The Mad Ҡìղց

Betrayal

The witch emerged from the shadows, her face sharp, expressionless, as if carved from stone. The air around her seemed to chill instantly, and her eyes glinted with an otherworldly intensity, sharp and piercing. Her presence commanded silence and attention.

"Nie, you have done well," she said. Her voice was cold, slicing through the quiet night like the bite of a frost-laden wind. It was a sound that carried no warmth, no praise, only an icy acknowledgment of the task completed.

Nie stood rigid, his gaze locked on something distant, beyond the moment. "They deserve it," he responded, his voice hollow, detached, as if he had long since lost any emotional connection to the consequences of his actions.

Meng, Duan Dan, and Feng Mian stood frozen in shock, their bodies tense. The words exchanged between Nie and the witch echoed in the night, impossible to ignore. The three of them had been through countless battles together, but nothing had prepared them for this strange encounter.

"Can you hear them?" Meng whispered her voice tight with disbelief.

"Yes," Duan Dan replied, eyes wide.

Feng Mian said nothing, his hand instinctively tightening around his head.

The witch's gaze shifted, and she stepped forward, her robes flowing like dark water. She moved with an unnatural grace, each step slow and deliberate. Her focus now was on Sydney, who had remained silent, standing to the side, clutching a small golden pendant around her neck.

"Eowyn," the witch said, her voice softening ever so slightly, though it still held that biting chill. "I cannot bring your mother back. But you have done well. She would be proud."

Sydney's face, normally calm and composed, broke for a moment. The name "Eowyn" seemed to tear something open inside her, and she clenched her fists, eyes brimming with tears she refused to let fall.

Duan Dan's breath hitched. "Eowyn?" she whispered, disbelief mingling with awe. Her mind raced as the realization struck her like a blow to the chest. "She's the Phoenix Queen's daughter..."

Meng's eyes widened as the truth settled over them. The Phoenix Queen—legendary—had a daughter, and that daughter was Sydney, the one who married Feng all this time, never revealing her true identity.

"Why didn't she tell us?" Meng whispered.

"Does it matter?" Duan Dan replied, her voice trembling. "If she's the Phoenix Queen's daughter... then she has scores to settle."

"I have work to do," the witch said, her voice cold and distant. She turned her back on the group, her fingers beginning to trace symbols in the air. The gestures were delicate, almost invisible, but the effect was immediate. Wanji and Wei Ying stirred first, their eyes fluttering open as if they were waking from a dream. Then, Wang and Zhan followed, blinking rapidly as they regained consciousness. Beside them, two others, who looked human but shared an uncanny resemblance to Wanji and Zhan, also stirred awake.

"OMG, what is happening? Where are we?" the human who resembled Wanji screamed, his voice cracking with fear. His eyes darted around, wide and wild.

"Lan Zhan, look at me!" the human version of Zhan and Wei Ying shouted, his voice filled with urgency.

"Wei Wuxian?" Lan Zhan shouted back in disbelief, his voice breaking as his confusion mounted. "What is this? Oh my god, put me down!" he yelled, thrashing wildly in panic.

Wanji, Wei Ying, Wang, and Zhan were frozen, shock written across their faces as they looked at the human versions of themselves. The resemblance was too perfect, too precise. It was like looking into a mirror, but the reflection was wrong—there was fear and helplessness in the eyes of their doppelgängers.