Chapter14-The Emotional Merge
The world was too quiet.
Not peaceful.
Not calm.
Just… waiting.
Ling sat on the edge of the obsidian plain, her wings folded tight against her back. The white‑gold feathers were dimmer than before, and the shadowed edges pulsed like a heartbeat she didn't recognize.
Arin knelt beside her, close enough that their shoulders touched.
"Ling… how do you feel?"
Ling didn't answer.
Because she didn't know.
Her chest felt heavy.
Her breath uneven.
Her thoughts… not entirely her own.
A faint whisper curled through her mind.
"You cannot hide your heart from me."
Ling flinched.
Arin immediately grabbed her hand.
"He's starting, isn't he?"
Ling nodded slowly.
"The Emotional Phase."
Arin's wings trembled.
"What is he doing?"
Ling swallowed hard.
"He's…
Touching my feelings."
Arin stiffened.
"Which ones?"
Ling looked at her.
And that was the problem.
"All of them."
Arin's breath caught.
Before she could speak, the First Guardian appeared behind them, his expression grim.
"The Shadow has shifted tactics.
He will not attack her body now.
He will attack her heart."
Arin stepped in front of Ling instinctively.
"Then he'll have to go through me."
The First Guardian shook his head.
"No.
This trial is internal.
You cannot shield her from it."
Ling's wings twitched violently.
A wave of emotion hit her — sharp, sudden, overwhelming.
Fear.
Guilt.
Longing.
Love.
Loss.
All at once.
Ling gasped, clutching her chest.
"Arin—"
Arin grabbed her shoulders.
*"Ling, breathe.
Stay with me."*
But Ling's eyes were already glowing — not white‑gold, not shadow, but something in between.
The Shadow's voice slid through her mind like cold fingers.
"Your heart is open.
Let me in."
Ling shook her head violently.
"No—no—get out—"
Arin pulled her close, holding her tight.
*"Ling, listen to me.
You're not alone.
I'm right here."*
Ling's breath broke.
"I can't—
He's twisting everything—
He's making me feel things that aren't mine—"
Arin cupped her face, forcing Ling to meet her eyes.
"Then focus on what IS yours."
Ling blinked.
Arin whispered:
"Me."
The Shadow hissed.
Ling's wings flared.
The First Guardian stepped back, eyes widening.
"It has begun."
Arin held Ling tighter.
"Ling—don't let him take your heart."
Ling's voice trembled.
"He's not trying to take it…
He's trying to use it."
Arin froze.
"Use it for what?"
Ling looked at her — eyes glowing with a terrifying mix of light and shadow.
"For you."
Arin's breath stopped.
And the Emotional Merge began.
Ling's breath came in sharp, uneven bursts.
Her wings weren't reacting to danger.
They were reacting to emotion.
Her own.
And something else's.
Arin held her shoulders, trying to steady her.
*"Ling… look at me.
Stay with me."*
Ling tried.
But her vision blurred again — not from pain, but from a wave of emotion so strong it felt like drowning.
Fear.
Longing.
Guilt.
Desire.
Loss.
All tangled together.
Ling gasped.
"He's twisting my feelings—
He's making everything louder—
He's—"
The Shadow's voice slid through her mind like a cold breath on her neck.
"You care for her too much."
Ling froze.
Arin stiffened.
"Ling… what did he say?"
Ling shook her head violently.
"Nothing—ignore it—"
But the Shadow wasn't done.
"Your heart is weak.
And she is the weakness."
Ling's wings snapped open, feathers trembling.
Arin stepped closer, refusing to back away.
*"Ling.
Look at me."*
Ling forced her eyes up.
Arin's face was inches from hers — steady, fierce, refusing to break.
But Ling's voice trembled.
"Arin… he's using you."
Arin didn't flinch.
"Let him try."
Ling shook her head.
"No—
He's twisting what I feel—
He's making it stronger—
He's making it wrong—"
Arin grabbed her face gently, but firmly.
"Nothing you feel is wrong."
Ling's breath hitched.
The Shadow hissed.
"She lies to you."
Ling flinched.
