The ledge trembled under them like it was scared. Small stones fell into the pit, and the sound never reached the bottom. Lin Xue went stiff in Wei Chen's arms as the two gold-black eyes opened below.
A deep voice rolled up from the dark. "Frozen Heart," it rumbled. "Mine."
Lin Xue's breath turned white and fast. Frost spilled off her shoulders like smoke. "It knows my curse," she whispered.
Wei Chen held her tighter, turning his body so he was between her and the pit. His black sun brand pulsed like a warning bell. "It can know anything it wants," he said. "It still can't touch what's mine."
Lin Xue's cheeks warmed even while fear shook her. "Stop saying 'mine' like that."
Wei Chen leaned close to her ear, shameless. "Then say 'ours,'" he teased. "I like that too."
Above them, Su Mei's violet rope was still hooked to Wei Chen's arm, but it was shaking. Su Mei's voice echoed down, strained. "The ledge is breaking! If I pull too hard, you'll both slam into the wall!"
Wei Chen shouted back, "Then don't pull yet!"
Su Mei snapped, "Give me a plan, not flirting!"
The Frost-Eater moved. Cold wind rose from the pit, sharp enough to sting. A long shadow-shape climbed the air like mist with claws, reaching for Lin Xue's wrist. The moment it got close, Lin Xue's bond mark flickered, like the thing was trying to sniff it out.
Lin Xue grabbed Wei Chen's shirt. "Chen Wei," she said, voice shaking. "Say my name. Stay real."
Wei Chen didn't joke now. "Lin Xue," he said, clear.
"Again," she demanded, stubborn even in fear.
"Lin Xue," Wei Chen said louder. The gold-and-silver bond rope flared warm between them, and his black sun brand stuttered like it hit a wall.
The shadow-claw reached again. Wei Chen snapped his fan open and slashed. The fan's edge cut through the mist, but it didn't stop it. It just slowed it.
Su Mei cursed above. "It's not flesh! It's law! It's claiming her curse like property!"
Lin Xue's throat tightened as frost crept up her neck again. The Frost-Eater's voice rose, pleased. "Open, Frozen Heart," it rumbled. "Freeze for me."
Lin Xue's eyes went wide. "It's pulling my curse," she whispered.
Wei Chen felt the cold surge through her body, and he knew what would happen next. If her curse broke open fully, the ice would explode. It might freeze the pit. It might freeze him too.
Wei Chen grabbed her face gently. "Rules," he said, low and steady. "Stop means stop. You choose."
Lin Xue swallowed hard. "Stop means stop," she whispered. "And I choose… I choose you. Help me."
Wei Chen nodded. His voice dropped, naughty but warm, like a blanket in a storm. "Then I'm going to warm you until that monster cries," he murmured. "Do you want a kiss for anchor?"
Lin Xue's breath hitched. Fear and need mixed in her eyes. "Yes," she whispered. "Now."
Wei Chen kissed her, slow and deep, like a vow pressed into her mouth. Lin Xue clutched his collar and pulled him closer, not forced—chosen. Their breaths mixed. His heat rolled into her, and her frost steadied him back. The bond rope flared gold and silver, bright enough to make the shadow-claw hiss.
Wei Chen pulled back just enough to ask, "Do you want me to stop?"
Lin Xue shook her head. "Don't stop," she whispered. "Not because of it."
"Good," Wei Chen murmured, and kissed her again—shorter, stronger, like a promise with teeth. Lin Xue made a small sound and pressed her forehead to his, trembling.
Above, Su Mei shouted, "Your heat is working, but I need your brand quiet too! If it flares, the dark will pull you both down!"
Wei Chen looked up. "Then seal it!"
Su Mei snapped, "I can't do it for free, pretty boy!"
Lin Xue's eyes narrowed at once. "Su Mei—"
Wei Chen raised a hand. "Rules," he said. He looked at Lin Xue first. "Are you okay with it?"
Lin Xue's pride fought her face, then she nodded once, sharp. "Yes," she whispered. "Live."
Wei Chen looked up into the violet rope. "One seal," he shouted. "Stop means stop. No chains."
Su Mei's laugh was tight. "Say yes."
Wei Chen swallowed. "I choose this," he said. "One seal."
A pulse of violet qi ran down the rope into Wei Chen's chest like hot ink. It bit around the black sun brand, burning cold away for a breath. Wei Chen hissed, but his body felt more his own.
Su Mei's voice echoed down, softer for one second. "Don't die," she said.
Wei Chen grinned up at the dark. "You care," he teased.
"Shut up," Su Mei snapped, but her rope held tighter.
The Frost-Eater didn't like any of it. The eyes below widened, and the pit breathed out a wave of cold so strong it made the ledge crack. A long black tongue of mist shot up and wrapped around Lin Xue's ankle.
Lin Xue gasped. "It grabbed me!"
Wei Chen's smile vanished. He hooked his arm under her knees and yanked her into his lap, holding her like she weighed nothing. "Mine," he growled again, this time like a threat.
Lin Xue clutched his shoulders. "Chen Wei…"
Wei Chen leaned close, voice rough and real. "Say it," he told her. "Say you choose me. Loud."
Lin Xue swallowed, then lifted her chin toward the pit like an elder facing death. "Chen Wei," she shouted, "I choose you!"
The bond rope flared hard. The mist around her ankle hissed and loosened—just a little.
But the ledge broke.
Stone fell away under Wei Chen's feet. His stomach dropped. Su Mei's rope jerked tight with a sharp snap sound.
Wei Chen grabbed Lin Xue to his chest with both arms. Lin Xue wrapped her arms around his neck, trembling.
The Frost-Eater's voice rose like a laugh. "Fall," it rumbled. "Frozen Heart comes home."
And as the ledge collapsed, Wei Chen felt his black sun brand pulse once—answering the monster below like a key turning in a lock.
To be Continued
© Kishtika., 2025
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