Before dawn, Wen enters the forbidden lower records hall alone with a stolen key and oil lamp.

Yan Suyu appears from behind a scroll stack, frightened but unable to ignore Wen's urgency.

Yan unlocks a sealed cabinet. The ledgers contain disaster reports in Wen's own hand from impossible timelines.

Wen lays multiple ledgers together. Every recorded disaster starts after he changes Ning's location or protection.

In the sealed vault, Yan reveals a damaged bronze sundial recovered from a forbidden chamber. It reacts only when Wen touches it.

The sundial shows stacked visions: Wen's protective acts become triggers for the sky crack.

The vision ends. Wen understands the pattern before Yan can say it aloud. Yan is frightened by his calm.

Wen names the logic without naming his final plan. Yan understands enough to be afraid.

In his room before noon, Wen lays out three plain objects: a small sleeve dagger, a vial of dark oath poison, and a faded childhood promise knot from Ning.

Ning comes to Wen's door with tea again. Wen hides the knife and poison before letting her in.

Wen and Ning share a final quiet tea scene. He says nothing of his conclusion. The intimacy is ordinary enough to hurt.