Chapter 4: The Fractured Seal
Su Huaijin's fingers lingered on the edge of the bronze coffin, her heartbeat hammering against her sanity. She wanted to retreat, but an invisible force kept her legs as heavy as lead.
The lid of the coffin slid open ever so slightly, allowing an eerie blue glow to seep through. Within that glow, a vague silhouette began to take shape—neither entirely human nor purely shadow, a being forged from interwoven light and darkness. It remained motionless inside the coffin, as if waiting.
"Return..."
The whisper slithered directly into her mind, bypassing her ears. Su Huaijin clenched her teeth, forcing herself to resist the pull of the voice. She reached into her pocket and grabbed the ancient parchment—perhaps it held the answers she needed.
The moment her fingers brushed against the parchment, the figure inside the coffin moved.
Its head snapped up, revealing two ghostly white eyes that pierced through the darkness, locking onto her with an unrelenting gaze. Her pulse surged into chaos as the stone beneath her feet trembled. A crack slithered along the coffin's edge like a growing wound.
The bronze coffin was failing to contain it!
Su Huaijin stumbled backward, and the parchment in her hand burst into flames. Golden runes danced within the firelight, flickering as if responding to some unseen force. She instinctively let go, and the parchment hovered midair, ancient inscriptions materializing upon its surface—
"The seal is fractured. The return is inevitable. The chosen one's fate is sealed."
Her pupils constricted. There was no turning back now.
Su Huaijin's breath quickened, her palms slick with cold sweat. She knew she couldn't stay here—she needed to find a way to escape immediately. Yet, the ghostly blue eyes still fixated on her, as if penetrating every thought in her mind.
"Return… return…"
The voice grew urgent, laced with an unsettling desperation, like a soul bound in darkness for millennia, struggling to break free. The figure inside the coffin inched forward, and for the first time, she saw its hands—pale, emaciated, with cracked, dry skin peeling like ancient parchment. Tiny runes were carved into its fingertips.
Her instincts screamed—if that thing broke free, there would be no stopping it.
Clenching her teeth, she turned and bolted toward the stone door behind the altar. But just as she took her first step, the ground beneath her collapsed. A chilling force surged from the abyss below, wrapping around her like invisible chains.
Su Huaijin fought desperately, but an eerie sensation seeped into her mind—her vision blurred, and in an instant, she was somewhere else.
A towering bronze temple loomed before her, its halls ablaze with ghostly fire. Thousands of robed figures knelt in reverence, prostrating themselves before a monolithic stone statue.
And that statue…
It bore the exact same visage as the entity inside the coffin!
"The seal… has fractured."
A raspy voice whispered in her mind.
She jolted awake, her heartbeat hammering wildly. This wasn't a hallucination. It was a memory—one that had been locked away, buried deep within the forgotten past.
Her blood… was tied to this temple, to this bronze coffin in ways she could not yet comprehend.
No… this can't be real!
She shook off the overwhelming visions and scanned her surroundings, desperate for a way out. That's when she spotted it—a symbol carved into the stone wall.
It was the same mark she had seen on the parchment!
Without hesitation, she lunged toward the wall and pressed her palm against the engraving.
In an instant, the entire chamber trembled. A crimson light erupted from the cracks in the stone, shattering whatever seal had once bound this place.
The entity inside the coffin froze. A flicker of something—recognition? Fear?—flashed in its ghostly eyes.
Then… its body began to disintegrate, breaking apart into countless bronze runes that dissolved into the air.
The stone door swung open.
Without a second thought, Su Huaijin sprinted through it.
But just as she was about to escape the underground chamber, she heard a whisper, faint but unmistakable—
"You… cannot escape…"
Su Huaijin staggered out of the underground chamber, gasping for air. The dense fog still lingered, but the air felt heavier, as if something unseen lurked within it.
She turned back, her gaze fixed on the open stone doors behind her. They stood ajar, as though waiting for her to return. And in the distance, the whisper still echoed in her mind—
"You cannot escape…"
She needed to leave. Now.
