Darkness wrapped around them like a wet curtain. The air felt thick, like breathing inside a closed box. Wei Chen's hand stayed locked with Lin Xue's, and his other hand held Su Mei's wrist, because he didn't trust the dark not to steal them.
Then the copied voice came again, soft and perfect. "Wei Chen… I choose you."
Lin Xue froze. Her mouth did not move. Her eyes widened with shock. "That's not me," she whispered.
Su Mei's nails dug into Wei Chen's arm. "It can copy," she said. "It can lie."
Wei Chen's black sun brand pulsed cold. His true name tugged inside his ribs like a leash. For half a second, his body leaned toward the sound, like he wanted to run to it.
Lin Xue pulled him back hard. "Chen Wei," she said, voice shaking but clear. "Say my name. Stay real."
Wei Chen swallowed. "Lin Xue," he said.
Lin Xue's grip tightened. "Again."
"Lin Xue," Wei Chen said, louder.
The gold-and-silver bond rope between their wrists warmed, and the leash weakened a little. The copied voice sighed like it was annoyed.
"Good," Lin Xue whispered. Then, because fear makes truth slip out, she pressed close to Wei Chen's chest like she needed his heat to stay standing. "Don't look at it," she said. "Look at me."
Wei Chen's naughty grin tried to come back. "I'm looking," he murmured. "Hard."
Lin Xue's cheeks turned red even in the dark. "Stop talking."
Wei Chen lowered his voice near her ear. "Rules," he teased gently. "Stop means stop."
Lin Xue swallowed. "Stop means stop," she whispered, then added, smaller, "And I choose you."
Wei Chen's chest tightened. He held her waist firm, careful. "Do you want a kiss?" he asked, simple and clear. "For anchor."
Lin Xue's eyes stayed on his. She nodded once. "Yes," she whispered. "Now."
Wei Chen kissed her. Slow, deep, and steady, like a vow you can feel in your bones. Lin Xue's fingers grabbed his collar and pulled him closer, not forced—chosen. Their breath mixed. His heat rolled into her, and her frost steadied him back. The bond rope flared warm, and the dark hissed like it didn't like it.
Su Mei clicked her tongue. "You two are disgusting," she muttered.
Wei Chen broke the kiss just enough to whisper, "Jealous?"
Su Mei's eyes glittered. "Focus," she snapped, but her voice sounded tight.
The dark shifted. The floor under them turned into a narrow path of black stone, leading forward. On both sides were walls that looked smooth, but they moved like skin. Symbols lit up and dimmed, like blinking eyes.
The copied voice changed. Now it sounded like Su Mei. "Wei Chen," it purred. "Let go of the ice. Take the demon."
Su Mei's face twisted. "That's my voice," she said, disgusted.
Then it changed again. Now it sounded like Lin Xue, but sweeter, weaker. "Chen Wei," it whispered. "Come to me alone. I'm scared."
Wei Chen's body leaned again, pulled by his stolen name. His brand burned cold. His teeth clenched.
Lin Xue stepped in front of him and pressed both hands to his chest, right over the black sun. "Chen Wei," she said, firm. "Look at me. Ask me."
Wei Chen breathed hard. "Do you want me to follow that voice?" he asked.
Lin Xue shook her head. "No," she said. "I want you here."
Wei Chen nodded. "Then I choose you," he said. He held her face and kissed her again—shorter, harder, like a bite of promise. Lin Xue made a small sound and grabbed his wrist, anchoring him.
Su Mei rolled her eyes, but she stepped closer and pressed her palm to Wei Chen's chest too, beside Lin Xue's hand. "Your brand is flaring," she warned. "If it pulls you again, I seal it."
Wei Chen glanced at her hand and smirked. "Touching me in front of her?"
Lin Xue's eyes narrowed at once. "Wei Chen."
Su Mei's lips curved, dangerous. "Don't start," she said, but her fingers didn't move away.
Wei Chen lifted his chin. "Rules," he said to Su Mei. "Stop means stop. You seal only what we need."
Su Mei's eyes held his. "Say yes," she murmured.
Wei Chen swallowed. "I choose this," he said. "One seal."
Su Mei leaned in and kissed him, fast and hot, like a stamp. Violet qi slid over his true name like protective ink. She pulled back right away, and her voice turned sharp. "Stop?"
"Stop," Wei Chen said.
Su Mei stopped. No fight. Lin Xue watched, jealous heat in her eyes, but she didn't let go of Wei Chen's chest.
The dark laughed softly.
A doorway opened ahead, but it wasn't like the coffin door. This one looked like a mirror made of shadow. Inside it, Wei Chen saw a scene—Lin Xue kneeling, pale and shaking, her curse choking her again. Her lips whispered, "Help me."
Lin Xue grabbed Wei Chen's sleeve so hard it hurt. "It's a lie," she said. "It's showing you what you fear."
The mirror-shape shifted again. Now it showed Su Mei, chained and bleeding, looking at Wei Chen with hate. "You promised," the fake Su Mei whispered. "You lied."
Su Mei's breath caught. For one heartbeat, her face looked… lonely.
Then the dark voice spoke, not copied this time. It sounded older. Cleaner. Meaner. "Su Mei," it said. "I can free your demon core from its hunger. No more craving. No more need. Just power."
Su Mei went very still.
Wei Chen noticed right away. He stepped closer, still holding Lin Xue's hand. His voice dropped low. "Su Mei," he said. "Look at me."
Su Mei didn't answer.
Wei Chen added, quiet but firm, "Stop means stop. You choose."
Su Mei's eyes flicked to his. Hunger and anger twisted there. "I choose power," she whispered, almost like a confession.
Lin Xue's grip tightened on Wei Chen's hand. "Su Mei," she warned.
The dark mirror opened wider. A purple light rose inside it, tempting, soft like silk. The voice whispered, "Step in, Su Mei. Leave them. I make you whole."
Su Mei took one step forward.
Wei Chen grabbed her wrist. "Do you want me to let go?" he asked her, clear.
Su Mei's lips parted. She looked at his hand on her. Then at Lin Xue's hand on him. Jealousy flashed in Su Mei's eyes like a blade.
"Say my name," Wei Chen told her, low. "Stay real."
Su Mei's throat moved. For a second, it looked like she might say it.
But the dark chose that moment to strike.
The floor split between them with a loud crack.
Lin Xue screamed as the stone dropped under her feet.
Wei Chen's hand slipped—just for a heartbeat—
And Lin Xue fell into the dark below, her voice snapping like glass as she shouted his true name.
"CHEN WEI!"
To be Continued
© Kishtika., 2025
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