Broken Heart | Arc III: The Truth of Memories
Chapter 8 : Beneath the Blue Gate
Jin Yuan landed on a smooth, metallic platform, the air around him filled with a faint electric hum. The glow of countless neon-blue lights reflected off the endless towers that surrounded him. He gently set Emily down on her feet.
Emily: "Yuan… I'm scared."
Jin Yuan: "Hm? Why?"
His calm, detached voice didn't waver. His expression was unreadable — the same coldness that masked everything inside him.
Emily: "Huh? We just fell into some kind of… place like this! You're not even afraid? I… I don't understand, I feel terrified."
Without thinking, Emily reached out and clutched Jin Yuan's hand. For a brief second, something flickered in his eyes — warmth, confusion, maybe pain — before his face returned to that same hollow calm.
He glanced around at the gleaming towers, the mirrored glass, and the strange floating machinery humming through the air.
Jin Yuan: "...Huh. We should find out what this place is."
Emily nodded nervously, still holding his sleeve.
Jin Yuan: "Seems no one's here."
Suddenly, the ground beneath them split apart — another gate opening in a flash of blue light. Before Jin Yuan could react, both were swallowed by it.
Moments later, they landed back in the dark New York street.
Emily: "Huh?! What… what was that?! We just— we were there, and now we're back!"
Jin Yuan dusted off his suit and adjusted his gloves.
Jin Yuan: "We should leave. I can't fight properly if you're with me. Protecting you and fighting at the same time… it's not easy."
Despite her fear, Emily smiled faintly at his words. They walked quietly through the streets until they reached a tall apartment building.
Emily: "This is my apartment. My room's on the ninth floor. Will you… come up? Please?"
Jin Yuan sighed but followed her.
Inside, the apartment was cozy and clean. Jin Yuan sat on the couch as Emily prepared tea.
Emily: "Would you like some? It might help you relax."
Jin Yuan: "Sure."
She returned with two cups.
Emily: "I hope you'll like it."
He took a slow sip, then nodded.
Jin Yuan: "It's good. I like it… Emily."
Emily's face turned red.
Jin Yuan: "I wonder what's happening in this city."
Emily: "I don't know… but I'm scared."
He looked at her, expression unreadable.
Jin Yuan: "Do you have family?"
Emily: "Yeah. But they're not here. I'm studying abroad. My parents are in Europe for business."
Jin Yuan: "You're coming with me."
Emily: "Coming… with you? Where?"
Jin Yuan: "After what happened, they might come after you too. I can't let someone else suffer because of me."
Emily hesitated, blushing, then nodded.
Emily: "Okay… I'll come. But where to?"
Jin Yuan: "Tokyo. I need to train again. You'll stay with me."
---
Later that night, they boarded a private jet and flew across the ocean.
Hours passed, and they finally arrived at a secluded wooden house deep within a misty forest on the outskirts of Tokyo.
An older man stood waiting — tall, muscular, with a scar cutting across his cheek and eyes like sharpened steel.
Jin Yuan: "Emily, this is my master. He's an elite fighter — I trained under him."
Emily: "Oh… okay!"
They entered the house. It was small — two rooms, nothing more. Jin Yuan led her inside his room: a single bed, a wooden desk, and faint moonlight leaking through the window.
Jin Yuan: "This is my room. The other one belongs to that old man — his name's Shinoikin."
Emily's face turned crimson as she looked around.
Jin Yuan gave a small sigh and stepped outside.
Shinoikin: "Ha! I've been waiting for you, boy. Let's get started with your training!"
Beside the old master stood three others — a calm young man with shoulder-length blue hair and sky-blue eyes, a sharp-eyed white-haired fighter with a scar over his left eye, and a hyperactive boy with messy black hair and red eyes.
Jin Yuan: "Tch. This is ridiculous… not again with you all."
He sighed deeply as the scene faded to black.
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🔥 End of Arc III, Chapter 9