Scanning her surroundings, she tried to find something familiar, but what she saw made her freeze—
This was not the world she knew.
Gone was the dark lake, gone was the autopsy room. In their place stood a narrow, ancient street. The buildings were old and crumbling, red lanterns hung from their eaves, their once-bright colors now blackened with age. The air was thick with an unusual scent—a blend of damp earth and the acrid aroma of burning incense.
Her heart pounded.
Where… was she?
Then, she heard it—a slow, deliberate footstep.
She turned sharply toward the far end of the street, where the fog churned like a living entity. And from its depths, a shadow began to emerge.
Something enormous was approaching.
Something not human.
Every instinct screamed for her to run, but her legs refused to move.
The shadow solidified—a tall figure clad in tattered robes, its face hidden behind a bronze mask adorned with intricate, shifting engravings that seemed to pulse like living veins.
It held a long, weathered staff, and with each step, the staff struck the ground with a deep, reverberating thud.
Thud—thud—
Then, it spoke.
"Su Huaijin."
Her breath caught in her throat.
It knew her name.
She took a step back, desperate to put distance between them, but the figure lifted its hand—and in its palm, she saw something that sent a jolt through her entire being.
A symbol.
The same one she had seen on the parchment.
"You have taken it," the figure rasped. "Now… you must return it."
It?
Her fingers instinctively reached into her pocket, brushing against the parchment. The moment she touched it, a deafening humming erupted in her mind, as if a thousand voices were screaming at once—
"DO NOT SURRENDER IT."
Her eyes widened in shock.
She knew that if she handed over the bronze box now, she might never learn the truth.
But if she refused…
What would happen then?
Su Huaijin's breath quickened. The bronze-masked man stood motionless, the symbol in his palm quivering slightly, as if resonating with the parchment hidden in her pocket.
His eyes, hidden beneath the mask, were cold, deep—piercing through her very soul.
"You must return it."
His voice was deep and measured, carrying an undeniable weight of command.
In her pocket, the parchment began to tremble. A primal sense of fear surged through her veins, urging her to run.
But she knew—if she fled now, she might never uncover the truth.
"Who are you?" she asked, forcing her voice to remain steady.
The bronze-masked man did not answer. Instead, he lifted his staff and struck the ground—
Thud—
Instantly, the world around her shuddered. The old, crumbling buildings, the swaying lanterns—they began to warp and distort before her very eyes.
And then, they were no longer buildings.
They were statues.
Human-shaped statues.
Her breath caught in her throat.
Every single statue bore a twisted, agonized expression, their mouths slightly open as if caught in an eternal, silent scream.
And their eyes…
Hollow. Empty.
Like soulless husks, their spirits stolen away.
Had they once been alive?
Su Huaijin stumbled backward, her foot hitting a stone slab. She glanced down—
Her own name was carved into it.
A wave of cold dread crashed over her.
"Return it, and you might leave this place alive." The bronze-masked man's voice was calm, almost indifferent.
What should she do?
She clenched her fist, gripping the parchment so tightly that her knuckles turned white.
Suddenly, the symbols on the parchment began to glow—a blinding, scorching light surged from her palm, as if demanding that she choose.
She could not hesitate any longer.
Su Huaijin closed her eyes, taking a deep breath.
Then—she unfurled the parchment.
A brilliant blue light erupted, slicing through the darkness like a bolt of lightning.
At the same time, the bronze-masked man stumbled backward, his eyes flashing with something almost akin to shock.
"You—!"
Su Huaijin didn't wait. She grabbed the bronze box—and smashed it against the ground.
BOOM!
The lid flung open, unleashing an indescribable force.
The statues cracked.
The street dissolved into nothingness.
The entire world around her was tearing apart at the seams.
A powerful force pulled her in, yanking her straight into the heart of the bronze box.
And then—everything turned to darkness.
