The Forbidden Pagoda Whispers

The night was velvet.

A soft breeze rippled through the towering forests of the Heaven Defying Academy, and each rustling leaf felt like it was whispering secrets meant only for the bold—those daring enough to chase power beyond imagination.

Deep within the core of the Academy, behind layers of protective formations and spells older than most stars, stood a structure not many dared approach.

It was the Forbidden Pagoda—a nine-level tower made of celestial obsidian, pulsing faintly under the moonlight like a living thing. Some said it was alive. Others whispered it was a tomb. But all agreed on one truth: only those chosen by the Dao itself could enter it... and survive.

Tonight, the tower stirred.

And so did Dev Yadav.

Clad in flowing black robes embroidered with silver stardust patterns, he stood before the pagoda's massive double doors. The air was heavy here—not with fear, but with anticipation, like a kiss that never landed. Dev's gaze swept over the inscriptions, ancient runes that shimmered under his touch, awakening from centuries of slumber.

"They're calling again," he murmured, his voice deep, calm, and dark as midnight.

From the shadows, a soft voice floated toward him. "You promised never to go back in, Master Dev."

It was Eira, the Spirit of Ice and Moonlight. Her body shimmered like frozen mist, yet her aura pulsed with warmth reserved only for Dev. She hovered near him, almost touching, yet never fully bridging the gap.

"I made that promise a thousand years ago," Dev whispered, tilting his head as if lost in a dream. "But this world… it's shifting again."

The Forbidden Pagoda groaned. The runes flared violet.

A seductive whisper echoed from within, a voice both feminine and ancient, both divine and damned.

"Come, my child. Come and remember…"

Dev's eyes burned golden.

"It remembers me," he said, more to himself than anyone else. "Just like I remember her."

Eira's expression darkened. "Her?"

"The Forbidden One," Dev said slowly, letting the words drip from his tongue like honey laced with poison. "The soul I sealed inside the ninth floor… The one who loved me too much."

The air trembled.

The Academy's students, even in their dreams, felt something shift. Some clutched their chests in their sleep, others groaned as if being suffocated. The cultivators on night patrol paused, staring toward the tower with terror and awe.

Inside the core of the Forbidden Pagoda, an eye opened.

It was not human.

And yet… it wept.

Dev raised his hand. With a snap of his fingers, the gates—untouched for millennia—opened like lovers welcoming a long-lost embrace. The air that rushed out was sweet and metallic, like the scent of forgotten blood and ancient desire.

Eira floated closer, her lips trembling. "Dev… If you go in, you might not come back as yourself."

He smiled.

"I stopped being 'myself' long ago."

He stepped inside.

With each level, the energy grew denser, thicker, as if pressing itself against his skin like a lover's needy touch. Old memories surged—of battles fought beyond realms, of a woman with eyes darker than void and a kiss that cursed time itself.

By the sixth floor, Dev was bleeding.

By the seventh, he was laughing.

And when he stepped onto the eighth, the air twisted. The pagoda reshaped itself into a place that had once been his palace… and his prison. The walls pulsed with heartbeats. The ground shimmered with illusions of a life long gone.

In the center stood a throne.

And on that throne… sat her.

Clad in crimson robes, with silver chains coiled around her wrists, she stared at him with eyes that had neither aged nor forgiven.

"Dev," she whispered, voice a melody of broken lullabies. "You came back."

He didn't answer immediately.

His gaze roamed over her—still as beautiful as the day he sealed her away. Her hair like starlight dipped in night. Her smile… devastating.

"You shouldn't exist," he finally said.

"Neither should you," she replied, her voice a caress and a curse.

Their silence cracked the air.

Then she rose, the chains dragging behind her like a funeral dirge. "You promised we'd ascend together. You promised we'd rule… together."

"I lied," Dev said simply. "I always do."

She laughed. Not bitterly—but with desire.

"I love liars," she said, stepping closer.

And then, without another word, she kissed him.

The tower trembled.

Reality flickered.

Somewhere, far away, in the deepest chamber of the Academy, a bell tolled—one that had not rung since the Age of Primordial Beasts.

Eira cried out in the distance, falling to her knees, her heart split in two.

Inside the pagoda, Dev didn't resist.

Because he knew.

To gain the truth he sought… he must awaken what he once buried.

Even if it meant falling in love with destruction once more.