The fires around the shrine had been extinguished.
Lin Yao, who had hidden the child Tian in a root-sealed bunker beneath the altar, emerged with eyes red from worry but unharmed. She ran to Jiang Han the moment she saw him—and threw her arms around him before he could speak.
He froze.
Then returned the hug.
No words were exchanged.
None were needed.
---
That evening, as dusk settled and Emberlight's defeated soldiers were tied and left under Yue's glare, Bo Ren laid out the captured scroll.
It pulsed faintly in the twilight. A binding glyph, written in Sovereign script, locked the document's second half.
Jiang Han laid Ember Fang across the seal.
The blade flared, recognizing the script.
The scroll unlocked.
Inside were three parts:
1. A map—not of Blue Star, but of a hidden plane layered just above it.
2. A decree—sealed by multiple sects, naming Jin Tianshu not heir, but guardian of an asset.
3. And most chilling—a vessel registration sigil, bearing the imprint of a living soul.
Zhao Kai leaned over Jiang Han's shoulder.
"That… looks like a soul chain."
Bo Ren paled. "Not just any soul chain. That's Sovereign-grade binding. It's only ever used when trying to hold something too powerful for any normal vessel."
Yue frowned. "So what were they binding?"
Jiang Han turned to the last page—his eyes locked onto the name.
It wasn't Jin.
It was a girl's.
> Tian Xue. Age 16. Compatibility rate: 94.7%. Current location: Shaded Peak, Sect Zone 9.
Lin Yao whispered, "A vessel."
Zhao Kai's voice dropped. "For what?"
Bo Ren answered.
> "For the Sovereign Flame itself."
Silence.
Even the wind seemed to pause.
Yue broke it. "Wait, isn't you the Sovereign Flame now?"
Jiang Han shook his head. "No. I carry its echo, its legacy. But what this scroll says…"
He traced the glyphs again.
> "There's a fragment of the original Sovereign Flame still alive."
"And they plan to awaken it inside a living girl."
---
The Oath
Later that night, Jiang Han stood alone by the edge of the flame pool.
The reflection in the water showed not just his face—but a flicker of something more.
A crown. A ruined world. A fire that didn't end.
He stared at the water.
Bo Ren approached slowly.
"You look like someone staring down a mountain before the avalanche."
Jiang didn't turn. "What would happen if the Sovereign Flame was forced into a person who couldn't control it?"
Bo Ren was quiet.
Then:
> "She'd either ascend… or die screaming."
Jiang's fists clenched.
"I've burned. I've died. I've earned this flame every step of the way."
"She hasn't."
Bo Ren's voice was low. "You're going after her, aren't you?"
"Yes."
"Even if it means facing the sects?"
Jiang Han finally looked up.
"Especially if it means that."
---
At Dawn
They gathered before the shrine.
Jiang Han stood at the center, now cloaked in a deep flameweave mantle that shimmered red-gold.
Zhao Kai cracked his knuckles. "So where we going?"
"Shaded Peak. Sect Zone 9."
Yue tightened her gloves. "Which one of the Five Major Sects controls that area?"
Bo Ren answered: "The Glorious Sky Sect."
Lin Yao frowned. "They're the strongest of the elemental divisions."
Bo nodded. "And the most secretive."
Zhao Kai smiled. "Then let's go knock on their gate."
Jiang Han drew his blade—and from it, three arcs of flame burst outward, burning a new glyph into the dirt.
It read:
> Flame March Begins.