Day 98 Remaining — The Wind Remembers
The floating island cracked as dawn arrived, yet no sun rose.
Instead, the light came from within the Soulspire Temple, a needle-thin tower of white jade and forgotten runes that seemed to stretch into eternity above the clouds.
The Sanctum had restored much of its damaged terrain after the battle with the first Herald, but everything felt… quieter. The laughter had dulled. The stars above had dimmed slightly.
"It's like the city is holding its breath," Shen Ruo murmured.
Li Wei stood at the temple's gate, staring up at the impossible height. "This is the next trial."
SYSTEM ALERT✦ LOCATION: Soulspire Temple – Trial of Echoed Selves✦ WARNING: Memory will confront reality. Illusion will test truth.✦ ALL SOUL-LINKED COMPANIONS REQUIRED FOR ENTRY
The girls gathered around him, one by one, without a word. Each had seen things they hadn't dared speak of in the aftermath of the Herald's attack.
Now, those secrets would not wait any longer.
Into the Spire
As they stepped into the temple, the world twisted.
There were no stairs—only light. Each step carried them upward on platforms of memory, bending reality. A spiral of moments pulled from dreams, past lives, and emotions wound around them.
The moment they entered, they were split.
Li Wei's Trial: The Unseen Thread
Li Wei opened his eyes to find himself in an alley.
The one behind his old apartment on Earth.
Rain poured over him. A familiar billboard blinked neon.
His old phone was in his pocket.
"No system. No power."
He looked down.
He was 17 again. Skinny. Small. Nothing.
From the shadows, his old classmates emerged—mocking, jeering.
"You'll always be a background character."
He clenched his fists.
But a voice echoed from behind.
"You aren't."
Yue stepped forward through the illusion, grabbing his hand.
"Li Wei. This isn't you anymore."
Meiyu appeared next, tossing a light sphere that banished the figures.
"You stood for us. Let us stand for you now."
The rest followed—breaking through his mind's bindings.
When the light returned, they stood together in the real spire once more.
Yue's Trial: The Blade and the Bell
Yue stood in a snowy dojo.
Her master—cold and uncaring—spoke.
"You're only useful as a weapon."
Dozens of her younger selves stood in line, training mechanically.
She reached out. "No. I'm more."
Her master turned, raising his blade.
"Then prove it."
But this time, Li Wei stepped in.
He didn't parry the strike—he took it.
And grinned. "You're not just a sword. You're my heart."
Yue collapsed into his arms, sobbing silently.
Meiyu's Trial: The Echo Stage
She stood in front of a crowd. None clapped.
A thousand Meiyus danced—each mimicking different personas.
All hollow.
"You're nothing but performance," a voice said.
Li Wei appeared behind her. "Then let's make it real."
He kissed her hand. The illusions screamed.
But shattered.
Meiyu smiled and walked into his arms, illusion fading into flame.
Lana's Trial: Fire Undone
She stood over a burning battlefield—her village in ashes.
Everyone screamed. "This is your fault!"
Lana fell to her knees.
But Shen Ruo stood behind her. "We all burn. But you still shine."
Scarlet added: "What's broken can become beautiful."
Together, they walked into the inferno—and emerged alive.
Lotus's Trial: Chains of Blood
She sat in a throne room, bound in golden vines. Her clan elders called her failure, unwanted bloom.
"You should never have existed."
She began to cry.
Li Wei entered the room—swordless, armorless.
He kneeled before her.
"You're the only flower I ever wanted to grow."
The vines wilted. The elders screamed. And she bloomed, radiant.
Scarlet's Trial: The Mirror Coffin
She stood in a room of bones. Her own. Again and again.
"They died because of you," the voices said. "Your curse spreads."
A mirror rose.
Li Wei stood behind it, touching the glass.
"You are not a curse. You're my salvation."
She punched through the mirror and kissed him before her bones turned to ash.
Shen Ruo's Trial: The Forgotten Echo
A monastery of silence.
She sat in a hall of monks, all facing away.
"You are nothing. A shadow."
Shen Ruo cried, but no sound came out.
Then, Lotus stood beside her.
"You taught us to listen."
The others appeared behind them.
Together, they turned the silent hall into a chorus of truth.
Reunion at the Temple Peak
At the top of the spire, they reunited.
Li Wei stood in the center, surrounded by the six.
Each bore new marks—symbols glowing on their wrists and hearts.
SYSTEM NOTIFICATION✦ Echo Trials Completed✦ All Soul Bonds Reforged Through Memory✦ Unlocking: Echo Forms – Trial-Linked Evolution Paths
Li Wei's aura now shimmered with prismatic light.
"Something's changing," Yue said.
Then—
A crack in the air.
A new figure descended.
The One From Earth
The man wore a black coat, hoodie pulled low. He had a lazy smile and tired eyes. Brown. Human.
"Yo," he said, waving. "Been a while, huh, Li Wei?"
Li Wei froze.
"I know you," he said slowly.
The man nodded. "Name's Chen Ren. Remember that online martial arts forum? I was the guy who posted those insane videos."
Li Wei blinked. "You vanished."
"I got pulled here. Ten years ago. Guess I was the prototype."
He raised his arm.
The system interface appeared—but red.
USER: Ren_00XSYSTEM: Fragmented 999STATUS: Hostile-Neutral
"You're like me."
"Not quite," Ren said. "I failed. Lost everyone. And now I'm making sure the cycle ends."
Li Wei stepped forward. "You want to stop the Eclipse?"
"I want to kill the System."
Everyone froze.
Betrayer or Ally?
Ren sighed.
"The system gave me everything. Power. Companions. Love. Then it made me watch them die."
He pulled back his hoodie. A scar ran down his temple—burnt like data corruption.
"I'm not your enemy, Li Wei. But if you follow this path, you'll suffer like I did."
Lotus whispered, "He's broken."
Scarlet added, "But not a liar."
Li Wei said nothing. He looked at his girls. His power. His path.
Then:
"I'm not you."
Ren smirked.
"We'll see."
He vanished.
Unlocks and Revelations
SYSTEM UPDATE✦ Echo Forms Available✦ Fusion Technique Tree Unlocked✦ Optional Quest: Confront Chen Ren – 72 Hours✦ Passive Unlocked: Temporal Anchor – Allows return to Earth (locked)
Li Wei stared at the final line.
Return…?
Yue stepped close. "If you went back—"
"I wouldn't leave you behind," he said immediately.
She smiled.
Bond Night — Beneath the Spire
That night, they camped atop the temple.
There were no words. Just breath, warmth, and trust.
Each girl kissed him slowly, intimately.
Not as warriors.
But as his.
Scarlet whispered, "You chose us. And now, we're choosing you."
Lotus added, "To the end. Or beyond."
Li Wei held them all—his arms wrapped around his empire of love and chaos.
And for once, even the system remained silent.