A-Tuo's heart pounded like thunder, shaking his entire being. Each word seemed to echo from the abyss. Linna and Chu Yao before him were like two insurmountable walls, forcing him to make a choice.
"I choose..." he gritted his teeth, determination blazing in his eyes, but his voice was extremely low. "I choose to escape."
As soon as these words left his lips, the silence in the air seemed to shatter instantly, compressing the surrounding space and distorting everything visible.
Chu Yao's expression suddenly turned incredibly gloomy, the corners of her mouth curving into a playful smile. "Escape?" she echoed softly. "Do you think you can escape all of this by running away?"
A flash of urgency crossed Linna's eyes. She reached out to grab A-Tuo, but he coldly refused. "Escape is the only choice," A-Tuo's voice grew firmer. "Even if I don't know what the future holds, at least I can control my own destiny, instead of being dictated by these so-called rules."
Chu Yao sneered and suddenly retreated, her figure quickly disappearing into the shadows, leaving behind a whisper that pierced the darkness like a dagger. "Run then, A-Tuo, but you'll find that this world is not as simple as you imagine."
As her voice faded, A-Tuo suddenly felt a powerful pull from behind. He spun around abruptly and saw a black feather silently piercing his back. The feather was like a sharp arrow, directly penetrating his skin, instantly igniting a sharp pain.
"No!" A-Tuo grabbed the feather fiercely, trying to pull it out, but it seemed to be tightly connected to some power within him, impossible to remove no matter how hard he tried.
Linna's face turned pale instantly. She lunged towards A-Tuo, tightly gripping his wrist. "A-Tuo, don't! This is the curse of the Feather Kingdom! Once feathers grow on your back, there's no turning back!"
A-Tuo's breathing became rapid, and cold sweat dripped from his forehead. This feather was like an invisible chain, forever binding his freedom.
"Then... then what should I do?" His voice was almost a growl. "How can I get rid of all this?"
Linna gritted her teeth, her tone resolute. "Only through the truth can you break this curse. Find the core of the Feather Kingdom, shatter its rules, and you can unlock the feathers on your back and regain your freedom."
Just as A-Tuo was about to ask more, a sharp scream suddenly echoed from all around, and a suffocatingly bloody scent filled the air. A-Tuo's gaze was involuntarily drawn into the distance, where he saw a figure being devoured by a massive black shadow.
"That is..." A-Tuo's tone was urgent, his heart jolting.
"The Feather Kingdom's subordinates, they've come," Linna's voice grew even more serious. "They've sensed the feather on your back and have begun tracking you."
A-Tuo's body trembled violently. He couldn't help but grab Linna's arm. "I can't stay here anymore, I have to leave! I have to escape!"
Linna's gaze dimmed. Her fingers gripped A-Tuo's hand tightly, as if telling him this was his last chance. "You can run, but you can't escape all of this. Only by facing it and uncovering the truth can you gain freedom."
An unprecedented vortex surged in A-Tuo's heart. The feather on his back felt like burning fire, constantly tearing at every inch of his skin. He felt trapped; no matter which path he chose, he seemed unable to escape this fate.
In that moment, he made the most painful decision—he would uncover the truth of the Feather Kingdom, even if it meant risking his life.
"I will start to resist," determination hardened A-Tuo's gaze. "I will not let myself become a prisoner of fate."
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