whispered. "Now I test your vow… by taking what you love most."
Lin Xue's grip tightened on Wei Chen's sleeve. "It's watching me," she whispered.
Su Mei's face went pale for the first time since Wei Chen met her. "I know this," she said.
Wei Chen glanced at her. "You know everything," he muttered. "Say it."
Su Mei swallowed. "This is a vow coffin," she said. "An old demon tool. It eats bonds. It breaks promises. It makes love into a chain."
Wei Chen's jaw tightened. "I hate it already."
The chains on the coffin moved. They slid a little, like they were waking up. A thin black mist seeped from the coffin's cracks and reached toward Lin Xue, slow and greedy.
Lin Xue stepped back, but her curse shook her legs. Frost crawled up her wrists again.
Wei Chen pulled her close at once. "Stay behind me," he said.
Lin Xue's voice trembled. "I'm not weak—"
"You're allowed to be scared," Wei Chen said, low and firm. "I still protect you."
The coffin voice laughed softly. "Protect her, then. Prove your vow."
The mist touched the air around Lin Xue's bond mark. The gold-and-silver mark flared, then flickered like a candle in wind.
Lin Xue gasped. "It's pulling it!"
Wei Chen's heart kicked hard. The bond mark warmed on his own wrist, then hurt, like someone tried to rip it out.
Su Mei snapped, "If it takes her bond, your vow breaks. If your vow breaks, your Nine-Suns goes wild. If your Nine-Suns goes wild, your brand opens. Then the coffin owns you."
Wei Chen glared. "So no pressure."
The mist thickened and tugged harder. Lin Xue's breath turned white. Her eyes widened, and for one heartbeat she looked like she might be swallowed by winter again.
Wei Chen grabbed her chin and forced her to look at him. "Rules," he said.
Lin Xue blinked, shaking. "Stop means stop," she whispered, like she remembered it in the dark.
Wei Chen nodded. "Yes. And you choose."
Lin Xue swallowed, then leaned closer, stubborn even now. "I choose you," she whispered. "Don't let it take me."
Wei Chen's naughty grin flashed for one second, like he used it to stab fear. "Good," he murmured. "Because I'm not done teasing you."
Lin Xue's cheeks warmed, even in the cold. "Wei Chen—"
Wei Chen kissed her.
Not soft. Not long. Just deep enough to make a promise feel real. Lin Xue's fingers clutched his collar and held him there, like she didn't want to let go. Their breath mixed. Heat and frost met. The bond mark flared gold and silver, brighter than before.
The mist hissed like it burned.
The coffin voice went quiet for a moment, as if it didn't like being denied.
Wei Chen pulled back just enough to whisper, "Do you want me to stop?"
Lin Xue shook her head fast. "Don't stop," she whispered. "Not because of it."
Wei Chen's grin turned sharp. "Then later, when we're safe, I'm kissing you until you forget how to glare."
Lin Xue's eyes widened. "I will never—"
Wei Chen kissed her again, shorter, like a naughty bite. Lin Xue made a small sound and looked angry at herself for it.
Su Mei groaned loudly. "You two are using romance like a weapon."
Wei Chen glanced at her without moving his arm from Lin Xue's waist. "Jealous?" he asked.
Su Mei's lips curved, dangerous. "If I was jealous, boy, you would know."
Wei Chen's grin grew. "That sounds like a promise."
Su Mei snapped, "Focus!"
The coffin chains slammed once, like a warning. The mist surged again, stronger. It wrapped around Lin Xue's wrist like a black ribbon and yanked.
Lin Xue cried out. Frost burst from her sleeves. The hall lights flickered.
Wei Chen's black sun brand burned cold, and a whisper slid into his mind again. Let me help. Let me in. I can save her forever.
Wei Chen clenched his teeth and spoke out loud, "No."
The coffin voice purred, "Then prove it. Give up your pride. Give up your control. Show me what you would sacrifice."
The mist pulled again. Lin Xue's bond mark flickered, and Wei Chen felt it in his bones. A sharp, tearing pain hit his chest.
Wei Chen looked at Su Mei. "You said you know this place," he growled. "Tell me how to stop it."
Su Mei's eyes flashed. "The coffin can't eat what is anchored by choice," she said. "Not just a vow. A living anchor. A moment that is stronger than fear."
Wei Chen blinked. "What does that mean?"
Su Mei's mouth tightened. "It means she must claim you back," she said. "Out loud. In front of it."
Lin Xue stared, shocked. "Claim—"
Wei Chen leaned close to Lin Xue's ear, voice low and shameless. "Ice Queen," he whispered, "say it. Tell it I'm yours."
Lin Xue's face went red. "I am not—"
The mist yanked again, and pain twisted her expression.
Lin Xue swallowed hard. Then she lifted her chin like an elder facing death. She looked straight at the coffin.
"Wei Chen is mine," she said, voice shaking but clear. "By choice. By vow. By bond."
The hall went still.
The gold-and-silver bond mark flared bright, and the black mist hissed and snapped back like it got burned.
The coffin voice turned cold. "Mine," it whispered. "Then I take him instead."
The chains on the coffin tightened. One chain lifted off the stone like a living arm and pointed toward Wei Chen's chest.
Wei Chen's black sun brand pulsed hard. The chain's rune-eye opened.
Su Mei's voice went sharp. "It's going for your brand!"
Wei Chen raised his fan, but his arm felt heavy, like the air turned to tar. The chain moved closer, slow and sure, like it already knew the shape of his heart.
Lin Xue grabbed Wei Chen's hand. "Wei Chen," she whispered. "Don't let go."
Wei Chen squeezed back and forced a grin. "I won't," he said. "Not while you're claiming me so loudly."
Lin Xue's eyes widened, embarrassed even in terror. "Shut up!"
Wei Chen laughed once, breathless.
Then the coffin lid cracked open with a deep, ugly sound.
A thin line of darkness appeared inside, colder than ice and hotter than fire.
And from that crack, something whispered Wei Chen's name like a kiss.
To be Continued
© Kishtika., 2025
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