Chapter 3: The Enigmatic Journey

Su Huaijin's consciousness slowly surfaced from the darkness, as if escaping from an endless nightmare. The persistent humming in her ears gradually faded, replaced by the soft, rhythmic sound of water droplets hitting stone slabs—like a countdown ticking away.

She jolted awake, realizing she was standing on a narrow stone path, surrounded by thick fog. The air was damp and carried a faint, putrid smell. Her heart sank—this was neither the autopsy room nor any familiar place she knew.

A deathly silence loomed around her, with only the half-opened bronze box beside her emitting a dim, eerie blue light. She looked down and noticed an aged parchment inside the box, covered in intricate symbols that seemed to form some kind of ancient guidance.

As she reached out to touch the parchment, a searing heat shot through her fingertips and spread across her palm. Instinctively, she recoiled, but at that very moment, the symbols on the parchment flickered briefly, as if triggered by her presence.

"The time of return has arrived."

These ancient inscriptions appeared in the center of the parchment, written in deep crimson, as if inscribed in blood. Su Huaijin's heartbeat quickened. Her fingers trembled slightly as she reached for the parchment again. This time, there was no burning sensation, but a vivid image instantly flashed through her mind—

A towering bronze altar stood within a deep underground chamber, surrounded by countless figures cloaked in black robes. They held bronze bells in their hands, chanting a haunting incantation in hushed tones. In the very center of the altar, a massive bronze box floated in midair, adorned with intricate and cryptic symbols, slowly rotating.

Su Huaijin gasped and snapped back to reality, breathing heavily.

What was this?

She stared intently at the parchment in her hands, realizing she was being drawn into something far beyond her comprehension. This bronze box was no ordinary relic—it was entangled in something much more profound.

Taking a deep breath, she tucked the parchment into her pocket and scanned her surroundings. The fog was beginning to lift, revealing a distant silhouette—a dilapidated temple with a tightly shut entrance, and a familiar bronze bell hanging above its doors.

The bell swayed ever so slightly, emitting a low, eerie hum.

Clenching her teeth, Su Huaijin stepped forward.

Su Huaijin stepped closer to the temple, her footsteps making soft, wet sounds against the damp stone pavement. The thick fog continued to swirl around her, shrouding the temple in an eerie gloom. The bronze bell hanging above the temple doors began to sway slightly, emitting a deep, haunting hum.

Her fingers unconsciously tightened around the parchment in her pocket, and her heartbeat quickened. Somewhere deep inside her, she had a strange sensation—her arrival had already been anticipated.

Taking a deep breath, she raised her hand and pushed open the temple doors.

"Creak—"

The heavy wooden doors groaned against rusted hinges, their movement slow and reluctant. A wave of musty, decayed air rushed out from within.

Inside, the temple was cloaked in darkness, save for a single bronze statue at the center, its vague silhouette barely visible in the dim light. The figure's facial features were blurred, but on its forehead hung a small bronze bell, identical to the one outside.

What unsettled her more was the offering table before the statue, upon which sat three identical bronze boxes, perfectly aligned.

Su Huaijin's pupils constricted slightly.

She cautiously stepped forward, her gaze sweeping over the three boxes. Their surfaces were covered in intricate engravings, whispering of some ancient and forgotten tale. But what truly sent a chill down her spine was what she saw on one of them—

Her name.

"Su Huaijin"

It was carved into the lid of one of the boxes, as though burned into the metal by some unseen force. The script was deep and aged, etched with an ominous finality.

Her breath hitched, and a terrifying realization began to form in her mind.

Trembling, she extended her hand and lightly touched the box bearing her name. At that precise moment, a cacophony of bells rang out, their chimes sharp and frantic, as though countless bronze bells were being shaken at once!

The temple doors slammed shut with a resounding bang, and the air around her instantly turned ice-cold.

The offering table trembled violently, and the three bronze boxes simultaneously sprang open. From within, thick black mist billowed out, twisting and curling into the faint outlines of shadowy figures…

—They were watching her.

