The silence in the room was thick, broken only by the soft crackle of the fire and the occasional gust of wind pressing against the windows. Xie Zhaoyun didn't move. He stayed kneeling beside her, his eyes studying the pale curve of her face, the way her brow remained slightly furrowed even in unconsciousness as if still locked in battle.
He reached out, his gloved hand hesitating for a moment before gently brushing a stray strand of hair from her face.
"Something is going on with you," he murmured. "But why can't I figure it out?"
He closed his eyes briefly, the scene from earlier replaying in his mind. She had spoken like a stranger to all of this like someone with nothing to lose at all.
The door creaked open slightly.
A masked shadow entered, cloaked in dark blue. The figure knelt without a word.
"She has been fed the poison for about three months," the figure said in a low voice. "She likely came upon something she shouldn't have."
Xie Zhaoyun's expression didn't change, but his eyes turned cold.
"Before the attempt on Lady Liu Xinya, Lady Song's maid, Rou Lihua, disappeared. As of now, we don't know her whereabouts."
Liu Xinya. Why is she always behind the scenes? Find out more about her; she seems to have ties with everyone.
"Master, you were not here for five years. Many things have changed. Although I have tried to protect Lady Song from the shadows, I still failed in my duty."
Xie Zhaoyun clenched his hands. "It's not your fault. Don't blame yourself. Just do as you've been told."
The masked man bowed once and disappeared as silently as he had come.
Xie Zhaoyun remained by Song Lian's side. As the candlelight flickered, he found himself lost in thought.
He had spent more time on the battlefield than in the imperial capital. The longer he stayed in war, the more detached he became from the emotions of those around him until she came along.
Although he didn't change much on the surface, something within him stirred every time he looked at her.
Outside, the sky began to pale with the first signs of dawn.
*****************
Song Lian felt her soul floating in darkness. Just what is going on? My life has been turned upside down, and I don't have the power to change anything.
Suddenly, she saw a ray of light and followed it.
She came to a sudden halt. The light ahead was blindingly bright, but it had no effect on her soul; it wasn't her physical body, after all.
When the light cleared, she found herself standing before a river. She drifted closer to it.
For a moment, the flow of the water stopped as if recognizing her presence and then it began to move again.
But now, there was another soul standing in front of her.
An exact copy of herself.
"Who are you, and why am I here?" Song Lian asked, confused and overwhelmed by the surreal situation.
The other girl gave a response that only deepened her confusion.
"I am also Song Lian. And what's happening to you… it's because of my mistake."
"Your mistake brought me to this hellhole, where I don't know anyone!" Song Lian snapped, her temper flaring. "You need to understand I don't belong here. I came from a completely different world."
The other girl bowed her head, silently accepting the anger. She knew she deserved it.
"Enough with this cryptic talk!" Song Lian demanded. "Tell me how to get out of this situation. And what mistake are you even talking about?"
The other girl finally looked up, her expression solemn.
"The book you read… it wasn't just a novel. It was a gateway to my world. I was so fed up with my life that I was desperately looking for a way to escape it. And that's when everything went wrong."
"I didn't mean for anyone to get hurt," the other Song Lian continued, her voice barely above a whisper. "I thought… if I could exchange my fate, even for a little while, maybe someone stronger, someone smarter could survive where I couldn't."
"You used me." Song Lian's voice was cold now. "You dragged me into your mess. Without a warning. Without a choice."
The other girl's eyes glistened. If she weren't just a soul, perhaps a tear would have fallen but she didn't deny Song Lian's accusation.
"Yes. I was selfish. I saw you reading the book, and something cracked. I was performing a ritual, and I must have opened a portal. I reached out through the only thread left between our worlds that book. When your soul was unguarded… I pulled you in and pushed mine out."
"So you're in my world now?" Song Lian asked, her heart pounding.
"I don't know for how long. Though your body is unconscious, my soul isn't stable either," the other girl said. "Your world rejects anything that doesn't belong. If I stay too long, I'll fade. But so will you, if you're trapped here without a purpose."
Song Lian clenched her fists. "Then send me back."
"I can't," came the trembling reply. "Not yet. There are rules…ones I didn't understand before. The two souls must willingly exchange places. Only then can the bridge reopen."
"And why would I ever willingly give my soul back to you? You're not planning to trick me, are you?"
The other Song Lian looked up, her eyes pleading.
"Because this world isn't done with you. There's something here you're meant to uncover. Someone tried to erase me before you arrived… and now, they're trying to erase you too. You saw how they poisoned me."
Song Lian's breath hitched. The memory of the platform, the arrow, the pain it all came rushing back.
"You're not just a visitor anymore," the girl said quietly. "You've become a part of this world's unfinished story. And if you die here… we both do."