The next morning. The first rays of sunlight slipped through the cave's entrance, painting the dirt floor with a soft golden hue. Han Ling opened his eyes, feeling a familiar, heavy warmth by his side. He turned his head, and his amber eyes landed on Yu Yui, who slept deeply, her body naked and relaxed.
Her long red hair was spread like a silk mantle across the ground and rocks, some strands tangled around her slightly pink nipples. Her body, once twisted in desire, now lay in a pose of innocence and vulnerability. Han Ling's gaze followed the gentle curves of her slightly voluptuous hips, the toned thighs that had held him so tightly the night before. There was a faint reddish mark at the base of her spine—a reminder of the possessive grip of his hands.
A smile—something rare on his usually serious and expressionless face—slowly appeared on his lips. It was subtle, almost imperceptible, but it was there.
He stood up slowly, covering Yu Yui with an improvised blanket before getting dressed. A lightness, an unexpected euphoria, accompanied him as he walked to the cave entrance. The morning air, the soft breeze, and the birdsong all felt more vivid, more intense. He observed the scenery with a relaxed curiosity, as if the world had taken on new colors. His eyes, once so cold and distant, now seemed to drink it all in with an almost childlike eagerness.
Some time later, Yu Yui awoke, feeling a slight discomfort between her thighs and a pleasurable exhaustion in her muscles. She blinked, taking a moment to get her bearings, before noticing the emptiness at her side. A chill ran down her spine. Where was her Master?
She sat up, covering herself with the blanket, and noticed the marks on her body, the swelling sensation on the lips of her pussy, and a blush crept up her face. The memory of the previous night hit her hard—the submission, the desperation, the overwhelming pleasure. She had given herself completely, and the Master… he had been cruel and wonderful.
With a sigh, Yu Yui stood and quickly dressed in her signature red dress, which cascaded over her curves. The fabric brushed against her sensitive skin, reminding her with every step of what had happened. She arranged her long scarlet hair and walked toward the cave entrance, curiosity and a twinge of apprehension in her chest.
As she stepped outside, Yu Yui saw him. Han Ling stood with his back to her, gazing into the forest. There was something different about his posture—a relaxation she had never seen before. His shoulders were less tense, and even the way the sunlight touched his face seemed… softer.
She hesitated for a moment, her voice caught in her throat. He didn't seem angry, but Han Ling's unpredictability kept her on alert.
"Master?" she called, her voice slightly more trembling than she had expected.
Han Ling turned slowly. His amber eyes met hers, and an unusual glimmer—almost playful—shone in their depths. The smile he wore was light, though strange to anyone who knew him. He said nothing, just watched her, and Yu Yui felt heat rise to her cheeks.
Did he remember everything she had done to make him come?
"Hello, Yu Yui. I hope you slept well." Han Ling's words were calm and serene, yet they carried an alarming strangeness.
The tone was smooth as silk, but behind that gentleness, something was wrong. Something that made Yu Yui's stomach twist, like a beast smiling with its teeth hidden beneath a lamb's skin.
That wasn't her Master.
His eyes were the same—amber, sharp—but the soul behind them felt different. Absent, or perhaps… excessively present.
Yu Yui swallowed hard, trying to calm herself.
"I-I'm sorry… I didn't mean to bother you," she said, lowering her head slightly.
Han Ling—or whatever he was now—walked slowly toward her. His steps were elegant, almost lazy, and yet every movement seemed calculated, like a satisfied predator. When he stopped in front of her, he raised a hand and gently brushed his fingers along Yu Yui's chin, lifting her face to meet his gaze.
"There's nothing to apologize for, my sweet Yui. You were perfect."
He smiled.
But it wasn't Han Ling's smile.
It was warm. Welcoming. Almost affectionate. Almost… human.
And because of that, so very wrong.
Yu Yui felt her knees weaken.
"Are you… alright, Master?" she dared to ask, her voice small.
"Better than ever." He released her and turned away, his black hair dancing in the breeze. "For the first time in a long while, I feel like I'm breathing fully. As if the darkness I used to deny now embraces me, and in its embrace… I am home."
She stepped back.
Then Han Ling turned again. His gaze was darker now, the amber tinged with a barely perceptible red. He was still smiling.
"You know, Yui… it's curious. I always repressed certain parts of myself. Guilt, desires, impulses. But now…" he opened his arms as if welcoming the world, "I see that denying who I am is wasting what I was shaped to be."
The breeze stopped. The birds went silent.
Yu Yui felt her throat go dry, as if the world itself were holding its breath.
Han Ling took a step toward her, and the ground seemed to tremble beneath his feet. Not from the force of his body, but from the weight of his presence—a dense aura, as if the very sky had darkened behind a smile too gentle to be real.
"Are you afraid of me, Yui?"
The question was asked with such pure sweetness that for a moment, she felt like smiling, like denying it, like falling into his arms as she always had. But her instincts screamed. Screamed louder than ever before.
"I…" she tried to say, but her voice came out broken, almost a whisper.
Han Ling raised his hand again, this time not to touch her, but to brush aside a lock of hair the wind had brought to his face. The gesture was casual, mundane, but there was something deeply wrong in it—like a corpse smiling in a field of flowers.
"Don't worry, my little scarlet flower," he said, his eyes now completely red, with no trace of the amber from before. "I won't hurt you. You're far too precious for that."
He took another step. And another. Until he was just inches away from her.
"But... the others..."