Su Huaijin stood frozen, her mind blank with shock.

Suddenly, from the temple's darkened corner, a low voice echoed, its hoarse timbre carrying an unsettling depth, as if it had risen from the depths of the earth—

"Welcome back…"

A cold shiver ran down Su Huaijin's spine as sweat trickled from her temple. The air inside the temple seemed to freeze, the swirling black mist tightening around her like an unseen force restraining her in place.

"Welcome back..."

The voice echoed once more, eerie and resounding, as if it came from all directions at once—yet also from deep within her own mind.

Forcing herself to stay calm, Su Huaijin scanned the three now-opened bronze boxes before her. Through the thickening mist, she could just barely make out what lay inside—aged parchments, each inscribed with ancient, indecipherable script. The ink glowed faintly crimson, as if it had been stained with ancient blood.

Her gaze returned to the box bearing her name, an instinctual fear warning her not to touch the parchment inside. But before she could step away, the swirling black mist surged toward the box, engulfing its contents. The script on the parchment flickered suddenly, as if responding to some unseen summons.

Su Huaijin inhaled sharply and instinctively took a step back.

At that moment, the deep voice rang out again, clearer than before: "You've seen it, haven't you?"

She snapped her head toward the shadows of the temple's interior. A figure slowly emerged from the darkness—a cloaked man, his face obscured beneath a deep hood. Only his eyes, glowing an eerie shade of blue, burned through the gloom like ghostly embers.

"Who… are you?" Su Huaijin's voice trembled slightly.

The hooded figure stepped forward, his every movement sending a faint tremor through the temple floor. He stopped before the altar, casting a glance at the three bronze boxes before turning his piercing gaze back to her.

"It does not matter who I am," he said, his voice deep and coarse, tinged with an unsettling magnetism. "What matters is that your arrival was inevitable."

"Inevitable?" Su Huaijin scoffed, forcing herself to steady her nerves. "I was dragged into this by accident. I don't even know what this place is, let alone the secrets these bronze boxes hold."

The hooded man shook his head, his eyes seemingly piercing through the darkness straight into her soul. "No. You know. Your blood has led you here. Did you truly think this was all coincidence?"

Her pupils constricted.

Blood?

Deep within her mind, fragmented memories began to surface—whispers from childhood dreams, the locked bronze chest hidden in her ancestral home, and the forbidden legends she had never dared to investigate.

A tremor coursed through her body. Was it fear, or the primal response of approaching a long-buried truth?

The man's voice remained steady but carried an undeniable authority: "Open it. See where you truly belong."

Her fingers curled slightly, hesitating. Yet an unseen force seemed to pull her forward, guiding her hand as she slowly reached out, pressing her fingertips against the parchment bearing her name.

Hummmm—

The ancient symbols ignited with a brilliant blue glow. The black mist churned violently, and the temple walls themselves seemed to distort and twist…

Her world changed once again.

Su Huaijin felt her body suddenly lose all weight, as if an invisible force was dragging her into an endless abyss. The wind howled past her ears, and the world before her twisted and distorted, all colors stretching into chaotic, swirling lines—colliding, spiraling, devouring…

The next second, she crashed onto a hard stone floor.

"Cough—"

The impact sent sharp pain through her lungs. She instinctively curled up, pressing her palms against the cold ground, gasping for breath. It took her several seconds to steady herself before she managed to rise and take in her surroundings.

She was now standing in a long, shadowed corridor. The stone walls on either side were lined with ancient bronze lamps, their flickering blue flames casting an eerie glow, making the entire passageway resemble a gateway to the underworld.

The air was damp and filled with the scent of decay, with a faint trace of something metallic—blood.

Cautiously, she dusted herself off and took a tentative step forward. Her footsteps echoed through the corridor, each sound magnified in the silence, as if unseen eyes were watching her every move.

"Return… return…"

A familiar whisper rippled through the air, as if countless unseen voices were chanting in unison, their raspy tones carrying the weight of an ancient ritual.

