The world above vanished as she plummeted down the pit, her breath catching in her throat before the icy water surged up to meet her. The impact sent a sharp jolt through her body, and for a moment, she hung suspended beneath the surface, limbs weightless, heart hammering.
Then the current pulled her deeper. She gasped for air, but water rushed in, scalding her lungs. She choked and fought, her arms thrashing against the invisible hands that dragged her down into the deep blue. The more she struggled, the stronger the pull, and the cold seeped into her bones. She, a daughter of the sea, was drowning in this forsaken place. In the chaos, she repeated the mantra: Calm down. Breathe.
But she couldn't breathe. Her vision blurred as she twisted against the current. Memories flickered as her father's doting gaze came to mind. She wanted to see him again, to tell him she forgave him. Ling Yue's teasing smirk and the tender moments with Long Fei flashed through her mind. She wanted to argue with Ling Yue and finally kiss Long Fei. Unspoken words crushed her harder than the water.
She gritted her teeth and willed her muscles to relax. The waterfall training, the relentless, pounding torrents had tested her endurance. She had survived then. She could survive now.
Slowly, she shifted her body, angling herself against the pull. Her limbs burned as she fought the current, and she clawed her way upward. The surface felt out of reach.
Crack! A muffled sound as the earth above crumbled. Golden light pierced the water in fractured rays. Through the torrents, a figure emerged — a shadow within the glow, darting toward her like a shooting star. Long Fei. Her wish had been granted.
A surge of relief flooded her as pebbles bounced off, but it was too late. Her body convulsed as she struggled to breathe. Her lungs screamed for air. Her vision darkened. Her body was giving up.
She reached out. He caught her. His arms wrapped around her, an unyielding force pulling her to safety.
And then—
Warm lips met hers.
A rush of air filled her lungs, hot against the ice of her skin. He breathed into her, urgent and steady, as if silently urging her to hold on, fight, and to live. Her fingers curled against his neck, anchoring herself to him as water furiously swirled around them. For the first time since she had fallen, Shui Yi stopped fighting. She let herself melt into his embrace.
***
Long Fei felt time pause, the moment their lips met. He transferred his qi, his warmth, into her trembling body. Then, to his surprise, an uncontrollable yearning compelled him to draw her closer. He closed his eyes, cupped his hands to her cheeks, savoring the moment. He had never felt this way before. A fleeting moment of vulnerability clashed with his lifelong discipline, and for the first time, control slipped through his fingers. This was different. He didn't want to let her go. It was his last moment alone with her. She clasped the back of his neck, pressing her body against his, kissing him deeper.
A low rumble. Then a sharp impact against his back, knocking sense back into him. His eyes widened. His heart pounded as he pulled back slightly, his forehead leaning on hers, his breath mingling with hers. Her fingers had tightened against his neck, clinging to him for dear life. She was still gasping, her body shuddering from the cold, her eyes gazing tenderly into his. A raw, unfamiliar fire seared in his chest. This shouldn't be happening. He only meant to breathe life, to keep her safe. But why, in this fleeting moment, did he wish to hold her forever? He was never meant to have this. He didn't want to let her go. But he must. He can't be by her side.
His jaw tightened, as he wrapped his arms around her waist. He forced himself to move, pushing aside the whirl of emotions threatening to cloud his judgment. Kicking against the water, he channeled his qi with a powerful burst, propelling them upward through the jagged opening he had created. They shot out of the chasm as debris collapsed into the water below, sealing the pit beneath a crushing avalanche of rubble.
They landed next to Ling Yue, stumbling on the trembling floor. Shui Yi coughed violently, her body heaving as she breathed, her hair plastered against her face. He barely had a moment to compose himself before his guardian's voice cut through the chaos.
"For the love of the seas, how does a mermaid keep drowning?!"
"Ling Yue." He shot her a stern glance, shaking his head as he caught his breath.
"Seriously, try not to drown again before we leave this forsaken realm." She rolled her eyes and tsked.
Shui Yi let out a breathless laugh. Her face flushed as she glanced over at Long Fei and wearily smiled at him. He straightened, nonchalantly flicking his drenched sleeves as the maze crumbled around them, avoiding her gaze. They had no time. He exhaled, his expression slipping back into his usual composed mask.
The ground beneath them continued to tremble. Cracks split along the stone paths, revealing an abyss stretching into endless darkness. The maze, a labyrinth of shifting walls and illusions, was now nothing more than crumbling ruins. Only one way remained, a towering staircase spiraling upwards at the end of the collapsing maze. His sharp gaze swept the surroundings. "That's the exit."
Ling Yue groaned as she dragged a hand down her face. "Of course, it's at the farthest end."
Shui Yi, still breathless, followed his gaze. "How do we reach it before—"
Another deep rumble shook the floor. The last stone bridges collapsed behind them, cutting off any retreat. The entire structure was breaking apart at an alarming speed. Once an intricate web of gleaming stone paths and towering archways, the maze was nothing more than a crumbling death trap.
"Run!" Long Fei urged the two women forward, positioning himself behind them.
They sprinted forward, dodging falling debris as the ground crumbled at their heels. He rapidly assessed the shifting pathways. The maze had been constructed with misdirection, illusions, and hidden mechanisms. But now, with everything in disarray, the pattern revealed itself: the walls had been built on rotating platforms. Their arrangement wasn't random. There was a loophole.
He adjusted his stride, grabbing Shui Yi's wrist and tugging her sharply to the right just as a large slab of stone slammed where they had been a second ago. "This way!"
Ling Yue scrambled behind them, cursing. "I hate it when he does that."
As they reached the last stretch, the staircase loomed ahead. It was impossibly high, twisting into the unseen sky above. The abyss yawned on all sides; one misstep would send them to the underworld.
The final leap. He didn't hesitate. He wrapped an arm around Shui Yi's waist, gathering his qi. "Hold on."
With a powerful burst, he propelled them forward, landing on the first step just as the last of the maze collapsed behind them in a thunderous crash. The sheer force of the impact sent a gust of wind whipping around them, dust and debris spiraling into the abyss. She teetered back, gripping his arm for balance, her fingers laced through his.
Ling Yue landed a second later, cracking the stone ground beneath her. "That was too close."
Long Fei finally allowed himself to breathe. But his heart was still unsteady, not from the danger they had narrowly escaped but from what would come next. Shui Yi's hand, still in his, trembled slightly. He glanced at her, acutely aware of the lingering flush on her cheeks, the way her lips parted as she caught her breath.
He clenched his jaw and forced himself to look away. Steeling himself, he let go and then straightened. "No time to rest. Keep going." He motioned for the women to go ahead of him.
Shui Yi paused, her brows furrowed before nodding. As they ascended the stairs, leaving the ruins behind, Long Fei kept his pace steady.
His fingers brushed his lips. The warmth still lingered. No matter how much he willed it away, it was an undeniable truth that he was not ready to face. That moment of lapsed judgment would only make what came next even harder. And now, it was too late to take it back. She might never forgive him for what he was about to do.