Floating life reflects two lotuses

The moonlight, like water, spilled onto the deep palace, making the chill of the tiled roofs even more biting. Xiao Jinlian, clutching an old book she had found deep within the library, hurriedly pushed open the door to her bedchamber. After lighting a candle, she gently brushed the dust off the pages, opened the yellowed book, and the dim light illuminated her solemn face.

The runes etched on the pages were identical to the markings on her bracelet, gleaming faintly, as if whispering in the darkness. A line on the title page pierced her heart: "The power of runes originates from royal blood. Protection and curse coexist, and the rise and fall of dynasties are determined by them."

Xiao Jinlian's fingertips lightly traced the pages, a chill rising from the depths of her heart. She turned to the next page, her gaze falling upon an ancient legend: To consolidate his rule, a certain emperor made a pact with a sorcerer named Luo Yuan, infusing powerful spiritual energy into runes to forge a secret treasure capable of protecting the royal family. However, this power was not without its price. While the runes granted power, they also firmly bound the fate of the royal family. A curse was born—in every generation of the royal family, someone would inevitably die due to the exhaustion of the runes' power, a destiny etched deep within their bloodline, from which no one could escape.

The candlelight flickered, and Xiao Jinlian gripped the book in her hand slightly. She raised her hand and stared at the runes on the bracelet; the cold touch seemed to be etched into her very bones.

"Was my fate already predetermined?" she murmured, her voice filled with resentment and doubt. "Who exactly is this Luo Yuan?"

Meanwhile, night fell over the military camp, and Li Heng, as always, was poring over old files under the lamplight. Suddenly, his gaze fell upon a long-sealed dossier. The record mentioned that a spiritual war had broken out on this land a century ago. Both sides used runes to manipulate spiritual power, and the epicenter of that war was the core region ruled by the royal ancestors.

“Runes…” Li Heng murmured, his brows furrowed, “They are not only a symbol of royalty, but may also be the source of disaster.”

The file also mentioned that the power of runes had been used as spiritual weapons, and that war ultimately resulted in devastating consequences due to the rampage of spiritual energy. Li Heng's expression grew increasingly grim. He realized that this was not just a crisis for Xiao Jinlian alone, but an abyss for the entire royal family, and even the entire dynasty.

Late at night, Li Heng brought his discoveries to Xiao Jinlian's palace. He pushed open the door and saw her reading under the lamp, her face pale, her expression weary yet filled with a restrained resolve. He remained silent for a moment, then finally spoke in a low voice: "These runes may not only be destroying your life, but could also destroy the future of the entire nation."

Xiao Jinlian raised her head, her gaze flickering slightly, but she quickly regained her composure. She put the book aside, looked directly at Li Heng, and said with a resolute voice, "Running away won't change my fate. I must find the truth, no matter the cost."

Li Heng remained silent for a moment, a complex emotion flashing in his eyes. He nodded slowly, his tone becoming more resolute: "Then I will investigate with you to the end. No matter what lies ahead, I will not let you face it alone."

The candlelight flickered in the night breeze, illuminating their different yet equally resolute expressions. In this tranquil night, their vows were like a flame, piercing through the shadows of fate and igniting new hope for unsolved truths and unknown crises.

In the laboratory late at night, the cold white light illuminated Chu Wanlian's tense expression. The runes on the screen were clear and ancient, exactly like the images that repeatedly appeared in her dreams, like a summons from the distant past. Her breathing quickened, and her fingers trembled as they slid along the edge of the screen. The runes before her seemed to be burning, pulling her into a strange yet familiar world.

“These runes… are not just the key to the energy field,” she murmured to herself, “they… transcend time.”

At that moment, a soft footstep broke the silence of the laboratory. Chu Wanlian turned around abruptly and saw Li Chenyao push open the door and enter, his expression even colder than usual. His usual composure had vanished, replaced by an unfathomable sense of oppression.

“You have touched its essence.” His voice was low, carrying a warning and a certain elusive emotion.

