As the prince and Sanny ventured into the first trial, they found themselves transported to the mortal world. Here, the prince lived a life of honor and duty, but his heart yearned for something more—a love he could not have.

In the heart of the battlefield, amidst the chaos of clashing swords and the cries of the wounded, Sanny, a skilled healer as well as a fighter, stumbled upon a fallen soldier. His armor, once gleaming with regal splendor, was now tarnished and blood-stained, his face twisted in pain as he lay motionless on the ground.

Rushing to his side, Sanny's heart pounded with a mixture of fear and determination. "Hold on," she urged urgently, her voice cutting through the cacophony of battle. "Don't you dare give up on me now."

The fallen soldier's eyes fluttered open, his gaze clouded with agony and confusion. "Who... who are you?" he gasped weakly, his voice barely a whisper against the din of war.

Sanny's expression softened with compassion as she worked swiftly to assess his injuries. "I am Sanny," she replied, her tone steady despite the chaos around them. "And I'm here to save your life."

As she tended to his wounds with skilled hands, their eyes met, and in that fleeting moment, a spark ignited—a connection that transcended the boundaries of war and duty. The soldier looked at her with a mixture of gratitude and disbelief, his eyes searching hers for answers he couldn't quite find.

"Thank you," he murmured, his voice filled with sincerity. "I owe you... everything."

Sanny offered him a small, reassuring smile, her heart pounding with a sense of purpose. "Just focus on staying alive," she insisted firmly, though her eyes betrayed the depth of her concern.

"I never imagined I'd find myself in need of a healer's touch especially me the crown prince " the soldier confessed, his voice tinged with self-deprecation. "Least of all from someone as brave and beautiful as you."

Sanny's cheeks flushed at his words, her heart fluttering with a mixture of embarrassment and something else she couldn't quite name. "What crown prince i'm sorry your highness if i stepped out of my boundaries"

The soldier replied " what do you mean you saved my life please don't call me your highness just call me Feng "

And amidst the chaos and the carnage, amidst the uncertainty and fear that gripped their hearts, they found solace in each other's presence. They found comfort in the knowledge that they were not alone.

From that moment on, their bond only grew stronger, fueled by a shared sense of purpose and a deepening connection that defied explanation.

As they rested beneath a canopy of stars one evening, the prince spoke softly, his voice tinged with longing. "Sanny, there's something I must confess... My heart beats only for you."

Sanny's breath caught in her throat, her gaze flickering with uncertainty. "But we cannot," she whispered, her voice trembling with emotion. "You may not know but I belong to the sect, sworn to serve the king until my dying breath to never wed in my life."

The prince reached out, his hand trembling as it brushed against hers. "I know," he murmured, his eyes alight with passion. "But does not love transcend such barriers?"

Their stolen moments together became precious treasures, each fleeting touch igniting a fire that burned brighter with each passing day. Yet as their love blossomed, so too did the specter of danger, lurking in the shadows like a silent predator.

One night, as they lingered in the embrace of the moonlight, Sanny's closest friend approached, her eyes filled with concern. "Sanny, we must talk," she said, her voice tinged with urgency.

Sanny nodded, her heart heavy with dread as she followed her friend into the shadows. "What troubles you ?" she asked, her brow furrowed with concern.

The friend hesitated, her gaze flickering with guilt. "I have heard whispers," she confessed, her voice barely above a whisper. "Whispers of your forbidden love with the prince."

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Sanny's heart sank, her worst fears realized. "I knwo but it's stronger than me" she admitted, her voice barely audible above the rush of the wind. "But our love is pure, born from the depths of our souls."

The friend's eyes softened, her resolve crumbling like sandcastles in the tide. "I understand," she murmured, her voice filled with sorrow. "But you know the consequences of defying the sect's laws."

Tears welled in Sanny's eyes as she embraced her friend, their bond forged in the crucible of shared secrets and unspoken fears. "Thank you," she whispered, her voice choked with emotion. "For being with me, for understanding me i couldn't ask for more."

As they parted ways, the weight of their shared secret hung heavy in the air, casting a shadow over their once unbreakable bond.

Meanwhile, in the prince's chambers, a similar conversation unfolded between him and Sanny.

