Location: Qin Estate – Moonshadow Courtyard
The night air was cold, heavy with unspoken tension.
Fenglan stood beneath the moonlit pavilion, blood still faintly staining his sleeve from the skirmish outside the estate. His breathing was steady, but inside, his emotions churned. The Void-Link throbbed dully—an ache that refused to fade.
Footsteps approached.
Meiyue stepped into the light, her silver hair loose, her eyes trembling with pain and confusion.
"You left," she said softly.
"You fought. I felt everything."
Fenglan turned. "I didn't want you dragged into it."
"That's not your choice alone anymore."
Her words struck harder than any blade.
🌑 The Confrontation
Meiyue clenched her fists.
"Do you know what I felt?"
"Your rage. Your loneliness. Your fear."
Tears welled in her eyes.
"We share this bond, Fenglan. When you act alone… you hurt me."
He lowered his head.
"If I hesitate, they'll destroy us. I won't wait to be sealed like a monster."
Silence fell between them.
Then Meiyue spoke the words he feared most.
"What if… they're right?"
The Void-Link shuddered violently.
"What if our power really will destroy the Qin family?"
🌌 The Second Void Wound Deepens
The air around them twisted. The void seal in their hearts burned, reopening the Second Void Wound – Betrayal of Trust.
Visions flooded them both:
Fenglan saw Meiyue standing beside Qin elders, agreeing to seal him.
Meiyue saw Fenglan abandoning the Qin family, walking a path of destruction alone.
Both visions felt real. Both felt possible.
They staggered back, clutching their chests.
"These are tests," Yuanhe's voice echoed from the darkness.
"The Void exposes the fracture already within you."
🌠 A Choice Made in Pain
Meiyue wiped her tears.
"Until we can trust each other again… we should distance ourselves."
The words shattered Fenglan's heart.
"If we continue like this, the bond will tear us apart," she continued, forcing herself to stay calm. "This is the only way."
The Void-Link dimmed—not broken, but suppressed.
Fenglan felt cold for the first time in his life.
"I understand," he said quietly.
"But know this, Meiyue… I will never betray you."
She turned away before he could see her cry.
🌑 Enemies Rejoice
In the Pei family stronghold, Pei Zonghan smiled as a report arrived.
"The twins' bond is weakening."
In the Shaw estate, Shaw Mingxiu laughed softly.
"Excellent. When heirs fracture, dynasties fall."
Shaw Yaling stood beside him, eyes unreadable.
"Soon," she murmured,
"the final thread will snap."