Forbidden Grace~Yandere Erlang Shen

Chapter 3: The Cracks in Stone

Erlang Shen's art room was a sanctuary—a dimly lit space filled with the silent, stone forms of the woman who now consumed his every thought. Over the past month, his obsession with Y/N had only deepened, manifesting in countless sculptures. Fifty statues of her stood proudly around the room, each one an attempt to capture her perfection. And now, as he stepped back from his latest creation—his fifty-first—he felt both satisfaction and an overwhelming hunger for more.

The statue's face bore her familiar features, the ones he had spent hours memorizing in their fleeting encounters. He traced her lips, carved in cold stone but still sending a familiar shiver down his spine. Yet no matter how many statues he made, none of them could ever be truly her. None of them could match the warmth of her eyes, the sound of her laugh, or the way her presence made the very air around her feel lighter.

I need to calm down, he thought, but even in thinking it, he knew it was impossible. Y/N had become everything to him. She was the reason his hands now itched to sculpt, the reason his heart raced with every passing thought of her. The only problem was... she didn't know. She couldn't know.

His dog, Xiaotian Quan, barked, pulling him from his trance. The loyal hound stood at the doorway, staring at him with knowing eyes as if reminding him of the duties he had long neglected.

Erlang Shen rolled his eyes, frustration bubbling up. "Yes, yes, I know," he muttered under his breath, wiping the dust from his hands. He had obligations to fulfill, tasks that required his attention as a god, but the weight of his obsession was growing unbearable.

Reluctantly, he left his art room behind, the heavy doors closing on his stone Y/Ns, and made his way through the Celestial Palace. His body went through the motions of his duties, but his mind—his heart—was elsewhere.

As he walked the palace grounds, his thoughts drifted to her once again. He wondered where she was, what she was doing at that moment. Was she sitting among the flowers? Was she laughing like she had when they first met?

Suddenly, he heard it—her laughter, floating through the air like the sweetest music. His heart leapt in his chest, and before he could stop himself, his feet carried him toward the sound.

Erlang Shen rounded the corner, but stopped dead in his tracks when he saw her. His breath hitched as he hid behind a pillar, peering around it cautiously.

Y/N stood in the garden, her face lit up with joy as she laughed. But she wasn't alone.

Standing beside her was Azure Lion, a fellow celestial being, his golden mane shining in the light as he grinned down at her. He was speaking to her, and though Erlang Shen couldn't hear every word, the playful tone in his voice was unmistakable.

The worst part was the sound of Y/N's laughter— his Y/N laughing with someone else.

Erlang's blood boiled, his hand instinctively tightening around the spear he carried. His grip was so tight his knuckles turned white, and for a moment, a dark, violent thought crossed his mind. He imagined himself storming into the garden, ripping Azure Lion apart for daring to make her laugh, for stealing her attention.

How dare he?

Azure Lion had no right to stand there, to make her smile, to make her heart light. That was Erlang Shen's place. It was his right, his privilege, to hear that laughter, to see that smile. The jealousy burned so fiercely inside him that he could hardly stand it.

He watched as Azure Lion made another pun, his voice deep and playful. Y/N giggled, her hand coming up to cover her mouth as her shoulders shook with mirth. That giggle, the one Erlang cherished more than anything, was now shared with someone else.

Erlang Shen gritted his teeth. His spear trembled in his grip as his fingers twitched. A part of him—an irrational, dark part—wanted to storm in and skin the lion alive. He wanted to see the look on Azure Lion's face when he realized just who he had crossed.

But then, with a sharp breath, Erlang pulled himself back. *No.* As much as it pained him, he couldn't let his emotions betray him. Not here. Not now. He had duties to attend to, responsibilities that required his focus.

Still, the anger and jealousy twisted inside him, refusing to be silenced. He had to walk away. Now.

With one last glance at Y/N—her laughter still ringing in his ears—Erlang Shen turned and walked away, his heart pounding with barely contained rage. Every step he took away from her felt like a dagger in his chest. The image of her, standing there with another man, laughing as if she hadn't already taken his entire world, played over and over in his mind.

As he forced himself back to his duties, his thoughts spiraled. It wasn't enough to simply be near her anymore. He needed more. He needed her to see him, to want him the way he wanted her. The statues weren't enough. The fleeting encounters weren't enough.

He needed Y/N to desire him. To worship him like he worshiped her.

And as he clenched his spear tighter, Erlang Shen knew one thing for certain: he would make her his, no matter what it took.

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