(END)Wei wuxian is back but something is wrong

A trap

Wei Wuxian barely had time to react before Wen Ning’s cold fingers closed around her throat. His grip wasn’t tight—yet—but the sheer unnatural wrongness of his touch sent a shiver down her spine.

— Wen Ning! — she gasped, grabbing his wrist.

His fingers trembled. For a brief moment, his grip loosened, and something flickered behind his blackened eyes.

— Wei-guniang… you shouldn’t… have come…

Then his hand tightened.

Lan Wangji moved instantly.

Bichen flashed, its blade slicing cleanly between them. The force of the strike sent Wen Ning staggering back, breaking his hold on Wei Wuxian. She coughed, stepping away as Lan Wangji positioned himself in front of her, his sword raised.

Wen Ning lifted his head. For a long moment, he simply stared at them. Then, he twitched—his body jerking unnaturally, like a puppet on broken strings.

— You don’t belong here, — he said.

Wei Wuxian’s heart pounded.

— Wen Ning, listen to me! This isn’t you!

But Wen Ning didn’t move. Instead, the ashes around them began to shift. The whispers grew louder.

And then, the ground cracked open.

Darkness surged upward like ink spilling across a page. Shadows writhed, taking shape—figures, dozens of them, crawling out of the earth.

Wei Wuxian’s breath caught in her throat.

They had no faces. No eyes. Only gaping, hollow voids where features should have been.

They turned toward her.

And screamed.

The force of it sent a wave of pressure through the air, so strong it nearly knocked her off her feet.

Lan Wangji caught her arm, steadying her.

— Wei Ying, — he said firmly.

She gritted her teeth.

— Yeah. I know.

This wasn’t a haunting.

This was a trap.

And they had walked right into it.