CHAPTER 35 — The Memory Trial (Part Four)
The memory shattered.
Rain turned into mist.
Chains turned into petals.
The golden eye of Heaven collapsed into darkness.
And Zheng Wen Te woke up—
gasping.
His knees slammed onto the ground of Falling Petal Valley.
The air was cold.
His chest felt hollow, like something had been carved out and left bleeding.
Petals drifted slowly around him, no longer rising.
Now they fell again.
Normal.
As if nothing had happened.
But Zheng Wen Te knew.
Everything had happened.
His hands trembled.
His voice came out hoarse.
"…That was me."
Lian rushed forward.
"Zheng Wen Te!"
She grabbed his shoulder, steadying him.
"What did you see?"
But he could not answer her.
Because the girl stood in front of him.
Silent.
Watching.
Her expression was unreadable.
Not rage.
Not hatred.
Just an ancient stillness—
the kind that forms after someone has cried too many times.
Zheng Wen Te slowly lifted his gaze.
His throat tightened.
"…It was you."
The girl's eyes flickered.
"So you remember."
He swallowed hard.
"I abandoned you."
Her lashes lowered slightly.
"You chose Heaven."
Each word was soft.
Precise.
A blade made of memory.
Zheng Wen Te's breath broke.
"I didn't understand—"
"You understood enough," she interrupted quietly.
Her voice did not rise.
That was what made it unbearable.
"You promised me."
Zheng Wen Te flinched.
The valley felt too small for his guilt.
Lian stepped between them, sword half-drawn.
"Who are you?"
The girl glanced at her.
Then back at Zheng Wen Te.
"I am…"
Her lips parted—
and for the first time, her name trembled at the edge of the world.
But it still did not fully emerge.
As if Heaven itself refused to let it be spoken.
Instead, she said:
"I am the karma you left unfinished."
Zheng Wen Te's voice cracked.
"…Why show me this?"
The girl's gaze sharpened.
"Because you asked Shangdi for sleep."
She stepped closer.
Petals swirled at her feet like spirits bowing.
"You wanted eternal rest."
"But Heaven does not give rest to those who still owe."
Zheng Wen Te whispered:
"What do I owe?"
Her eyes finally changed.
The stillness broke.
Pain surfaced.
Raw.
Human.
"You owe an answer."
Her voice trembled for the first time.
"You owe the truth."
She leaned forward, close enough that Zheng Wen Te could see the faint redness in her eyes.
And she asked the question that had waited across eons.
Across worlds.
Across lifetimes.
"Now that you remember…"
"…will you abandon me again?"
The valley went silent.
Even Lian stopped breathing.
Zheng Wen Te stared at her.
His mouth opened—
but no words came.
Because any answer would change everything.
If he said yes…
he was a monster.
If he said no…
then he was stepping into fate's deepest trap.
The girl watched him.
Waiting.
The petals held their breath.
And somewhere far above—
Heaven watched too.