"Does this look familiar?"
A cold, eerie voice whispered right beside his ear.
The sound struck like thunder. Jiang Yan's instincts flared—he twisted aside and leapt back in an instant.
When he turned to look at the speaker, his entire body froze.
A young man stood before him, hovering in the boundless starlit void.
He had short black hair. Black eyes. A faintly amused smile playing at his lips.
"Nice to meet you," the man said lightly. "I'm your heart demon."
"My name... is Jiang Yan."
Jiang Yan's expression darkened. The man before him—he was exactly the same as his past self.
"Why..." he muttered, his voice low, "why are you my heart demon?"
"Why?"
The other Jiang Yan let out a low laugh, as though the question were the funniest thing he'd ever heard.
Jiang Yan simply watched him, silent and steady.
"Heh... Jiang Yan," the heart demon said with a grin. "I am you."
"So tell me, why shouldn't I be your heart demon?"
"You didn't actually answer me," Jiang Yan replied, brows knitting tighter.
He truly couldn't understand.
Why would his own self become the source of his inner demons?
"What I asked," he said quietly, "was—what made you my heart demon?"
"Hmm... why, huh..."
The black-haired Jiang Yan tilted his head, tapping his chin thoughtfully. Then suddenly, his eyes gleamed.
"Tell me, Jiang Yan," he said, "how long have you been living in Teyvat now?"
The question caught him off guard.
How long... had it been?
"About... twenty years, give or take," he said after a pause.
"Right. Twenty years," the heart demon echoed.
He took a single step forward—
—and in the next instant, he was standing right before Jiang Yan, so close their reflections overlapped in each other's eyes.
"Then do you still remember," he asked softly, "the you from your previous life?"
The question left Jiang Yan momentarily speechless.
"What kind of question is that? Of course I... remember..."
His voice trailed off.
Did he?
The more he tried to recall, the blurrier his memories of his past life became. Faces, voices, sensations—they were fading, slipping away like mist.
His brows furrowed deeply.
Seeing this, the other Jiang Yan smiled faintly.
"So, you've noticed it too, huh?"
"Tell me," he continued, "when did it start? When did you start forgetting?"
He paused, eyes narrowing.
"Was it when you decided to protect the people here? Or perhaps... the moment you truly became a part of Teyvat?"
"Twenty years," he murmured. "Such a long twenty years."
"You only lived twenty years in your past life as well. And now, those new memories... have begun to overwrite the old."
"You should've realized by now, Jiang Yan. This—" he gestured between them "—this is our erosion."
Erosion—
The same curse that gnawed away at the Seven Archons.
But Jiang Yan wasn't one of them. He wasn't even a god.
"So what are you planning to do?" he asked calmly, staring into the eyes of his heart demon.
The black-haired Jiang Yan met his gaze for a long moment—then smiled.
"You've grown."
He said it sincerely. "Two lives lived. No wonder your will is stronger than anyone your age."
He extended a hand.
Jiang Yan didn't move, just watched him silently.
The heart demon chuckled. "Let's reconcile."
"What?" Jiang Yan blinked. "You're my heart demon. Shouldn't you be trying to kill me?"
This was completely different from what he had expected.
Shouldn't this have been a brutal mental battle—one that ended with either his victory or his collapse?
The heart demon seemed to read his thoughts and shook his head.
"Even if we fought here," he said quietly, "even if we fought for a lifetime, we would never have a winner."
"I am you. Everything you know, I know. Every insight you gain, I gain as well."
"Our minds are one. Our strength, equal. A fight between us would be endless and meaningless."
Jiang Yan didn't argue. Deep down, he knew the other was right.
He had expected a trial by battle, yet now he understood—this was a trial of acceptance.
"You know," his heart demon said softly, "when I first came into being, I really did want to replace you."
He smiled faintly, eyes distant.
"But as time passed, I changed my mind."
"Why replace you?" he said. "Why not... become one with you?"
"I was born from your memories, after all. I am you."
"For me to disappear... would be the best outcome for both of us."
Jiang Yan gazed quietly at the black-haired version of himself.
Then, slowly, he stepped forward and took the other's outstretched hand.
"Thank you," he said softly.
The heart demon smiled. "Before I fade, shall we make a vow?"
"What vow?"
"Teyvat," he said, "is just a bubble world—one that the Quantum Sea will eventually devour. Save it."
"I believe you can. You have the system, after all."
Jiang Yan was stunned for a moment, then smiled.
"You don't even have to ask—I was going to do that anyway."
"That's good," the heart demon whispered, laughing.
His body began to glow, scattering into tiny motes of light.
Then, with a peaceful smile, he dissolved completely—
—and the stars themselves seemed to flow into Jiang Yan's chest.
The sky shattered.
A blinding light engulfed his vision—
—and when he opened his eyes again, the familiar landscapes of Teyvat stretched before him once more.
He was back.
[Congratulations, host. You have successfully completed the Heart Demon Trial.]
The system's voice echoed in his mind.
"Yeah..." Jiang Yan murmured, smiling faintly. "I've made peace... with myself."
He chuckled softly.
"System, this 'Heart Demon Stone'—you left it here on purpose, didn't you?"
[Whatever do you mean? This system knows nothing~]
The tone was almost playful now, almost human.
"Heh... I knew it." Jiang Yan smiled.
He could feel it—his body felt lighter, clearer, as if something within him had been sublimated.
But more importantly—
"Now then," he said eagerly, rubbing his hands together, "it's treasure time!"
He turned toward where the Luxurious Chest had been—and froze.
"...Wait."
"Where's my treasure chest?!"
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