Su Huaijin's steps halted before the bronze door. The air seemed frozen, and even the wind had ceased to move. She could feel an indescribable force seeping through the cracks of the door—like an unseen pair of eyes watching her from the darkness.
The runes on the door flickered uncertainly, as if waiting for a destined moment. Taking a deep breath, Su Huaijin reached out and touched the engravings. A chilling sensation spread from her fingertips to her core, and at that very instant, the entire door trembled.
"The time of return… has arrived…"
That deep whisper echoed once again, as if rising from the depths of the earth, carrying an irresistible summons.
Su Huaijin instinctively tried to withdraw her hand, but it was already too late—the bronze door burst open with a deafening roar, unleashing an enormous force that dragged her into the abyssal void!
Her consciousness shattered. The world around her twisted and collapsed, and she could do nothing but be pulled into the unknown…
Su Huaijin's body plummeted endlessly into the darkness. She could see no end, nor could she control her direction. The space around her seemed to shrink and distort continuously, pulling her consciousness apart bit by bit.
She had no idea how long she had been falling when a faint light finally appeared in the distance. She forced her eyes open, and the moment she registered the source of that glow, a tremendous force slammed into her. The next second, she crashed onto a hard surface, the impact rattling her bones and leaving her gasping for air.
She lay there, panting for what felt like an eternity, before she finally managed to push herself up and look around.
Where… was she?
The air was thick with the scent of blood. The stone slabs beneath her feet were engraved with intricate runes, each line shimmering with an eerie metallic glow. Her gaze followed the patterns forward until it landed on a massive stone statue.
It depicted a deity draped in a tattered black robe, its face featureless, as if something had deliberately erased its features. Embedded in its chest was a bronze bell, swaying ever so slightly, emitting a nearly imperceptible hum.
Su Huaijin's heartbeat quickened.
This place—it was exactly the same as the underground altar she had seen in her visions!
"What is this place? Why am I here?"
As confusion gripped her, a rustling sound suddenly echoed around her. She snapped her head to the side and saw figures emerging from the darkness surrounding the altar.
There were dozens of them.
Clad in tattered black robes, their frames were gaunt, their faces obscured by shadows. Yet their eyes were unmistakable—all locked onto her.
"The one who must return…"
A hoarse, rasping voice spoke from the void, and the figures began to move, advancing toward her with an overwhelming sense of inevitability.
Su Huaijin's breath hitched in her throat.
She instinctively tried to back away—only to realize her ankle was trapped.
She looked down. A chain, woven from glowing bronze runes, had appeared beneath her, wrapping tightly around her leg. Its cold light pulsed ominously.
She was trapped!
The bronze chains tightened slightly, their icy touch seeping into her bones. Su Huaijin's breath came in rapid gasps, her heart pounding like a war drum, but her body was paralyzed, held in place by an unseen force.
Around her, the robed figures slowly closed in, chanting an ancient incantation.
"The One Who Must Return…"
The voice carried an eerie authority, echoing as though it had traveled through the corridors of time. The robed figures parted into two rows, forming a path leading directly to the statue of the faceless deity.
Su Huaijin's gaze locked onto the stone figure as it began to tremble. The bronze bell embedded in its chest rang on its own, its spectral chime sending ripples through the silence.
The very air thickened, pressing against her chest, making each breath a struggle.
"The ritual begins."
A low voice emerged from the crowd.
Then, three of the robed figures stepped forward, each carrying a sacred relic in their outstretched hands.
The first was a pitch-black stone tablet, covered in twisting, arcane inscriptions—an ancient contract.
The second was a bronze box, identical to the one beside Su Huaijin, down to the very cracks on its surface.
The third was an eternal flame lantern, its flickering blue flame casting ghastly reflections—distorted faces flickered within the light, as if spirits were trapped inside.
The figures placed these artifacts before the statue, then knelt in perfect unison, their foreheads touching the ground.
They began to chant:
"With the soul as the covenant, the One Who Must Return shall bear witness."
