Li An took a deep breath, her chest heavy with the weight of everything she had just learned. The room was still, save for the faint flicker of light from the single, weak bulb above her head. It cast long, distorted shadows across the floor, each one more monstrous than the last. She could feel the darkness pressing in on her, trying to swallow her whole, but now, it didn't seem so suffocating. There was a sense of calm amidst the chaos, a clarity she hadn't felt before.
For the first time, Li An didn't feel like a victim. She didn't feel like someone trapped in a nightmare that she couldn't escape from. Instead, she felt a fire igniting inside her, a determination to face what lay ahead, no matter how terrifying it was.
She stepped forward, her eyes scanning the room once again. The mirrors were still there, reflecting her every movement, but this time, they didn't feel as oppressive. They didn't distort her image in the same way. She could see herself clearly now—no longer a stranger, no longer someone she was running from.
I am Li An, she reminded herself. I am not defined by my mistakes. I am not defined by my fear.
But as she moved toward the door, her heart began to race again. The voice had stopped, but the weight of its words lingered in the back of her mind.
"You can't escape the truth," Zhang Xian's voice had said. "You've been running from yourself."
What did it mean? Running from myself. The phrase haunted her, spinning in her mind like a wheel that refused to slow down. She thought she understood it, but she wasn't sure if she was ready to face the full implications.
She reached for the door, her fingers brushing against the cold metal. The door handle was slick with condensation, as if the very air in the room had been holding its breath in anticipation. Li An hesitated for just a moment, her hand hovering just above the knob.
But she knew. She knew she couldn't stay here forever. She had to keep moving.
With a sharp breath, she twisted the handle and pushed the door open.
The corridor beyond was dim, the walls lined with peeling wallpaper that looked as though it had been untouched for years. There was a strange sense of déjà vu in the air, as if she had walked this path before, as if she had been here many times and yet never truly seen it.
As she stepped into the hallway, the door behind her slammed shut with a loud bang, the sound echoing through the silence like a clap of thunder. Li An flinched, her heart skipping a beat. The darkness seemed to swell around her, and she could feel the air grow colder with each step she took.
She couldn't turn back now. There was no more hiding from the truth.
The hallway stretched on in front of her, endless and winding. There were doors on either side, but none of them looked like they led to anything real. They were like illusions, hollow and empty, their surfaces cracked and warped.
Li An's pulse quickened as she walked further into the darkness. Every sound seemed amplified in the silence—the faint creak of the floorboards beneath her feet, the soft whisper of her breath, the distant, eerie echo of her footsteps.
Keep moving, she told herself. Just keep moving. The truth is ahead.
But with each step, the unease grew. The walls seemed to close in around her, and the darkness thickened, wrapping itself around her like a living thing. She wanted to stop, to turn around, but she forced herself to keep going. She couldn't give up now. She couldn't let the darkness swallow her.
And then, without warning, a door appeared in front of her. It was different from the others—newer, cleaner, as though it had been placed there just for her. It was solid, its surface unmarred by time or neglect. The wood was polished, the handle gleaming in the faint light.
Li An's breath hitched in her throat. She knew this door. She had seen it before.
This was the door she had been looking for.
With trembling hands, she reached for the handle and twisted it.
The door creaked open, and Li An stepped inside, the air thick with the smell of dust and something else—something metallic, sharp, like blood. The room was small, dimly lit by a single lamp hanging from the ceiling. There were no windows, no escape. Just a single chair in the center of the room, facing the wall.
And then, she saw him.
Zhang Xian.
He was sitting in the chair, his back to her, his head bowed, as if he were waiting for her. Li An's heart leapt in her chest. She wanted to rush forward, to embrace him, to tell him everything would be okay. But something in the air stopped her. Something told her not to move.
"You came," Zhang Xian's voice was low, almost a whisper, but it carried through the silence like a knife.
Li An took a hesitant step forward. "I... I found you."
His shoulders tensed, and for a moment, Li An wondered if he was angry, if he blamed her for everything that had happened. But when he spoke again, his voice was empty, devoid of emotion.
"You shouldn't have come."
The words hit her like a punch to the gut. She had thought that when she found him, everything would make sense. She had thought that when she saw him again, the answers would be clear, that the darkness would lift. But now, standing in front of him, she realized how wrong she had been.
"What do you mean?" she whispered, her voice trembling. "I'm here. I came to save you."
Zhang Xian finally turned his head, but his eyes—those empty, hollow eyes—met hers with a coldness that sent a chill down her spine.
"There's no saving me," he said, his voice distant, as if he were speaking from far away. "You've already lost."
Li An froze, the weight of his words crashing down on her. It felt as if the room itself had closed in, trapping her inside a cage of hopelessness. Her legs trembled beneath her, and for the first time in a long while, she didn't know what to do. She didn't know how to move forward.
"You're wrong," she said, her voice barely audible, her hands shaking as she reached out toward him. "I haven't lost. I will save you. I'll make it right."
But Zhang Xian's expression remained unchanged, and a cold laugh escaped from him.
"There's no 'right' to make anymore, Li An. You've already made your choice. Now, you must face the consequences."