The Bridge of the Void

The Bridge of the Red Thread was a legend. A span of spiritual energy that crossed the Infinite Void, connecting the mortal realm to the unknown. It was said to bind soulmates.

For Luo Yi, it was just a dead end.

He sprinted onto the bridge. It was narrow, glowing faintly red, suspended over a drop that went down forever. The wind howled, trying to blow him off. Lightning cracked around him, smelling his curse.

He reached the middle of the bridge and stopped. He turned.

The Karma Beast was thundering behind him, tearing up the stones.

Luo Yi panted, wiping blood from his mouth. His core was shattering. He could feel it. The cracks spreading like spiderwebs on glass.

"End of the line," he whispered.

He climbed onto the railing. If he jumped into the void, the Karma Beast would follow. The bad luck would vanish with him. Shen An would recover.

"LUO YI!"

The shout was raw, desperate.

Luo Yi froze. He looked back.

Shen An was running onto the bridge. He was limping, clutching his ribs, his robes soaked in black blood. He looked like a ruin. He looked beautiful.

"Go back!" Luo Yi yelled, swaying over the abyss. "I'm ending it!"

"Get down!" Shen An roared. The stoicism was gone. He was frantic, eyes wild. "If you jump, I jump!"

"You have Golden Karma!" Luo Yi cried. "You have a future! Don't throw it away on a jinx!"

Shen An didn't stop. He sprinted, ignoring the pain, ignoring the Beast that snapped at his heels. He reached Luo Yi just as Luo Yi let go of the railing.

Shen An didn't catch his hand.

He tackled him.

They crashed onto the glowing red stones of the bridge. Shen An pinned Luo Yi down, his hands gripping Luo Yi’s collar, shaking him.

"I don't care about the future!" Shen An screamed, tears streaming down his face. "I don't care about the karma! I am lovesick, you stupid, calamitous fool! I am sick with it!"

Luo Yi stared up at him, stunned. "Shen An..."

The Karma Beast loomed over them, raising a massive paw to crush them both.

The sky opened up. A tribulation lightning bolt—the biggest one yet—aimed straight for Luo Yi’s heart.

Shen An looked up. He didn't try to block it. He didn't try to dodge.

He reached into his sleeve and pulled out a length of red cord—the same cord Luo Yi had jokingly braided into his hair weeks ago.

Shen An tied one end to his own wrist and the other to Luo Yi’s.

"If you have bad luck," Shen An declared, pulling Luo Yi against his chest, "then I will be unlucky with you."

He kissed him.

It was desperate and salty and full of blood.

The lightning struck.