Her gaze returned to the light, and a powerful urge suddenly surged through her, as if some invisible force were calling to her. The light held an irresistible pull that filled her with an inexplicable longing. Barely able to control herself, she started toward it.
"Yan Zhi, wait!" Jiu Jia Yi called urgently. He hurried after her and caught her by the arm.
Yan Zhi stopped short and turned to look at him. She felt the force of his grip, as though he were trying to pull her free of that irresistible attraction.
"You..." Her voice caught, as if a gust of wind had swept through her heart. "I... I want to go into the light."
Jiu Jia Yi frowned, clearly sensing that something was wrong with her. His gaze sharpened, as though he were trying to see the turmoil inside her through her eyes.
"Yan Zhi," he said in a low voice, his tone full of warning, "we can't follow it blindly. That light... it isn't as simple as we think."
Yan Zhi's heartbeat quickened. A voice in her mind frantically warned her that the light before her was no simple beacon of hope. It was an unknown force that might lead her into an even darker abyss.
"I know," she replied softly. Yet despite her words, there was a resolve in her eyes that he could not ignore. "But I have to go."
She slowly pulled free of Jiu Jia Yi's hand and walked toward the point of light. Every step was uncertain, a struggle against the fear inside her. Her heart seemed ready to burst from her chest, and every nerve in her body was taut. She knew she was heading toward terrible danger. But she could not stop. That irresistible pull had seized her soul and driven her onward, no matter the cost.
"Yan Zhi!" Jiu Jia Yi called again. This time, his voice had lost its earlier calm and was edged with urgency and fear. "You can't do this! You don't understand. The power behind that light... we can't withstand it!"
Yet Yan Zhi's steps only grew firmer. She did not pause. She could almost hear her heartbeat pounding against her eardrums, as though it might tear her mind apart.
She did not look back. All she could feel was the light's powerful summons. Each step brought her closer to it, and with each step, her heart raced faster.
"I can't stop," she whispered, her lips trembling. "This is my only choice."
Her thoughts grew emptier, as though some force were swallowing all her senses. She could no longer stop or control the steps she took. Her hand gradually reached toward the light. The urge inside her was impossible to resist, until her fingertips touched its edge.
In an instant, an icy force struck her. It was as if a vast, invisible power had wrapped around her body, and the world before her lurched violently once more. Her consciousness began to fade, and her vision blurred. Then she felt herself swallowed by the heart of the light.
Yet at the instant the light consumed her, a deep voice suddenly sounded in her mind, as if rising from the depths of her heart: "You chose this path. You must pay its price."
Before you continue