Arin's wings flared.
"Get out of her head!"
But the Shadow's voice only grew smoother, colder.
"She fears you.
She fears what you are becoming."
Ling's heart dropped.
Arin's eyes widened.
"Ling—don't listen—"
But Ling whispered:
"…Do you?"
Arin froze.
Not because she agreed.
But because the question hurt.
She stepped closer, pressing her forehead to Ling's.
*"I fear losing you.
Not you."*
Ling's wings trembled violently.
The Shadow pushed harder.
"She will leave you.
They all do."
Ling gasped — a sharp, broken sound — as a memory flashed:
A door closing.
A voice fading.
A promise breaking.
Arin grabbed her hands instantly.
*"Ling—hey—look at me.
I'm not leaving."*
Ling's voice cracked.
"He's making me feel like you will—
Like you already have—
Like—"
Arin didn't let her finish.
She pulled Ling into her arms, holding her tight.
*"I'm right here.
I'm not going anywhere."*
Ling clung to her — not out of weakness, but because the emotions were too strong, too sharp, too twisted.
The First Guardian watched them, expression grim.
"This is only the beginning.
The Shadow is not attacking her mind now.
He is attacking her heart."
Arin tightened her hold.
"Then he'll have to go through me."
The First Guardian shook his head.
"No.
He will go through her."
Ling's wings flared again — violently — as another wave of emotion hit her.
Arin held her tighter.
*"Ling… stay with me.
Stay with me."*
Ling whispered, voice breaking:
"I'm trying…
But he's using everything I feel for you."
Arin's breath caught.
And the Shadow whispered one last time:
"Then let me show you what she truly feels."
Ling's eyes snapped open — glowing with a new, terrifying intensity.
Ling's eyes glowed brighter — not with power, but with emotion she didn't recognize.
Her breath hitched.
Her wings trembled.
Arin stepped closer, voice soft but steady.
"Ling… what is he doing now?"
Ling swallowed hard.
"I…
I'm feeling something that isn't mine."
Arin froze.
"What do you mean?"
Ling pressed a shaking hand to her chest.
"It's not my fear.
Not my pain. Not my… longing."
Arin's wings twitched sharply.
*"Ling—stop.
Don't say it."*
But Ling couldn't stop.
Because the Shadow pushed harder.
"Let her feel what you hide."
A wave of emotion slammed into Ling —warm, aching, desperate.
Ling gasped.
"Arin—
These feelings—
They're yours."
Arin's breath caught.
Her wings folded tight against her back.
"Ling… don't listen to him."
Ling shook her head violently.
"No—this isn't him.
This is you.
I can feel it."
Arin stepped back, panic flickering across her face.
*"Ling, you're not supposed to—
This isn't part of the merging—
You shouldn't be able to feel me—"*
Ling stood, unsteady but determined.
"Arin…
You feel so much."
Arin's voice cracked.
"Ling, please—stop—"
But Ling stepped closer, eyes glowing with a mix of her own emotions and Arin's.
"I feel your fear of losing me."
Arin's wings trembled.
"I feel your guilt…
For collapsing."
Arin looked away, jaw tight.
"I feel your anger at the Shadow."
Arin's hands curled into fists.
"And I feel…"
Ling's voice softened, breaking.
"…your heart when you look at me."
Arin's breath shattered.
"Ling—don't—"
Ling reached out, touching Arin's cheek gently.
"Arin…
You care about me more than you admit."
Arin closed her eyes, tears gathering.
"I didn't want you to know like this."
Ling whispered:
"I wasn't supposed to."
The Shadow's voice slid between them.
"Now she knows.
Now she breaks."
Arin snapped her eyes open, fury burning.
"Get out of her!"
But the Shadow wasn't done.
He pushed harder — and Ling suddenly felt something deeper, rawer, hidden so far inside Arin that even she didn't acknowledge it.
Ling staggered.
"Arin—
There's something else—
Something you're hiding even from yourself—"
Arin's wings flared in panic.
"Ling, STOP!"
But it was too late.
Ling whispered:
"…you're afraid of what you feel for me."
