The knock echoed through Wei Chen's inner world like a heartbeat that didn't belong to him.
Knock.
The black sun above them flared. The gold cracks brightened, then dimmed, like the whole place was breathing in fear. The metal floor under their feet trembled, and Lin Xue felt the vibration run up her bones.
Wei Chen's jaw tightened. "That's the coffin wall," he said, voice rough. "Outside."
Lin Xue's stomach dropped. If the outside door opened while they were trapped inside Wei Chen's chest… then his body would be empty for a breath. A door with no guard. A name with no mouth to protect it.
"We leave," Lin Xue snapped. She grabbed Wei Chen's sleeve and pulled hard, fierce as a storm. "Now."
Wei Chen didn't resist. He stepped closer to her, heat rising around him like armor, but his eyes flicked to the shadow with that thin smiling face. "It won't let us go easy," he muttered.
The shadow smiled wider. "Why would I?" it purred. "You opened the door. You invited me inside. Now I get to decide who walks out."
Lin Xue's wrist mark stung, and she pressed frost over it without thinking, like a hand over a wound. "Chen Wei," she said, forcing calm into her voice, "look at me."
Wei Chen turned his eyes to her.
Lin Xue grabbed his face with both hands, thumbs pressing his cheeks, holding him there like a hard anchor. "Say my name. Stay real."
Wei Chen swallowed. "Lin Xue."
"Again," Lin Xue demanded.
"Lin Xue," Wei Chen said louder, and the gold cracks above them flickered like they hated it.
Lin Xue didn't let go. She leaned in and kissed him—slow, deep, steady—because a kiss from the real one felt like warmth in a place made of cold rules. Wei Chen kissed her back like he needed it to breathe. His hand slid to her waist and pulled her close, holding her tight like a promise.
Wei Chen pulled back just enough to ask, low and clear, "Do you want me to stop?"
Lin Xue's cheeks were hot. "Don't stop," she whispered. "Hold me. We move together."
Wei Chen's roguish grin flickered, wicked and human. "Bossy," he murmured.
Lin Xue pinched his side. "Idiot. Walk."
Another knock hit the world.
Knock.
The metal floor shuddered. The black sun above them cracked a little more, and Lin Xue heard something like stone grinding far away—like the coffin lid outside was splitting wider.
Wei Chen's throat tightened. Lin Xue saw it. The pull was back—cold pressure climbing up his chest into his mouth, trying to shape a word.
A "yes."
Lin Xue slapped her fingers lightly over his lips, stopping the sound before it could form. "No," she whispered. "Not that yes."
Wei Chen's eyes widened, then softened. He kissed her palm quickly—warm, grateful—then held her hand there like he needed it to stay real. "Stay," he rasped.
"I'm here," Lin Xue whispered, and she forced her fear into a command. "We find the exit."
The shadow drifted sideways like smoke, blocking their path. "There is no exit," it purred. "Only doors."
Wei Chen stepped forward, heat gathering in his palm like a small sun. "Move," he growled.
The shadow laughed. "Or what? You'll burn your own heart again?"
Wei Chen's eyes flashed, but he didn't strike yet. Lin Xue felt the tremble in him—anger, fear, and the dangerous urge to overload. She moved closer and pressed her forehead to his, grounding him with contact. "Chen Wei," she whispered, "stay real."
Wei Chen's breath hitched. "Lin Xue," he whispered back. "Stay with me."
Lin Xue's cheeks warmed at the sound of her name in his voice. She kissed him again—short and sealing—then pulled back and spoke like a sect elder giving an order. "Don't fight it alone. Obey me."
Wei Chen's grin returned for half a second, naughty even now. "Yes, Elder," he murmured, and his voice made her skin prickle.
Lin Xue's face heated. "Focus."
Wei Chen nodded once, and he reached down, taking Lin Xue's wrist gently. He pressed a warm kiss right onto her wrist mark—on the sore, cracked place—like he was sealing it with heat. Lin Xue shuddered, breath catching, because it was too intimate and too comforting at the same time.
Wei Chen looked up at her, eyes fierce. "Do you want me to stop?" he asked, clear.
Lin Xue swallowed. "Don't stop," she whispered. "Keep me warm. My curse is listening to the outside cold."
Wei Chen's jaw clenched. "Then stay close," he said.
He pulled her in front of him, one arm around her waist, shielding her with his body as they moved. The shadow drifted closer, still smiling.
Then it changed its trick.
The shadow's mouth opened, and a voice came out that made Lin Xue's heart jump.
It was Lin Xue's voice.
Perfect. Cold. Calm. Familiar.
"Chen Wei," the shadow said in her tone, "it's okay. Say yes."
Wei Chen's body jerked like the words grabbed him by the spine. His throat moved. The black sun cracks above them flared.
Lin Xue's blood went ice-cold. "No!" she shouted.
She grabbed Wei Chen's face again, hard, forcing his eyes onto hers. "That is not me," she snapped. "Name Test. Now."
Wei Chen blinked, struggling, mouth half-open.
Lin Xue's voice cut like a blade. "Say my name. Stay real."
Wei Chen clenched his teeth. "Lin Xue," he forced out.
"Again!" Lin Xue demanded.
"Lin Xue!" Wei Chen shouted, and the inner world shook like something hated hearing it.
Lin Xue pressed her lips to his—deep, fierce, chosen—and held him there until his breath matched hers. When she pulled back, she whispered right against his mouth, "My voice is mine. My yes is mine."
Wei Chen's eyes cleared. The gold-black flicker faded. He exhaled like he had been drowning. "Good," he rasped. "You're real."
The shadow hissed, annoyed. "Stop clinging," it snarled. "The outside door is opening."
Knock.
This knock was different. Not a test.
A break.
The black sun above them cracked again, and a stream of cold spilled into the inner world like water through a torn roof.
Lin Xue shivered hard. Her curse surged, excited, pulling her toward the cold like it wanted to jump out of her body and run to it.
Wei Chen caught her instantly, arms tightening. "Lin Xue," he said urgent, "look at me."
Lin Xue forced her eyes up, shaking. "Chen Wei…"
Wei Chen's voice went low and steady. "Do you want me to stop holding you?" he asked, clear.
Lin Xue shook her head, breath breaking. "Don't stop," she whispered. "Don't let me drift."
Wei Chen kissed her once—warm and firm—then pressed his forehead to hers. "We leave now," he growled at the shadow. "Or I burn this whole door-world down."
The shadow smiled, cruel and pleased. "Do it," it whispered. "And watch the outside monster walk into your empty body."
Lin Xue's blood went cold.
Because the shadow was right.
And above them, the black sun cracked wide enough to show a thin line of the tunnel outside—
and in that line, a gold-black eye was already watching.
To be Continued
© Kishtika., 2025
All rights reserved.