Her fingertips turned cold. She spun around—only to find that the corridor behind her had vanished, replaced by a solid black stone wall.

Her heart pounded. There was no way back.

Then, at the far end of the passage, a faint glow flickered.

She took a deep breath, gathering her courage, and stepped toward the light.

With each step, her heartbeat grew louder, as if her very blood was resonating with some unseen rhythm. Finally, she reached the end of the corridor and found herself standing before a massive stone door. Embedded in its center was a single bronze bell.

The bell trembled slightly, emitting a soft, ominous hum.

"Push it open."

The deep voice returned, so close it seemed to whisper directly into her ear.

Her fingers trembled, but despite her fear, she reached out and slowly pushed against the door.

What lay beyond made her breath catch in her throat.

This was no ordinary room—it was a colossal bronze altar. The surrounding stone walls were covered in intricate, ancient inscriptions. At the altar's center sat an enormous bronze box, bound in countless crimson chains. Each chain bore a single, swaying bell.

And at the front of the altar, a bronze chair stood in eerie silence. Carved onto its surface, barely visible under the flickering light—

Was her own name.

"Welcome home."

The surrounding bells trembled in unison, their chimes forming an unsettling resonance.

Su Huaijin's pulse stilled. Her blood felt like ice in her veins.

Was this… her destined return?

Su Huaijin's fingers slowly tightened as she brushed against the cold bronze chair. Her name, engraved on its surface—what did it mean?

She held her breath, forcing herself to remain calm. The bronze bells around her trembled slightly, their soft chimes forming a haunting whisper, as if awaiting her decision.

Sit down, or walk away?

But before she could choose, the bronze box suddenly emitted a low rumbling sound. The crimson chains wrapped around it trembled violently, metal scraping against metal with a piercing screech. Su Huaijin instinctively stepped back, her eyes fixed on the ancient artifact.

"The returnee has been confirmed."

The deep voice resounded once more, this time carrying an undeniable authority.

In the next instant, every chain snapped, releasing a flood of scarlet light from within the bronze box. The altar quaked violently, an oppressive force filling the air, as though something long-sealed was about to break free.

"Run!"

Su Huaijin spun around, only to find the stone door had silently shut behind her. On the surrounding walls, faces began to emerge—distorted, writhing visages with hollow eyes, their mouths opening and closing in eerie silence.

Panic surged through her, but she knew she couldn't allow herself to be trapped. She inhaled sharply, scanning for an escape route.

Just then, a shadow began to rise from the bronze box.

It was a man draped in black robes, his face concealed beneath a heavy hood. In his hand, he held a small bronze bell. Slowly, he lifted his head, and from the depths of his hood, two pitch-black eyes locked onto hers.

"At last… you have arrived."

His voice was deep, filled with a weight of ancient knowledge.

Su Huaijin's pulse quickened. Her instincts screamed that this man knew everything.

"Who are you?" she demanded, her voice steady despite the unease coiling in her chest.

The robed figure was silent for a moment, then lifted his hand. The bell in his grasp let out a clear, resonant chime.

The air stilled.

The writhing faces withdrew into the walls, disappearing as if they had never existed.

"I am merely the Gatekeeper."

"The Gatekeeper?" Su Huaijin frowned. "What are you guarding?"

The man's gaze shifted past her, toward the bronze box that now lay unchained. His voice was slow and deliberate:

"A secret you are destined to uncover."

A chill ran down Su Huaijin's spine.

There was no turning back now.

Su Huaijin's heartbeat thundered in her chest, cold sweat sliding down the nape of her neck. Her instincts screamed—the ritual wasn't about the bronze box. It was about her.

They were waiting for me.

She staggered back a step, her sharp gaze darting around. The once-still chamber began to stir—the grotesque faces embedded in the walls surfaced again, their eerie smiles stretching wider, as if whispering a truth beyond her comprehension.

She shouldn't be here.

But that choice was no longer hers to make.

The hooded man lifted his hand slightly, his fingers brushing against the bronze bell. A low, resonant chime pulsed through the air, invisible tendrils tightening around her limbs, binding her where she stood.

