Fractured Realities

Liu's PerspectiveThe news of Chen Ning's supposed death had struck Liu deeply. Ever since the disappearance of his friend, Liu had been consumed by worry and grief. The thought that Chen Ning might have perished in some unknown conflict weighed heavily on him, causing sleepless nights and restless days.Liu wandered through the sect grounds, lost in thought. The familiar surroundings of the Wutai Sect were both comforting and torturous in their familiarity. Each corner he passed reminded him of Chen Ning—the laughter they had shared, the conversations that had once been."Is this really it?" Liu muttered to himself, his voice barely above a whisper. He had heard whispers of a new disciple, a replacement, but the details were vague. The only thing clear was the pain of Chen Ning's absence.A sense of unease settled over Liu. He knew he had to move on, to honor Chen Ning's memory if he was truly gone. But the thought of accepting a replacement, a faceless stand-in, felt like a betrayal.Liu stopped by Chen Ning's old quarters, staring at the empty space that used to hold his friend's belongings. "If only I could believe the rumors were false," he murmured, eyes clouded with tears. "If only you were here."Feng's PerspectivePrince Feng had spent the last few weeks attempting to reconcile his own feelings about Chen Ming. The disappearance of Chen Ning, whom he had come to regard with an uncharacteristic fondness, had left him feeling unsettled. Feng's initial frustration and rivalry had evolved into a genuine interest, something he hadn't anticipated.Standing in front of the sect's main entrance, Feng's eyes scanned the surroundings with a critical eye. The atmosphere had changed—there was an undercurrent of tension and secrecy. Despite the reassurances from the sect's higher-ups, Feng couldn't shake the feeling that something was amiss.As he strode through the grounds, he couldn't help but feel the weight of his brother Cheng's expectations. Feng had come to investigate the rumors of a new disciple, and the more he learned, the more he realized that the person he had been told to look out for was a mere shadow of Chen Ning."I need to find the truth," Feng decided, his resolve hardening. "If Chen Ming isn't here, then where did he go? And why is everyone so intent on keeping it a secret?"Cheng's PerspectivePrince Cheng had been unusually quiet since the news of Chen Ning's death. His demeanor had always been marked by a certain arrogance, but the loss of Chen Ning had stripped away much of his veneer of confidence. Cheng had found himself haunted by the image of Chen Ming—the mysterious figure who had recently made an impression on him.As he walked through the palace gardens, Cheng's thoughts were preoccupied with the events at the market. Chen Ming's unexpected acts of kindness and bravery had stirred something in him—a sense of guilt and regret that he hadn't fully understood until now."I should have done more," Cheng reflected, his gaze distant. "I should have been there for him, but I let my own concerns overshadow everything else."Cheng's steps led him to a secluded part of the garden where he had often sought solace. The absence of Chen Ning—or Chen Ming—felt like a void in his life. The realization that he had lost someone who had, in a short time, become so significant to him was a hard pill to swallow.The news of Chen Ning's death had been a blow, but the absence of any concrete evidence left Cheng grappling with his emotions. He had been reluctant to believe it, hoping against hope that there was some mistake."Why does it feel like there's more to this?" Cheng pondered aloud, his frustration evident. "I need to know what really happened. I owe it to him."