The room was quiet.
Too quiet.
The broken glass still shimmered on the floor. The cold wind blew in through the destroyed window. But Yun Hao barely felt it.
His whole body was stiff. Numb.
> "You… you said I was a prince?"
"In your world?"
"In another life?"
He couldn't understand.
Couldn't breathe.
His hands were trembling where they gripped the couch cushion. His heart felt like it didn't know whether to stop or beat out of his chest.
> "Stop joking," he whispered.
But Ruin didn't laugh.
He just looked at him. Calm. Still. Devastatingly serious.
"You weren't meant to remember. Not like this," Ruin murmured. "But the seal is breaking. And the sigil appearing on your chest… it means the bond we once shared is waking up too."
Yun Hao shook his head. "What bond? I've never met you before—"
"Yes, you have."
The answer came like lightning.
And Ruin took a slow step forward.
"Not in this life. But your soul… it remembers mine. Even if your mind doesn't."
He raised his hand, fingers glowing faintly with dark red energy.
"Your soul belonged to me once. Just like mine belonged to you. We were bound in front of the Demon Thrones. You were the mortal who defied the heavens, crossed the realms, and chose me."
Yun Hao opened his mouth to speak—
But nothing came out.
His legs gave out. He dropped to the floor, hard. His fingers dug into the carpet as he tried to process the impossible.
> "This has to be a mistake."
"This isn't real. It can't be real—"
"Your name was Haoel," Ruin whispered, kneeling in front of him. "You were the Oracle of the Last Gate. The only human to ever enter the Abyss willingly. You looked me in the eyes, held out your heart, and said… 'I'd rather be yours than live another day on Earth.'"
Yun Hao's breath caught.
> Something burned in his chest.
Not pain. Not fear.
Recognition.
Images flooded his head. Blurred. Twisted. Bright.
A pair of demon eyes staring into his. A black crown. A voice—his own, but deeper, older—screaming a name across a collapsing sky.
> "Ruin—!"
He gasped.
His hand flew to his chest again, over the mark.
And this time—it pulsed back.
Like it was alive. Like it knew.
"I'm losing my mind," Yun Hao said, voice cracking.
"You're remembering," Ruin whispered, reaching out.
His fingers brushed Yun Hao's cheek gently. Carefully.
"Everything changed when you died. The gates collapsed. I was thrown into a hundred years of war. The contract we made shattered. And your soul was reborn… into this world. Into this life."
"But why now?" Yun Hao whispered. "Why… am I remembering now?"
Ruin's jaw tightened. His voice dropped, darker now.
"Because the demon realm is close to falling again. And the old kings have sensed your soul's return. They'll do anything to claim it. Because if you remember who you were—if you awaken completely…"
He leaned in, forehead almost touching Yun Hao's.
"…you'll have the power to rewrite the contract. To choose me again. Or destroy me."
Yun Hao's eyes widened.
"I could kill you?"
"If you choose to," Ruin said quietly. "You're the Oracle. Your soul was always stronger than mine. You just don't remember it yet."
The room trembled faintly.
The sigil on his chest burned brighter.
And Yun Hao's heart twisted with something he didn't want to name—fear? longing?
> Why does my soul feel like it knows his?
Why do I want to run… and also hold onto him at the same time?
He looked into Ruin's eyes.
"You said we were bound," Yun Hao whispered. "What does that mean? Were we… lovers?"
Ruin paused.
Then smiled faintly. Sadly.
"We were everything. Enemies. Allies. Soulmates. For a thousand years, we walked beside each other. Until the day you died in my arms."
Yun Hao's eyes stung.
"I don't remember any of that."
"I know."
Yun Hao looked away, whispering, "Then stop making me feel like I should."
He stood abruptly, walking toward the bedroom.
But halfway there—his knees gave out