Shen Yueyin died in her sleep.
At least, that was how it felt.
One moment, there was nothing.
The next, pain exploded through her chest like a blade being forced inside and twisted without mercy.
She gasped, choking violently, body jerking upright as if dragged back from the depths of hell. Her lungs screamed. Her heart slammed so hard it felt like it might rupture. Cold rushed into her veins, sharp and unforgiving, and her vision spun wildly as the world snapped into place.
Stone.
Cold stone.
She collapsed forward, palms scraping against the ground, breath coming out in broken, ugly sounds. Every inhale felt wrong, like the air didn't belong to her. Her ribs ached. No, ached wasn't enough.
They felt crushed.
Shen Yueyin tried to gather her spiritual energy.
Nothing answered.
Her mind went blank.
Again.
"No…" Her voice came out as a whisper, hoarse and trembling. "No, no, not again…"
She tried once more, desperately this time, forcing her consciousness inward, searching for even the faintest trace of cultivation.
There was only emptiness.
Her spiritual veins weren't sealed. They weren't damaged.
They were shattered beyond repair.
A laugh tore out of her throat, thin, broken, bordering on hysterical. It echoed against the stone walls and sounded nothing like something a sane person would make.
Heaven had sent her back.
Again.
The memories came crashing down without warning.
Lightning tearing through the sky.
Immortal blood splattering across the clouds.
The sound of screaming, thousands of voices blending into one endless howl.
And him.
Standing alone at the center of it all, black robes soaked through, his back straight even as the heavens prepared to erase him.
Go, he had told her calmly, eyes gentle despite the ruin around them.
If you stay, you'll suffer again.
Her chest tightened so violently she thought she might vomit.
"I didn't leave," she whispered now, pressing her forehead against the cold floor. "I never leave…"
The air smelled like rust and decay. Damp. Filthy. Familiar in the worst way.
A prison.
Her fingers stiffened.
Slowly, so slowly it hurt, Shen Yueyin lifted her head.
Chains lay scattered nearby. Thick iron, worn smooth by time and struggle. One end disappeared into the wall.
The other,
Her heart stopped.
He sat there.
Alive.
The world tilted.
For a heartbeat, Shen Yueyin forgot how to breathe. Forgot how to think. Forgot how to exist as anything other than pain and disbelief.
He was younger than she remembered. Thinner. His face was pale from hunger, bruises darkening his jaw, dried blood clinging to his temple. His wrists were locked in heavy shackles, skin rubbed raw beneath the iron, yet he sat unnaturally still, head lowered, long black hair falling loose around his shoulders.
Mortal.
Unawakened.
Not yet ruined by fate.
Tears flooded her eyes without permission.
Her hand flew to her mouth as a sob clawed its way up her throat. She bit down hard, teeth sinking into her knuckle until blood filled her mouth, just to keep the sound inside.
Don't cry.
If she cried, she would lose control.
If she lost control, she would run to him.
And if she ran to him,
She would never be able to raise the blade.
She had done this too many times to count.
Each time, Heaven sent her back to this moment. The beginning. When he was still human. When the world still had a chance to survive.
She had killed him once.
Only once.
She still remembered the weight of the sword in her hands. The warmth of his blood spilling over her fingers. The way he looked at her, not with hatred, not with fear, but with relief.
So it's you this time, he had said softly.
Her vision shook violently.
The sound of metal shifting cut through the silence.
He lifted his head.
Their eyes met.
Something inside Shen Yueyin shattered.
His gaze was dark and sharp, terrifyingly clear. There was no panic there. No confusion. Just awareness, as if he had been waiting for her to wake.
"…You're awake," he said.
His voice was low. Calm. Steady.
That voice.
She had heard it whisper her name while holding her through nightmares.
She had heard it command armies to slaughter immortals without mercy.
She had heard it break as he begged her to survive without him.
Her chest burned.
She forced herself to speak, even as her hands trembled uncontrollably. "Where… is this?"
"Northern Prison." He studied her intently, eyes narrowing slightly. "They threw you in earlier today. Thought you were dead already."
Earlier today.
Her heart skipped violently.
The timeline had advanced faster than before.
This was bad.
"You don't look frightened," he continued, tilting his head. "Most people are."
She laughed weakly. "I'm too tired for fear."
His gaze sharpened. "Tired?"
She didn't answer.
He shifted slightly, chains clinking softly. The sound sent a jolt through her chest.
"What's your name?" she asked.
He paused.
Just for a moment.
That pause sent a chill down her spine.
"Yin Beichen," he said finally.
The name crushed her.
Her knees gave out, and she slumped back against the wall, chest heaving as if she'd been struck. She squeezed her eyes shut, nails digging into her palms.
In one life, she had whispered that name like a prayer.
In another, she had screamed it until her voice was gone.
"I'm Shen Yueyin," she said hoarsely.
He repeated it quietly, testing the sound.
Something flickered across his face.
Not recognition.
But discomfort.
Like a wound that hadn't fully healed.
"You look at me like you've already lost," he said suddenly.
Her breath hitched.
Because I have.
She opened her eyes and met his gaze, forcing herself not to look away. "If I told you," she asked softly, "that one day you would destroy this world… would you believe me?"
He stared at her for a long moment.
Then he smiled.
Not kindly.
Not cruelly.
Like someone who had already made peace with something terrible.
"…Maybe," he said. "Would you stop me?"
Her heart shattered.
Outside the prison, Heaven watched in silence, waiting patiently for her decision.
Kill him.
Save everyone else.