(Beautiful illustration of Ye Guyi)
Ye Guyi stood where she was, staring at that scene. It felt as though something had clogged her chest, making even breathing difficult.
She took two steps forward, stumbled, and her knee slammed into the threshold.
Then she heard that sound.
The sky in the distance suddenly darkened.
She turned and saw the sky beyond the manor turn into an oppressive dark red. A layer of black mist surged over from the horizon, as swiftly as a tide.
Her father abruptly rose to his feet, the expression on his face freezing into the image she least wanted to touch in the depths of her memories.
Then the black mist swallowed everything.
She could hear no screams, nor could she see any blood.
But after that dark red swallowed the manor, the entire scene returned to silence.
Only the empty lawn and the riderless wooden horse remained.
Ye Guyi knelt there, both hands braced desperately against the ground. Her nails dug into the mirror surface, yet she could grasp nothing.
Her breathing quickened. The emotions choking her chest surged forth, turning into a sob she had suppressed for far too long.
She raised her head, and the illusion before her changed once more.
The backs of her parents stood before her. They stood side by side, facing an endless expanse of black mist.
Her mother turned around and reached out to her. Her lips moved as if she were saying something, but not a single word could be heard.
Her father did not turn around. He merely stood there as his figure gradually became transparent.
"No..."
Ye Guyi climbed to her feet and lunged at them, but her fingers passed through her mother's figure, touching nothing.
She collapsed to her knees between them, her voice ragged