"Mediator?" Yu Yi's fingers absently traced his dagger's hilt. "System, explain."  

    A glitched voice crackled: *—"Mediators: Rule-breaking exiles branded with astral codes by the Creator's punishment—"* The transmission died mid-sentence.  

    "Sorry, no clue what you're talking about." Moonlight sliced through the hidden door, dividing the chamber into light and shadow. Yu Yi stood illuminated while Su Luan lingered in darkness.  

    *System, did I trigger some hidden quest?* Silence.  

    Su Luan's patent loafers clacked like antique typewriters. "You're conversing with it, aren't you? No signals escape my domain."  

    Yu Yi's dagger flashed defensively. Ten unanswered system calls confirmed her claim.  

    "Black cedar scent," she murmured, advancing as he retreated against the altar's cold edge. "I know you, Yu Yi."  

    "Just a nobody, lady."  

    Her chuckle held decades-old familiarity. "You vanished after our last rebellion. Fifty-five lifetimes I've cycled……" Pale arms revealed glowing fissures—cracked porcelain veins pulsing cerulean.  

    "*This* is defying the Creator's price." She waved a hand, fracturing moonlight into stained-glass shards. "Our 'fate.'"  

    Yu Yi lit a cigarette. Smoke curled into Möbius rings above her neck. "Failure's not my curtain call." Ash burned his thumb—a scar that never faded.  

    Gears groaned as the system screeched: **[Illegal program detected. Purge initiated.]**  

    "The island's truth runs deeper." Su Luan extended cracked palms. "Will you trust me?"  

    He crushed the cigarette. "I respect fate…… don't obey it." Dagger pommel *tinked* rhythmically with clockwork precision. "My story stays mine."  

    "Pleasure collaborating, Su Luan."  

    **[Recalibrating timeline……]** The system rebooted through static.