"What do you want?" Su Huaijin clenched her jaw, forcing her voice to remain steady.

The man's reply was eerily calm, as if stating an inevitable fact. "You must return."

"Return?" Her brows furrowed. "Return where?"

The hooded figure gave no answer, only taking a slow step toward her. His movements were quiet, yet carried an overwhelming pressure, a silent demand for submission.

Su Huaijin spun on her heel, searching for an exit—but the thick mist had swallowed everything. The stone path she had walked upon moments ago had vanished without a trace.

A chill ran down her spine as her fingers unconsciously curled inward.

There was no way out.

Realizing this, she reached into her sleeve, the cold touch of the silver needle grounding her fraying nerves. She would not go down without a fight.

The hooded man seemed to notice her intent, his lips curling faintly. "You think brute force can break the bindings of this place?"

As his words faded, the bronze box trembled—a deep, resonating hum spilling forth as the eerie blue light within began to expand, stretching outward like a pulse responding to an unseen call.

Su Huaijin's eyes widened—the light was reaching for her!

Her heart slammed against her ribs, and with pure instinct, she lunged to the side.

But the ground beneath her lurched.

A force yanked her backward, as if the very fabric of this space had conspired against her, anchoring her in place.

The hooded man's voice drifted to her, low and indifferent. "It has begun."

Su Huaijin struggled fiercely, but the stone beneath her feet felt like it had fused to her very being. Even her shadow seemed glued to the ground, refusing to let her go. The glow of the bronze box intensified, spectral blue runes weaving through the air like an intricate web, tightening around her, holding her in place.

She felt an invisible thread pulling at her spine, extending from deep within her body—connecting her directly to the ancient artifact.

Her mind wavered, assaulted by an overwhelming cacophony of bells tolling, whispers murmuring, and footsteps echoing from unseen figures.

She had to get out.

Su Huaijin shut her eyes, inhaling sharply. If she couldn't break free, then she would do the opposite—she would go forward.

With a sudden decision, she stopped resisting. Her body went slack, allowing the force to pull her in. Instantly, the runes flared brilliantly, the lid of the bronze box snapping open. A gale erupted from within, carrying the weight of centuries' worth of ash and murmured incantations.

Darkness consumed her vision.

When she opened her eyes again, she found herself standing inside a vast, bronze-clad hall.

The chamber was enormous yet shrouded in gloom. Its towering walls were engraved with ancient scripts, their characters curling and twisting, as if watching her. Overhead, a massive bronze bell hung suspended, shackled in thick iron chains, bound as if sealed for a thousand years.

Beneath the bell, resting atop an elevated platform—

stood a stone coffin.

Its surface was etched with intricate, timeworn carvings, whispering of stories long forgotten. The lid was slightly ajar, allowing a faint ghostly blue glow to seep through the cracks.

Su Huaijin held her breath and stepped forward, her every footfall sending ripples through the stagnant air. The weight of history pressed down upon her, the scent of ancient dust and ritual incense filling her lungs.

The moment her fingers brushed against the stone coffin—

A soft voice echoed behind her.

"You have finally arrived."

Su Huaijin spun around instantly.

The bronze hall remained eerily silent, yet something was emerging from the darkness.

A shadowy figure.

It hovered quietly at the far end of the chamber, an ethereal mist, neither fully formed nor entirely absent. It had no solid shape, yet its presence cast a distorted reflection against the walls. Su Huaijin narrowed her eyes, trying to focus, but the moment she did, the figure's edges blurred and wavered, slipping beyond recognition.

"Who are you?" Her voice trembled slightly.

The figure drifted forward, surrounded by a faint azure glow, resembling ancient ghostly fire. It did not answer. Instead, it lifted a translucent hand and pointed toward the stone coffin behind her.

Su Huaijin held her breath and turned her head back.