"With blood as the seal, destiny shall be renewed."
"With the bell as the guide, fate shall be fulfilled."
The incantations reverberated through the space, sending a sharp, piercing sensation through Su Huaijin's mind.
Images she had never seen before flashed through her consciousness—
She saw an ancient temple, where a faceless deity was enshrined, as countless devotees prostrated themselves before it, chanting the same ritual prayers.
She saw a woman in ancient robes, kneeling before a bronze box, holding the eternal flame lantern in trembling hands—her face twisted in terror.
She saw the bronze bell floating at the heart of the temple, radiating an overwhelming glow, and one by one, the devotees collapsed—their bodies twisting into streams of black smoke, absorbed into the statue itself.
Su Huaijin snapped back to reality, her body drenched in cold sweat.
This ritual… what exactly was it?
She struggled against her bindings, but the bronze chains held firm, tightening like a noose, pulling her deeper into the ceremony.
The eerie chime of the bronze bell rippled through the air, like invisible chains constricting every nerve in Su Huaijin's body. Her wrists were still bound by bronze chains, preventing her escape, while the robed figures had completed the final phase of their sacrificial ritual.
The blue flame of the eternal lantern flickered once—then, suddenly, the entire space sank into an abyssal stillness.
"The Trial of Fate begins."
The voice of the robed figures exploded like thunder, and in the next moment, Su Huaijin's reality twisted violently.
She felt an irresistible force pulling her downward, plunging her into a vast, pitch-black void.
There was no light. No sound. Only an unbearable pressure closing in from all directions. Then, ahead of her, a massive bronze gate emerged, its surface engraved with intricate, ancient symbols identical to those on the bronze box.
"Once you enter, fate is sealed."
A disembodied voice echoed in her mind, making her heart clench.
Her instincts screamed a warning—if she stepped through this gate, there would be no turning back.
But she had no choice.
The suffocating force around her intensified. Taking a deep breath, she lifted her foot and stepped through the bronze gate.
In that instant, the world shattered. A violent surge of energy engulfed her, pulling her into the unknown.
Su Huaijin's consciousness drifted in the void, as if she had been thrown into a bottomless abyss. There was nothing—no sound, no air, only an unbearable weight pressing down on her chest.
Then, suddenly—
A faint glow emerged from the darkness.
The light rippled outward, like waves in water, revealing a hazy world.
Beneath her feet was a stone-paved path leading to a village—one both foreign and familiar.
The village was lined with low, humble houses, wisps of smoke rising gently from chimneys, carrying the faint scent of ripened grain. Her breath hitched—this was her childhood home.
But something was terribly wrong.
The people around her were distorted, their faces completely blank.
"Welcome home."
A soft voice called out. Su Huaijin turned sharply, her breath catching in her throat—
It was her mother.
But that was impossible.
Her mother had been dead for years.
Su Huaijin's breath stopped. Her mother stood not far away, her pale face, hollow gaze, yet a gentle smile played on her lips as she reached out a hand.
"Huaijin, come back."
Her voice was soft, filled with warmth—the same warmth from those countless nights when she would fall asleep in her mother's embrace.
"Come back, stay here, never leave again..."
Her mother's shadow drifted closer, becoming more translucent, as if merging with this eerie space.
A cold chill ran down Su Huaijin's spine.
This was not her mother.
This was an illusion.
But this illusion—was too real.
Memories flooded her mind—the village, her mother's embrace, the golden wheat fields beneath the setting sun...
The illusion was tempting her to stay.
Su Huaijin clenched her fists, nails digging into her palms.
She took a slow step back, whispering, "You are not my mother…"
The figure froze, then smiled wider.
But then—
Her mother's face began to rot.
Flesh collapsed, skin peeled away, and from the gaping eye sockets, a cold, blue light flickered.
"Huaijin… Why are you rejecting me?"
Her voice warped, sharp and unnatural—like something inhuman imitating human speech.
