Crimson Hollow was nothing like Mei Lian imagined.
Nestled deep within the Veiled Mountains, it wasn't a town or village—it was a refuge carved into the bones of the earth itself. Jagged cliffs loomed above a narrow ravine, their surfaces stained red by the minerals that gave the place its name. Caverns wound deep beneath the stone, pulsing faintly with natural spirit energy. Even the wind felt thicker here, charged with a hum that prickled against her skin.
"It's beautiful," Mei Lian whispered.
"And dangerous," Shen Liuxian said. "This place doesn't welcome the uninvited."
They approached a narrow bridge suspended across the ravine. On the other side, a woman stepped from the shadows—tall, draped in crimson robes, her silver hair bound in coils like a crown. Her eyes shimmered with a strange inner fire.
"Shen Liuxian," she said with a smile that didn't reach her eyes. "You brought her."
"I did," he said. "As we agreed."
The woman's gaze shifted to Mei Lian. It was piercing—like she could see beneath her skin, into the flame pulsing in her chest.
"So," she said softly, "the Crimson Heart stirs again."
Mei Lian stepped forward, wary. "Who are you?"
"I am Yuyan," the woman replied. "Last Keeper of the Hollow, and once… the chosen rival of the Snowblade Heir."
Mei Lian blinked. "You knew her?"
"I knew of her," Yuyan said, walking slowly across the bridge. "I spent a lifetime chasing the flame you now carry. And when I failed to claim it, I buried myself here, among the hollow bones of lost power."
Yuyan stopped just before her. "You reek of it. But yours is different—wild, untamed. It hasn't devoured you yet."
"It won't," Mei Lian said.
Yuyan laughed. "Bold words. But the Crimson Heart devours everything eventually. Love. Sanity. Even time."
Shen cut in, voice sharp. "She didn't come here to be tested. We want answers."
Yuyan turned her gaze to him, then gestured to a carved archway behind her. "Then step inside. But know this: the Hollow reveals more than truths. It shows what you fear to face."
Mei Lian hesitated. Shen gave her a nod. "I'll be with you."
They passed through the arch into a cavern lit with soft, pulsating veins of red crystal. The air shimmered with illusions—echoes of laughter, screams, whispers that tickled their ears. The deeper they went, the louder the memories became.
Then they reached the chamber.
A circular room of obsidian, its floor inlaid with an ancient sigil. The moment Mei Lian stepped inside, the world twisted.
She stood alone.
The chamber was gone. Shen was gone.
Before her stood herself—older, bloodstained, with hollow eyes and a smirk that chilled her soul.
"I am what you become," the reflection said. "When you stop pretending the flame can be controlled."
"No," Mei Lian said. "I won't become that."
"You already are," the reflection whispered. "You burn for vengeance. You crave power. You want to be seen. That is the seed of ruin."
"I won't lose myself."
"Then kill me," the reflection hissed, drawing a sword of burning crimson.
Mei Lian stepped back—then stilled.
She closed her eyes.
This is a vision. Not truth. Not yet.
She drew a breath, summoned the flame—not in anger, but in defiance of fear. When she opened her eyes again, her reflection was gone.
And Shen stood beside her.
"You faced it?" he asked.
She nodded, breath shaking. "I saw what I could become."
"And?"
"I chose not to."
They turned back toward the exit, the chamber fading behind them.
Yuyan waited at the archway. Her expression unreadable.
"You passed," she said. "For now."
"Tell me what I am," Mei Lian said.
"You are the second incarnation of the Crimson Heart," Yuyan said. "And the world will either kneel before your flame… or burn in it."
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