The Haunted Village – Midnight Fog
As the eerie mist curled around the ghostlike figures of the villagers, Yunxi's eyes locked onto something glowing faintly in the centre of the puppet-like crowd. A crystal flower—the very one the system mentioned.
Her breath caught. It's real?But the villagers, hollow-eyed and lifeless, stood frozen around it—like guardians of a forbidden relic.
Yunxi took a step forward, heart pounding. But the closer she got, the more distorted the scene became. The flower flickered—real one moment, then transparent the next.
She clutched her head. The world spun.
"Is it an illusion? Or a trap?"
Suddenly, a ringing echoed in her ears. The puppets' heads turned toward her all at once. Their eyes, glowing faintly red, sent a cold chill down her spine.
Before she could move, a surge of dizziness overwhelmed her. She stumbled backward, her vision blurring.
"Chen…" she whispered faintly, before collapsing into the mist.
Yunxi's Room – Morning Sunlight
Yunxi blinked awake, the scent of herbs in the air and warm sunlight streaming through the windows. She sat up, disoriented. Chen, Roa, Xiuming, and even Jiner stood around her, smiling gently.
"Yunxi, you're finally awake," Roa said, placing a warm hand on her shoulder. "You scared us."
"Are you hungry?" Jiner asked sweetly. "We made your favorite porridge."
Yunxi looked around, confused. "The village… the flower… the puppets—"
Chen furrowed his brows. "What are you talking about?"
"The villagers were like puppets! I saw the flower—the crystal one! You were all there—please, we have to go back and save them!" she cried, trying to rise.
But Chen gently pushed her back down. "Yunxi… there's no such village. You were dreaming. You collapsed during training. That's all."
"No! It was real! I saw it!" Yunxi insisted, her voice trembling.
Xiuming chuckled awkwardly. "Maybe the training was too much. You've been pushing yourself lately."
Roa added, "You should rest more. Don't worry about strange dreams."
Yunxi stared at them, her heart pounding. Why are they acting like nothing happened? Her hands trembled. Was it all in my mind? Or… is someone making me doubt what I saw?
Her gaze lingered on Chen, searching his unreadable expression.
But deep in his eyes, for the briefest second, she caught a flicker of something—fear… or guilt?
what am I dreaming no it is like real
what is happening here I can't understand
a voice- "wake up yunxi all are in danger, wake up"
what who is that what in danger? who is calling me
"Wake Up, Yunxi"
The world was spinning.
Yunxi clutched her head, pain blooming like a firework behind her eyes. She had just laid down to rest—only a moment, she thought—but now the sky above her was no longer her ceiling. It was an endless swirl of stars, as if the heavens had bent too close.
A voice echoed, distant but urgent:
"Wake up… wake up, Yunxi."
She jolted. That voice—it wasn't hers. It wasn't anyone she recognized. And yet it felt like it was made of ink and memory, something she once wrote but had forgotten.
The voice echoed from nowhere and everywhere. It wasn't real—or was it? Her body felt heavy, like she was underwater, yet her soul screamed to rise.
She stumbled through a forest of shifting light and shadow, each step sinking into ground that felt more like memory than earth. Figures surrounded her—familiar faces.
Prince Chen stood before her.
His eyes held worry, then flickered with something else—emptiness. "You said you'd finish the story."
Jiner laughed beside her, though her face flickered like a glitching screen. "It's your world, remember? Why are you still here?"
No. This wasn't real.
None of it was.
"I'm dreaming," Yunxi whispered, her voice cracking. "This is an illusion."
But the pain was real. The fear was real. And something—no, someone—was keeping her
trapped.
She reached out, grabbing Chen's sleeve. Her hand passed through him like mist. Illusion.
She turned, screaming into the wind, "Let me out! Wake me up!"
"You can't wake up," the voice returned, colder now. "Not until you choose the ending."
The world shattered like glass. Light rained down in slivers.
"The Choice in the Dream"
The forest dissolved into stars.
Yunxi stood alone now, her pain fading into numbness. Around her, time stopped. Wind no longer moved. Even her heartbeat was still. Then, from the silence, a glowing symbol appeared mid-air—a system sigil, ancient and pulsating with power.
"System Alert: Mission Progress Halted. Emotional Overload Detected."
"Emergency protocol: Choice of Ascension."
Two orbs materialized before her.
One pulsed dark crimson—its aura heavy, seductive, thrumming with raw power. The other glowed pure white, its warmth so intense it almost hurt.
"Choose, Yunxi."
Option 1:Take the Demon Flame."Become what he is. Fight fire with fire. Walk his path, shoulder his darkness, love him in ruin. But to save him, you must first lose yourself."
Option 2:Take the Divine Light."Destroy what he's become. Be the god that purifies, corrects, redeems. Bring justice, even if it means losing him."
Yunxi trembled.
Prince Chen appeared in the space before her, but he wasn't whole—he flickered like a dying flame. His eyes, once cold and unreadable, now held only pain.
"I never asked to be saved," he whispered.
But you did, she thought. Every time you looked at me and said nothing… you were begging to be seen.
Tears welled in her eyes.
"If I become a demon like you… can I still hold your hand?"
"If I become a god… will I have the strength to let you go?"
The orbs hovered closer, pulsing.
A countdown began in the sky above:
10… 9… 8…
Yunxi's hand hovered between the two.
And as she chose—
The world shattered again.
"The Demon Phoenix Queen"
Yunxi stood frozen as the countdown ticked in the heavens.
"4… 3…"
Her heart screamed one thing. Her mind another.But her soul whispered only this:
"To reach him, I must become what he fears."
She reached for the crimson orb.
It seared through her palm like molten fate, but she didn't flinch. Power rushed through her veins—ancient, forbidden, divine in its wrath and seductive in its elegance. Her white robes burned away, replaced by flowing black and crimson silks, adorned with golden phoenix feathers that shimmered like blood-kissed flame.
Dark wings of fire erupted from her back, and a phoenix crest glowed on her forehead—a mark of a being not born, but reborn.
She was no longer just Yunxi.
She had become the Flawless Demon Phoenix Queen.
And no one could know.
When she awoke, her body bore no trace of the transformation—but within, the power pulsed. She had been changed forever.
A new system message appeared:
"Demonic Path Initiated: You have chosen to walk the shadows for love."Objective: Hide your identity. Control your power. Save him without destroying yourself.Final condition: He must never find out who you are… until it's too late.
In the palace, Yunxi returned to her duties. She spoke softly. Smiled gently. Trained discreetly.
But when night fell—when shadows crept and missions called—a veiled figure in dark robes appeared across the kingdom. Wings of flame. Eyes of gold.
She cleansed corruption. Fought hidden threats.Even crossed paths with him—Prince Chen—who, masked and cloaked, mistook her for a powerful enemy… or a savior in disguise.
Their swords clashed. Sparks flew. But behind every strike, she held back.She knew him. He did not know her.
And every time their eyes locked in battle, a whisper in her heart said:
Not yet, Chen. Not until I've saved you.