The next second, the corpse of her "mother" lunged at her!
Su Huaijin's heartbeat raced as the decaying "mother" lunged at her.
She stumbled backward, her throat dry, cold sweat trickling down her spine. The corpse's skeletal fingers nearly brushed against her face, its putrid breath filling her nostrils.
"This isn't real… This isn't real!"
She squeezed her eyes shut, forcing herself to think, desperately searching for a way to escape.
—The Bronze Box!
A sudden realization flashed through her mind—she still had the mysterious bronze box with her!
With trembling hands, she reached into her robe and pulled out the cold metal artifact. The ancient engravings on its surface seemed to come alive, pulsing with a soft blue glow.
"The time of return has not yet come. The dream cannot endure."
A deep voice whispered in her ear, as if echoing from centuries past.
Su Huaijin's eyes flew open. The inscriptions on the bronze box suddenly ignited, and a surge of blue flames erupted, illuminating the entire illusion!
"AHHH—!"
The rotting "mother" shrieked in agony, writhing in pain as the light engulfed her. Her flesh cracked, peeled, and finally crumbled into a wisp of black dust, vanishing into nothingness.
The entire illusion shuddered violently.
The village around her collapsed—buildings crumbled, shadows twisted and disappeared, and the sky darkened unnaturally, as if night had fallen in an instant.
Su Huaijin clutched the bronze box tightly. She could feel a powerful force tearing at the illusion, trying to drag her into oblivion.
"I must go back…" she whispered, gritting her teeth, fighting against the overwhelming pull.
The bronze box shone brighter and brighter, until—
—the entire world shattered.
Su Huaijin's eyes snapped open, her breath ragged and uneven.
She was still lying on the damp stone ground, surrounded by a faint mist. The air was thick with humidity and carried the lingering stench of decay.
"I'm back?" she murmured, pressing a trembling hand to her chest. Her heart was racing uncontrollably.
But then—
Something felt wrong.
Her body no longer felt like her own.
Struggling to sit up, she reached to touch her face. The moment her fingers brushed against her skin, a cold, unfamiliar sensation spread through her fingertips.
She froze.
The texture beneath her fingers… it didn't feel like human skin.
It felt like—
Bronze.
Her heartbeat stuttered. She lowered her gaze, staring at her palm, only to see faint blue symbols etched into her flesh. The markings were embedded beneath her skin, glowing softly, pulsating like living veins of light.
"What… is this…?"
Her breath hitched. She rubbed at the markings, desperate to erase them, but they refused to fade. Instead, they shifted and writhed with her pulse, moving as if alive.
And worse—she could feel the markings spreading.
Her forearms, her shoulders, even the side of her neck—all beginning to bear the same cryptic engravings.
She was becoming part of the ritual.
A sudden memory flashed through her mind—
The altar. The chanting figures in black robes. The floating bronze box.
Her stomach clenched with dread.
"Am I… no longer human?"
Forcing herself to her feet, she was immediately struck by a wave of overwhelming weakness, as if something was slowly draining her energy.
The bronze box still lay nearby, its inscriptions flickering faintly, as though it was… waiting.
She clenched her fists, swallowing down her fear.
"This wasn't just an illusion. It was a ritual. The bronze box isn't just an artifact… It's transforming me."
Steeling herself, she forced her legs to move.
But after taking just three steps, a whisper curled through the air—
"The Vessel has awakened… The Contract is sealed…"
The voice was not external.
It was inside her.
Su Huaijin stood motionless, the cold whisper still echoing in her mind—
"The Vessel has awakened… The Contract is sealed…"
Her body was trembling, but this time, it wasn't just fear.
It was excitement.
She could feel it now—these symbols were not just marks of a ritual.
They were a key.
A key to something beyond her comprehension.
Taking a deep breath, she extended her hand, staring at the shifting blue markings in her palm.
"If this is a contract," she murmured, her heartbeat slowing, "then it should be usable."
