PHOENIX's FLAME: A Love That Defies Time

Li Wei stood motionless in the dim, oppressive room. The air was thick with the smell of decay, the scent of old wood and damp stone lingering as if the building itself had long given up on life. Dust settled like a blanket across the walls of the abandoned structure, the remnants of a once-glorious existence now nothing more than a hollow shell. The flickering light from a lone, flickering candle barely illuminated the room, casting twisted shadows along the walls. Li Wei’s eyes, glowing faintly amber in the dim light, fixed on the reflection in the cracked mirror before him. His once-beautiful, shimmering wings were gone, replaced by jagged scars that marred his back like a map of lost battles. His once-powerful form was reduced to a mere shadow of what he had been—a broken phoenix, condemned to live among mortals. The wings had been scorched, burned away by a betrayal so deep, it had turned his very soul to ash. And now, he was stuck. Bound to this realm, a prisoner of his past, a man with no future. His immortality stripped away, his power reduced to mere whispers of its former glory. He was no longer the creature of fire and flame. He was nothing. His hands trembled slightly as he traced a finger over the surface of the mirror, as if testing the reflection before him. A flash of fiery light passed through his mind, but he quickly shut it down, suppressing the memories that threatened to flood his senses. The betrayal that had bound him here had been a long time ago, but it still burned like fire in his chest. A deep, guttural sigh left his lips as he turned away from the mirror. The prophecy still echoed in his mind—loud, unyielding, a constant reminder of what he must do. The words were clear: Only the death of Mei Lin can break the curse. He had no choice. The immortal world would collapse if the curse was not broken. And to break it, Mei Lin must die. But it wasn’t that simple. Not anymore. Li Wei moved across the room, pacing in slow, measured steps, trying to shake the thoughts that clouded his mind. His duty called to him. The mission was clear. Mei Lin was tied to his fate, and the only way to end the curse, to break the chains that held him to this mortal world, was to end her life. But he could feel it—something more had stirred within him when he saw her. A strange pull. A sense of familiarity he couldn’t explain. How could he kill her? The thought of it sent an unsettling shiver down his spine. She was just a woman, an innocent, unaware of the role her bloodline played in his torment. Yet, he knew she was the key. The key to breaking the curse that had kept him chained for centuries. He knew what he had to do, but he could no longer ignore the tug of desire that pulled him in her direction. The prophecy had been foretelling this moment for years, but fate had a way of turning things on their head. The closer Li Wei got to Mei Lin, the more he wondered if the prophecy was truly the end, or if it was just a part of something much larger, something he couldn’t yet understand. His thoughts drifted back to the past—the betrayal that had shattered him, and the curse that had bound him to this mortal life. The curse was not just a punishment; it was a constant reminder of the failure that had led to his fall from grace. He couldn’t escape it. With a deep breath, he pushed those thoughts aside. He had a mission to complete. The realms depended on it. He could not afford to let personal feelings cloud his judgment. Mei Lin had to die. There was no other way. Li Wei walked to the window, his eyes narrowing as he stared out at the sprawling city below. The mortal world seemed so small from up here, its noise and chaos distant, almost irrelevant to him now. He had no place in their world. The curtain billowed in the faint breeze, and for a moment, the city seemed to fade away. His gaze locked onto a single spot—the direction of Mei Lin’s apartment. He could feel her presence in the city, could sense that she was close, but still unaware of her connection to the curse. She was just a mortal. But then why did he feel this pull? This uncontrollable urge to protect her? Why did the prophecy feel like a heavy weight pressing against his chest, a force he couldn’t ignore? Li Wei closed his eyes, leaning against the cold glass of the window. The familiar weight of the prophecy settled back into place, suffocating him. He had made his choice. There was no going back. As he prepared to leave and carry out his mission, he couldn’t shake the vision of Mei Lin’s face, still fresh in his mind. He could hear the echo of her voice—sharp, strong, full of life—and it caused a hollow ache deep in his chest. No. This was for the good of the immortal realm. His personal feelings didn’t matter. He would finish his task. He would kill Mei Lin, and the curse would be broken. Li Wei paused in the doorway, one hand on the handle, as a strange warmth spread through his chest. His thoughts wandered back to Mei Lin. This was it. The time to end the curse was near. But the moment their eyes met again, something inside him shifted, leaving him questioning everything. Was he really the man for this mission? Or was he something else entirely now? The question lingered as he stepped out into the night, the weight of fate heavier than ever before. Mei Lin sat at her small dining table, the faint hum of the city outside barely reaching her ears. The apartment was quiet, the kind of quiet that made her feel both at ease and strangely unsettled. Her laptop sat open in front of her, a half-drunk cup of tea next to it, forgotten. Stacks of books—mostly novels and a few self-help guides—were scattered around her on the table and across the couch. Nothing out of the ordinary. The day had been like any other: work, coffee breaks, checking in with friends. Mei Lin felt the familiar weight of her ordinary life pressing in on her, the routine that had become a source of comfort. It was a life of small joys—her job at the small marketing firm, the occasional dinner with friends, the long weekends filled with lazy mornings and guilty pleasures like binge-watching shows. But for some reason, there was always a nagging feeling. A sensation she couldn’t explain—a feeling that something was missing. It wasn’t as though she was dissatisfied with her life. No, it was more like a quiet yearning, a pull in the pit of her stomach that she couldn’t name. It was always there, lurking in the background.