The mirrors did not fade after he whispered, "I didn't."
Instead, they leaned closer.
A deeper cold seeped into the chamber, spreading across the black stone floor like frost forming over still water. The Pavilion's walls pulsed faintly beneath their polished surfaces, as though something hidden beneath the formation had sensed the fracture in Jin Yue's composure and chosen to press against it. The air grew heavy. Though the temperature dropped, sweat slid down his spine, cold against his skin.
The illusion did not retreat.
It deepened.
The cliff returned beneath his feet.
Jagged rock, slick with rain. The sky was torn open by violent streaks of lightning that crawled like living veins across dark clouds. Thunder did not roll from a distance...it exploded overhead. Below, the sea roared in savage hunger, waves smashing themselves against stone as if desperate to devour the world.
Little Apple lay near the cliff's edge.
