The tomb tried to breathe with him.It wasn't subtle.
Li Muye drew in a slow breath, counting four beats like the system had told him.But the chamber rushed ahead—a premature inhale, sharp and clumsy, like someone interrupting a sentence.
He frowned."Slow down. It's four beats in, not two."
A low groan rolled through the ribs of the vault.Dust lifted, hesitated, then fell again—embarrassed, almost.
The system flickered, complaining the way old radios did:
[ Breath Sync Attempt… error. ] [ Host rhythm: acceptable. ] [ Vault rhythm: …enthusiastic but inaccurate. ]
"'Enthusiastic' isn't a metric," he muttered.
Another breath.This time, the chamber waited half a beat too long before following, like a child trying to shadow an adult's stride.The air thickened, warm then cold, pulsing against his jawline.
Li Muye raised a hand, instinctively as if calming an anxious animal."It's okay. Just—don't force it. Breathe… with me."
The stone ribs quivered.He felt pressure along the walls, a steadying effort, as if the tomb was bracing itself.
He inhaled again.
One… two… three… four.
The vault inhaled.
One… two…Then tripped over itself on "three," wheezing out a fractured hum.
Li Muye winced."That sounded painful."
The system sputtered again:
[ Vault-to-host sync: 0.63 ] [ Status: learning. Slowly. ] [ Recommendation: patience. ]
He rubbed his forehead."Patience," he echoed. "Funny how you keep asking me for the one thing I don't have."
He tried once more—a gentle breath, softer this time, less like a command and more like an invitation.
And for a heartbeat—just one—the tomb matched him.Perfectly.
Warmth expanded through his ribs.The chamber exhaled with him like a single shared sigh.
Then the sync broke again, but the echo lingered.
A promise, or a warning.
He couldn't tell which.