Episode 1 – The Burden of Truth
Chun Yu couldn't sleep.
The vision haunted her—the past, the punishment, the curse.
She had seen the truth. She knew now.
She and Song Lu were never meant to be.
Yet, their love had defied the heavens.
And the gods had made them suffer for it.
She had to tell him.
The thought filled her with dread, but keeping it from him felt worse.
At dawn, she found him by the river, staring at the water. His expression was distant, lost in thought.
"Song Lu," she called softly.
He turned. When his gaze met hers, something in her chest tightened—he looked like he already knew.
"You look troubled," he said. "What is it?"
Chun Yu hesitated, then took a deep breath.
"I… I saw something last night," she said. "Something about us."
His expression darkened.
"What did you see?"
She told him everything.
The guardian.
The vision of their past.
The punishment that had cursed them.
Song Lu didn't speak for a long time. His fingers curled into fists.
"So it's true," he finally said, his voice quiet. "We were never meant to be."
Chun Yu's throat tightened.
"But we loved each other anyway," she whispered.
His eyes met hers, full of something deep and unreadable.
"Yes," he murmured. "And we still do."
Episode 2 – The Guardian Returns
That night, the air was heavy with the scent of rain.
Chun Yu stood outside, watching the sky. A part of her hoped—no, expected—that the guardian would return.
And she was right.
A soft wind stirred the trees. Then, the mist began to gather.
The figure emerged once more, standing just a few steps away.
"You have seen the past," the guardian said. "Now, you must decide your future."
Song Lu stepped beside Chun Yu, his voice steady.
"Tell us," he said. "How do we break this curse?"
The guardian regarded them in silence before speaking.
"There is only one way."
Chun Yu held her breath.
"You must return to the moment of your final choice," the guardian said. "The moment when fate was sealed. And you must make a different choice."
A chill ran down Chun Yu's spine.
"The final choice…" she whispered.
"The day we were punished," Song Lu murmured.
The guardian nodded.
"You have relived this cycle many times, but always, you make the same choices. You must break the pattern."
Chun Yu's hands trembled.
"What if we fail?" she asked.
The guardian's gaze was unreadable.
"Then the cycle will continue," they said. "Until the end of time."
Silence stretched between them.
Then, Song Lu reached for Chun Yu's hand.
"We won't fail," he said firmly.
Chun Yu looked at him, her heart pounding.
No more suffering.
No more forgetting.
No more losing each other.
They would break the curse.
No matter what it took.
The guardian's words hung in the air, heavy and unshakable.
Chun Yu felt her pulse quicken. The final choice… the moment that had sealed their fate. They had to relive it and change it.
But how?
Song Lu's grip on her hand tightened. "If we return to that moment, does that mean we will live it again?"
The guardian's misty form flickered.
"Yes," they said. "You will experience it as you once did. But this time, you must make a different choice."
Chun Yu shivered. The vision of the past burned in her mind—the forbidden love, the embrace, the divine wrath striking down between them.
"But…" Her voice faltered. "What if changing it means we never meet at all?"
A hush settled over them.
Song Lu exhaled slowly. "What do you mean?"
She turned to him, desperation in her eyes. "If we made a different choice—what if it means we never loved in the first place? What if the only way to break the curse is to let go?"
The guardian's gaze remained impassive.
"The laws of fate are not so easily rewritten," they said. "But every choice comes at a price."
A terrible weight settled in Chun Yu's chest.
She had fought so hard to remember. And now she was being asked to let go?
Song Lu's voice was quiet but firm.
"No." He shook his head. "I won't accept that."
The guardian watched him closely.
"You have lived this cycle many times," they said. "And each time, your love leads to tragedy."
Song Lu's jaw clenched. "Then tell us—what choice do we have to make?"
The mist around the guardian swirled, thickening like a storm cloud.
"In the moment of punishment," they said, "one of you must choose to let the other go."
Silence.
Chun Yu felt the ground beneath her shift.
"Let go?" she repeated, her voice barely a whisper.
The guardian's form shimmered. "The curse binds you because your love defied divine law. You must prove that your love is not selfish—that it is not just about being together, but about setting each other free."
Song Lu turned to Chun Yu, his eyes burning.
"No," he said. "I won't leave you."
The guardian's expression remained unreadable.
"If you refuse," they said, "then you will continue to relive this tragedy. Again, and again, and again."
A sharp gust of wind cut through the air. The mist began to dissolve.
The guardian's voice was a whisper as they faded.
"Choose wisely."
And then—they were gone.
Chun Yu's heart pounded.
Let go.
Was that really the answer?
She turned to Song Lu, but he was already looking at her, his expression torn between defiance and fear.
"We'll find another way," he said.
But deep inside, Chun Yu wasn't sure.
Because if what the guardian said was true—
Then breaking the curse might mean losing everything.