The sky, burdened with heavy black clouds, seemed to herald the coming storm.
The eerie purple moon that perpetually hung above the City of Slaughter seemed to be encased in a layer of frost, radiating a strange blue light.
But now, aside from the Law Enforcement Knights who maintained the order and security of the City of Slaughter, Shang Yang standing atop the stone monument, and the hellish emissary appreciating this rare, millennium-old snowscape, few noticed the moon's transformation.
They waited, for two full months.
Just as the citizens of the City of Slaughter were about to grow mushrooms, a violent tremor, like a fierce beast stretching after a slumber, slowly stirred awake.
Shang Yang, who had been meditating on top of the pitch-black stone monument, opened his eyes as if sensing something. His figure twisted in the void, disappearing from the summit.
"Awake?"
A crimson barrier materialized above the now much shallower lava.
Despite being an underground space that felt like a furnace, it now presented a bizarre scene of alternating extreme cold and intense heat.
Below was lava, orange-red and boiling like a cauldron, while above, strange icy blue snowflakes drifted, originating from an unknown source.
Just like the violent energy permeating the lava, these tiny snowflakes, fluttering in this scorching space, carried a soul-chilling cold. This was why Shang Yang had erected the barrier.
"Sizzle, sizzle—"
The tiny snowflakes falling onto the boiling lava began to melt.
Ice-blue and black-red light enveloped Tang Sui, who floated above the molten rock, bathed in the frigid snowfall. The five masks of varying forms, which also seemed to be circling Tang Sui, flickered with a murky glow.
Perhaps sensing someone's arrival, Tang Sui, whose consciousness fluctuated between cold and heat, twitched her eyelashes. Her dark blue eyes held an ice-like chill, and the color of her pupils seemed to be deepening.
"Tsk, still haven't regained consciousness?"
Despite the mottled colors of the energy surrounding Tang Sui, Shang Yang immediately recognized her state. She clearly hadn't fully integrated the power yet.
"Do you still recognize me?"
Shang Yang couldn't help but speak.
But to his disappointment, Tang Sui merely glanced at him before closing her eyes again. She hugged herself, knees drawn up, curled up like an infant in the void, returning to slumber.
The passage of time had become a blur for Tang Sui.
Sometimes, the darkness that greeted her when she closed her eyes was but a fleeting moment. But when Tang Sui opened her eyes, everything around her had changed.
"Do you still recognize me?"
This was the first sentence Tang Sui heard after regaining her consciousness.
She looked up, meeting a familiar yet strange face.
Tang Sui slowly blinked her eyelashes, gazing into the dark eyes of the black-haired girl sitting opposite her.
"You've been spacing out for a long time. It's your turn to choose."
The black-haired girl tilted her head and said.
Choose... what?
Tang Sui dazedly lowered her head.
A table was placed before her, with a checkerboard divided equally into black and white sections.
Four miniature prisms emanated a faint blue light, like lit sky lanterns, hovering around the checkerboard.
The board was pristine, devoid of any pieces, waiting for the player to place their move.
Two jade boxes, one black and one white, each held a full complement of pieces. They were placed parallel to each other along the dividing line of the board, occupying equal halves.
"Black or white, choose one."
The black-haired girl repeated.
Tang Sui lowered her gaze, looking at the black and white jade boxes. She raised her hand, reaching for one of the boxes of pieces.
"I choose..."
"White."
Tang Sui, who had originally intended to choose black, inexplicably chose white.
"Then I'll take black."
The black-haired girl calmly drew the jade box containing the black pieces towards herself.
The battle of black and white commenced on this board.
"Clack—"
Tang Sui's gaze was somewhat unfocused.
The moment she placed the first white piece, the lines of the small chessboard before her seemed to come alive, extending outwards to become countless shimmering star trails.
Black and white pieces were scattered amongst them, like the twinkling stars overhead. The vast river of stars hung high, with countless specks of light in the night sky converging to form a panorama of stars, sun, moon, mountains, and rivers.
Like a shooting star falling into a calm sea of stars, it rippled outwards, creating invisible ripples. Silently, she found herself within the game, entering a profound state akin to meditation.
Destiny was like star trails, countless lines interwoven. Every subtle change allowed the player to glimpse it amidst the intermingling black and white starlight.
For a moment, only the crisp sounds of their pieces being placed filled the space.
"Clack—"
The lingering bewilderment in Tang Sui's eyes faded.
"Clack—"
Reason slowly returned.
"Clack—"
As the smooth, cool black and white pieces formed an intricate pattern on the board, light finally gathered once more in Tang Sui's dark blue pupils.
But the white piece she had placed was now in a perilous position. The surrounding territory had been encroached upon by black pieces, leaving only a small space on the entire board for the white piece to cling to.
As if splashed with ice water, Tang Sui, who had suddenly snapped back to awareness, dropped the white piece between her index and middle fingers. It landed on the board with a crisp sound, nudging a black piece out of its original position.
"Hmm, so careless." The black-haired girl sighed and reached to straighten the black piece. She then picked up the white piece that had landed erratically on the board, nearly disrupting the game, and handed it back to Tang Sui.
"Next time, don't let the pieces slip from your grasp so easily."
A faint, inscrutable smile played on the black-haired girl's lips. Her deep black eyes fixed on Tang Sui, as if harboring a terrifying black beast within their depths, ready to devour anyone who dared to peek beneath.
"You..."
Tang Sui's dark blue pupils contracted in shock, not because of the black-haired girl's gaze, but because of the black-haired girl herself.
For this was not one of her familiar female friends. This modern-style ruffled-neck dress, this face... it was her own, from her previous life, when she was the new head of the Tang family!
The shock was fleeting. Soon, Tang Sui composed herself, her dark blue eyes hiding any discernible emotion. She calmly met the gaze of the black-haired girl.
"Who are you?"
A similar playing style, the same face... and...
"And clear self-awareness, as if 'I' have truly split into two personalities, right?"
The black-haired girl thoughtfully voiced Tang Sui's unspoken thoughts.
Tang Sui's gaze deepened abruptly.
She remembered...
If her current memories were correct, she should have been absorbing Qing Nu Fang at this moment.
But she found herself here instead...
Her eyelashes fluttered slightly as she spoke, "This is my subconscious. Are you... the residual shadow of my past life's obsession?"
Even though she was long past her youth, the black-haired girl's face, still carrying a childlike quality, now bore a mask-like perfect fake smile. "If you think so, then I am."
Tang Sui's gaze shifted slightly.
So, had she truly developed a split personality?
—Author's Notes—
Writer's block is hitting hard 0rz