The rooftop remained silent.
The city lights shimmered below.
But neither Xu Lin nor Mo Xuan looked at them.
"...You lied to me."
Xu Lin's voice broke the silence.
Mo Xuan remained still.
"...About what?"
Xu Lin laughed bitterly.
"...You seriously want me to make a list?"
The wind blew between them.
Cold.
Sharp.
"...You know things."
A pause.
"...About me."
Another pause.
"...About Heaven."
Xu Lin clenched his fists.
"...About everything."
For a moment
Mo Xuan didn't answer.
Then
"...And if I do?"
Xu Lin froze.
Because that wasn't denial.
It was confirmation.
"...Then tell me."
Silence.
Long.
Painful.
Then
"...Not yet."
Something inside Xu Lin snapped.
"...Not yet?"
His voice rose.
"...That's always your answer!"
For the first time
Mo Xuan's expression darkened.
"...Because you're not ready."
"...Stop deciding that for me!"
The air trembled slightly.
Power leaked from Xu Lin instinctively.
Neither of them noticed.
"...You think protecting me means controlling me."
Silence.
"...Maybe it does."
Xu Lin stared at him.
Shock.
Anger.
Disappointment.
All at once.
"...Then maybe I don't want your protection."
The words hung between them.
For the first time
Something flashed across Mo Xuan's face.
Pain.
Only for a second.
Then it vanished.
"...Fine."
Xu Lin froze.
"...What?"
"...If that's what you want."
Mo Xuan turned away.
"...Then I'll stop."
The answer felt wrong.
Too easy.
But before Xu Lin could speak
Mo Xuan disappeared.
Just like that.
Gone.
Leaving only silence behind.
And somehow
That silence felt worse.
Much worse.
Far above
The Heavenly Realm remained restless.
Inside a pavilion overlooking a sea of clouds
Two figures sat facing one another.
The Fire Lord.
And the Water Lord.
One held a cup of tea.
The other looked ready to break something.
"...I still say we should confront Wei Tian."
The Fire Lord crossed his arms.
"...Directly."
The Water Lord sighed.
"...You always want to confront people directly."
"...Because it works."
"...No."
A pause.
"...It usually creates more problems."
The Fire Lord rolled his eyes.
"...You're impossible."
"...And you're impatient."
Silence followed.
Comfortable silence.
The kind built over centuries.
Then
The Water Lord's expression became serious.
"...Do you think Lin Mo was truly guilty?"
The Fire Lord blinked.
Because that wasn't a question either of them usually asked.
A long pause followed.
Then
"...No."
The answer came immediately.
Without hesitation.
The Water Lord looked up.
"...You don't?"
"...Something never felt right."
The Fire Lord stared toward the distant Heavenly Palace.
"...Too many records disappeared."
"...Too many witnesses vanished."
Silence.
Dangerous silence.
The Water Lord slowly placed his cup down.
"...Then we're thinking the same thing."
For the first time
Both of them looked toward the Heavenly Palace.
And neither trusted what they saw.
Elsewhere
Lian Yue stood inside Heaven's Archive.
Rows upon rows of ancient records surrounded her.
Most untouched for centuries.
She wasn't supposed to be here.
Especially not at this hour.
But she couldn't stop thinking.
About Xu Lin.
About Lin Mo.
About everything.
"...There has to be something."
She whispered softly.
Then
Her fingers paused.
A missing section.
An entire section.
Removed.
Her eyes widened slightly.
"...Impossible."
Ancient records couldn't simply disappear.
Not without permission from the highest authority.
And only one person possessed that authority.
Wei Tian.
Back in the mortal world
Xu Lin couldn't sleep.
Again.
The rooftop conversation replayed endlessly in his mind.
"...Fine."
"...If that's what you want."
The memory bothered him.
Because Mo Xuan hadn't argued.
Hadn't fought back.
He'd simply left.
"...Good."
Xu Lin muttered.
"...That's what I wanted."
Silence answered him.
And somehow
That made him feel worse.
Then
A sudden knock echoed through the room.
Xu Lin frowned.
It was nearly midnight.
Who could
Another knock.
Slow.
Deliberate.
Xu Lin stood.
Walking toward the door.
Something felt wrong immediately.
The hallway outside was silent.
Too silent.
His hand touched the doorknob.
And then
A voice whispered from the other side.
"...Xu Lin."
His blood ran cold.
Because he had never heard that voice before.
And somehow
It already knew his name.
Some doors should never be opened...
Especially when something on the other side has been waiting for you. 🖤🔥