"Divine Maiden Xi Yao." The blurred figure called her again, its voice unhurried yet piercing, as if it could penetrate bone and blood.
Xi Yao steadied herself. "Who are you?"
The figure did not answer, but Qi Yan spoke first. "Another cryptic half-speaker. Do all you phantoms have a professional requirement to talk in riddles?"
The shadow seemed to smile. "I am the manifestation of your heart. You may call me 'Mirror Spirit.'"
Xi Yao frowned. "Manifestation of my heart? Since when did my heart house something like you?"
Mirror Spirit shook its head. "I was born when your heart shattered. I exist because you cannot forget."
"Then if I stop thinking about you entirely, will you disappear?" Her tone carried three parts skepticism, seven parts impatience.
"If you forget me, I will not vanish. I will only slumber."
"Then you might as well keep sleeping."
Qi Yan chuckled beside her. "I, for one, would love to see what other strange things your heart has been hiding."
Xi Yao rolled her eyes and ignored him, turning back to Mirror Spirit. "You said 'you've finally come.' What did you mean?"
Mirror Spirit sighed, and peach blossoms drifted down around them. "You once used your divine heart to seal the Demon God. As long as the divine heart remains, the Divine Maiden cannot perish. Though you have lost your divinity, a wisp of your divine will still lingers."
"But you refuse to remember the past. You refuse to face your regrets. And so, your divine heart sank into the Lake of Heart's Reflection."
Xi Yao's lips twitched. "You're saying I threw my own divine heart into a lake?"
Mirror Spirit nodded slowly.
"Why not toss it into a ditch instead? A lake seems like too much effort," she muttered under her breath.
Qi Yan couldn't help but laugh. "How environmentally conscious of you."
Xi Yao smacked his arm. "Stop talking."
She turned back to Mirror Spirit, her expression serious. "Then how do I retrieve my divine heart?"
Mirror Spirit answered, "The divine heart lies at the bottom of the Lake of Heart's Reflection. Only by recalling your past can you summon it back."
Xi Yao paused. "I have to recover my memories?"
Mirror Spirit nodded. "On the day you sealed the Demon God, your heart fractured, and your memories scattered into the depths of your heartscape along with your divine power. Only by stepping into the Lake of Heart's Reflection and reclaiming those fragments can you awaken your divine heart."
"Where is this lake?"
"Walk three hundred paces ahead. Turn onto the hidden path deep in the peach grove. The lake lies within the mist, and the heart beneath the water."
Qi Yan raised a brow. "Sounds close enough."
"Shut up." Xi Yao strode forward but turned back after a few steps. "Are you coming?"
Qi Yan shrugged. "Of course I won't leave you."
"Really?"
"After all, I love you." He placed a hand over his chest dramatically.
Xi Yao snorted. "That was the most abrupt confession I've ever heard."
The two walked three hundred paces through the peach grove, and just as promised, a thin mist rose between the trees, so dense it seemed impenetrable. The faint sound of flowing water echoed from within, as if untouched for millennia.
A narrow path wound ahead, petals strewn across it like a carpet, leading to a lake so pristine it seemed carved by nature itself.
The lake's surface was still as a mirror, reflecting their figures—yet a third shadow appeared beside them.
Xi Yao focused and realized the reflection was her own childhood self, hair tied back in a simple knot, robes neat, her smile innocent and carefree.
She froze.
Even Qi Yan's teasing demeanor faded as he murmured, "Is that you as a child?"
"...I don't remember," Xi Yao whispered.
Mirror Spirit's voice spoke again. "This lake is the domain of the heart's reflection. It mirrors the soul and reveals the shadows within. If you wish to reclaim your divine heart, you must awaken the buried memories one by one."
"How?"
Mirror Spirit answered plainly. "Jump in."
Xi Yao: "..."
Qi Yan glanced at her. "Let's jump. Together."
"I'm scared!" She gritted her teeth.
Qi Yan took her hand. "I'm here. There's nothing to fear. But—do you truly want to recover these memories?"
Xi Yao: "Yes!"
She stared at the lake, wrinkling her nose. "Will I die if I jump?"
Mirror Spirit: "If you die, I'll finally be free."
Qi Yan burst out laughing. "I like this Mirror Spirit. Straight to the point."
Without another word, Xi Yao grabbed Qi Yan's hand and leaped into the lake.
"Splash!"
Ripples spread across the surface, but the water soon stilled once more.
Mirror Spirit crouched by the shore, watching for a moment before sighing and propping its chin on its hand.
"I hadn't even finished speaking before they jumped."