"I cannot bear to be apart from you any longer," the prince confessed, his voice raw with emotion. "Will you not come with me? Leave behind the sect and be mine, forever?"

Sanny's heart swelled with conflicting emotions, torn between her love for the prince and her allegiance to the sect. "I... I do not know," she stammered, her voice trembling with uncertainty. "To defy the sect would mean forsaking everything I have ever known."

The prince reached out, his hand trembling as it cupped her cheek. "But what is a life without love?" he implored, his eyes pleading with her to see reason. "Together, we can forge a new path—one filled with happiness and freedom."

Tears welled in Sanny's eyes as she gazed into the depths of his soul, seeing the truth of his words reflected back at her. "I... I will think on it," she whispered, her voice barely above a whisper.

As they parted ways, the weight of their uncertain future hung heavy in the air, casting a pall over their once bright hopes and dreams.

Days turned into weeks, and weeks into months, as Sanny wrestled with the impossible choice before her. But she knew that time was running out.

Summoning her courage, she made her decision, her heart heavy with sorrow and regret. "I will come with you," she whispered to the prince, her voice barely audible above the rush of the wind.

As Sanny stood before the gates of the palace, her heart heavy with anticipation and uncertainty, her friend by her side, a sense of foreboding hung in the air like a dark cloud.

The friend looked at Sanny with a mixture of concern and apprehension. "Are you sure about this, Sanny?" she asked, her voice tinged with doubt. "What if they don't accept us? What if we're cast out, branded as traitors to the sect?"

But Sanny's resolve remained unshaken, her eyes fixed on the palace gates with unwavering determination. "I cannot live a life bound by fear and regret," she replied, her voice steady despite the butterflies that fluttered in her stomach. "I must follow my heart, no matter the consequences just for once in my life."

With a hesitant nod, the friend followed Sanny into the palace, her heart heavy with worry for what the future might hold.

As they entered the grand halls of the palace, Sanny felt a sense of awe wash over her, the opulence and grandeur of her surroundings a stark contrast to the humble life she had known in the sect.

But amidst the splendor, a sense of unease gnawed at the edges of her consciousness, a whisper of doubt that refused to be silenced.

As the days passed, Sanny found herself drawn closer to the prince, their bond deepening with each passing moment. But with every stolen glance and secret rendezvous, the friend's jealousy grew, a festering wound that threatened to consume her from within.

And then, one fateful night, as Sanny lay sleeping in her chambers, the friend approached with a vial of poison clutched tightly in her trembling hands.

"I'm sorry, Sanny," she whispered, her voice thick with emotion. "But I cannot let you betray the sect. I cannot let you forsake everything we stand for."

With a heavy heart and tears streaming down her cheeks, the friend poured the poison into Sanny's goblet, her hands shaking with the weight of her decision.

But as she watched Sanny drink the poisoned wine, a sense of guilt and remorse washed over her like a tidal wave, threatening to drown her in its suffocating embrace.

For in that moment, she realized the depth of her betrayal, the magnitude of the choices she had made in the name of loyalty and duty.

And as Sanny fell to the ground, her life slipping away with each labored breath, the friend knew that she could never undo the damage she had wrought, the lives she had shattered in her blind pursuit of righteousness.

With tears streaming down her face, the friend knelt beside Sanny's lifeless form, her heart heavy with sorrow and regret. "Forgive me, Sanny," she whispered, her voice barely above a whisper. "Forgive me for what I have done."

But in the silence that followed, there was no answer, no absolution for the sins she had committed.

As Sanny's life ebbed away, the prince could only watch in horror, his heart breaking with each labored breath she took. "No," he whispered, his voice choked with grief. "This cannot be happening."

But as Sanny slipped away into the embrace of death, the prince knew that he could not bear to live without her. With a trembling hand, he reached for the vial of poison, his heart heavy with sorrow and regret.

And as the poison coursed through his veins, he felt a sense of peace wash over him, knowing that he would be reunited with his beloved in death.

As they lay side by side, their souls intertwined for eternity, the truth became clear—the first trial had not been surpassed. Love had been tested and found true, but at a cost too great to bear.

With heavy hearts, the prince and Sanny returned to the sanctum, failing their first trial LOVE.