Chapter 25: The Temple of Forgotten Echoes
The next morning, a light mist clung to the mountains as Bai Jiu and Ying Yue began their journey eastward. The wind carried the scent of pine and old rain, and with every step, the air grew denser—charged with a kind of forgotten magic.
They traveled in silence for hours, the road winding through narrow paths and crumbling stone bridges long swallowed by nature. Birds scattered as they passed, sensing the divine weight both carried.
Eventually, they stopped at the edge of a wide gorge.
Across it stood a towering structure of obsidian and jade—The Temple of Forgotten Echoes. It had not appeared on any map, nor had anyone spoken of it in generations. But Ying Yue remembered it. Not from stories.
From dreams.
"This is where I sealed my heart," she whispered.
Bai Jiu looked at her. "Your... what?"
"Before the battle. Before I died. I feared that even if I survived, I'd lose myself. So I poured the core of my divine essence into a mirror hidden here. If we can find it… I can become whole again."
His expression darkened slightly. "And if something else found it first?"
She didn't answer. Instead, she stepped forward, her hand brushing the ancient seal etched into the ground. The stone responded, glowing faintly beneath her fingertips. A hum filled the air, melodic and mournful.
Suddenly, the earth trembled.
With a shuddering groan, the doors of the temple creaked open. The scent of time rushed out—dust, silence, and a hint of dried blood.
Bai Jiu instinctively moved in front of her. "Stay behind me."
She raised a brow. "I remember this place better than you do."
Still, he didn't move.
Inside, the temple was colder. Candles flickered to life along the walls, reacting to Ying Yue's presence. The halls were filled with murals—some cracked, some intact—depicting scenes of her former life. Her battles. Her triumphs. Her death.
In the deepest chamber, they found it: a pedestal made of black crystal, and atop it, a mirror—oval, rimmed with silver lotuses.
As Ying Yue stepped closer, the glass shimmered.
Then cracked.
A voice echoed from the shadows.
"Too late," it whispered.
Bai Jiu unsheathed his sword, the divine fire licking up the blade.
From the darkness stepped a figure cloaked in red silk and shadow. His face was covered by a fox mask, but his aura was unmistakable—immortal, ancient, twisted.
"Who are you?" Bai Jiu demanded.
The figure tilted his head. "Someone who was tired of being forgotten. Someone who watched her throw away eternity… for you."
Ying Yue stepped back. "You… served me once."
"I worshiped you," the masked man spat. "And you chose a mortal over your kind."
"She never chose me," Bai Jiu said quietly. "We chose each other."
The masked figure laughed. "Then watch her fall again."
He raised his hand, and the mirror exploded, shards flying toward Ying Yue. Bai Jiu moved faster than thought, shielding her with his body as the pieces struck.
Silence followed. Blood dripped from his arm.
Ying Yue stared at the man before them, tears burning in her eyes—not from pain, but rage. "You betrayed me once. I won't let you do it again."
The masked traitor's smile grew behind the porcelain. "Then remember me. In your nightmares."
He vanished into the shadows, leaving behind nothing but cold and glass dust.
---
To be continued…