Han Ling didn't finish the sentence. Instead, he walked to the edge of the cliff, gazing at the vast forest that stretched across his entire view.
This forest carried no sinister aura. There were no inverted mountains or rivers.
A question slipped softly from Han Ling's lips.
"Yu Yui... did we leave the 'End of the World'?"
The world seemed to hold its breath as an overwhelming aura filled the surroundings, as if threatening to crush the entire mountain they stood upon.
Silence stretched like ages, thick as fog. Han Ling remained at the cliff's edge, his crimson eyes staring into the horizon with an unnatural calm. Yu Yui hesitated, her heart pounding in her chest. She felt like a single wrong word could shatter that fragile stillness and unleash something terrible.
She took a deep breath and spoke in a low voice, trying to sound steady:
"M-Master… you… were gravely injured. The heavenly tribulation almost completely destroyed your body. I… I took you out of the End of the World and treated your wounds with an ancient treasure." She lowered her eyes. "I didn't know what to do, so I followed my instincts. I... just wanted to protect you."
For a moment, the world seemed to stop.
Han Ling turned slowly. And for a brief, fleeting second, the smile on his face faltered.
The mask fell.
It was almost imperceptible — his eyes lost their red glow for an instant, like a candle about to go out. His gentle expression twisted, traces of something grotesque surfacing beneath the skin of kindness. It wasn't anger. It was... emptiness. A hungry abyss, as old as the guilt that gave birth to it.
But then, as if it had never happened, the smile returned. Warm. Gentle. And profoundly wrong.
"Yui…" he said, his voice as soft as honey dripping. "You really are a devoted little flower. Helpful. Caring."
He stepped closer, and his eyes began to glow red again.
"Thank you… for taking such good care of me."
Yu Yui shivered.
There was no irony in his voice. No threat. But something about it felt so out of place that it made her stomach twist.
She took a step back, eyes lowered. Her mind raced.
What if... what if the one who had been with her the night before wasn't her true Master?
Her body trembled, but she clenched her fists.
"I-it doesn't matter..." she murmured. "I... I would recognize Master even with my eyes closed."
She closed her eyes for a moment, trying to calm herself. And it was true. Han Ling's touch — the real Han Ling — was unmistakable. His coldness, his restrained strength, the way his fingers clutched her skin — there could be no mistake.
Whatever smiled at her, whatever spoke with such warmth... was something else.
When she reopened her eyes, Yu Yui saw Han Ling watching her silently, head slightly tilted, as if examining a strange and fragile flower.
"Of course you would," he said with a smile that was almost... sad. "You're a good girl, Yu Yui. Loyal to the very end."
He turned again, the wind stirring his black hair. But the sun that once seemed to shine gently now felt pale. And the shadow he cast on the stone… was slightly different from his shape. As if something was standing beside him.
Yu Yui swallowed hard.
The Han Ling she loved was there. She knew it. But buried beneath something dark. Something that had crawled up from the depths of the world.
***
"You saw him, Han Ling. This is your fault." Han Ling's inner demon — identical in appearance to him — complained while staring at him.
Han Ling met his gaze silently, his eyes hollow, as if his soul had left them.
The two were trapped in a sea of blood, staring at each other in absolute silence, until the demon broke it.
"All your fault, Han Ling," the demon kept complaining.
An outer god had taken the opportunity to possess Han Ling's body, trapping both Han Ling and his inner demon within his consciousness.
"Sure, not your fault at all," the demon rolled his eyes. "It was because your emotions were unstable after our fight — and because of Yu Yui's ridiculous physique. Her desire to sleep with you was so intense that this happened. Damn physique! And it's not even complete!"
"It doesn't matter..." Han Ling's voice was hollow. "I was still conscious. I did everything with my own hands. I betrayed Han Xinrou."
To Han Ling, what he had done was an unforgivable sin. His body belonged to Han Xinrou — but now it was 'defiled'. Deep down, he believed death was better than bearing that guilt.
"Wow... where's the brave man who said he'd take responsibility for all his choices?" the demon mocked. "Tell me! Where is that man now!?"
Han Ling lowered his head.
The demon frowned — it wasn't fun beating someone who was already down.
"Dude, moping around won't help. Doesn't Han Xinrou love you? Can't she forgive you?"
"No!" Han Ling's voice was low but thunderous. "I haven't even forgiven myself for abandoning her... And even so... I'm not worthy of her... I want to die..."
The inner demon fell silent for a few seconds. The calm of the bloody sea around them contrasted with the storm inside Han Ling's vacant eyes.
"Wanting to die won't erase anything, little brother," the demon sighed, crossing his arms and pacing on the blood's surface like it was solid ground. "You want to die? Congratulations, your body's almost dead out there. An outer god is controlling everything, and you... you're in here whining, leaving Han Xinrou alone again."
Han Ling trembled.
"She'll come for me…" he murmured. "But… when she finds me… she'll kill me."
The demon let out a low chuckle. "Of course she will. If you're lucky. If not, she'll forgive you, hold you in her lap... and love you anyway."
Han Ling dug his fingers into his thigh, teeth grinding. "Don't say that…"
"Why? Because it's true? Because it gives you hope?" The demon crouched in front of him, amber eyes gleaming with sarcasm and pity. "You're pathetic, you know that? A bloodthirsty monster who only lived for her… and one moment of weakness was enough to lose it all? One wrong fuck and you throw everything away?"
"You don't understand."
"I am you."
***
End of chapter.