She closed her eyes and tried to guide the energy within her.
At first, nothing happened.
But then—
A strange force stirred in her blood, like an ancient stream suddenly coming to life.
Her senses sharpened—she could hear the faint tremor of the bronze bell far away, feel the movement of air around her, as if the world itself was whispering secrets.
And most astonishing of all—
She could see the bronze symbols within her body, flowing like living veins of energy.
Tentatively, she lifted a finger and traced a line in the air.
A faint glow appeared.
And then—
The bronze box trembled.
Su Huaijin's eyes flew open.
She stared at the box in shock.
Had it… responded to her?
Holding her breath, she reached forward, allowing the symbols to pulse along her fingertips, forming an unseen connection with the box.
"Show me… your secrets."
Her voice was low, filled with anticipation.
And then, the lid of the bronze box slowly opened.
"Click—"
The lid of the bronze box slowly lifted, and a faint blue glow seeped out through the crack, as if something inside was stirring from its slumber.
Su Huaijin held her breath and took a cautious step back.
Her instincts screamed at her—whatever was sealed inside was no ally.
But she had no way to turn back now.
Forcing herself to stay calm, she extended her hand toward the box's interior.
As soon as her fingertips made contact, the glowing bronze symbols slithered across her arm, resonating with the inscriptions within the box, as if exchanging some unknown information.
And then—
A sudden, immense force erupted from within!
Caught off guard, Su Huaijin felt herself yanked violently into the box—
The world spun into chaos.
She plunged into a vast, shadowy void.
There was no ground, no sky—only endless darkness… and an eerie, whispering voice.
"…The Vessel… You have finally arrived…"
The voice was raspy, guttural—not human. It was like the friction of ancient stone, the sound of something that had slithered through the abyss for centuries.
Su Huaijin's heartbeat thundered in her ears as she snapped her gaze forward.
She was not alone.
A hazy figure loomed in the darkness ahead of her.
A humanoid shape.
But its outline was warped, as if it did not belong in this world. Ancient symbols coiled around its body, forming layers upon layers of seals.
Su Huaijin's fingers trembled slightly as she instinctively took a step back, her voice barely above a whisper.
"Who… are you?"
The shadowy figure slowly raised its head—its eyes were voids, devoid of pupils, swallowing all light.
"I am the Forgotten Will… I am the Prisoner of Fate…"
"I am—'It'."
"Prisoner of Fate…?"
Su Huaijin's voice trembled slightly as she stared at the vague humanoid shadow.
This entity—it wasn't alive, yet it possessed a will beyond human comprehension.
The shadow moved slowly forward, its sealed runes flickering faintly, as if warning of something unseen.
"Do you… know who you really are?"
The voice was deep, slow, carrying the weight of an ancient time.
Su Huaijin's breath hitched.
Who was she?
She had never truly questioned this before. But now, standing in this void, an unfamiliar sense of unease stirred within her.
"I am… Su Huaijin." She answered, but the words didn't feel as firm as they once did.
The shadow tilted its head slightly, as if observing her.
"Do you think a name defines who you are?"
"Do you believe your past is all that you are?"
"How naive."
A cold chill ran through Su Huaijin's spine.
"What do you mean by that?" she asked, forcing herself to stay calm.
The shadow did not answer immediately. Instead, it slowly raised a hand wrapped in glowing runes.
A faint bronze light gathered in its palm, forming a blurry mirror.
And within that mirror—a vision appeared.
Su Huaijin saw herself standing before a dilapidated temple, holding a bronze bell in her hands. A long, dark ceremonial robe draped over her shoulders.
Inside the temple, red flames flickered, casting eerie shadows over the stone walls. Countless figures knelt before her, praying, worshipping…
And she—she was chanting an ancient incantation, her eyes devoid of emotion, as if she were a deity controlling the fates of those below.
Su Huaijin's eyes widened in shock, her heart pounding violently.
Who was this?
Why did this woman… look exactly like her?
