The runes on the gate began to glow brighter, the pulse quickening. Su Huan stepped closer, his determination outweighing his fear.
The figure spoke again, softer now: "To pass, you must leave a part of yourself behind. The flame takes everything, but it will give you what you seek. Are you ready to pay the price?"
Su Huan hesitated. He looked down at the copper lamp, its flame steady and unwavering. The weight of the figure's words pressed heavily on him. What had he already given up by holding this lamp?
"What happens if I refuse?" he asked.
The figure's light dimmed slightly. "Then you will remain here, caught between what you were and what you could have been. The choice is yours."
Su Huan took a deep breath, his mind racing. He thought of the life he had left behind, the unanswered questions, the shadows that had followed him since he first lit the lamp.
"If I give something up," he said slowly, "can I choose what it is?"
The figure tilted its head, as if considering the question. "No. The flame chooses."
Su Huan's jaw tightened. He stepped forward and placed his hand on the gate, the copper lamp's flame surging with light. Pain shot through him, sharp and searing, as if the flame were reaching into his very soul.
Memories flooded his mind—his mother's smile, the sound of his father's laugh, the warmth of his home. One by one, they flickered like dying embers, until they were gone.
The gate opened with a groan,