Arin froze.
Completely.
Her wings went still.
Her breath stopped.
Her soul flickered.
The First Guardian's staff slammed into the ground.
"ENOUGH!"
The emotional link snapped like a whip.
Ling collapsed to her knees, gasping.
Arin stumbled backward, shaking violently.
The First Guardian's voice thundered:
"The Shadow has breached the emotional boundary.
If this continues…
They will merge with each other."
Ling looked up, breath trembling.
"Merge… with Arin?"
Arin stared at her, eyes wide, terrified — not of Ling, but of what she felt.
The First Guardian nodded grimly.
"Yes.
And that would destroy you both."
Ling's wings trembled.
Arin's heart pounded.
And the Emotional Merge spiralled into something neither of them were prepared for.
Arin stood frozen.
Not because she didn't know what to say.
But because she didn't know how to breathe.
Ling had felt everything.
Everything Arin hid.
Everything she buried.
Everything she refused to admit even to herself.
Arin's wings trembled violently.
"Ling… I didn't want you to know."
Ling stepped toward her, slow and unsteady.
"Arin…
Why are you afraid of what you feel?"
Arin backed away.
Not from Ling.
From herself.
*"Because if I feel it…
I can lose it."*
Ling's breath caught.
Arin's voice cracked.
"I can't lose you."
Ling reached out, but Arin flinched — not from fear, but from the pain of being exposed.
Ling whispered:
"Arin… I'm not leaving."
Arin shook her head, tears gathering.
*"You don't understand.
The Shadow is inside you.
He can twist you.
He can take you.
He can turn you against me."*
Ling stepped closer.
"He won't."
Arin's voice rose — desperate, breaking.
"You don't know that!"
Ling froze.
Arin's wings flared, cracking at the edges.
*"Ling… I watched your soul change.
I watched your wings change.
I watched you scream because of him."*
Ling swallowed hard.
Arin's voice softened — trembling, terrified.
"And now he's using me to get to you."
Ling whispered:
"He can't use you unless you let him."
Arin looked away, jaw tight.
"That's the problem."
Ling blinked.
"What?"
Arin's voice was barely a whisper.
"I feel too much."
Ling's heart stuttered.
Arin continued, voice shaking:
*"And the more I feel…
The more he can use it against you."*
Ling stepped forward, gently taking Arin's hands.
"Arin…
Your feelings don't hurt me."
Arin looked up — eyes shining with fear and something deeper.
"They could."
Ling shook her head.
"They won't."
Arin opened her mouth to argue—
But the Shadow struck.
A wave of emotion slammed into Ling — so strong she choked.
Fear.
Desire.
Pain.
Longing.
Love.
Loss.
All at once.
Ling staggered.
Arin lunged forward, catching her.
"Ling!"
Ling gasped, clutching Arin's arms.
"Arin—
He's using your emotions—
He's pushing them into me—
I can't—
I can't separate them—"
Arin held her tighter, wings wrapping around her.
*"Ling, listen to me.
Those feelings are mine.
Not his."*
Ling's breath shook.
"But they're too strong—
I can't tell what's real—
I can't—"
Arin pressed her forehead to Ling's.
"Then trust me."
Ling's wings flared violently.
The Shadow hissed inside her mind.
"She will break you."
Arin snarled.
*"No.
I'll save her."*
Ling whispered, voice trembling:
"Arin…
I don't know what's mine anymore."
Arin cupped her face, eyes fierce.
"Then take mine."
Ling froze.
Arin whispered:
*"Take my strength.
Take my calm.
Take whatever you need."*
Ling's wings trembled.
Arin held her tighter.
"Just don't let him take you."
Ling closed her eyes.
And for the first time—
She reached for Arin's emotions willingly.
The First Guardian's voice echoed behind them, low and grim.
"They are crossing the final boundary."
Ling and Arin didn't hear him.
Because their hearts had already begun to merge.
Ling's wings snapped open with a violent tremor.
Not from power.
Not from fear.
From emotion.
Too much emotion.
Arin held her tightly, but suddenly—
She gasped.
Her knees buckled.