"This… can't be…"
Her voice was barely a whisper, trembling with disbelief.
The shadow let out a quiet chuckle, its lips curling into an expression that was both mocking and strangely sorrowful.
"Did you really believe you were just an ordinary person?"
"Su Huaijin—this name is merely your new identity."
"But what you once were… don't you want to know?"
Su Huaijin's mind was in turmoil.
She knew the shadow was implying something, but she couldn't accept it.
She couldn't be that woman in the ceremonial robe.
She couldn't be the one being worshipped in that temple.
She couldn't have any connection to this place… right?
Her memories, her childhood, her entire life—it was hers.
Wasn't it?
The shadow moved closer, and behind her, there was only endless darkness.
There was no escape.
"You're lying." She spoke in a low voice, but her conviction wavered.
The shadow smirked, as if it had expected her response all along.
"Am I?"
It lifted its hand, and the vision in the mirror violently distorted.
A moment later, a sound filled Su Huaijin's ears.
A deep, ancient chant, resonating through time itself—carrying an undeniable command.
"Return… return…"
Her pupils constricted sharply—
She had heard this before.
Not just once.
Her mind went blank, and she instinctively tried to retreat, but that invisible force held her in place like shackles.
"Su Huaijin?"
The shadow's voice was slow and deliberate, tinged with an eerie amusement.
"Are you sure… that's your real name?"
Su Huaijin's heart lurched violently.
The shadow raised its palm, and a single ancient character glowed in the air—
"洛"
A violent shiver ran down Su Huaijin's spine.
That name…
She didn't know why, but deep within her, it felt disturbingly familiar.
"Luo?" she echoed, her brows furrowing.
The shadow regarded her impassively and spoke in a voice that was both deep and hollow:
"Su Huaijin—this name was given to you later."
"Before that, your true name was… Luo."
"Luo, the 'Gatekeeper' of the temple."
"You think you are just an ordinary woman? But once, you stood on that altar and unsealed the 'Bronze Box' with your own hands."
"And you—chose to forget."
Su Huaijin's breath caught, the entire world tilting beneath her feet.
Her heart pounded violently, her mind spiraling into chaos.
She had unsealed the Bronze Box?
She had once stood at that altar?
She had once… been 'Luo'?
No.
No.
Her fingers trembled slightly as if trying to grasp onto something, but the shadow's words had already carved themselves deep into her consciousness.
If this was true—
Then what she had forgotten wasn't just a name.
It was the memory of something much, much worse.
Su Huaijin's heart pounded violently.
The shadow smiled slightly, as if savoring her fear.
"Did you think… you were the only one who made it this far?"
Su Huaijin held her breath, staring at the shadow with unwavering intensity.
The shadow slowly raised its hand, and the ancient character 'Luo' in its palm suddenly shattered into glowing fragments.
At the same time, the darkness around them twisted violently, and the images in the mirror shifted—
One woman after another stood on the same altar.
They wore different clothing—some in early 20th-century dresses, some in elaborate Qing dynasty robes, and others in even more ancient attire, resembling figures from historical records.
But their faces—
They were all identical to Su Huaijin.
A shiver ran down her spine, her blood turning ice cold.
"This… this is impossible…" she murmured, but deep inside, something about it felt eerily familiar.
The shadow spoke calmly:
"Before you, 'Su Huaijin' has existed countless times."
"Each of them stood where you stand now, drawn by the Bronze Box, seeking answers…"
"And each of them failed."
"Their failure erased them completely… even their names are lost to time."
In the mirror, the images of the women blurred and faded into ash, carried away by an unseen wind.
They had never existed.
Their fates were buried in oblivion.
Su Huaijin's breath quickened, her fingertips growing numb from the creeping fear.
"Why? What did they fail?"
The shadow studied her carefully, its gaze assessing.
"You will find out soon."
A moment later, it lifted its hand—pointing directly at her forehead.
Darkness consumed everything.