The stars bled light across the sky.
In the skies over the fractured Outer Void, reality trembled. Breaches in the multiverse spread like cracked glass, each one pulsing with void-light. These were not simply wounds—they were harbingers.
Wang Chung stood alone on a floating isle of shattered marble, looking down at his reflection in a pool of stardust. His eyes—once clear as sunrise—now flickered with streaks of black and violet. His hand trembled, not from weakness, but from restraint. The darkness within whispered promises. Power. Peace. An end to suffering.
"You don't have to resist me. I am you. You are me."
The voice came from within. Cold. Familiar. It was the corrupted version of himself that he had battled before in the Abyssal Nexus. But now, it no longer threatened—it offered understanding.
Just then, Yu Meilan appeared at his side. Her steps were light, but her expression carried a storm.
"You're drifting, Wang Chung," she said softly.
"I'm balancing," he replied, not meeting her eyes.
"No, you're breaking."
She held up the Heart of Purity. Its radiant glow dimmed, like it shared her worry.
"I can't lose you. Not to this," she whispered.
He turned away. "You've already lost parts of me you'll never get back."
But as he stepped toward the edge, the ground rumbled. Another rift tore open nearby—this one wider, deeper.
And from its churning mouth… came the laughter of Long Tian.