The stone door hissed.
Not opened, but awakened.
Dozens of circular glyphs spun outward from the iris-shaped keyhole—Yue Qing's eyes the perfect match. Her bloodline had spoken, and now the ancient ruin listened.
Stone parted soundlessly, revealing a long stairway descending into pure shadow.
Ye Tian flicked his blade once and glanced at her.
"You sure about this?"
Yue Qing's answer was a step forward.
As they descended, the air changed again—not heavier this time, but... expectant.
And then—light.
Cold, spectral light illuminated a chamber with walls made of mirror-like obsidian. Countless reflections of Ye Tian and Yue Qing shimmered—each slightly off.
Some showed him older. Some... twisted.
"Where are we?" Yue Qing asked, drawing closer to him unconsciously.
[System Notification: Trial Chamber Detected – Origin Vault Access Locked Behind Trial Completion.]Trial Name: Echoes of SelfObjective: Survive your truest weakness.
The chamber shifted.
The mirrors rippled like water—and suddenly, Ye Tian stood alone.
No Yue Qing. No system interface.
Just silence.
Then—himself stepped forward from the glass.
But it wasn't truly him.
It was Ye Tian before the betrayal. Eyes full of hope. No scars. No rage.
"Why did you let them break you?" the reflection asked.
Ye Tian clenched his jaw. "I didn't."
"You did," it replied coldly. "You became cruel. Cold. You stopped trusting. Even Yue Qing—"
"Shut up."
The reflection raised a copy of his sword. "Then prove it."
Meanwhile, Yue Qing faced her own mirrored echo.
"You never wanted power," the reflection whispered. "You wanted to be loved. So you let them use you."
"I didn't," she murmured.
"You did. And you'll do it again. That boy you cling to—Ye Tian? You'll betray him too. Like all the others."
Yue Qing trembled.
Until she looked up—and screamed.
A chain of violet energy burst from her palm, wrapping around the reflection's throat.
"I don't need your pity," she said coldly. "I'll protect him... or I'll burn for it."
The mirror shattered.
Ye Tian's duel wasn't going well.
His ideal self didn't hesitate, didn't flinch.
Every strike was what Ye Tian once was—before pain, before vengeance.
But pain was part of him now.
And as the reflection raised its blade again, Ye Tian stepped into the blow—and slammed his forehead into its nose.
The reflection recoiled, and Ye Tian roared, "I'm not perfect. I'm not pure. But I'm real."
One cut—clean, decisive—and the mirror self was gone.
[Trial Complete: Echoes of Self]System Reward: Memory Shard (Hidden Weapon) + Trait Evolution AvailableUnlocking Origin Vault Access...]
The chamber melted into light.
At the center now stood a single pedestal—on it, a strange crystalline blade, hollow down the middle, shaped like a fracture through time itself.
[Weapon Acquired: Fractured Fang – A blade that remembers pain. It grows sharper with every betrayal remembered.]Effect: Gains bonus damage when facing enemies tied to personal trauma. Evolves with emotional triggers.]
Trait Evolved: "Burning Will → Abyss-Forged Resolve"(You cannot be mind-controlled. Emotional manipulation fails. Fear resistance: 90%)
Ye Tian stared at the blade for a long moment.
Then slowly, reverently, he picked it up.
Yue Qing approached, still shaky. "That blade… it knows you."
He looked at her. "And it's not the only one that does."
She smiled faintly.
[System Note: Soul Synchronization with Companion Yue Qing at 37%. Unknown resonance detected.]
As they stepped forward through the final gate of the ruin, an old inscription ignited behind them.
"Only those broken may pass. For only the broken can change fate."
And deeper into the Abyss, they walked—toward fate, vengeance, and a throne carved from shadows and memory.