Li Wei's breath came in ragged gasps as he fell to the cold, blood-soaked ground. The world spun around him, the pain in his side unbearable. His sword slipped from his grip, clattering to the stones beside him, its edge stained crimson. He struggled to stay conscious, his hand pressing desperately against the wound, trying to stem the bleeding.
But it wasn't the pain that shocked him the most. It was the voice, the voice of the one person he had trusted above all else.
Hua Ling.
Her figure loomed above him, her expression unreadable. The gleam of her sword reflected the flickering light of the flames in the distance, but it was her eyes that held him captive. They were cold, devoid of the warmth he had once seen in them.
"You…" Li Wei whispered, his voice barely audible through the blood that filled his mouth. "Why…?"
Hua Ling didn't answer immediately. She simply stood there, her gaze fixed on him, her body unmoving. The soldiers around them had stopped fighting, their eyes turning to watch the confrontation unfold, but Hua Ling paid them no mind.
For a long moment, it felt like time itself had frozen. The world around Li Wei was distant, as if it were happening in another realm. His thoughts were sluggish, heavy with disbelief.
"Did you think I would always be by your side?" Hua Ling finally spoke, her voice cold and distant, a stark contrast to the warmth that had once filled it. "Did you really think I would remain loyal to a dying cause?"
Li Wei's heart hammered in his chest as he tried to push himself up, but his body betrayed him. He couldn't move. His limbs felt like stone, and the blood pouring from his wound clouded his vision. "You…" he gasped, his throat tight with betrayal. "You've been working with him… all along?"
Hua Ling's eyes flickered briefly, but she didn't flinch. "I didn't have a choice," she said, her voice now tinged with something that might have been regret, but it was fleeting. "You were blinded by revenge, Li Wei. You thought you could take back everything, but it's not that simple. It never was."
The weight of her words crushed him. He had fought so hard for this moment, to avenge his family, to reclaim his birthright. But now, all of it felt meaningless. His trust had been betrayed by the one person he had relied on more than anyone else.
"I loved you…" Li Wei's voice cracked, the words tasting like poison on his tongue. His mind was hazy, but the pain in his chest wasn't just physical—it was the loss of everything he had believed in.
Hua Ling's gaze softened for a moment, but it was only a flicker before it hardened again. "I know," she said quietly, almost as if she were speaking to herself. "But love doesn't save kingdoms. Love doesn't bring power. Only strength does."
Li Wei's body trembled as the weight of her words sank in. She had betrayed him, not for a momentary advantage, but for something far greater. She had chosen power over loyalty, ambition over love.
His heart burned with fury, but also with a deep, gnawing sadness. "You chose him over me," he whispered, his voice barely more than a breath. "After everything, you chose him."
"I chose survival," Hua Ling replied flatly, her voice unyielding. "You never understood what it meant to survive, Li Wei. You were always too busy fighting for ideals that didn't matter in the end. The world isn't kind to the weak. The world isn't kind to those who live in the past."
The words cut through him like a blade. She had never believed in the same things he had. All along, while he fought for justice, for retribution, she had been playing her own game, a game he hadn't even known existed.
With effort, Li Wei managed to lift his head, locking eyes with her. His vision was swimming, but he could still see the flicker of doubt in her expression. She wasn't entirely without regret, but it didn't matter. The damage had been done.
"You'll never have what you want," he spat, his words full of venom. "You'll never have the throne. Xian Yue will destroy you, just like he destroyed me."
Hua Ling didn't flinch. "You're wrong," she said, her voice colder now. "I've already won."
She turned her back to him then, signaling to the soldiers who had been watching. The men surrounding them began to move, their weapons raised, ready to strike if Li Wei tried to resist. Hua Ling didn't need to look back to know that her betrayal was complete. She had sealed her fate and his in one swift motion.
As she walked away, Li Wei's body was finally overcome by exhaustion, the loss of blood pulling him deeper into unconsciousness. He wanted to call out to her, to make her see the truth of what she had done, but his body refused to cooperate.
His mind, however, was still sharp, even if his vision blurred. As he sank into the darkness, the last thing he heard was the sound of Hua Ling's footsteps retreating, leaving him behind to face the consequences of his actions—and her betrayal—alone.