The sky was breaking.
Not metaphorically. Not symbolically.
It was fracturing—thin, jagged cracks spreading across the heavens like a shattered mirror, glowing with unstable silver light. Each pulse felt like the world was struggling to draw its next breath.
Lin Yan barely noticed.
He stood amid the ruins of the capital, ash clinging to his boots, blood drying on his hands. Around him lay the remnants of the final battle—collapsed buildings, scorched earth, and the fading remains of cultivators who had burned through their lives just to buy the world one more tomorrow.
The Calamity was gone.
He had killed it.
The world had survived.
And yet—
"Lin Yan."
The voice was weak.
But it was steady.
His heart dropped before he even turned.
Yue Xue lay against the broken remains of a stone pillar, half-supported by rubble. The defensive formation carved into the stone had shattered long ago, its runes burned black and useless.
Her white robes were soaked through with blood.
Not splattered.
Soaked.
Lin Yan was beside her in an instant, dropping to his knees so hard the impact barely registered. He caught her before she could slide down completely, pulling her into his arms with a sharp, desperate breath.
"No," he whispered immediately. "No… don't do this. Don't—"
He stopped.
Because Yue Xue was looking at him.
Not panicked. Not confused.
Her eyes were clear.
Too clear.
Lin Yan didn't realize he was crying until warm drops fell onto her hand.
She noticed.
Her fingers twitched weakly against his sleeve, and her brows drew together—not in fear, but in pain.
"Lin Yan…" she whispered.
The sound of his name shattered what little control he had left.
He shook his head violently, tears blurring his vision. "Don't talk," he begged. "Please don't talk. Save your strength. I'll fix this. I swear I will."
His voice cracked completely.
"I always do. Just—just give me time."
Yue Xue's lips trembled.
"You're lying again," she said softly. "You do that when you're scared."
He let out a broken laugh. "Then let me be scared. Let me be terrified—just don't leave me."
Her eyes glistened.
She turned her face slightly, as if embarrassed by the tears gathering there.
"I didn't want this," Yue Xue said quietly. "I really didn't."
The admission hurt more than resignation ever could.
Lin Yan clutched her tighter. "Then stay. Stay and we'll find another way. We always do."
Her breath hitched.
"I wanted more time," she whispered. "I wanted to argue with you again. I wanted to see you smile when you thought I wasn't looking."
Her voice wavered.
"I wanted to grow old enough to complain about how stubborn you are."
Tears slipped free despite her effort to stop them.
Lin Yan's chest convulsed.
"I can still give you all of that," he said desperately. "I can give you everything. Just don't give up on me."
Yue Xue looked at him.
Really looked at him.
Her eyes were red. Wet. Alive with emotion.
"I'm not giving up," she said, voice breaking. "That's why this hurts so much."
She lifted her trembling hand and pressed it against his chest, right over his heart.
"Do you feel that?" she asked softly. "That's where I am. I've always been there."
Lin Yan grabbed her wrist, holding it in place as if anchoring her soul.
"Then don't leave it empty," he sobbed.
Yue Xue closed her eyes.
When she opened them again, tears slid freely down her cheeks.
"I'm afraid," she admitted. "I don't want to die. I don't want to disappear from your life like this."
Her lips quivered.
"But I'm more afraid of what you'll become if I stay."
Lin Yan shook his head violently. "I don't care who I become."
"I do!" she cried suddenly.
The sound stunned him.
"I do," Yue Xue repeated, tears falling unchecked now. "I care about you more than I care about living."
She leaned forward, resting her forehead against his.
"I love you," she whispered fiercely. "That's why I can't let you destroy yourself for me."
His tears fell faster.
"I don't know how to exist without you," he choked.
"I know," she said softly, crying with him now. "I'm sorry I'm the one teaching you."
Her grip weakened.
Fear flickered in her eyes.
"Lin Yan," she whispered urgently. "Listen to me—remember me laughing, not like this. Remember the way I looked at you when I was alive."
He shook his head wildly. "Don't say that word."
Her lips curved into a fragile, aching smile.
"I loved you," Yue Xue said, voice breaking completely. "More than this world. More than myself."
Her breathing stuttered.
"And I don't regret a single moment."
Her hand slipped from his grasp.
"No—" Lin Yan gasped, clutching at her desperately. "Yue Xue—please—stay—"
She met his gaze one last time.
Her eyes were wet.
Warm.
Full of love.
"Lin Yan," she whispered, voice barely sound anymore,"if you ever have to choose… please choose yourself too."
Her eyes closed.
Her body went still.
The sky stabilized.
The fractures sealed themselves slowly, the world settling into an uneasy, borrowed calm. Somewhere far away, survivors would emerge—unaware of the price paid for their future.
Lin Yan remained where he was.
Kneeling.
Empty.
Her last words echoed in his mind.
Choose yourself too.
Then—
A sound rang inside his head.
Cold. Mechanical.
[Fate Thread System detected.][Compatibility confirmed.][Restart authority unlocked.]
A translucent interface unfolded before his eyes.
[Restart Cost: 87 Fate Points.]
Warnings followed, each line cutting deeper than the last.
— World lifespan will be reduced.— Causality threads will destabilize.— Emotional anchors may fracture.
Her voice echoed again.
Choose yourself too.
Lin Yan laughed softly.
Brokenly.
He looked down at Yue Xue one last time.
"I'm sorry," he whispered. "I can't."
He reached toward the light.
"If the world needs to burn a little longer," Lin Yan said,"then let it burn."
He confirmed.
And time shattered.
End of Chapter 1