Irrational fear.
Leylah felt it the moment Shi Tian's Sea of Suffering submerged her. She was overcome with fear, so much so she couldn't breathe. The loneliness she suffered from made dying feel like a luxurious choice. Being forced to live after an irreversible choice and wanting to go back in time to change all past regrets…
It gave rise to Leylah's heart demon.
She was at a loss on what to do. She did not understand why she felt these feelings. She was overwhelmed by their sheer intensity that fear took root in her mind.
Will this happen in reality?
What should I do to stop it?
Could I even stop it in the first place?
Before long, whispers resounded in her ears.
It will happen soon.
You cannot stop it.
Never.
Leylah could no longer distinguish between the false and true. She accepted these words in a daze. Her heart turned lifeless, believing she could not do anything at all.
She could not save Senadina.
She could not defeat the Shadows.
She could not contribute anything to Earth.
She has nothing at all.
Nothing!
…
…
…
The moment of stillness was broken by Senadina. Leylah sat mid-air with her legs crossed. Her opened eyes revealed a dull look. Strands of her black hair stuck to her face. The power of the heart tribulation continuously assaulted her frail body. Leylah's Tao Heart was the one that took most of its brunt. The once clear and pristine heart was mottled with cracks and fissures. Her physical body lost vitality, turning into someone no different than a corpse. Spiritual qi disappeared within her true body. The status she obtained after reaching the Void Refinement Realm was gradually destroyed.
Seeing her eventual downfall, Senadina did not show a trace of satisfaction. There was nothing but conviction within her eyes.
'Only I can prevent that future.'
Leylah's Heart Demon Tribulation was a major anchor of Mars' abnormal state. It is present alongside the future projections' intervention and the Sea of Data's chaotic nature. Inevitably, it was influenced by the latter two. The Sea of Data granted newfound powers that allowed the Heart Demon Tribulation to call forth the Sea's influence. On the other hand, the future projections' intervention caused her Heart Demon Tribulation to gain sentience and memories belonging to the future Leylah.
In other words, the heart demon is Leylah's counterpart with her future self's complete memories!
Most heart demons seek to replace their hosts. To become a real person. Leylah's heart demon was different. She saw the insufferable future resulted by her actions and inability to help. There were a lot of things she could have done, but she did not. Her lack of confidence in herself and her unilateral trust in his words resulted in a tragedy none was ready for.
'I won't make the same mistake as you, so leave it all to me. I will do my best even if it kills me!'
The future Leylah's miserable state reminded the heart demon over and over again that death is a better choice than to do nothing at all. She would rather die than to commit the same mistake again!
The world turned to stillness. Their surroundings looked the same as that of Oxia City, but it is not. The heart demon used the power bestowed by the Sea of Data to transfer the two of them at its deepest section. The Sea's abnormal state hasn't disappeared yet. It was more than enough to disrupt the senses of cultivators at their level. The majority of them, that is.
Shi Tian isn't a part of that majority.
Zip-!
The heart demon immediately looked towards the spatial tear. A pair of bloodied hands pulled it apart. It became big enough for a person to pass through.
The man responsible for it straightened his sleeves stained with golden blood before walking over. The wounds on his hands healed at a visible rate. The chaotic information plaguing its recovery was removed in an instant.
After a period of silence, the heart demon spoke:
"You shouldn't have come here."
"No." Shi Tian shook his head before meeting her gaze. "I am glad I found you here."
The rift behind his back closed on its own. His eyes scanned the space around him. Then, his gaze fell onto her again.
"You are trying to kill her."
"That is what she wants." She replied. "You met her already. She would rather die than to live through it again!"
Her words prompted a swift reply from Shi Tian:
"No, you don't understand."
When he closed the nigh-infinite distance between them, he saw the future Leylah's most sincere emotions. The thing she wished the most wasn't her death.
She wanted to spend her eternity with him…. Just like the others.
Shi Tian did not get angry at the heart demon. He met her confused eyes head-on.
Fear, hesitation, distrust…
She reflected the other side of Leylah.
"Deciding her fate one-sidedly makes you the same as her. Are you afraid of clashing directly against her?"
"..."
The heart demon could not speak, for he is right. She did not want to clash with Leylah. The momentum of her unwavering conviction was formed on the pretense of it being the 'only' answer. Once doubts start appearing, contradicting it, the heart demon would have less of a reason to fight against Leylah.
Just like how Leylah is fighting against her heart demon, this reflection of Leylah is also fighting against ideas that make her stance 'imperfect'.
"It is your nature as a heart demon to take over your host. Everything else is false… even if you are not aware of it."
"..!"
His words struck a chord inside her heart. She stood frozen, her thoughts faltering. Senadina's eyes dimmed. Her power as the heart tribulation weakened as a trace of vitality reawakened inside Leylah.
Sometimes, the power of words is stronger than that of swords.
"...I won't accept it. She wouldn't have birthed me had she trusted more in herself! Even if she knows the future, I won't trust…"
"Let's not fool ourselves. Was it mistrust or longing?" He asked. "You know the answer inside your heart already."
The heart demon which formed "Senadina" did not just reflect Leylah's regrets, but also her longing towards Shi Tian. The emotions she held towards a dead man was something that can be quantified. If 'guilt' does not warrant a justifiable excuse, her longing would.
'It cannot be avoided in the end.'
Seeing her current state, Shi Tian knew a fight was inevitable.