The dark passageway was utterly silent.
"Don't be afraid."
Ruan Mei's voice rang out from the gloom.
The foxian woman slowly opened her eyes, looking at the boundless darkness before her, instinctively feeling a wave of unease.
"Where... is this?"
There was not the slightest trace of light before her. It was like a scene from a horror film, with herself as the only living person left in the world.
"No matter what you see, you need only remember one thing."
"You are not alone."
"Try to find yourself."
Tingyun, her long hair flowing, stood within the pitch-black passageway, her gaze blank.
The voice she had just heard was completely unfamiliar. She was certain she had never heard it before.
Looking carefully, she could barely make out some of the passageway's surroundings.
There was no end in sight ahead, while behind her was a chaotic blur.
It was as though no matter how she walked, she would wander through darkness for the rest of her life.
"..."
Just as Tingyun hesitated, a fire suddenly lit up ahead.
The flames illuminated the darkness of the passageway, forming an arrow that pointed down the path ahead.
"Does this... mean I should go forward?"
Pressing her lips together, Tingyun followed the guidance and walked onward.
The arrow formed from flames remained where it was. Once Tingyun passed it, the path ahead became pitch-black once more.
She could not help quickening her pace. From beginning to end, her footsteps were the only sound in the dark passageway, making it feel eerie and still.
After walking for roughly two hours, Tingyun slowed down.
There was still boundless darkness ahead.
She was lost.
Her persistence seemed utterly meaningless.
The flames appeared once more, illuminating the passageway and forming an arrow that still pointed ahead.
"..."
"She