Fated | Fangs Of Fortune [ZhuYi]

Chapter 20 : The Curse

YiChen jolted upright, his body trembling as he gasped for breath. Tears streaked his face as he struggled to reconcile the suffocating despair still gripping his chest. The faint echo of screams—Wen Xiao, Bai Jiu, Pei Si Jing,Ying Lei,...Zhu Yan—all of them crying out in agony, reverberated in his mind.

A warm, firm hand patted his back. "Calm down, YiChen" came a voice, low and steady.

Blinking through the haze, YiChen looked up to see Zhu Yan crouched beside him. The demon offered a soft, almost uncharacteristic smile, his eyes unusually gentle. Yet, it reminded him of the friend he once knew.

"You're okay" Zhu Yan said. "We all are."

"Zhu Yan?" YiChen's voice cracked, heavy with confusion and lingering panic. "What... what's going on?"

Zhu Yan arched a brow, his smirk creeping back into place. "You're awake. Finally. I was starting to think you were planning to sleep until you turned gray and wrinkled"

YiChen ignored the quip, his gaze darting around the room. "Where are we? What happened?"

Zhu Yan gestured behind him. "See for yourself"

YiChen followed his gesture, his heart lurching as he spotted familiar figures. Bai Jiu, Wen Xiao and Ying Lei lay nearby, unconscious but visibly unharmed. Pei Si Jing was awake, kneeling beside Wen Xiao and checking her pulse, her face pale but focused.

Relief washed over YiChen like a wave. His shoulders sagged as he exhaled shakily. "It was an illusion" he murmured. His hand instinctively moved to his side, searching for his sword. When his fingers brushed the familiar hilt, he let out a sigh. The Cloud Light Sword rested beside him, its hilt crystal shimmering faintly with a deep midnight-blue glow.

"I knew it" he said, his voice steadier now. "How could my sword just stop working when it always glows in your presence?"

Zhu Yan tilted his head, his smile turning playful. "Are you saying my presence is special? I'm flattered, Zhuo Daren"

YiChen shot him a sharp glare. "Not now, Zhu Yan"

Zhu Yan immediately shut his trap.

"What happened?" YiChen asked, his tone firm as he looked back at Zhu Yan.

"As far as I can tell" Zhu Yan began, leaning against the wall casually, "the moment we set foot in this temple, something triggered. That eerie melody from Pei Si Heng? It wasn't just for show. Whatever curse it carried knocked all of you out cold."

YiChen's frown deepened. "And you? Why didn't it affect you?"

Zhu Yan shrugged, "Demon perks, I guess. Or maybe I've just got better taste in music. Either way, someone had to drag you all out of the courtyard" He gestured vaguely around the room. "Welcome to my heroic rescue"

YiChen stared at him, skeptical. "So? You're a great demon, you can handle a few bodies"

Zhu Yan looked at him, as if hurt. "I'm starting to dislike this 'Great Demon' title now."

Ignoring Zhu Yan, Yichen turned to Pei Si Jing "Ms. Pei. How did you break the illusion?"

Pei Si Jing spoke up. "I realized it wasn't real" she said, her voice calm but tinged with lingering unease. "Just before I died... or thought I was dying, I noticed something was wrong. The pain wasn't as sharp as it should have been. That's when I forced myself to wake up."

YiChen's gaze softened briefly before hardening as he turned back to the unconscious figures. "What about them?" he asked.

Zhu Yan's smirk faded, his expression unusually serious. "They're still trapped" he said quietly. "The illusion feeds on despair. It keeps them in a loop, showing them their worst fears over and over again. Unless they realize it's not real..." He trailed off, his meaning clear.