The Spirit Plane began to shimmer, its edges unraveling like mist at dawn.
The trial was over.
The Whispering Gate behind them had closed. The Crossroads had fallen silent. And in Hana's chest, the Foxfire Crest pulsed with warmth and clarity.
Taemin reached out. "Ready to go back?"
Hana looked over her shoulder—at the flickering remnants of the spirit who once was Aran, at the lanterns that now floated downward like soft falling stars.
Then she nodded. "Let's return. There's still a war waiting for us."
---
Back in the Mortal Realm – Mount Gurean
Their bodies reawakened beneath the sacred tree, wrapped in spirit silk and foxfire. The priestess gasped when she saw the crest on Hana's skin.
"The mark… of the true Foxbound," she whispered.
Taemin sat up first, blinking against the real-world sun. It felt harsh after the serenity of the spirit realm. Hana stirred beside him, gripping her pendant—and now, it blazed with steady fire.
But the peace wouldn't last.
---
Elsewhere – Crimson Fang's Hidden Fortress
Inside a fortress veiled by black magic, the Crimson Fang knelt in front of a shrine made of bone and ember. Before him stood a figure with twisted antlers and a wolf's grin—The Hollow Regent, one of the forgotten gods.
"She's returned," the Crimson Fang said.
"And awakened the Echoflame," the Regent growled. "Then it's time to unseal the Obsidian Tomb."
Lightning cracked across the sky above them.
---
Three Days Later – Capital City of Daejin
Whispers of firestorms in the northern forest.
A fox-crest sigil appearing in the sky.
Spirits leaking into mortal dreams.
Hana and Taemin returned to the capital, where unrest brewed under the surface. The queen's council had called an emergency session. Anti-spirit factions were rising. Someone had assassinated a spirit envoy.
And on the black walls of alleyways…
A symbol was scrawled in blood:
A fang through a flame.
---
Hana and Taemin's Rooftop
They sat under the stars, quiet but alert. The fire between them danced—not wild, not out of control—but alive. Listening.
Hana turned to Taemin.
"Whatever happens next," she said, "we face it together."
Taemin nodded. "Even if the world burns."
Their hands found each other.
And far away, the Obsidian Tomb's chains cracked.
---