The eerie blue light seeping from the coffin's crack began pulsing violently, as though something inside was stirring—awakening. At the same time, the ancient engravings on the bronze walls seemed to come alive, runes glowing as if whispering long-forgotten incantations into the air.

"You have brought it," the shadow finally spoke, its voice deep and fragmented, as if echoing from another world.

"It?" Su Huaijin instinctively looked down at her own hands.

A strange glow flickered at her fingertips—the same energy that had seeped from the bronze box. Like an unseen brand, it spread slowly along her palm and wrist.

Her heartbeat skipped violently.

"You must complete the return," the shadow's voice came again, this time carrying an unquestionable force. "Or you will never leave."

Su Huaijin's breath hitched, her fingertips trembling. She had no idea what "the return" meant, but deep inside, she knew one thing—if she tried to run now, this hall, this world, would never let her escape.

Gritting her teeth, she slowly extended her hand, pressing it against the edge of the stone coffin.

In an instant, the entire chamber trembled violently. The massive bronze bell tolled, its chains rattling like an ancient beast stirring from slumber—

And the coffin lid, at her mere touch, burst open with a deafening roar!

As the coffin lid swung open, an icy chill surged through the entire chamber. The deep hum of the bronze bell reverberated, echoing like an ancient ritual's call. Su Huaijin's heart pounded violently. Instinctively, she took a step back, her fingers trembling as they clenched the fabric of her sleeves.

Inside the stone coffin, a dim blue light slowly rose—like a soul stirring from eternal slumber. The glow gradually coalesced, outlining the figure of a man clad in black robes, his face pale and his eyes tightly shut, as though he remained trapped within an endless dream.

Su Huaijin held her breath, staring at him.

She could feel something intangible connecting them, weaving between her and this mysterious man. The sensation was unsettlingly familiar, as though—

Her very blood was calling to him.

"The Returned One…" The shadow's voice resurfaced, tinged with both reverence and restraint. "At last, you have come."

Su Huaijin's grip tightened, a storm of confusion raging inside her. She had no idea where she was "returning" to, nor why this ancient hall, this formless entity, or the man in the coffin had all been waiting for her.

"Why?" Her voice was steady yet heavy, pressing for an answer. "What do you want from me?"

The shadow paused before finally speaking:

"Open his eyes."

Su Huaijin stiffened, her gaze shifting to the man's pale, almost lifeless face. His eyelashes quivered slightly, as though he teetered on the verge of wakefulness.

She hesitated.

But in the end, she reached out.

Her fingertips barely brushed against his forehead—

A blinding light erupted from his brow.

The entire chamber warped violently, an unseen force pulling at Su Huaijin. A vortex of incomprehensible energy enveloped her, dragging her downwards as though she were plunging into a bottomless abyss.

A cacophony of whispers filled her ears—thousands of overlapping voices murmuring in unison:

"Return… Return…"

And then—

In the instant of dazzling radiance—

The man's eyes snapped open!

Su Huaijin's breath hitched abruptly.

The man's eyes were vacant yet unfathomably deep, like a well that could swallow one's very soul. The light around them twisted violently, the entire world seeming to collapse inward. Under her feet, the ground trembled, as if the earth itself resisted the awakening force.

"Who are you?" Su Huaijin clenched her teeth, her voice wavering slightly with fear.

The man did not answer.

Slowly, he sat up in the stone coffin, his movements stiff and sluggish—like someone waking from a slumber that had lasted centuries. His fingers brushed against the glow on his forehead, where the light flickered restlessly, pulsing like a beating heart.

BOOM—

The entire hall quaked violently. The bronze bells on the walls clanged wildly, their piercing hums slicing through the air. In the shadowed corners, dark figures stirred, creeping toward the coffin as if drawn by an inevitable fate.

The man slowly lifted his head and finally spoke—

His voice was low, resonant, thunderous.

"It is time."

A warning bell rang loud in Su Huaijin's mind. She instinctively stepped back, but an invisible force wrapped around her like chains, keeping her locked in place. She could only watch as the glow on the man's forehead intensified, condensing into a complicated sigil.

