The coffin lid cracked wider with a slow, ugly sound. A thin line of darkness showed inside, darker than the tunnel, darker than sleep. It felt cold and hot at the same time, like winter and fire holding hands. The chains on the coffin lifted and tightened, rune-eyes blinking open. The hall lights flickered as if the room itself was scared.
Wei Chen's black sun brand pulsed hard. A pull grabbed his chest from the inside, like the coffin had hooked him with an invisible rope. The whisper from the crack slid over his skin like a soft kiss. "Wei Chen…" it breathed, and the way it said his name made his stomach twist. Not in pleasure. In warning.
Lin Xue stepped in front of him, even though her legs still shook. "No," she snapped, voice thin but sharp. Frost crawled over her hands. The bond mark on her wrist flared gold and silver, fighting the black mist that kept reaching for it. Su Mei stood to the side, purple qi coiling like silk blades, but even she looked tense now.
The coffin voice laughed softly. "You blocked my first bite," it said. "So I take his brand instead." One chain lifted and pointed straight at Wei Chen's chest. The rune-eye opened wide, and the pull became pain. Wei Chen's breath hitched. His fan felt heavy in his hand, like the air turned thick.
Su Mei moved fast and grabbed Wei Chen's wrist. "Listen," she hissed. "That coffin eats bonds, but it loves names most. It can't own you fully unless it owns your true name." Her eyes locked on his. "The only way to shut it is a Name-Anchor."
Wei Chen swallowed. "What's that?"
Su Mei's voice turned hard. "A forbidden lock," she said. "You give your true name to one person, out loud, by choice. Not a joke name. Not a mask. The real one. That name becomes a chain the coffin cannot break… but it also becomes a chain between you and her."
Lin Xue's eyes widened. "No," she whispered. "That's too deep."
Wei Chen's grin tried to appear, but pain cut it in half. "Ice Queen," he murmured, still shameless even now, "you just said I'm yours in front of a demon coffin. We're already deep."
Lin Xue glared at him, cheeks red. "Shut up."
Wei Chen leaned closer anyway, voice low and teasing. "Say my name again," he whispered. "But this time… mean it."
Lin Xue's breath shook. The coffin chain moved closer to Wei Chen's chest, inch by inch. The rune-eye stared like it wanted to drink him. Lin Xue looked at the chain, then at Wei Chen's eyes. Fear and choice fought in her face.
Wei Chen spoke clearly, because rules mattered most when fear was loud. "Stop means stop," he said. "You choose. If you don't want this, we find another way."
Lin Xue swallowed hard. "Stop means stop," she whispered back. "And… I choose you." Her voice got stronger. "I don't want that thing to own you."
Su Mei nodded once. "Then do it now," she snapped. "Before it bites your brand."
Wei Chen pulled Lin Xue close by the waist, careful but firm. Her cold body pressed against his heat. He felt her tremble, and it made his chest ache. He kissed her—slow, deep, hungry like a vow. Lin Xue grabbed his collar and held him there, not forced—chosen. Their breaths mixed. Heat rose in him, frost answered in her, and the bond mark glowed like a small sun trapped in snow.
Wei Chen broke the kiss just enough to look at her. "Do you want me to stop?" he asked, low.
Lin Xue shook her head. "Don't stop," she whispered. "Say it."
Wei Chen's grin turned wicked for one second. "Bossy," he murmured. "Fine."
He touched his forehead to hers. "My true name," he said slowly, like it hurt to peel it out of his chest, "is Chen Wei."
Lin Xue blinked, like she felt the weight of it. The hall hummed. The coffin chains jerked, hungry.
Lin Xue held his face with both hands. Her eyes were bright and wet. "Chen Wei," she whispered, clear and steady. "Anchor to me."
The bond mark flared so bright it lit their sleeves. A gold-and-silver thread shot between their wrists like a rope snapping into place. Wei Chen felt it lock in his ribs, warm and heavy, like a promise you could not run from. The coffin hissed, and the chain aiming at his chest smoked for a heartbeat.
Su Mei slammed her palm down and drew a violet seal in the air. "Name-Anchor accepted," she snapped. "Now close!"
The coffin screamed in their minds. The lid shuddered, trying to shut, fighting the new lock. The chains shook wildly, slapping stone. Black mist poured out in anger.
Wei Chen held Lin Xue tighter. His naughty mouth still found words, even while danger clawed at them. "Now you really can't pretend," he whispered against her hair. "You said my true name."
Lin Xue's face went red again, furious and shaken. "Later," she whispered. "Live first."
Wei Chen smiled. "Yes, Elder."
The coffin voice turned sharp. "Cute," it spat. "So I bite the anchor."
A thin black thread shot out from the crack and wrapped around the gold-and-silver rope between their wrists. Lin Xue gasped as the cold hit her arm. Wei Chen felt the pull too, like someone tried to rip his ribs open.
Su Mei cursed. "It's stealing the link!"
Wei Chen gritted his teeth and pressed his lips to Lin Xue's ear. "Look at me," he said. "Say it again. Say you choose me."
Lin Xue's breath shook. "Chen Wei," she whispered. "I choose you."
The gold-and-silver rope flared again—then the black thread snapped.
The coffin lid slammed halfway shut.
For one heartbeat, silence.
Then the coffin laughed.
Because from inside the crack, it whispered a new word—soft, proud, and stolen.
"Chen Wei…"
Wei Chen's blood went cold.
It knew.
It had swallowed his true name anyway.
To be Continued
© Kishtika., 2025
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