The darkness was thick, like a dense fog veiling the path, wrapping the space in a suffocating silence. No sound, no breath. The cold crept through the seams of Xuan Xingli's robe, seeping into her skin, making every nerve tense in alertness.
Beneath her feet, the ground was solid like stone, yet weightless. It felt as if she were standing in a boundless void, where a single misstep could send her plummeting into an endless abyss.
In front of her, the silhouette of the woman remained still.
Long black hair veiled part of her face, her pale skin nearly translucent under the dim glow of the surrounding light. A dark dress clung to her slender frame, as if it were merging with the shadows. Her eyes—deep, hollow—held an eerie familiarity.
Xuan Xingli knew this person.
But she could not remember.
A sense of discomfort spread through her. She clenched her fists, suppressing the unease rising within her.
"Who are you?" Her voice dropped, laced with wariness.
The woman did not answer immediately. She merely tilted her head slightly, strands of her hair swaying with the motion. A faint smile ghosted her lips, as if mocking Xuan Xingli's confusion.
"Have you forgotten me?"
The voice was barely more than a whisper, yet it resonated directly into her mind.
The words felt like a key, unlocking a door that had been sealed shut. A wave of dizziness struck her, causing her steps to falter.
Beside her, Luo Chenxi had already sensed something was amiss. Her violet eyes darkened, and she slowly raised her hand.
"Xuan Yuan – Silent Execution."
The space trembled.
An invisible force shot toward the woman's figure.
"Slash!"
The moment the attack landed, the woman's silhouette blurred like an illusion. No scream, no wound—just an unreal shadow fading away.
But at that instant, the surrounding space distorted violently.
Everything blurred.
The sky, the ground, the trees—everything twisted as if an unseen hand was warping reality itself.
Xuan Xingli felt an invisible force pulling her deeper in.
When her vision stabilized, she found herself standing in a long corridor, lined with old wooden doors on either side.
Wisps of white mist seeped from the gaps beneath the doors, floating eerily in the air like imprisoned souls.
A familiar place.
A place she did not want to remember.
Her heartbeat slowed.
She knew this place.
This was not just a dream.
It was a piece of her sealed past.
A voice echoed in her mind.
"Remember."
She reached out, fingers brushing against the nearest door.
The moment she touched the wood, the door swung open with a sudden force.
Inside was a small room.
Dim yellow light flickered from a ceiling lamp, casting a faded glow over everything.
At the center of the room, a girl sat with her back turned to Xuan Xingli.
Her long hair cascaded down, her slender shoulders trembling slightly.
A sharp pang of pain stirred within Xuan Xingli.
She stepped forward.
"Who are you?"
The girl did not turn around.
Only a soft whisper drifted through the still air.
"I am you."
Those words pierced through Xuan Xingli's mind like a dagger. In that instant, her consciousness trembled violently, shattered fragments of forgotten memories flashing like shards of broken glass.
The girl still did not turn, but every breath, every subtle movement was identical to Xuan Xingli.
No, not identical.
She was her.
Xuan Xingli held her breath, inching closer. The nearer she got, the colder the air became. A strange, oppressive force weighed down on her, as if some unknown entity was trying to hold her back from facing the truth.
She reached out, her hand touching the girl's shoulder.
At that moment, the entire room exploded into a storm of memories.
Images flickered wildly through her mind—a blood-soaked battlefield, a pitch-black stone gate, sorrowful eyes filled with regret.
Screams, howling winds, the murmurs of lost souls.
She saw herself, collapsing in a vast expanse of white light.
And standing before her was a woman clad in white, her gaze gentle yet sorrowful beyond words.
"Have you forgotten?"
The voice echoed once more, but this time, it no longer came from the girl in the room.
It came from within herself.
A searing pain shot through her head.
The world fractured before her eyes.
Xuan Xingli inhaled sharply, her consciousness sinking into the abyss.
From afar, Luo Chenxi narrowed her eyes, a glint of sharpness flashing through her violet irises.
She knew.
That person…
Was not merely a memory.