The time had come.
The final trial loomed like a silent storm, ready to strike.
In the stands, the crowd was in an uproar.
Murmurs, exclamations, and the fluttering of fans blended into a living roar that trembled through the air.
Chen Yue and Wei Ran stood side by side, facing the last remaining pair.
The atmosphere was heavy.
Almost sacred.
The Emperor rose to his feet, his golden robes rippling in a nonexistent breeze.
“Let the final trial begin.” His voice cracked through the arena like thunder.
Instantly, a colossal vortex erupted beneath their feet.
A scorching, violent gale swept them away before Chen Yue could even scream.
They were hurled elsewhere.
The ground beneath their feet tilted violently before finally stabilizing…
in suffocating heat.
A desert.
An endless, boundless desert…
Except it was no ordinary desert.
Cherry blossom trees in full bloom covered the burning dunes, their blood-red petals drifting slowly through the scorching air.
The wind lifted them, swirling them around as though the desert itself bled with every breath of fate.
Thunder rumbled across the heavens.
Each flash of lightning carved shifting shadows across their faces.
Before them stood a motionless mirror.
Cold.
Silent.
Larger than an imperial palace.
The silence was suffocating.
Then a voice echoed through the world.
A voice that belonged to no living being.
Deep.
Ancient.
Overwhelming.
“The Judgment of Fate has begun.” Instinctively, Chen Yue searched for Wei Ran’s hand.
Wei Ran stood perfectly still, his eyes fixed unwaveringly on the mirror.
Within its polished surface, their reflections seemed…
Too alive.
As though they were waiting for something.
“You, Half-Immortal…” The desert trembled beneath their feet.
“You are condemned to solitude.” Chen Yue felt her heart tighten.
Wei Ran remained silent.
But she saw his jaw clench.
Then the voice turned toward her.
“And you, mortal who bears the bloodline of the Eternal Moon…” A sudden gust of wind rose, sending crimson petals swirling around her.
“You have been granted the opportunity to sever your intertwined destinies.” Chen Yue lifted her head in disbelief.
Wei Ran slowly turned to look at her.
Their eyes met.
They understood.
They both understood that fate never offered such a choice without demanding a devastating price.
“If either of you chooses to sever your bond…
I shall grant that person immortality.” Chen Yue’s heart stopped for a single moment.
“Lord Wei Ran…
You shall become a true immortal, mighty among the mighty, freed from every weakness.
But should you refuse…
your other half shall bear the consequences of your choice.” Chen Yue drew in a sharp breath.
“Chen Yue, an ordinary mortal…
and yet one who carries within her the forgotten blood of the Eternal Moon.
Should you sever your bond, you too shall obtain immortality.
But should you refuse…
your other half will pay the price.” A crushing silence followed.
The burning sand began to tremble.
The crimson petals fell faster.
Without warning, Wei Ran stepped in front of Chen Yue, shielding her with his own body.
He turned to face her.
One last time.
His gaze was dark.
Calm.
Resolute.
“I will not sever it,” he said simply as he took her hand.
Something exploded inside Chen Yue’s chest.
Like a bolt of lightning.
A truth she had refused to acknowledge until now.
Watching Wei Ran’s back.
His unwavering figure.
His choice made without the slightest hesitation.
I love him.
The words pierced through her heart like an arrow of light.
She stepped forward until she stood beside him.
Without letting go of his hand, she said, “I won’t sever it either.” Their choice had been sealed.
“So be it.” Chen Yue closed her eyes.
She thought everything would finally come to an end.
She was wrong.
The ground cracked apart.
The mirror began to tremble…
Then it started drawing in the air around it.
Before she could even understand what was happening— Chen Yue was pulled into the mirror.
She screamed.
So did Wei Ran.
The mirror materialized between them like an icy, merciless wall.
Lightning crashed down on both sides as countless glowing cracks spread across its surface, as though it wished to separate them forever.
The golden thread connecting their hearts blazed brilliantly, vibrating like a taut string on the verge of snapping.
Chen Yue found herself trapped.
Wei Ran stood frozen on the other side.
A pillar of lightning descended, striking both sides of the mirror simultaneously.
The impact was monstrous.
Chen Yue collapsed to her knees.
Her fingers clawed desperately into the burning sand.
Electricity surged through her veins, scorched her bones, and crushed her chest.
Wei Ran fell as well, his body wracked with violent spasms.
The pain was unbearable.
Inhuman.
Yet neither of them gave in.
“Hold on!” Wei Ran shouted, his voice breaking.
Tears streamed down Chen Yue’s face.
But she nodded.
“I…
I’m holding on…” The lightning intensified.
Chen Yue coughed up blood.
Her arms finally gave out.
She collapsed face-first onto the crimson petals clinging to her skin, gasping as though her soul were being torn from her body.
On the other side of the mirror, Wei Ran nearly lost consciousness.
But the moment he saw Chen Yue lying motionless— “No!” He threw himself against the barrier.
The heavenly voice spoke once more.
“Mortal, your heart can endure no more.
Half-Immortal, your choice condemns her.
If you agree to sever your bond now…
she will live.” Wei Ran closed his eyes.
His breathing trembled.
His bloodied hand slowly slid across the mirror’s surface.
He looked at Chen Yue.
Her small body curled into itself.
Her ragged breathing.
The agony tearing her apart.
He could no longer bear to watch her suffer.
“I’ll sacrifice myself.” His voice cracked.
“Let her live.” The desert trembled.
The voice was about to deliver its judgment.
But before the sentence could fall— Chen Yue’s eyes snapped open.
