Chapter 19: Deep Spear
Night was dark as ink.
Nie Shi sat cross-legged on his bed, the lights off. Moonlight spilled through the window, painting a silver fracture across the floor.
His right hand rested gently on Void's hilt.
Cold.
Not the cold of metal—something deeper. Like an unfinished thought, frozen in time.
He closed his eyes and repeated the line in his mind: "If I can remember her… then you won't have to hurt anymore." Void trembled.
And the dream descended again.
But this time, there was no forest.
No fog.
Only the battlefield .
A scorched land. Ruined buildings. A sky heavy and gray. Fires burned in the distance, casting long shadows in the smoke.
She stood in front of that fire.
The girl with the spear.
Her cloak was torn. Her weapon hung low, the tip dragging through ash. Her stance was tilted forward—exhausted.
In front of her stood a group of blank-faced figures, all dressed in old school uniforms. Not people. Projections—memory-wiped shadows of something long gone.
She stood alone.
Against all of them.
"This place…" Nie Shi whispered.
He was no longer just observing. His view was pulling closer—invading.
His heartbeat… it was beginning to match hers .
She moved.
The spear lifted.
Not fast, but perfectly precise. Black mist curled from the blade like a serpent. Each swing shattered one of the enemy's memories into dust.
But…
She was slowing down.
Her strikes started drifting off mark.
"She's… burning herself out."
Nie Shi realized it.
She wasn't losing. She was sacrificing all of her memories and emotions to keep the weapon alive.
At the very end—
She turned.
And her face— It looked just like Luo Jia's. Or rather, a younger, rawer version. One that hadn't yet learned to hide behind silence.
She spoke:
"If you're seeing this… don't let him end up like me."
"Void… he remembers pain."
Then the dream shattered.
No—it was ripped apart .
A high-pitched metal shriek rang out as Void convulsed in the real world, jerking violently in the air.
Nie Shi's eyes flew open—
He was still in his room.
But Void was floating midair, rippling with waves of emotion. The walls trembled. Glass cracked. An alarm began to blare.
His mind echoed with a single realization: She was Void's first wielder. And Void… never got the chance to tell her—he trusted her. Sirens blared across the dorm hall.
Void spun uncontrollably, red patterns flashing along its shaft. Emotional resonance rippled outward from Nie Shi's body, warping lights, cracking devices. [Sync Rate Spike Detected: 112.8%] [Overlimit Response – Emotional Anchor Feedback] [System Recommendation: Emergency Disconnect, Cooldown Initiated] But Void didn't disconnect.
It shook like it wanted to speak—but couldn't. Only resonance. Only pain.
Nie Shi's breathing grew heavy. Sweat trickled down his face. The memory, the voice, the spear—it all swirled inside him like a storm.
"…Stop…"
He reached out and pressed his palm against the spear's core.
And then—
Void froze.
The storm ceased.
Void dropped gently into his palm, dimming. Cold again.
Nie Shi collapsed beside the bed, his consciousness slipping into darkness. One minute later, the system flagged the anomaly and uploaded the incident: Subject: Nie Shi – Class E3 Sync Rate Surge: 112.8% (Short Term) Status: Dream Pathway Interference → Armament Autoreaction → Host Neural Overload Indicators: Emotional Anchor Instability / Possible Legacy Binding Path Flagged for Special Observation – Zhong Lan Zhong Lan stared at the data readout, brow furrowed.
"…One-twelve point eight?"
Her aide muttered nearby. "The theoretical max is one-oh-three. Unless there's an error, or—"
"Or," she cut in coldly, "his Armament doesn't belong to this generation."
"And it's restoring memory patterns… on its own."
She stood up. Her voice was sharp and quiet.
"From now on, pull all monitoring data for Void off the main system."
"I'll handle it myself." Elsewhere, on the academy rooftop—
Meng Yao stood by the railing, wind tugging at his uniform.
In his fingers spun a thin memory shard, pulsing faintly with numbers.
"112.8…"
He spoke it softly.
"So, you've started stepping into her memories too, Nie Shi."
"You people… always reaching for the ones that hurt the most."
His expression wasn't amused.
Behind him, Luo Jia stood quietly, her gaze on the same distant dorm window.
The wind moved her hair.
And for the first time— Her eyes shifted. Not mechanically. Not out of mission parameters.
But because, deep down—
She had begun to notice him .
Infirmary lights were soft.
Yellow ceilings, padded walls, silence.
Nie Shi lay pale on the bed, a thin film of sweat at his brow.
At the door, Lin Kui held a small pack of sugar candies, fingers gripping nervously.
She had never seen him like this.
Quiet, yes. Withdrawn, yes. But never this vulnerable.
"You're here?"
His voice was soft. Drowsy.
She flinched. "You're awake?!"
"Just now." He didn't open his eyes. But he smiled a little. "Thanks."
Lin Kui stepped closer, placing the candies gently by his hand.
"You don't have to say anything," she murmured. "But if you ever want to…"
She trailed off, voice fragile as wrapping paper.
He opened his eyes slowly, looking at her.
He remembered the ruins. The voice. The plea to protect someone.
He finally understood—
He didn't wield Void to get stronger.
He wielded it because something needed to be protected.
Even if that memory wasn't his own.
"I just think…"
He whispered, "Some things can't be forgotten again."
Lin Kui curled her fingers around the candy packet.
"…Okay."