And then—

The world collapsed.

A powerful force yanked at her consciousness, dragging her downward. It was like falling between dimensions, her body engulfed by countless streaks of fractured light. Flashes of unknown memories flickered through her mind—

—A group of robed figures chanting around an altar, their incantations ancient and foreboding.

—A rusted bronze box, submerged at the bottom of a lake, its bell spinning silently with the current.

—A silhouette amid roaring flames, turning back toward her, lips moving without a sound.

She reached out, but everything slipped away like sand.

Then—

THUD!

A violent jolt sent pain rippling through her body.

The air smelled damp and earthy. Distant insects hummed softly. Su Huaijin's eyes snapped open, and she found herself lying on a moss-covered stone path.

Beside her, in the tangled grass—

The bronze box lay undisturbed, its blue glow still flickering faintly.

She was alive.

But… had she truly returned to the world she once knew?

Su Huaijin's footsteps echoed on the stone path as she cautiously observed her surroundings. Her heartbeat quickened in sync with the eerie atmosphere. The air remained damp and cold, carrying a faint yet peculiar herbal scent—like the lingering ashes of an ancient ritual.

She had been walking for what felt like an eternity, yet the scenery behind her remained unchanged. The bronze box lay still in her palm, warm to the touch, as if something within it was slowly awakening.

"Return."

That deep, indistinct voice whispered again in her ear. She froze, glancing around warily. But everything remained as silent as before—even her own breath felt unnaturally loud.

Then, she noticed something chillingly wrong—

Her shadow was gone.

Her heart clenched as she turned abruptly, only to see a lone shadow cast upon the stone pavement in the distance. It stood eerily still, human-shaped, yet completely unaligned with her current posture.

What unsettled her the most was that its head tilted ever so slightly—as if watching her.

A wave of icy dread crawled up her spine. She took a deep breath, forcing herself to stay composed. But the moment she took a step forward, the shadow… moved.

No, it wasn't merely swaying. It turned—as if it had sensed her presence.

Then, it walked toward her.

Su Huaijin's pupils shrank, and instinctively, she stepped backward. But at that exact moment, the stone beneath her feet cracked open.

A pale, decayed hand burst from the fissure and clamped onto her ankle.

"Return—"

The voice reverberated inside her skull, growing clearer, almost deafening. She looked down. The hand was swollen, its nails caked with dirt, the skin rotting and discolored—as if it belonged to someone who had been buried for centuries. Its fingers dug into her flesh with an unrelenting grip, pulling her downward.

She gasped and struggled, but the hand was unyielding. Just then, a familiar voice rang out—

"Do not resist."

Su Huaijin's head snapped up.

A man in a flowing azure robe stood before her. His face was obscured by the mist, his features unreadable, but his eyes—his deep, abyssal eyes—pierced straight through her.

"Who are you?" she whispered, barely suppressing her panic.

He didn't answer. Instead, he slowly raised a hand and pointed to the bronze box in her grasp.

"Return."

In that instant, countless fragmented images flooded her mind—A bloodstained altar, a spinning bronze bell, white talismans fluttering wildly in the wind, and countless shadowed faces whispering the same two words: Return.

Her chest tightened, and her fingers unconsciously clenched around the bronze box.

"No," she whispered, her voice trembling but firm. "I'm not going back."

The man's gaze flickered slightly, as if he had anticipated her response. He sighed and spoke again, his voice deep and measured.

"You do not belong here."

Su Huaijin's breath hitched.

She didn't belong here?

What did that mean?

Before she could demand an answer, the man moved.

His steps were slow, deliberate—but with each step, the very fabric of space around them seemed to ripple, as if his existence itself left an imprint beyond the visible world.

Instinctively, Su Huaijin stepped back.

But the ground beneath her vanished.

She plunged into the abyss once more.

Su Huaijin's fall seemed endless.

The darkness enveloped her like an invisible web, swallowing her whole. Her limbs were consumed by the cold air, the wind howled past her ears, yet there was no impact—she was floating as if weightless in an abyss.

