Loki Is a Real God!

"Let's go," Jiu Jia Yi said quietly. "Whatever lies ahead, we can't stop now."

A tangle of emotions rose in Yan Zhi's chest. Never before had the future filled her with such confusion and unease. The indistinct whispers kept echoing in her ears, like voices from somewhere deep in the unknown, warning her of all she was about to face.

She took a deep breath and looked up at the light. It was still warm and gentle, but now it filled her with a heavy sense of foreboding. She could no longer be sure this path held the hope she had imagined. Perhaps it was nothing more than a bottomless trap.

She turned to Jiu Jia Yi beside her. His calm face showed no sign of wavering, as though he had long since risen above worldly concerns. Yet she could sense the weight beneath that seemingly unbreakable composure. He had never shown her his inner struggles, but she knew he was not as strong as he appeared.

"Aren't you afraid?" she asked softly, her low voice carrying a trace of vulnerability she had not meant to reveal.

Jiu Jia Yi turned his head slightly, a flicker of surprise crossing his eyes. Then his calm expression returned. "Afraid? I've never felt fear."

Something stirred in Yan Zhi's heart, and his words brought back memories of the past. She knew he meant what he said. But she also knew that beneath his resolve lay a boundless fear of the unknown.

"Don't you think... something's wrong with this place?" she asked, her gaze darkening. "Those voices... that light. What do they mean?"

Jiu Jia Yi looked ahead, his gaze drifting. He did not answer. He seemed to be weighing something, perhaps whether to voice his own doubts.

"Those voices may not be an illusion," he said at last, his tone subdued. "They seem to be guiding us, as if they're trying to tell us something."

Yan Zhi froze, her heart tightening. "You mean... the voices have a purpose?"

"I'm not sure." Unease crept into Jiu Jia Yi's voice, and his eyes flickered. "But they don't seem natural. I have a feeling they're waiting for something."

"Waiting for what?" Yan Zhi asked, frowning.

"For us," Jiu Jia Yi said quietly, as though he had known it all along.

A chill ran through Yan Zhi. She shivered, and the light ahead seemed to deepen. Suddenly, she understood. Some force within that light really did seem to be tugging at her heart, drawing her toward it, as though it had been waiting for her to arrive.

"Are we really going to keep going?" she asked under her breath, torn. She knew what it meant to go on, and she knew what it meant to turn back. She had no choice left.

Jiu Jia Yi's gaze remained deep and steady. Her words had not shaken him in the slightest. "Whatever happens, we have to keep going. You know turning back won't necessarily make us safe."

Yan Zhi's heart sank. Anxiety surged through her like a flood. She instinctively wanted to argue, but her lips moved without a word coming out.