Qin Ziyan's fingers twitched as he pressed a hand to his temple, trying to steady his breathing. The air in this twisted domain shimmered like rippling water, warping the landscape into something unreal. He could feel it, the subtle tug of something prying at his mind, unraveling his defenses thread by thread.
The ground beneath him was an endless expanse of black stone, slick as glass and reflecting distorted versions of himself. His own reflection grinned back at him, twisted and cruel, before melting away into smoke.
"This is... annoying," he muttered, wiping the sweat from his brow.
But the prison didn't respond with words.
It responded with her.
Xiao Lian appeared in front of him, her figure ghostly and half-transparent. She wasn't looking at him, though. She stood across from Ji Ren, her eyes fierce and determined, a spark of warmth softening her expression. Ji Ren, battered and bloodied, reached out, brushing his fingers along her cheek as if she were the only thing grounding him to reality.
"You fought well," Ji Ren said, voice rough.
"And you're still standing," Xiao Lian replied, a small, rare smile tugging at her lips.
Qin Ziyan's heart clenched. He knew it wasn't real. He knew this was an illusion designed to torment him. But the ache in his chest didn't care.
He had always thought his fascination with Xiao Lian was just entertainment — something to alleviate the crushing monotony of his existence. She was a spark of chaos, unbending in her stubbornness, a puzzle he enjoyed picking apart. But watching her with Ji Ren now, seeing the way she looked at him with quiet trust, something splintered inside him.
It wasn't just amusement.
It had never been just amusement.
He hated how much he cared.
"Enough," Qin Ziyan growled, swiping his hand through the illusion. It dissolved like mist, but the domain wasn't done with him.
The scene shifted.
Now Xiao Lian lay on the ground, blood pooling beneath her, her chest barely rising with each shallow breath. Ji Ren knelt beside her, his face twisted in agony as he cradled her head in his lap.
"You should've protected her," Ji Ren whispered, his voice echoing through the empty void like a curse. "You were right there. And you let her die."
Qin Ziyan staggered back, his pulse hammering in his ears.
This was ridiculous.
He didn't care about her life or death.
He didn't care.
Right?
His hands trembled at his sides, fingers curling into fists so tight his nails bit into his skin. The illusion didn't let up, it dragged him through every version of failure it could conjure, every scenario where he stood by, doing nothing, while Xiao Lian bled, screamed, or turned to ash.
"Is this the best you can do?" he hissed, though his voice lacked its usual venom.
The illusions finally faded, leaving him alone in the empty expanse. Or so he thought.
A figure emerged from the shadows, tall and cloaked, with eyes like burning coals. The figure's face was obscured, but the voice that echoed out was painfully familiar, cold, sharp, and laced with cruel amusement.
"You think yourself immune to attachment," the figure said, its voice dripping with disdain. "But you've already lost."
Qin Ziyan smirked, though it didn't reach his eyes. "Is this the part where you break my mind? Go ahead and try. It might be fun."
The figure stepped closer, and the weight of its presence was suffocating.
"I am not an illusion," it whispered, tilting its head. "I am your true master."
The words sent a cold shiver down Qin Ziyan's spine. He forced a laugh, but the sound rang hollow in the vast emptiness.
"What kind of joke is this?"
The figure didn't answer. It simply raised a hand, and chains erupted from the ground, coiling around Qin Ziyan's limbs and dragging him to his knees. He grit his teeth, refusing to cry out, even as the metal burned against his skin.
"You will break," the figure said, leaning in until its voice echoed directly in his mind. "And when you do, I will reshape you into what you were always meant to be."
The shadows closed in, swallowing him whole.
And for the first time in years, Qin Ziyan felt fear.