"Return…"

The whispers continued to echo, distant yet eerily close.

Then, in an instant, a blinding light flashed. Her body lurched downward, and she crashed onto an icy surface with a dull thud.

"Ugh!"

Su Huaijin groaned, forcing herself up.

She found herself in a grand bronze hall, towering endlessly into the sky. Colossal pillars, inscribed with ancient runes, encircled her, each emitting a faint, pulsating glow. The air was thick with the scent of metal and damp stone, oppressive and suffocating.

And at the center of it all—

A massive bronze coffin.

The lid was slightly ajar, revealing a vague silhouette within. Shadows obscured its contents, shrouding it in mystery.

Her heartbeat quickened. As she tried to stand, a pattern of intricate symbols illuminated beneath her feet.

She was standing at the center of a colossal formation.

At that moment, a faint sigh echoed from within the bronze coffin.

"You have finally arrived."

Su Huaijin froze, turning sharply.

Beyond the coffin, the enigmatic man in azure robes stood, his gaze locked onto hers with an unfathomable depth.

"Where is this? Who are you?" she demanded, stepping back cautiously. Her fingers instinctively tightened around the bronze box in her grasp.

The man didn't respond immediately. Instead, he raised his hand and made a slow, deliberate motion.

In an instant, the towering bronze pillars flared to life.

Symbols coursed like veins, a surge of immense power converging within the hall. The pressure was suffocating.

"The object in your hands…" the man finally spoke, his voice solemn and ancient, "…has always belonged here."

Su Huaijin's breath hitched. She looked down at the bronze box.

Under the pulsating glow of the formation, she could finally see the carvings on its lid—

It was not a mere decoration. It was an intricate celestial map.

A flood of fragmented visions surged through her mind—

A millennium-old altar, a bloodstained ritual, an inverted sky of shifting stars…

And something sealed within the coffin.

Her head snapped up, eyes darting toward the massive bronze coffin.

From within, something was awakening.

The bronze coffin trembled violently. Su Huaijin fixated on the widening crack, her fingertips damp with cold sweat.

"You must leave."

The enigmatic man's voice was urgent, carrying an undeniable command.

"Leave? Easier said than done!" Su Huaijin gritted her teeth, forcing her fear down. "Where is this place? What's inside that coffin?"

The man didn't answer. Instead, he took a sudden step forward, sweeping his sleeve. A surge of invisible force thrust her backward.

She staggered, but before she could react, the formation beneath her feet began to reverse.

The flowing patterns, once calm and rhythmic, now surged like a rushing river—toward her.

"No—"

The moment the light engulfed her, she glimpsed something through the coffin's slight opening—

A hand.

A withered, pale hand, etched with black markings.

It reached outward, fingers curling slightly, as if trying to grasp something…

Before she could process it, her vision shattered into darkness.

She gasped awake.

No towering bronze halls.

Just a cold, sterile hospital room.

The overhead fluorescent light flickered. The walls were damp with mildew stains. The air was thick with disinfectant.

She lay there, her heartbeat pounding in her ears.

A dream? Or…?

"You're awake."

A familiar voice.

She turned sharply. Li Wei.

He sat in a chair, looking exhausted. His clothes were rumpled, as if he'd been there for days.

"How… did I get here?" Her throat was dry.

Li Wei sighed, handing her a cup of water. "You've been unconscious for three days."

"Three days?" she echoed, then abruptly sat up. "No… that's not possible—I was just…"

Her voice trailed off.

She was still clutching the bronze box.

Its cold surface was unmistakable.

She looked down at her trembling hands. Faint traces of arcane symbols still lingered on her fingertips.

"This… this isn't real…" she whispered.

Li Wei, sensing her distress, frowned. "Huaijin, what happened to you?"

She didn't respond.

Her gaze had locked onto a mirror in the corner of the room.

In the reflection, she saw her own face.

But deep within her right eye—

A thin black fracture was spreading, like a spiderweb.

Her breath hitched.

Something had followed her back.