Somewhere Between Real and Unreal
Ye Tian's eyes snapped open.
But the chamber was gone.
Instead, he stood in a white void filled with floating shards—mirrors, memories, and whispers. Each shard bled smoke. Each one reflected a different face.
Yue Qing.Lin Ruyan.Zhao Feng.His parents—smiling before they turned their backs.
Then—
Mo Wuxian's face.
"Welcome to the inside of your own failure."
A voice slithered into his ears. Cold. Familiar.
Meanwhile…
Yue Qing stirred, breath catching.
She wasn't beside Ye Tian anymore.Instead, she stood at the edge of a dying battlefield—a ruined sect gate, scattered with corpses.
Her master's body lay at her feet. Her own hands drenched in black blood.
"This again…"
"You never belonged here," the voice sneered. "They feared you. Hated you. And what did you do? Tried to love them?"
A mirror flickered before her—Ye Tian's face twisted in pain.
"Even he will leave, you cursed thing."
Back to Ye Tian
He walked through the vision-space. Each step made a shard ripple.He saw Lin Ruyan again—smiling sweetly as she slipped the poisoned wine into his cup.
Then Yue Qing—kissing him under a cold moon.
And then…
Yue Qing, laughing alongside Mo Wuxian, covered in shadow runes.
Ye Tian growled. "That's fake."
"Is it?" whispered the Seed.
"Do you really know her?"
The illusion warped—
Ye Tian and Yue Qing suddenly stood face to face.But between them stood a twisted version of each: Corrupted Ye Tian, and Dark Yue Qing, eyes glowing crimson.
"This is how it ends," said the doppelganger. "One betrayal after another."
The corrupted pair attacked—synchronized, merciless.
Real Ye Tian and Yue Qing fought back, but something was off—each hesitation, each misstep, threatened to let the darkness win.
"Do you trust me?" Yue Qing shouted.
"I don't know anymore!" Ye Tian roared back.
The fake Yue Qing grinned. "You see? He doubts you already."
Then Yue Qing dropped her weapon.
Walked forward.
Faced her corrupted self—and whispered, "You are not me."
Light flared.
The false version shrieked and shattered like glass.
Beside her, Ye Tian struck down his own reflection. But he looked shaken.
"You really believe I won't betray you?"
Yue Qing stepped close. "I believe in what we've faced together."
"Even if I'm cursed?"
"Even if you're damned."
System Ping
[Dreamseed Trial Completed.][Corruption Stabilized – 34%.][Soul-Link Bonus Achieved: "Resonance of Dual Will."][Temporary Buff: Increased resistance to corruption when near Yue Qing.]
Back to the Real world
Ye Tian gasped awake, sweat pouring from his brow.
Yue Qing's eyes opened at the same moment—and they didn't need words.
Something in both of them had changed.
Not just a victory.
A bond formed in fire and doubt.
And the Seed…?
Still watching.
Still waiting.
***