Chu Wanlian's heart tightened; her intuition told her that Li Chenyao knew something. "You... know the secret of these runes?"

Li Chenyao approached slowly, his gaze fixed on her intently. "My family has been studying the power of these runes." His voice was low and slow, yet every word seemed to carry weight. "We have discovered that these runes are not only a medium of energy, but also a bridge that transcends time and space and connects souls. And more importantly, they once changed history in a certain era."

"Change history?" Chu Wanlian's heart tightened suddenly, her thoughts in turmoil. "You mean... a certain era?"

Li Chenyao nodded, his tone growing increasingly profound, "The power of runes transcends time and space; it exists at every intersection. And your appearance may not be accidental. In fact, research on runes has long mentioned a 'key,' and it is she who can unlock all secrets."

"The key?" Chu Wanlian's fingertips trembled slightly, her voice filled with unease and confusion.

Li Chenyao's gaze grew increasingly complex. He remained silent for a moment before slowly saying, "Records in rune research mention that the key is related to a certain mark. That mark can exist in the body or it may be hidden in the soul. And you..." He paused, his tone low, "I suspect that you bear traces of it."

Chu Wanlian suddenly raised her head and questioned, "What makes you say that? I don't have any marks on me!"

Li Chenyao's expression did not relax at all, and his voice was even lower, "Because of the laboratory records. A few weeks ago, your body triggered an abnormal reaction during an energy test. We analyzed the data from that test and found that your reaction wave almost perfectly matched the psionic waveform of the rune. And this kind of matching has never appeared in anyone else."

Chu Wanlian froze, recalling the test he had mentioned. She remembered that it was just a routine energy experiment, but she had indeed felt dizzy briefly during it—at the time, she thought it was a malfunction of the equipment and didn't even think much of it.

"That test..." she asked softly, "What did you hide?"

Li Chenyao did not deny it and nodded. "I suspected that the power of the runes was affecting you, but I didn't have any conclusive evidence. Until recently, your reaction to contact with the rune patterns has become stronger and stronger. You said that you see some fragments in your dreams, right? The content of those dreams... is very likely not fiction, but real history. And all of this points to only one answer - you are the key."

Countless images flooded Chu Wanlian's mind: those blurry dreams, the shimmering light of runes, the whispers echoing in the ancient palace, the figure of Xiao Jinlian... They were no longer scattered fragments, but pieced together into a clear clue, connecting her with a certain destiny in the past.

She took a deep breath and asked, "If these runes really connect the ancient and the modern... then I..." Her voice trembled slightly, "...wouldn't that mean..."

Li Chenyao nodded slowly, his tone deep and complex: "Yes, you are not only the key, but also the one who ends the curse."

The air seemed to freeze, leaving only the faint hum of the instruments in the laboratory. Chu Wanlian's heart pounded like thunder. She had a vague feeling that this battle over runes not only transcended time and space but also involved her and another version of herself. To unravel this millennia-old mystery, she had to confront the unknown fears and find the origin of everything.

"Will you continue the investigation?" Li Chenyao's voice was low and probing.

Chu Wanlian raised her head, her eyes filled with confusion yet revealing a resolute light. "If I were the key, I would find my own answer."

At this moment, Xiao Jinlian was browsing through ancient books in her palace when she discovered a line of text that chilled her to the bone: "The power of runes comes at the cost of destiny, and the key to destiny will surely be revealed at the intersection of two timelines."

She stared at the sentence, her voice barely audible as she murmured, "The key to destiny... who will it be?"

She looked up at the window; the cold moonlight, like frost, shone down on the deep palace, quiet and heavy.

Chu Wanlian felt a burning sensation in her palm; it was the faint ache caused by the power of the runes. Her gaze pierced through the laboratory window, looking up at the deep night sky, as if she were staring at herself from another dimension.

Two people from different times are already inextricably intertwined on the chessboard of fate. Their actions are pushing the truth into the light and bringing their destined choices to their conclusion.