Chu Yao turned and left, and the Yu people made way for her, as if she were already the mistress of this place.
Before A-Tuo could react, the entire Feather Land suddenly cracked open, and a beam of feathered light engulfed him. He was dragged into a deeper darkness, where there were no feathers, no Yu people, only a mirror.
No.
That was no ordinary mirror.
It was a black mirror wall pieced together from thousands of feathers, and within each feather, there was a blurry shadow. As he approached, a shadow in the mirror slowly turned its head and smiled.
It was him.
—No, that's not right. That "him" had a deathly gaze, his whole body was covered in feathers, and only half of his face retained human features, the other half entwined with feather quills, like a decaying specimen.
He slowly opened his mouth, his voice low and hoarse, yet identical to A-Tuo's:
"You think you're the first 'you' to come here?"
A-Tuo took a step back, his heart pounding like thunder: "Who are you...?"
The other smiled, pointing a finger behind him: "You've already reached the place I once reached."
"I killed Chu Yao."
"But killing her didn't make my feathers disappear. It only made me completely become this."
The feathered shadow A-Tuo approached, whispering:
"You only have two feathers now; I have thirteen. Each one comes from a struggle, a lie, a betrayal."
The mirror wall suddenly trembled, and countless feathers surged forth, coiling around A-Tuo's arms like long snakes, tightly constricting him.
The feathered shadow A-Tuo whispered:
"Escape? You can't escape. Chu Yao wasn't the only lie; your lies started long ago—from the moment you picked up the feather, you've been convincing yourself 'this is just a dream'."
A-Tuo struggled violently, gritting his teeth and roaring:
"I'm not you!!"
He grabbed a black feather and fiercely stabbed it towards the feathered shadow's face— But the feathered shadow didn't react, only saying calmly:
"You'll become me sooner or later, unless you find the true 'Heart of the Feather Kingdom'."
The mirror shattered.
A-Tuo fell back into the Feather Land, his hands covered in blood, and the pain of a third feather breaking through his skin came from his back.
He no longer had time to hesitate.
The Feather Kingdom was not just judgment— It was a mirror.
A-Tuo found it increasingly difficult to keep his distance from Chu Yao. Even knowing that she no longer seemed to be the purely "victimized" person she once was, he couldn't let go of the contradiction and doubt in his heart.
He still remembered the innocence and pain on her face, the way her tears had fallen onto the pile of feathers. But when he looked back at her now, he found that her eyes no longer held a trace of pity, only cold calculation.
"A-Tuo," Chu Yao suddenly spoke, her voice no longer as gentle as before, but carrying a hint of indescribable coldness, "do you regret picking up that feather back then?"
A-Tuo stopped in his tracks, stunned. He didn't know how to answer. His hand unconsciously reached behind him, touching the third feather that had already grown, feeling as if it had locked away a part of his life.
"I don't know," he whispered, "I... I wanted to go back to a normal life, but it's all too late now, isn't it?"
A faint smile curled up at the corner of Chu Yao's lips, carrying an uncharacteristic sinister air: "You can still go back, but I can't."
"What are you talking about?" A-Tuo frowned.
She slowly walked towards him, each step seeming to increase the pressure on A-Tuo's heart: "Do you think I came here just to escape the Feather Kingdom? No, A-Tuo, I'm here to fulfill my mission."
A-Tuo's heart pounded faster, and the feather on his back throbbed intensely, as if being pulled by some force.
"What... what exactly do you want to do?" A-Tuo finally couldn't help but ask.
Chu Yao's gaze became exceptionally cold: "You don't understand; you don't understand the true face of the Feather Kingdom at all. I came here not to escape fate, but to change everything."
"Change?" A-Tuo asked, puzzled, "How?"
Chu Yao's smile grew colder: "If I can control this world here, make everyone feathered, so that no one can escape, I can become the final master, break this curse. You and I, A-Tuo, our fates have long been locked by the rules here, unable to escape."
Listening to these words, a huge wave surged in A-Tuo's heart. He didn't know how to react; the Chu Yao before him was no longer the victimized girl she once was. Her eyes were filled with coldness and determination.
"But, Chu Yao, doing this will kill everyone!" A-Tuo almost growled, "Have you forgotten how you got here? Weren't you also trapped by this place?"
Chu Yao didn't answer, only stared at A-Tuo's back, smiling slightly: "I don't care anymore. Neither do you, A-Tuo. Is there any other choice besides being feathered?"
Her tone was chillingly calm, like a prelude to an unavoidable tragedy.
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