Chapter 9 – The Keeper's Test: A Trial of Flame and Memory
The cave entrance trembled slightly as Bai Qian stepped inside. Her presence was like moonlight over still water—calm, but cold enough to freeze the surface. Tang Xinyi instinctively shifted closer to Zhao Feng, though she didn't know why.
There was no malice in Bai Qian's eyes, only a distant, inscrutable sadness.
"You said we were entering a war," Zhao said slowly. "But we don't remember any of it. Who's fighting? What do they want from us?"
Bai Qian let out a breath that sounded more like wind whispering through an empty temple.
"The world forgets… but the soul never does."
The Tale of the Twin Soul Pact
She walked to the center of the cave and sat, folding her robes like flowing ink. From her sleeve, she pulled out a crystal orb, etched with phoenix feathers and lotus blossoms. It floated mid-air, glowing faintly.
"When the last Phoenix Queen died sealing the Abyss Gate," she began, "her soul scattered across the realms. But not all of it. One fragment—the one bound by love—sought rebirth."
Tang Xinyi's fingers clenched. "That was me."
Bai Qian nodded. "And the one she died protecting... was him."
Zhao flinched. "I'm not some immortal hero."
"No," Bai Qian agreed. "You were something worse. A man cursed with half a soul, doomed to roam through lifetimes until the pact was reignited."
Zhao stared at the flame symbol on the back of his palm, faint but now pulsing slightly with heat.
"The Twin Soul Pact," Bai Qian said, "is rare. Sacred. And very dangerous."
"Why dangerous?" Tang asked.
"Because when two souls fuse across lives, they carry all memories—joy, agony, rage, betrayal. If either heart falters, the bond collapses. And when it breaks… both souls burn."
The Trial is Given
"Come with me," Bai Qian said, rising. "It's time you prove if your bond is worthy."
She led them through a narrow corridor behind the cave, twisting down into the earth. Crystals embedded in the walls pulsed as they passed, responding to the dormant soul energies now awakened in Tang and Zhao.
The air grew hotter.
Then they reached a cavernous chamber carved from obsidian. A floating platform hovered above a pool of living flame. Thousands of silver-white feathers hung suspended mid-air, as if time had frozen them mid-flight.
"This is the Trial of Flame and Memory," Bai Qian announced. "A test only Twin Soul bearers can enter."
"What happens if we fail?" Tang asked.
"You will forget each other," she said simply. "Forever."
The silence was deafening.
Inside the Flame Memory Realm
Without waiting, Bai Qian raised a hand. The feathers ignited, forming a fiery ring that encircled Tang Xinyi and Zhao Feng. The world melted away—
—and suddenly, they stood in a burning city.
Zhao's eyes widened. "This is… my old sect."
Tang grabbed his arm. "This isn't real. It's a memory."
"No," he whispered. "It's my greatest regret."
All around them, flames consumed buildings. Cultivators screamed. Children cried. And a young Zhao—barely seventeen—stood in the middle of the chaos, clutching a bloodied sword, covered in ash and guilt.
A voice echoed:
"You chose her over us, Zhao Feng. You let your own sect BURN."
Zhao trembled. "This is the day I defected. To save… you."
Tang looked around. "But I wasn't even there."
"You were," he said softly. "Your past life was imprisoned by my sect. They planned to drain your Phoenix Core for power."
The memory twisted. A golden prison appeared, and inside, a regal woman with blazing red eyes and blood on her lips—
"Zhao…" she whispered in the memory. "Don't come."
He did anyway.
In the flash of swords and betrayal, the memory Zhao Feng cut down his own master.
Tang Xinyi's breath caught.
"Is that… why you never joined a sect again?"
Zhao didn't answer.
Tang's Trial
Then the scene changed.
Now Tang Xinyi stood frozen, this time in the Grand Sky Sect. Her master lay dead at her feet. Her own blade was trembling. Blood on her hands.
"I didn't mean to," she said aloud. "I… I didn't mean to!"
A memory played:
"Power is emotionless," her old self said coldly. "Love is the first weakness you must discard."
She watched herself stab the one person who had loved her unconditionally—her senior sister.
"I was trying to protect her," Tang whispered, tears in her eyes. "But I became exactly what she feared."
Zhao stepped forward and pulled her into his arms.
"You're not that girl anymore."
"And you're not that boy."
The trial whispered around them: Then prove it. Trust. Accept. Forgive.
Final Choice: Jump or Burn
They were back in the trial chamber, standing atop the obsidian platform. The pool of soulflame surged below. The only way out was to leap—together—or be consumed separately.
"One jump," Bai Qian's voice echoed. "One soul. If your hearts are aligned, you will survive. If not…"
Tang looked into his eyes.
Zhao nodded. "With you."
They jumped.
White Light – Fusion Complete
The flames rose to meet them. There was pain—but then, peace.
Their souls twisted—merged—screamed—and settled.
They landed on solid ground, surrounded by a halo of golden fire. The trial had passed.
Bai Qian appeared beside them, a small smile on her lips. "The bond holds."
[SYSTEM UPDATE: Twin Soul Link – STABLE]+10% qi synchronizationSkill Unlocked: Phoenix Soul Resonance – Dual Cast ModeWarning: Linked health pool active during synchronization combat mode.
But Elsewhere...
A figure watched them through a dark crystal mirror. His face was hidden beneath a jade mask, his voice like venom in water.
"So… the Soulbond has reawakened," he hissed. "Let the Reaping begin."
He crushed a spirit stone in his hand. Across the continent, black-robed assassins stirred from deep sleep.
TO BE CONTINUED...