It was morning, and sunlight filtered softly through the halls and courtyards of the Fang Family Manor. A 15-year-old boy was running swiftly down the corridor, his breaths quick and steps hurried.
Seeing him, it felt as if some great trouble was waiting for him—something that could change his life forever. The serene and elegant environment of the manor only seemed to heighten the tension; every footstep, every rustling leaf, resonated with his racing heartbeat.
It was Feng Lin.
At that moment, he didn't understand what his father was asking about his condition. All he wanted was to get away from the situation. Without saying a word, he ran off straight from there.
Feng Lin ran until he reached the place where the past Feng Lin used to bathe. The memories of those times came rushing back to him.
Feng Lin stopped at the edge of the small, secluded spring. Quiet water shimmered under the morning light, the surface so calm it felt untouched by the world. Wind whispered through bamboo leaves, yet inside him… there was only chaos.
He stared at the water—at that place where the previous Feng Lin used to come, laugh, wash, dream. A boy full of life.
But the Feng Lin standing here now felt like a stranger in his own skin.
His chest tightened.
Why does it feel like this body remembers things… that I don't?
A faint pain pulsed through his head. Then stronger. A sharp, stabbing pressure—like someone forcing open a sealed door in his mind.
He staggered, clutching his temples.
Images flashed.
A cold night. A blinding light. A voice—distant, echoing.
"Go to awekning ceremony…"
Feng Lin gasped, dropping to one knee as the world around him blurred. His heartbeat roared in his ears. The calm spring seemed to ripple with unseen force, as if reacting to him.
The pain grew unbearable—
And then, suddenly—
Silence.
A breathless stillness fell over everything.
Feng Lin slowly lifted his head. That same mysterious glow lingered in his eyes.
For a few silent moments, he didn't move—then he gently nodded, as if accepting a decision only he could hear.
And in that instant—
A voice echoed through his mind.
"My wish… is that you go to the Awakening Ceremony—and show everyone that you are not weak, useless, or someone who runs away.
You will face the challenges ahead.
You will never give up.
You will become the strongest swordsman in the Tianjian Clan…
And make your mother and father proud."
That voice ignited a burning fire inside him.
Feng Lin's fists tightened, and his eyes filled with a fierce, unwavering resolve.
Suddenly, Feng Lin flinched.
A faint sound echoed from somewhere behind him—quick, sharp, and unexpected. His heart skipped. He spun around, eyes scanning the trees, the rocks, the still surface of the spring.
Nothing.
No footsteps.
No shadow.
No presence.
The place was completely silent.
A chill crept up his spine.
Where did that sound come from? he wondered, his breath unsteady.
His thoughts spiraled.
And why did that voice tell me to go to the Awakening Ceremony?
To prove myself?
To become the strongest swordsman of the Tianjian Clan?
His brows tightened.
Where even is this Tianjian Clan?
Why do I need to become strong?
And in the end… why did it say I am weak? Useless? A coward?
His chest tightened with confusion—and a sting of anger.
Another heavy, echoing sound tore through the silence.
A deep voice thundered in Feng Lin's mind:
"So… are you refusing to do my task?
Remember one thing—
I know all your secrets.
I know that you came from another world into my body.
If you don't obey me… I will tell everyone."
Before the voice could finish, Feng Lin snapped—irritation flaring in his eyes.
"Who even are you?" he shouted. "And why should I do anything for you?"
He stopped.
For a moment, his face drained of all color—like a terrifying realization had just hit him.
In a shaky, broken voice, he whispered:
"Don't tell me… you are… Fa…ng…"
The mysterious voice answered instantly:
"Yes. I am exactly who you're thinking of.
I am the will of Fang Lin.
Do you have anything else to ask?"
Those words echoed again and again in Feng Lin's mind—heavy, unbelievable.
But instead of fear…
A slow smile appeared on Feng Lin's lips.
Feng Lin suddenly laughed—cold, wild, almost devilish.
"Ha… ha… ha…"
His voice dripped with confidence.
"You're just a will now. You can't do anything against me."
He paused, eyes narrowing, a sharp glint flashing in them.
Then he spoke again—slow, deliberate:
"Because I know… if you could control this body, you would've done it already.
You would have taken over when I returned to my own world.
But now I understand—
you can only stay inside this body.
Nothing more.
Isn't that right?"
Silence.
And then—
Fang Lin's Will answered, its tone ashamed, as if its deepest truth had been exposed.
"Yes… you are right. This is because… I am already dead.
What remains of me now… is only my split soul."
The words trembled—like the confession of someone who had lost everything.
Feng Lin scrunched his nose, a mocking smirk tugging at his lips. He leaned forward slightly and asked coldly:
"Tell me—what was so terrible that you chose to kill yourself? Weren't you the one who wanted to make your parents proud? Weren't you supposed to be the strongest swordsman of your clan? And yet… you died so quickly. Like a coward."
The words hit the silence like blades.
He stopped for a breath—then continued, voice calmer but even more cutting:
"And why are you telling me all this? How are you still inside this body? When people die, their souls disappear completely. But you…"
His eyes narrowed.
"…your obsession must be so strong that you still couldn't let this body go."
And then—
everything fell silent.
The air froze.
The wind stopped.
Even the faint ripples on the spring's surface went still.
It was as if the world itself had paused—
Just for this moment.
In that frozen silence, a voice rose again—no longer loud or arrogant, but hollow… wounded.
"Coward…?"
The words trembled like they were pulled from a broken memory.
Then the Will spoke, slowly—each word drenched in pain:
"I didn't die because I was weak."
A faint pulse stirred in the air, like the world itself reacted.
"I died… because someone killed me."
Feng Lin's eyes widened.
The voice continued:
"It wasn't suicide. It was murder."
The stillness deepened—sharper, darker.
"And the one who killed me… was from the Tianjian Clan."
A chill ran through Feng Lin's spine.
The Will's tone shifted—low and bitter:
"I was betrayed."
A memory flickered in his voice.
"I was killed after being lured into a trap. Inside my own room, a demonic-type formation was set. Because of it… I lost control of myself—completely."
The words were slow… haunting.
"And in that madness… I was forced to die by my own hands."
For a moment, the Will fell silent—like it was reliving that nightmare.
Then it continued, voice trembling with confusion and rage:
"I don't know who did it.
I don't know why.
Or what they gained by killing me."
A cold bitterness tightened in the voice.
"But I will never forgive them."
The air seemed to darken.
"All of this happened… because I was weak."
The air trembled.
"And before I died… I made one final wish—
To not disappear.
To not be erased.
To stay inside this body…
Until the one who murdered me is destroyed."
The Will's voice burned with a cold, haunting fury.
"That is why I still exist."
Just as Feng Lin was about to ask another question, he froze.
A sudden voice echoed from far beyond the bathing area—its source hidden somewhere behind the changing-room door.
"Fang Lin, have you finished bathing? You need to hurry. The Awakening Ceremony for all the youngsters is already underway—only you are left."
The voice was sweet… gentle… almost charming.
Yet beneath it lay a subtle chill—cold enough to send a shiver through the air.
It was unmistakably the voice of a girl.