Mystic Eyes: My Eyes Steal the Laws of Cultivation Chapter 544: Past (2)

"Shortly afterward... my Celestial Physique fully awakened." She let out a small sigh, a sound of resignation.

"At that time, I still didn’t fully understand its effects. But it only took a few months for me to realize something. People... looked at me differently. Some immediately looked away, as if blinded by an intense light. Others simply stood there staring at me, their mouths slightly open. As if they had completely forgotten where they were, what they were doing, and who they were."

She slowly lowered her head, the mist around her shoulders thickening like a protective cloak that was, in truth, a prison.

"And then... I became afraid." The confession was simple, yet devastating.

"Afraid that it would happen again. Afraid of awakening that same obsession in other people. Afraid that more blood would be spilled because of me."

The truth was bitter. Her beauty, which should have been a gift, had become a curse, a flame that drew moths only for them to burn as they approached. The guilt, irrational though it was, gnawed away at her from within.

Her voice almost became a whisper, so quiet that Kyrian had to focus to hear her.

"That was when I decided to disappear. Not physically... but from the eyes of others."

She slowly raised one hand to her hidden face, her fingers hovering just centimeters from the mist concealing it.

"I used the power of my Celestial Physique to create a permanent illusion. An appearance that was beautiful, yes, but ordinary enough that no one would lose their mind upon seeing me. Beautiful, but not devastating. Memorable, but not unforgettable."

She let out a small, joyless laugh, the empty sound echoing throughout the domain.

"I spent years maintaining that illusion. Over time... even my own family forgot what my real face looked like. I became a stranger to myself, a blurred figure in my own memories." She paused, the pain of that self-erasure evident in her voice.

"Today... I think only my father still remembers."

Silence returned. This time, it was much deeper, an abyss of shared understanding and sorrow.

Kyrian reflected for a long time on everything he had just heard. He had never imagined that someone could carry such a burden.

Beauty, something so many people desired, had become for her a source of pain, fear, and isolation. He thought about his own life, about his appearance, which, although considered handsome, had never brought him any trouble beyond a few lingering glances. He understood now what a privilege it was to exist in the world without needing to hide.

After a few moments, he spoke calmly, his voice cutting through the silence like a ray of light in a dark cave.

"That... really sounds difficult." His voice was sincere, without a trace of pity or exaggerated sympathy. Only understanding, an acknowledgment of the depth of her struggle.

He inclined his head slightly, a gesture of respect.

"I never imagined someone could be hunted simply because of their appearance." He thought for a moment, choosing his words carefully.

"Some people have told me I’m good-looking too. But... I never imagined anything like this. To me, it was just a characteristic, like the color of my hair. For you, it became a sentence."

Gao Ziyue smiled faintly behind the mist, a smile that didn’t reach her eyes, yet was still genuine. She looked down at her own hand, watching her slender fingers move through the haze.

"Beauty... can be a gift. Or a curse." She repeated the words as though convincing herself of them once more.

"In my case... it ended up becoming a chain."

Kyrian remained silent, allowing her words to linger in the air. He didn’t need to say anything. Simply being there, listening without judgment, was enough.

A little while later, she took a deep breath, and Kyrian realized something had changed in her posture. She seemed lighter, as though removing that weight from her heart had eased her loneliness, if only slightly. The words she had kept buried for so long had finally found someone willing to hear them.

"Thank you." She said softly, her voice filled with a gratitude that went beyond words.

"It’s strange talking about this. Almost no one knows this story."

Kyrian answered immediately, his voice firm.

"You don’t have to thank me. You simply trusted me."

She continued looking at him through the mist. There was a new quality in her gaze, a vulnerability she had never shown before, but also a spark of connection.

Another silence settled between them. But now, it was different. Closer. More comfortable. The abyss that had separated them had grown smaller, filled by trust and understanding.

Then, her voice became slightly more hesitant, as though she were preparing to take a leap into the unknown.

"Kyrian..." She seemed to carefully weigh her words, each one heavy with meaning.

"Would you... like to meet me in person? Outside of here. So we can talk properly."

Kyrian didn’t even have to think. The question lingered in the air for only a second before his answer came, clear and without hesitation.

"Yes. I would."

The reply came so quickly that Gao Ziyue remained speechless for several seconds. Even the mist surrounding her body seemed to waver slightly, surprised by how readily he had agreed.

"You answered quickly." There was a faint note of surprise, and perhaps a touch of hope, in her voice.

Kyrian smiled, a smile she couldn’t see, but one that could undoubtedly be felt in the energy radiating from him.

"Because I don’t see any reason to refuse."

She remained silent for a few moments, digesting his words. Then, when she answered, her voice was steadier, filled with a newfound determination.

"Then... we can meet tomorrow. In the main square. In front of the four great auction halls. After sunset. During the Festival."

Kyrian nodded, even though he knew she couldn’t see him.

"I’ll be there."

"It’s a promise." Her reply was soft, almost a whisper.

For a moment, she seemed to want to say something more. Perhaps ask him something, perhaps ask him not to be late, perhaps simply continue talking, prolonging that moment of unique intimacy. But before any words could leave her lips, the entire domain began to tremble.

The darkness rippled violently, like the surface of an ocean shaken by a storm. Azhura’k’s gigantic eye shone with far greater intensity than usual, its golden pupil contracting and dilating at a frantic pace.

The shadows surrounding Gao Ziyue began to distort, pulling her backward like spectral fingers. Her silhouette became unstable, fragmented, like a reflection upon troubled water.

"Kyrian...!" Her voice echoed through the void, but this time it sounded distant, muffled, as though it were coming from a place far away, beyond a thick veil.

He took a step toward her, extending his hand, trying to reach her. But at that very instant, he felt his consciousness being pulled backward, as though an invisible rope were tied to his soul.

There was no force he could resist, no technique capable of anchoring him within that world of dreams and shadows. The entire domain vanished before his eyes, dissolving into a whirlpool of darkness and light, and the darkness was replaced by a gentle radiance.