Chapter 7 CHAPTER 7 — MEI-LING

My right hand kept moving on its own, pulling threads I never chose. The Calamity shadow thrashed once more before sinking deeper into the Gate like something had yanked its leash.

“Boss!” Ren shouted, voice still dragging in the distorted time. “Your arm! What the fuck is happening to you? Talk to me!”

I tried to answer. I really did. But my mouth wouldn’t obey. Instead, my legs stepped forward through the frozen chaos with clean, precise movements I’d never make myself. Too efficient. Too cold.

Lian’s eyes went wide with terror. “Wei? Wei, stop! That’s not you moving like that. I can feel her. She’s everywhere inside you right now. Please fight it!”

My voice came out, but the words weren’t mine. Calm. Steady. Familiar in a way that punched me in the chest.

“Stay back, both of you. I’ve got this.”

Ren swung his axe down, embedding it in the floor to anchor himself as gravity flickered again. “That doesn’t sound like you, boss! Your voice… it’s softer. Different. Lian, what the hell is going on?”

“She’s here,” Lian whispered, voice breaking. “Mei-Ling. She’s not just whispering anymore. She’s driving. Wei, if you can hear me, push back! Don’t let her take over completely!”

I could hear them. I was still conscious, trapped behind my own eyes like a passenger. I screamed inside my head, trying to force my hand to stop, my legs to freeze. Nothing. My body kept advancing toward the Gate with perfect balance, even as the world bent around us.

[Mei-Ling. Stop. This is my squad. My fight.]

But she didn’t stop. My fingers danced through the air, tugging threads with surgical precision. The Gate responded instantly, its violet swirls calming instead of fighting. Tendrils that had been whipping wildly now retracted smoothly, almost obediently.

Zhao Yun’s voice cut through comms, tight with alarm. “Captain, your Thread signature just shifted. The patterns are different. Cleaner. The Gate’s energy is dropping faster than any model predicted. What are you doing differently, sir?”

My mouth moved again. “Finishing what we started, Yun. Keep the squad safe. I’ll handle the rest.”

Ren splashed forward, ignoring the danger. “No! That’s not how you sound when you’re working, boss. You usually grunt and curse and tell us to stop worrying. This… this is wrong. Fight whatever’s inside you! We need you, not… not this version!”

I pushed harder internally, trying to reclaim my arms, my voice, anything. For a second I felt resistance, like two hands on the same wheel. My left hand twitched, almost mine again. But then warmth flooded through me. Her warmth. The one I’d buried for three years. The one I still missed every single day.

[Mei-Ling… please. Let me have this.]

Her presence didn’t push me aside roughly. It simply held. Gentle but firm.

My body turned slightly toward the squad. My eyes met Lian’s. The words that came out were soft, caring in a way I rarely allowed myself to show.

“Lian, breathe. I know you’re scared. Ren, lower the axe. I’m not going to hurt them. I’m protecting you. All of you. Just like he always tries to.”

Ren’s face twisted. “He? You mean Wei? Lady, if that’s really you in there, get the fuck out of him! He’d never forgive himself if he loses control like this. We’ve seen what the Thread costs him already. Don’t make it worse!”

Lian was crying now, tears cutting through the grime on her face. “Mei-Ling… if you can hear me, please. He loves you. But this body is his. You’re hurting him. I can feel his fear mixing with yours. Let him back. We can do this together.”

I fought again, harder this time. My right hand spasmed. For one heartbeat I almost regained control of my fingers. That’s it. Push. This is my squad. My responsibility.

But the Gate pulsed, and the Calamity shadow stirred again, threatening to break free.

My mouth opened. Her voice came out clear, calm, and devastatingly real.

“Let me finish this.”

My hands rose. Threads I couldn’t even see flowed from me effortlessly. The Gate responded like it had been waiting for her specifically. The swirling vortex slowed, stabilized, then began collapsing inward with clean precision. No explosions. No backlash. Just perfect, surgical sealing.

Ren stared in disbelief. “It’s… working. The whole thing is shutting down. But boss, you look like you aged another ten years in the last minute. Your hair… half of it’s gray now. Stop her!”

Lian reached out desperately. “Wei! Mei-Ling! Whoever’s in control, please! We need him whole. Don’t take him from us!”

The Gate sealed with a final, soft thump. The distorted time snapped back to normal. Gravity settled. The water crashed down around us in normal waves.

I felt her presence linger for one more second, warm and achingly famili

ar.

Then darkness swallowed everything.

I lost time.