Chapter 65: Prisoners of the Golden Mirage

Buzz—

The ringing in Lin Han's ears gradually faded as he snapped his eyes open.

He found himself standing in a world of gold.

This isn't reality.

The ground shimmered like molten gold, its surface rippling with distorted reflections. Floating fragments of ancient structures hovered in the sky, massive stone carvings spinning weightlessly as if suspended by invisible threads. The air was thick with an oppressive stillness, a suffocating presence of secrets decaying over centuries.

Where the hell is this place?

He turned his head and saw that Noya and Ah Rong were trapped in this strange realm with him. Noya furrowed her brows, shaking her head slightly, still regaining her senses. Ah Rong, on the other hand, looked pale. His hands instinctively patted his pockets in search of a cigarette—only to find nothing.

"We're still alive?" Ah Rong muttered, his voice tinged with uncertainty.

"If you can call this living," Lin Han replied in a low voice, his gaze locked onto the figure standing ahead—the golden-masked man.

The figure hadn't moved an inch, yet it felt as though he had been watching them the entire time.

His voice was hollow, carrying a weight that seemed to transcend time:

"You should not have come here."

Lin Han forced himself to remain calm and asked in a steady tone, "What is this place?"

Behind the golden mask, a pair of deep, unfathomable eyes met his.

"The Golden Mirage," the figure answered slowly. "Past, present, and future—all may intertwine here."

Noya inhaled sharply. "Who are you?"

The masked man tilted his head slightly, as if contemplating the question.

"I am the Gatekeeper."

—The Gatekeeper?

Lin Han's heart clenched at the title.

He suddenly remembered the corroded bronze plaque they had found in the Serpent Temple. The one with the faded Malay inscription: "The Gatekeeper is dead. The Serpent God shall return."

And yet, here stood the so-called "Gatekeeper."

Had he truly died?

Or were they no longer in the real world, but in a deeper, more twisted layer of existence—a place where time and death were meaningless?

Lin Han didn't like this.

He stretched out his hand cautiously, brushing his fingers against the golden air, trying to gauge their surroundings. But the moment his fingertips made contact—

The entire world trembled violently!

The ground beneath them cracked open, jagged fractures spreading like venomous veins. The floating ruins above began to spin faster, pulled by an unseen force. The Gatekeeper's head snapped towards them, his voice now edged with urgency:

"Stop! You are disturbing the balance!"

But it was too late.

From the widening chasm, something crawled out.

A hand.

Pale. Emaciated. Twisted beyond recognition.

That was no human hand.

It was a hand corrupted by gold, its fingers inscribed with eerie symbols, its flesh appearing as though it had been torn apart and stitched back together countless times. It exuded a presence that did not belong to this world.

The Gatekeeper took a slow step backward and murmured:

"Something that should never wake… is awakening."

Noya's face turned ashen. "We have to get out of here."

Ah Rong wiped the cold sweat from his brow. "How? We don't even know what the hell this place is!"

Lin Han clenched his fists. His mind raced as he scanned their surroundings, desperately searching for an escape route. But this place… this golden cage seemed to have no exit.

Behind them, the darkness crept closer. And ahead of them—the Gatekeeper stood unmoving, making no effort to help them leave.

They had a choice to make.

Should they uncover the truth hidden within this Mirage, or should they force their way out before it was too late?

Lin Han took a deep breath, locking eyes with the man beneath the golden mask.

"Tell me… how do we leave this place?"

The Gatekeeper was silent for a long moment.

Then, at last, he lifted a single hand and pointed toward the distorted golden fissure in the distance.

"There is only one way out."

"But… are you prepared to pay the price?"

The light deep within the rift twisted eerily, as if being swallowed by an invisible force. The air was thick with a stifling scent, a mix of scorched metal and a strangely sweet, decaying stench.

Lin Han's fingertips trembled slightly, but his gaze remained steady. He had come to understand one thing—this "gold" was not a symbol of wealth but a curse.

Only by paying a price could they leave this place.

"What price?" Noya's voice was low, her nails unconsciously digging into her palm, turning her knuckles pale.

The man in the golden mask was silent for a moment before he spoke slowly, "You must sacrifice a part of yourselves."

"What do you mean?" Aron frowned.

The golden-masked man's deep gaze seemed to pierce through time. "You have entered the 'Golden Illusion,' and it has already recorded your existence. If you wish to leave, you must give up a part of your 'memory' or 'identity.' Otherwise, you will be trapped here forever."

Losing memories… or identity?

Lin Han's heart clenched.

This "price" wasn't a simple physical injury—it was the erasure of their very essence. Memories meant everything they had experienced. Identity meant who they were. If they gave those up, would they still be themselves?

Aron's face darkened. "Is there another way?"

The golden-masked man did not answer. He simply looked at them, as if the answer was already clear.

—There was no other choice.

The golden glow within the rift began to tremble violently, as if something was struggling to break free. The enormous golden hand, covered in eerie runes, had now fully emerged from the rift. Its twisted fingers flexed, as if possessing a terrible consciousness.

It was craving something.

"Time is running out." The golden-masked man's voice carried a suppressed urgency. "Make your choice."

—What would they give up?

Lin Han closed his eyes, thinking fast.

If they lost their memories, they might forget everything—even each other.

If they surrendered their identities, the world might erase their existence completely, turning them into hollow shells.

This was a deal they could not afford to make.

But then, Lin Han took a deep breath, his eyes suddenly turning sharp.

—He would not let himself or his companions be consumed by this "golden prison."

"Can we… deceive it?" he suddenly asked.

Noya froze, and Aron looked at him in confusion. "What do you mean?"

Lin Han stared at the golden hand, speaking slowly. "It wants 'memory' or 'identity'… but what if we give it something fake?"

Noya's eyes lit up. "You're saying…?"

"Human memory is not entirely reliable." Lin Han narrowed his eyes. "As long as we believe in a false memory, it might be enough to fool this cursed place."

Aron was stunned for a moment, then inhaled sharply. "You mean… we need to fabricate our own memories?!"

—It was a dangerous gamble.

If they failed to deceive the "Golden Illusion," the consequences would be unimaginable.

But Lin Han had no other way.

He closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

He began to 'remember' a past that never existed.

—In that past, he had grown up as an ordinary man in Kuala Lumpur, never stepping into the Snake Temple, never meeting Noya and Aron, never getting entangled in this bizarre event. His life was simple and uneventful, a monotonous cycle of daily routines.

He forced himself to believe in this fabricated past.

"Hurry up," he said in a firm, low voice. "You two need to do the same."

Noya bit her lip, then shut her eyes and began constructing her own false memories.

Aron hesitated but ultimately followed suit.

The golden hand seemed to sense their "offering," reaching forward, its fingers moving as if selecting the most "delicious" piece.

BOOM—!

A powerful suction force erupted from the rift.

Lin Han felt as if his consciousness was being torn apart, something prying into his mind, trying to strip away parts of his memories. But he gritted his teeth, holding onto his real past while allowing the golden hand to consume the fabricated one.

His head throbbed with searing pain—then—

Silence.

—The golden light around them began to shatter.

The illusion collapsed like a broken mirror, golden dust swirling in the air, revealing the dark tunnel hidden behind it.

They had succeeded.

The golden-masked man gazed at them, a flicker of something unreadable in his eyes.

"…Your willpower is stronger than I expected."

He slowly raised a hand, pointing to the shadowy tunnel. "Go. But remember… the lies you weave today will one day be unraveled."

Lin Han did not look back. He simply exchanged a deep glance with Noya and Aron before stepping forward.

In the darkness, they walked toward the unknown future.

But they knew—the real danger was only just beginning.