The sun rose with difficulty that morning, struggling to pierce the thick clouds that hung low over the plains. It bled into the sky, a pale orange orb fighting against the darkness—a metaphor Jun Mo Xie couldn't ignore.
Their journey had taken them far from the mountain where the Choir had first stirred, yet the echoes had not quieted. If anything, they had multiplied, whispering through stone, wind, and even memory. Jun Mo Xie had begun to feel it in his bones, as though his very marrow vibrated with some distant melody.
"We're getting close," he said, more to himself than to the others.
Fei Yan raised an eyebrow. "To what? The end? Or another beginning?"
"Both," Yue Ling said. "That's how these things go."
Lan Xue looked skyward. "The air's changing. More mana in it than usual. Something's waiting."
Mei Yun narrowed her eyes toward the horizon. "It's the Mirror City."
---
The City of Chenzhou was a marvel, constructed entirely from polished obsidian, enchanted glass, and metal alloys that shimmered like moonlight. It reflected the world around it—sky, land, and soul.
As they entered through the south gate, their reflections didn't follow normally. They lagged behind, moved faster, or blinked before they did.
Fei Yan muttered, "Yeah, that's not creepy at all."
Jun Mo Xie stared at his own reflection—older, armored, eyes hard as granite.
"Do you see it too?" Lan Xue asked.
"Yes," he whispered. "The man I might become."
They proceeded cautiously. The city was abandoned—or so it seemed. No footsteps echoed. No market noises filled the air. Only the hum of the wind against the mirrored surfaces.
But the city was not empty.
It watched.
And it remembered.
---
In the central square stood a monument. A monolith of black glass, engraved with names in dozens of languages, some not spoken in a thousand years. At its base lay a circular dais—eight steps leading to a platform with an empty throne.
Jun Mo Xie stepped onto the platform.
The city reacted.
Light poured from the mirrors. The ground shook. Reflections peeled themselves from the walls and ground and gathered around the dais like an audience.
And from among them, stepped a woman.
Not young. Not old. Clad in flowing crimson robes that shimmered like wet blood. Eyes that held galaxies. Voice like velvet thunder.
"I've been waiting, Jun Mo Xie."
He recognized her.
Not by name, but by essence.
She was one of the Sovereigns. The beings from beyond the world—rulers of Law, Chaos, Sound, and Silence.
"I am Irelia," she said. "The Sovereign of Harmony. And you, Ember-bearer, have disturbed my sleep."
He bowed slightly. "I didn't mean to."
"But you did."
She circled him. "You answered a call not meant for your kind. You stepped into a current that predates your bloodline. And now…" she snapped her fingers.
A dome of reflected light surrounded them.
"…you must face the truth."
---
Inside the dome, reality twisted. Time unraveled. The sky above turned to glass, and beneath it, a battlefield emerged.
Thousands clashed—warriors clad in silver and black. Instruments became weapons. Songs became blades. And at the heart of it stood a younger version of Jun Mo Xie.
Eyes alight. Voice raised. Conducting the battlefield.
"What is this?" he whispered.
"Your potential," Irelia said. "In one thread of fate, you rise not as savior… but as tyrant. You do not harmonize the Choir. You command it."
"And in others?"
She smiled, and it cut like ice. "You burn. Or vanish. Or become the echo of your own regrets."
Jun clenched his fists. "Then what must I do?"
She extended her hand. "Embrace the Song. Let it become you. Only then can you choose its direction."
He stared at her palm, trembling.
---
Lan Xue, Yue Ling, Mei Yun, and Fei Yan watched from outside the dome, seeing only flickers of the vision. But they felt the resonance—like their souls had been tied to Jun's.
"He's making a choice," Lan Xue said.
"And whatever he chooses," Fei Yan added, "it changes everything."
"What if he fails?" Mei Yun whispered.
"He won't," Yue Ling said, her gaze unwavering. "He never has."
---
Inside the dome, Jun Mo Xie stood at the edge of the battlefield. The clash of symphonic war surrounded him, melodies clashing like steel. A line of silver-armored figures turned toward him, waiting for his command.
But he refused.
"I will not lead this war," he said. "This is not my symphony."
He raised his hands, and the music faltered.
Irelia watched with narrowed eyes. "You deny power?"
"No," Jun Mo Xie replied. "I choose balance."
He began to sing—not a song of domination or destruction, but of memory. Of home. Of pain and rebirth. The battlefield quaked. The warriors dissolved into light.
"You rewrite the melody," Irelia murmured. "Clever."
But her expression darkened. "Not all will approve."
"That's fine," Jun said. "Let them come."
He stepped forward.
"I will not be a tyrant," he said. "Nor a martyr. I will be something new."
He touched Irelia's hand.
And the dome shattered.
---
He collapsed.
Yue Ling caught him.
"What happened?"
Jun Mo Xie looked up, the Ember burning brighter than ever in his chest.
"I chose the third path."
Fei Yan smirked. "About time."
Mei Yun knelt beside him. "What does it mean?"
Jun took a breath. "It means we're no longer playin
g by their rules."
---
Far above the Mirror City, something stirred.
Another Sovereign.
Watching.
Waiting.
And smiling.
---
*To be continued...*