With a single breath.
With the last spark of strength she possessed.
“No.” She forced herself to stand.
Staggering.
Shaking.
Covered in blood.
“I refuse to let you die for me.” She pressed herself against the mirror, her forehead resting against its freezing surface, her gaze locked onto Wei Ran’s.
Their breaths mingled through the glass.
The golden thread linking their hearts shone brighter than ever before.
Chen Yue slowly raised her hand and placed it against the mirror.
Her voice trembled as she spoke, broken by emotion.
“I never hated you.” Wei Ran’s eyes widened.
“Not even when you were cold.
Not even when you pushed me away.” She swallowed back a sob.
“I love you.” Two words.
Nothing more.
Yet they weighed heavier than all the lightning in the heavens.
Wei Ran trembled as though struck by lightning.
He looked away for a single second— Only one.
Then his eyes found Chen Yue’s once more.
He wanted to answer.
But before he could open his mouth, Chen Yue slipped a hand into her robe.
And pulled out…
A shard of the broken mirror.
Wei Ran’s face drained of color.
“No!
CHEN YUE!” She gave him a sad smile, her tear-filled eyes shimmering.
“My turn.” She raised the shard.
The golden thread pulsed violently.
“Don’t do it!” Wei Ran roared.
But Chen Yue whispered so softly that only he could hear— “I choose to save you.” And without the slightest hesitation— She drove the shard of the mirror into her own heart.
The world stopped.
Wei Ran let out the howl of a wounded beast, a cry so anguished it seemed to tear the heavens themselves apart.
The golden thread snapped in an explosion of light.
Chen Yue was hurled into the air, her body wrapped in a blinding white radiance.
The mirror shattered.
Wei Ran shot into the sky after her, wings of spiritual energy bursting from his back despite the agony ripping through his body.
He caught her.
Just before she hit the ground.
Her body trembled weakly in his arms.
Cold.
Powerless.
“Chen Yue!” His voice broke.
“Wake up…
please…” She didn’t respond.
The golden thread that had once pulsed with life had been completely severed.
Wei Ran wept.
Real tears.
The first he had shed in centuries.
He held her tightly against his chest, utterly shattered, unable to breathe as though every breath had been ripped away from him.
He rested his forehead against hers.
Their noses gently brushed.
“I love you more than you could ever imagine,” he whispered with a trembling voice.
Then he kissed her.
A desperate kiss.
Burning.
Broken.
Then suddenly— A brilliant light erupted around them.
Wei Ran tightened his embrace around Chen Yue, ready to hold onto her even if the heavens themselves collapsed.
The radiance grew so intense that he had to close his eyes.
Then…
It changed.
It became gentle.
Warm.
Alive.
The golden thread suddenly reappeared between them, pulsing with a new power—brighter, purer, stronger than ever before.
As though the heavens themselves had chosen to bind them together.
In his arms, Chen Yue stirred.
A shiver ran through her body.
Her eyelids fluttered.
Then she slowly opened her eyes.
Large, dark eyes, still unfocused, yet filled with a newfound light.
“Wei…
Ran…” Her voice was weak.
But real.
Alive.
A sob rose in Wei Ran’s throat.
His trembling hand gently cupped her cheek.
“I thought I’d lost you,” he whispered.
She threw herself into his arms, as though she had waited centuries for this very moment.
He held her tightly.
Kept her close against his heart.
His fingers were still trembling.
From fear.
From pain.
From relief.
Around them, the crimson petals drifted gently back to the ground.
The light faded.
And the world shifted.
Suddenly, they found themselves back in the tournament arena.
Standing.
Alive.
Covered in blood.
Covered in tears.
Silence hung over the arena for a single second.
Then the crowd erupted.
The roar of thousands of voices shook the very ground beneath their feet.
From his throne, the Emperor watched the scene in silence.
Never had his eyes shone so brightly.
A servant approached them and bowed deeply.
“His Majesty offers you his congratulations.
You are invited to a private audience, where His Majesty will grant whatever you desire.” Chen Yue and Wei Ran exchanged a glance.
A glance filled with light.
With understanding.
With a silent promise.
Wei Ran nodded.
“When the time comes…
we will claim that right.” For now, he simply wished to keep that promise in his hands.
For her.
For them.
He took Chen Yue’s hand.
Looked deeply into her eyes, as though the entire universe was reflected within them.
Then he pulled her into his embrace.
Simply.
Naturally.
They left the arena beneath a shower of flower petals cast into the air.
And once they stepped outside— A young man was waiting for them.
He stood tall with his arms crossed, his eyes fixed on the two of them.
The moment he saw them, a faint smile curved his lips.
Then— His body became covered in white scales.
The wind suddenly rose around him, sweeping the clouds aside as though the heavens themselves were opening a path before him.
His figure became majestic.
In a flash of light, he transformed into a white dragon.
Silver eyes.
Gleaming scales.
Without a word, he lowered himself, inviting them to climb onto his back.
Wei Ran helped Chen Yue onto the dragon.
She was utterly exhausted.
The moment she sat down, her body instinctively sought Wei Ran’s warmth.
She rested her head against his shoulder.
“I’m…
so tired…” “Rest,” he murmured softly.
The ground fell away beneath them.
They soared into the sky, gliding above the clouds, above the entire world.
Chen Yue closed her eyes.
Her breathing gradually became calm.
As she slept against his shoulder, Wei Ran placed a hand gently on her back, letting his spiritual power slowly heal their wounds.
His gaze never left her.
Not even for a single second.
As though he still feared losing her.
As though his soul…
Had finally found its other half.