Moonlight spilled like water onto the empty square, seeping into the dilapidated palaces all around. Dalin and Lucas were still trapped in that eerie space. Endless darkness and unknown fears surrounded them, and a suffocating atmosphere hung in the air. It seemed that every breath would plunge them deeper into a quagmire.
However, this time, there seemed to be some subtle changes in the air. A fresh scent wafted from a passageway in the distance, as if it were a force of new life. Dalin slowly turned her head and looked towards the light in the distance. It was a faint glimmer, like the farthest star in the night sky, twinkling alone in the darkness.
"Should we... go over there?" Her voice was full of hesitation, and her eyes were filled with complex emotions.
Lucas also stared at the light. After a moment of silence, he nodded. "Anyway, we have to give it a try." He tightly grasped her hand, not allowing her the slightest chance to back down.
The two walked side by side towards the light. Their footsteps echoed in the empty palace. The approaching light seemed to be leading them towards an unknown destiny. As they got closer, the light suddenly became even more dazzling, like a silver waterfall, engulfing their figures.
Just as the light enveloped them, a soft sigh sounded in their ears. The voice seemed to come from the sky, deep and sorrowful.
"Have you finally come?" There was an indescribable sense of familiarity in the voice.
The two instinctively stopped and looked around, but they could see nothing.
"Who's speaking?" Dalin asked softly, a hint of nervousness in her voice.
"It's me." The voice sounded again, as if piercing through the boundaries of time and space. Suddenly, the light in front of them dissipated abruptly, and a figure slowly emerged from the darkness.
It was a man dressed in a white robe. He had a handsome face, and his eyes were as deep as the stars, with a touch of mystery and an inexplicable sadness. His appearance was like a beam of light in this darkness, warm yet unsettling.
"Who are you?" Lucas asked warily, alertness flickering in his eyes.
The man smiled slightly, as if he had long expected their reaction. "I'm just a passer - by." He said softly. "You shouldn't be here. However, the cycle of fate has already brought you here."
"Fate?" A chill rose in Dalin's heart. "What do you mean?"
The man sighed gently and walked gracefully towards the two. With each step, it seemed as if he was tearing through space and time. His presence was getting closer, yet he still seemed out of reach. "You've stepped into a situation from which you can't escape. The root of everything lies in your initial choices."
These words were like a thunderbolt, hitting their hearts hard. Dalin's body trembled, as if she realized something. Lucas stared intently at the man, his expression becoming even more solemn. "Do you mean that all of this is something we walked into voluntarily?"
The man nodded, a trace of pain flashing in his eyes. "Every decision you made has long determined the course of the future. You've never truly broken free from the shackles of the past."
"What on earth do you want?" Lucas asked again, a hint of threat in his tone.
The man was silent for a moment, then looked up at the full moon. The moonlight shone on his face, making him seem even more ethereal. He said softly, "You want to escape this cycle, but you've never realized that the price of escape is your souls."
The moment the words fell, the air around them changed drastically again. The moonlight gradually dimmed, replaced by a scarlet sky. The man's figure gradually disappeared, and in the place where he vanished, a familiar figure emerged.
It was Dalin's mother, standing in a sea of blood, her eyes dazed as if she saw something.
"Mom!" Dalin exclaimed and involuntarily walked towards her, but her feet seemed to be held back by something, unable to move forward any further.
Her mother slowly raised her head. Her eyes were empty yet complex. "Dalin, leave this place now. You shouldn't stay any longer."
"Why?" Dalin's heart was filled with confusion and fear. "What on earth are you talking about? What's going on here?"
Her mother's eyes became even more vacant. Her figure began to blur. "Everything lies in your choices, Dalin. You can't escape. You can't change anything. No matter how much you struggle, your destiny has already been sealed."
"You're lying to me!" Dalin's voice was filled with pain. "I don't believe it! I don't believe you would say something like this!"
Her mother's figure gradually dissipated, leaving only the words echoing in the air: "Everything is already doomed."
The entire space became deathly silent again. Dalin stood there, stunned, unable to come back to her senses for a long time. Her heart was filled with indescribable pain and confusion. She struggled hard, only to find that she still couldn't break free from the shackles of fate.
Lucas stood beside her and reached out to gently pat her shoulder. "Dalin, no matter what fate has in store, we still have to survive."
Dalin looked up at Lucas, her eyes full of complex emotions. She spoke slowly, her voice low: "But... we can't escape." Her words were filled with deep despair. "I've been thinking that if I could choose not to get involved in all of this, maybe I wouldn't have ended up like this. But now, I realize... there's no choice at all."
"Dalin, fate isn't as powerful as you think." Lucas said softly. "You never need to run away. All we can do is face everything and bravely move forward."
However, as his voice fell, the entire world changed drastically again. Darkness and light intertwined, and time seemed to stand still at this moment.