Her wings cracked at the edges.
"Ling—wait—what is—"
Ling's eyes widened.
"Arin…?
What's happening to you?"
Arin clutched her chest, breath shattering.
*"I—
I can feel—
Your pain—"*
Ling froze.
"No.
No, no, no—Arin, that's not supposed to happen—"
Arin's wings trembled violently.
*"It's burning—
Ling, your emotions—
They're inside me—"*
Ling grabbed her shoulders, panic rising.
"Arin, stop—don't take it—don't feel it—"
But Arin shook her head, tears spilling.
*"I can't stop it—
You're bleeding into me—
Ling, your fear—your guilt—your loneliness—
It's all—"*
She choked.
"It's all inside me."
Ling's heart dropped.
The Shadow's voice slid through the air like poison.
"Two hearts.
One wound."
Arin screamed—
Not from physical pain,
But from Ling's emotional agony flooding through her.
Ling grabbed her tighter, shaking.
"Arin—stop—please—stop—
You're not supposed to feel this—
This is mine—"
Arin collapsed against her, trembling violently.
*"Ling…
How did you survive this alone?"*
Ling's breath broke.
"I didn't."
Arin looked up, eyes full of tears and horror.
*"Ling…
You've been carrying this much pain?"*
Ling swallowed hard.
"Yes."
Arin's wings wrapped around her instinctively—
Not to protect herself,
But to protect Ling.
Even now.
Even while breaking.
The Shadow hissed.
"She cannot handle your heart.
She will shatter."
Ling snarled.
"SHUT UP!"
Her wings exploded with light—
But the emotional link didn't break.
Arin gasped again, gripping Ling's arms.
*"Ling—
Your love—
Your fear—
Your longing—
It's too much—
I can't—"*
Ling cupped her face, desperate.
"Arin, listen to me—
You're not supposed to feel what I feel—
This merging wasn't meant for you—
You'll break—"
Arin shook her head fiercely.
"Then let me break with you."
Ling froze.
Completely.
Her breath stopped.
Her wings stilled.
Arin whispered, voice trembling but certain:
"I'm not letting you carry this alone anymore."
Ling's heart cracked open.
The Shadow roared.
"ENOUGH!"
A shockwave tore through the plain—
Light and shadow colliding—
Ling and Arin thrown apart.
Arin hit the ground hard, wings flickering.
Ling screamed her name—
"ARIN!"
But Arin didn't move.
But Arin didn't move.
Her wings dimmed.
Her breath faltered.
And Ling felt something inside her snap.
Not from the Shadow.
From losing Arin's presence in her heart.
The First Guardian stepped forward, horrified.
"The emotional merge has gone too far.
If she loses Arin now…
Ling will not survive the next phase."
Ling crawled to Arin, shaking violently.
"Arin—
Arin, please—
Open your eyes—
Don't leave me—
Not now—
Not like this—"
Arin's fingers twitched.
Barely.
Ling grabbed her hand, voice breaking.
"Arin…
Come back to me."
And Arin whispered—
So faint Ling almost didn't hear it:
"…I'm here."
Ling collapsed over her, sobbing with relief.
But the Shadow whispered one last time:
"For now."
Ling held Arin's trembling hand against her chest, refusing to let go.
Arin's breath was shallow.
Her wings flickered like a dying flame.
Her soul-light dimmed with every second.
Ling's voice broke.
"Arin… stay with me.
Please."
Arin forced her eyes open—barely.
"Ling… I'm here."
But Ling felt it.
Arin wasn't stable.
Her soul was collapsing again—
This time because of Ling's emotions.
Ling's wings snapped open, feathers trembling violently.
The Shadow's voice curled around her like smoke.
"She cannot survive your heart."
Ling's breath shook.
"Shut up."
"She is too fragile."
Ling's hands tightened around Arin's.
"I said shut up."
"She will die for you."
Ling's wings exploded with white‑gold fire.
"SHUT UP!"
The ground cracked beneath her.
Arin flinched at the shockwave, but Ling pulled her close, shielding her with her wings.
Arin whispered, voice weak:
"Ling… don't let him push you."
