(Crow's Perspective)
The night air hummed with electricity as I watched him walk away, his silhouette sharp against the dim glow of the city. My heart ached with a familiar longing, a sensation that had haunted me across three lifetimes.
He didn't recognize me, of course. Why would he? In each life, I'd kept my distance, shackled by a system that demanded villainy. A system that punished even the slightest deviation from its script. But now? Now I was free.
And yet, freedom felt as much a curse as it did a blessing.
I leaned back against the lamppost, staring at the spot where he'd stood only moments ago. Lìyuè. The name felt like a prayer, even now. In every life, he'd been a constant—a beacon of strength, beauty, and defiance. I'd admired him from afar, loved him in secret, and mourned him every time his light was extinguished.
This time, things would be different.
The pendant had been a gamble, a calculated risk to see how much he remembered—or if he even suspected the truth. His reaction had been predictable: confusion, followed by suspicion, and then anger.
It stung to see him look at me like a threat, but I couldn't blame him. I'd played that role well enough in the past. Too well.
I glanced at my hand, flexing my fingers as sparks danced across my knuckles. The lightning felt alive, a part of me that pulsed with untamed energy. My other power, metal manipulation, had always been more precise, a tool of control. Together, they made me formidable. But none of it mattered if I couldn't protect him when it truly counted.
The apocalypse was coming, and with it, horrors that even I wasn't fully prepared to face. Lìyuè might think he could handle it alone, but I knew better.
This world had a way of tearing down even the strongest.
I left the park and headed for the safe house I'd established weeks ago, a nondescript apartment tucked into a quiet corner of the city. It was sparsely furnished, but it served its purpose.
As I stepped inside, the weight of the day settled over me. My thoughts drifted to the past, to the lives where I'd failed him.
The first life had been the hardest. I'd been young and foolish, eager to please the system that controlled me. I hadn't understood the consequences of my actions until it was too late. By the time I realized I loved him, he was already gone.
The second life had been worse. I tried to resist the system's control, but every act of rebellion was met with punishment. Still, I'd managed to steer some of the chaos away from him, though it hadn't been enough.
The third life had been a blur of frustration and despair. Knowing what was coming and being powerless to change it had nearly broken me.
But this life? This life was my chance.
I'd broken free of the system, severed the chains that bound me. Now, the only thing standing between me and the future I wanted was the man himself.
Before I could lose myself in memories, my phone buzzed.
A message from one of my scouts:
"Confirmed: Jiang Mercenary Group now under his employ. Also, a series of properties being reinforced with specialized materials. He's preparing for something big."
A faint smile tugged at my lips. Of course he was. That was the Lìyuè I knew—always ten steps ahead, always prepared for the worst.
I typed a quick reply: Continue surveillance. Report any anomalies.
As I set the phone down, my resolve hardened. The time for observation was over. If I wanted to protect him—and win his trust—I'd need to act.