The morning sun filtered through the Spirit Pattern Tree's leaves, dappling the plaza with gold. Lin Ye sat cross-legged beneath it, his Reverse Scale Core humming softly as he pieced together the shattered mirror. Xiao Tao knelt beside him, her Shadow Crow Bells jingling faintly, her eyes fixed on the largest shard—still cracked, its surface rippling with a vision of the future.
"That's… us," she said, pointing. The shard showed an older Lin Ye and Xiao Tao, their hair streaked with silver, standing in a garden. Between them was a young girl with silver hair and eyes that mirrored Xiao Tao's—her hand clasped around a small, glowing seed.
"Yuehuan's seed," Lin Ye murmured. He traced the shard's edge, his thumb brushing the crack. "But why is it showing this now?"
Xiao Tao's Shadow Crow Bells suddenly jangled sharply. She looked up, her brow furrowed. "Someone's coming."
The visitor arrived cloaked in a hooded robe, their face obscured by shadows. When they stepped into the light, Lin Ye recognized them—a young spirit user from the World Spirit Guild, one he'd met briefly during the World Finals. Her name was Aiko, and her spirit core glowed with a rare, iridescent pattern: a blend of starlight and moonbeams.
"I'm sorry to intrude," Aiko said, bowing deeply. "But I… I had to come. The Guild's temporal monitors detected something. Something connected to your mirror."
She held out a data pad. On its screen was a live feed: a massive rift in the sky above Antarctica, swirling with black and silver light. At its center floated a fragment of mirror—identical to the one Xiao Tao held.
"Last night, this appeared," Aiko said. "And with it… voices. Voices from the past. Yuehuan's voice."
Xiao Tao's breath hitched. "What did she say?"
Aiko hesitated. "She said, 'The mirror is a bridge. But bridges can collapse. Protect the keystone.'"
Lin Ye's Reverse Scale Core flared. "The keystone… the seed?"
Aiko nodded. "The guild thinks the mirror's fragments are anchors, tying the past to the present. But if the keystone—Yuehuan's seed—is lost, the bridge could snap. And… the rift above Antarctica is growing. It's pulling time itself apart."
The Rift in Time
The group boarded a specially modified spirit chariot, its engines roaring as they ascended into the sky. The rift loomed ahead, a gaping hole in the atmosphere where stars flickered like dying embers. Black tendrils of energy lashed out, swallowing clouds and distorting the light.
"That's not just a rift," Xiao Tao said, her voice tight. "It's a hungry thing. Like it's… eating time."
Aiko pointed to the data pad. "The guild tracked the rift's energy signature. It matches the pollution from the Lighthouse of Echoes. But stronger. This isn't just an echo—it's the source."
Lin Ye's gaze hardened. "The source of what?"
"Of fear," Aiko said. "The same fear that birthed the Echoes. The same fear Yuehuan tried to bury. And now… it's breaking through."
The Keystone's Light
As they neared the rift, the chariot shuddered. The black tendrils lashed at the hull, and Xiao Tao's Shadow Crow Bells blared, their silver light cutting through the darkness. Lin Ye's Reverse Scale Core flared gold, weaving a protective barrier around the group.
But the rift's pull was relentless. It yanked at their spirits, dragging memories to the surface—Lin Ye's first battle, Xiao Tao's fear of losing him, the day Yuehuan's light had saved them all.
"Focus on the seed," Aiko yelled over the chaos. "It's the only thing that can stabilize the rift!"
Xiao Tao clutched the shard, its cracked surface now glowing with a faint silver light. "I don't think it's just the seed," she said. "I think it's us. The love we share… it's the glue holding the bridge together."
Lin Ye reached out, his hand covering hers. Their twin patterns flared in unison—star-and-moon, gold-and-silver—merging into a single, blazing aura. The light seeped into the shard, and the crack began to heal.
"Yuehuan was right," Lin Ye said, his voice steady. "Love isn't just a feeling. It's a force. Stronger than time, stronger than fear."
The Rift's Truth
The rift shuddered, then stilled. The black tendrils retreated, and the stars beyond flickered back to life. In the silence, a voice echoed—Yuehuan's, warm and familiar.
"You did it, my loves. You proved that love is the truest anchor. But listen—there's more."
The data pad flickered, and a hologram of Yuehuan appeared. She stood in a field of Starlight Flowers, her armor gone, her hair flowing like silver smoke. "The mirror's fragments are not just anchors. They're keys. Keys to a door that's been locked for centuries."
"What door?" Xiao Tao asked.
Yuehuan smiled. "The door to the First Spirit Pattern. The one that binds all spirits, all time, all love. It's where the first light was forged, and where the final battle will be fought."
Aiko's eyes widened. "The First Spirit Pattern… that's just a myth!"
Yuehuan shook her head. "No longer. The rift has weakened the veil between worlds. And the one who seeks to break through… is the same fear that created the Echoes. But this time, it's not just shadows. It's hungry for the light you carry."
The Promise of Tomorrow
As the chariot descended back to Tokyo, the group sat in silence, the weight of Yuehuan's words hanging in the air.
"So… what do we do now?" Aiko asked.
Lin Ye looked at Xiao Tao, her hand still in his. "We protect the keystone," he said. "And we prepare. Whatever's on the other side of that door… we'll face it together."
Xiao Tao smiled, her Shadow Crow Bells chiming softly. "And we'll keep building our now. Because that's the only way to make sure the future's worth fighting for."
Above them, the Spirit Pattern Tree rustled in the wind, its leaves whispering a promise: "Now is the anchor. Now is the light. Now is where we begin."
Epilogue: The Seed of Tomorrow
That night, beneath the Spirit Pattern Tree, Lin Ye and Xiao Tao sat with the shard between them. Its crack was nearly gone, its surface glowing with a steady silver light. In the distance, the World Spirit Arena's broadcast played a new song—one woven from the light of their love, the strength of their bond, and the echo of Yuehuan's smile.
Somewhere, in a place beyond time, Yuehuan watched.
Now, she thought, is the most beautiful part of all.
(Wind carried the scent of osmanthus. In the distance, a single black shard, long buried, began to stir—waiting for the day it would meet its match.)