But Ling wasn't listening anymore.
Her emotions—
Fear, love, rage, desperation—
All surged at once.
And the Shadow felt it.
"Yes…
Break for her."
Ling's eyes snapped open—glowing with a terrifying mix of light and shadow.
The First Guardian stepped back, alarmed.
"Her emotional core is destabilizing—
She's entering the uncontrolled merge state!"
Ling stood slowly, lifting Arin in her arms.
Her voice was low, trembling, dangerous.
"You hurt her."
The Shadow laughed softly.
"I only revealed the truth."
Ling's wings flared so wide the air trembled.
"No.
You used her."
"And she let me."
Ling's heart cracked.
Arin weakly grabbed Ling's wrist.
"Ling… don't listen… please…"
But Ling's emotions were spiraling—
Not away from Arin,
But toward her.
Ling whispered:
"You touched her heart.
You made her feel my pain.
You almost broke her."
The Shadow's voice sharpened.
"And I will do it again."
Something inside Ling snapped.
Not her mind.
Not her soul.
Her heart.
A pulse of raw emotional energy burst from her chest—
White‑gold and shadow-black swirling together.
The First Guardian shouted:
"LING! STOP!
You'll tear the realm apart!"
But Ling didn't stop.
She stepped forward, holding Arin protectively against her.
Her voice was no longer soft.
It was a vow.
"I won't let you touch her again."
The Shadow hissed.
"You cannot protect her from yourself."
Ling's wings ignited—
A new form, a new power, born from emotion.
Arin's eyes widened, breath catching.
"Ling… your wings…"
Ling didn't look at them.
She looked at the darkness ahead.
And whispered:
"Come out."
The Shadow paused.
Ling's voice rose—steady, fierce, unbreakable.
"Come out and face me."
The realm shook.
The air darkened.
And for the first time—
The Shadow answered.
Not with a whisper.
But with a form.
A shape stepped out of the darkness.
Tall.
Silent.
Eyes like broken stars.
Arin gasped.
Ling tightened her hold on her.
The Shadow spoke:
"Very well.
Let us see what your heart is truly worth."
The Shadow's form solidified fully now—
Tall, silent, a shape carved from darkness itself.
Ling held Arin tightly against her chest, wings wrapped around her like armor.
Arin whispered, barely conscious:
"Ling… don't fight him alone…"
Ling's voice was steady, but her hands trembled.
"I'm not alone."
The Shadow tilted its head.
"You think she can save you?"
Ling stepped forward, shielding Arin with her entire body.
"No.
I'll save her."
The Shadow's eyes glowed like fractured stars.
"Then let us test your heart."
A wave of darkness surged toward them.
Ling's wings burst open—
White‑gold fire colliding with shadow.
The impact shook the entire realm.
Arin cried out softly, clutching Ling's arm.
"Ling… stop… you'll burn yourself…"
Ling didn't stop.
She pushed harder.
Her voice rose, fierce and breaking:
"You touched her heart.
You hurt her.
You tried to break her."
The Shadow whispered:
"And I will again."
Ling's scream tore through the air—
Not of fear,
But of pure, raw emotion.
Her power exploded outward,
Light and shadow spiralling together,
Forming a barrier around Arin.
The First Guardian shielded his eyes.
"Her emotional core is awakening—
This is the final stage!"
Ling stepped forward, wings blazing.
Her voice was low, deadly calm.
"You want my heart?"
The Shadow leaned closer.
"Yes."
Ling's eyes burned.
"Then come take it."
The Shadow lunged.
Ling met him head‑on.
Light and darkness collided—
A shockwave ripping across the realm—
And everything went white.
When the light faded—
Ling and the Shadow were gone.
Arin collapsed to the ground, reaching out blindly.
*"Ling…
Ling…
Where are you…"*
The First Guardian's face darkened.
"She has entered the Inner Realm.
Alone."
Arin's voice broke.
"Bring her back…"
The Guardian shook his head.
"Only one person can reach her now."
Arin looked up, trembling.
"Who?"
The Guardian met her eyes.
"You."