The mist thinned, giving way to silence. A broken stairway stretched forward, leading to a vast platform suspended in the void. Above, the twin moons gleamed like frost, their cold light spilling upon a river of shadows below.
Ye Lan stood with her sword, breath unsteady. The heart demon's words still gnawed at her, carving open the loneliness she had buried for years. Shame and doubt clung like thorns—feelings she had never revealed to anyone.
At her side, Luo Mingyao walked quietly, silver eyes reflective as still water. She spoke no unnecessary word. Only the faint shimmer of moonlight trailed from her sleeve, soothing the chaos within Ye Lan's chest.
"You needn't intervene," Ye Lan said suddenly, her tone sharp. "The heart demon is my tribulation, not yours."
Luo Mingyao's reply was calm: "If you perish in the Realm, the pact shatters. I die as well."
Ye Lan's lips curved in a cold smile. "So you saved me for yourself."
"Yes… and no." Luo Mingyao stopped, turning to face her. "The pact is fate. But the path we choose to walk—that is ours."
For a breath, Ye Lan faltered. The tip of her sword dipped, ever so slightly.
Wind stirred the spectral river, its currents whispering like lost souls. Ye Lan fixed her gaze upon its glow and asked softly, "If the pact cannot be broken, will you betray me one day?"
Luo Mingyao's answer came low, but resolute as steel."No."
She raised her hand. With a single stroke of her finger, a crescent moon formed in the air, its light condensing into a sigil. It sank into Ye Lan's chest, leaving a faint mark that pulsed like frostfire.
"By the twin moons, I swear—I will not abandon you."
Ye Lan's heart lurched. The raging forces within her stilled instantly. She reached for the mark, but it would not fade. Her voice was icy: "Why bind yourself? If the oath breaks, its backlash will destroy you."
Luo Mingyao lowered her eyes, the faintest curve touching her lips."You would not understand."
Ye Lan's chest tightened, an unfamiliar tremor rising within her. She had faced storms and blades without fear, yet before this vow, she felt strangely unsteady.
The moonlight stretched their shadows across the broken stairway, long and intertwined.
Ahead, the mist stirred once more—the next trial awaited. Ye Lan sheathed her sword, her voice low."Let's go."
Luo Mingyao lingered on her back a moment longer before following, her silver gaze unreadable beneath the twin moons.