The Oracle's Cliffs towered above the clouds, a jagged path carved into the mountainside like a scar no time could heal. Legends said those who climbed them were never the same again. Some gained answers. Some lost themselves in the process.
Yueli adjusted the shawl around her daughter, who stirred lightly against her chest. The baby's aura had quieted since the battle, but her presence still pulsed like a heartbeat against the earth itself.
Di Yan walked beside her, one hand on his blade, the other ghosting near Yueli's back— not touching her, but close enough to protect. Close enough to feel.
They hadn't spoken about that night in the ruins.
But they hadn't needed to.
Their eyes said enough.
Desire. Doubt. Danger.
It was all there, simmering under the surface.
But now wasn't the time to get lost in stolen kisses and unspoken promises.
Now, they climbed to awaken the one being who could rewrite fate— or burn it all down.
The Oracle.
—
The final step of the mountain trail led them into a vast cave that glowed from within. Ancient crystals lined the walls,
humming with power. Light bent strangely here, as if the air itself was conscious.
" Welcome," said a voice, melodic and disarming.
The Oracle stood in the center of a pool,
barefoot on the water's surface. She wore robes made of mist and moonlight,
and her face was masked— one half silver, one half gold.
Yueli froze.
Not out of fear— but recognition.
" You're not just an Oracle," she said quietly. " You're a Time Binder."
The Oracle inclined her head. " Clever girl. It's been a long time since I walked in mortal memory. But I remember you, Shen Yueli."
Di Yan stepped forward, instinctively shielding the child.
" She needs protection," he said.
" She needs choice," the Oracle countered. " And for that, you must surrender your truths."
Yueli's breath caught.
" What truths?"
The Oracle gestured.
The water shifted— revealing visions.
In one, Yueli stood alone, draped in black robes, a crown on her head, power surging from her fingers as entire cities knelt before her.
In another, she was broken, kneeling beside Di Yan's grave.
And in the last… she stood with her daughter and Di Yan, older, peaceful, a smile on her face.
Three futures.
One fate.
" You must choose," the Oracle said.
" Which version of yourself you're willing to become. And what you're willing to lose."
—
The Oracle gave them a chamber to rest, carved from starlight and shadow. Yueli paced restlessly while Di Yan sat on the edge of a glowing stone bench, watching her.
" She's right," Yueli murmured. " One future, three paths."
" And we don't know which is real."
" They all are. Or could be."
Di Yan stood slowly, crossing the room.
" Then I choose the one where I keep both of you."
Yueli's heart skipped.
" You think it's that simple?" she asked, voice soft.
" No," he said. " But I've never needed simple. I've only needed you."
She turned toward him, caught between resistance and surrender.
His fingers brushed hers.
" I don't care about power. Or prophecies. I care about this. About you, our child, and whatever future we build together."
" And what if choosing me puts you in the grave?"
He leaned in. " Then I'll die knowing I fought for the only future worth bleeding for."
The tension snapped like a stretched cord.
Their lips collided, not with urgency, but with intention. A kiss that tasted like fire and forever.
She melted into him, hands sliding under his tunic, needing to feel something real in a world made of illusions.
Their bodies met with practiced hunger.
Desperate. Devoted. Her sighs echoed against the stone as he pressed her against the wall, lips trailing along her neck, hands anchoring her like she might disappear.
But this time wasn't about lust.
It was about claiming.
" You're mine," she whispered against his mouth.
" And you're my damnation," he growled back, lifting her effortlessly.
They didn't stop.
Not until the world faded and all that remained was the echo of promises made in heat and vulnerability.
—
The next morning, the Oracle awaited them beside the pool once more.
Yueli's lips were still swollen. Her daughter's aura pulsed brighter now— as if sensing the shift in her mother.
" I've made my choice," Yueli said, stepping forward.
The Oracle raised a hand.
" Before I accept it… I must test it."
The crystals around them cracked with light, and suddenly Di Yan vanished.
Yueli gasped. " What have you—?!"
" Your choice is meaningless until it's tested by loss."
The water shimmered— and showed Di Yan captured, chained in the Firelands, his eyes hollow, tortured by his own kin.
A memory?
A vision?
Yueli didn't care.
Her scream shook the chamber.
" I choose him," she growled. " Every damn time."
And just like that— she leapt into the pool.
—
She awoke in the Firelands.
Blistering heat. Chains. Screams.
She felt the pull of the baby's aura in her chest, like a fading thread.
Hold on, little one.
She moved through the flames, guided by rage and love.
And there he was.
Di Yan.
Beaten. Bruised. Bleeding.
His once- sharp eyes dulled by agony.
But when he saw her—
They sharpened like steel.
" Yueli?" he rasped.
" I came back for you," she whispered.
" I knew you would."
And then the chains broke.
Not by blade.
But by magic.
Her hands glowed golden, runes surging up her arms like fire reborn.
She pulled him into her arms and kissed his forehead.
" You're mine," she reminded him.
" Even in hell," he rasped.
And then the Firelands vanished.
—
Back in the Oracle's chamber, the water stilled.
The test was over.
The Oracle stepped back.
" You have chosen well."
" What does it mean?" Yueli asked,
clutching her child as Di Yan steadied himself beside her.
" It means your path will not be the easiest," the Oracle said. " But it will be the truest."
She handed Yueli a crystal orb, swirling with light and shadow.
" This will suppress the Seer's energy— for now. But beware. When the child turns one year old, the true prophecy will awaken. And when it does, the world will burn or be reborn— depending on the strength of your love."
—
That night, as they camped at the base of the cliffs, Yueli sat by the fire, holding the orb in one hand, her daughter in the other.
Di Yan watched her, silent, his hand gently resting on her back.
" Do you regret it?" he asked.
" No," she whispered. " I regret ever doubting that we could fight for this."
He leaned closer.
" When the world comes for us…"
" We'll burn it down together," she finished.
Their fingers intertwined.
And above them, the stars blinked back into place.