The reflection stared back at him.
Crowned.
Armored.
Unbroken.
The man inside the mirror looked exactly like Lin Feng.
Yet completely different.
His posture carried the weight of eternity.
His gaze contained countless lifetimes.
And behind him—
Entire universes knelt in silence.
Lin Feng couldn't look away.
"…That's me?"
The golden figure beside him smiled faintly.
"Once."
The answer echoed through the frozen world.
Lin Feng looked around.
Time remained motionless.
The battlefield was frozen.
The heavens were frozen.
Even the falling dust above Blackstone City hung suspended in place.
Only he and the golden figure remained free.
The throne beneath him pulsed softly.
The golden figure stepped toward the mirror.
"The First Heir."
The reflection moved.
Not independently.
Like a memory awakening.
The crowned version of Lin Feng slowly raised his hand.
Entire galaxies appeared around him.
Then vanished.
As though reality itself obeyed his thoughts.
Lin Feng swallowed.
"…How strong was he?"
The golden figure laughed quietly.
"Strong enough to make Heaven afraid."
The answer sent chills through him.
Because Heaven already seemed terrifying.
Yet somehow—
The First Heir had frightened it.
The reflection shifted again.
A battlefield appeared.
Not a world.
A battlefield between worlds.
Countless celestial warriors filled the sky.
Golden banners stretched across endless horizons.
And standing alone before them—
Was the First Heir.
One man.
Against an army.
The golden figure watched silently.
Then spoke.
"They called him tyrant."
The image changed.
The First Heir was now standing before ordinary people.
Children.
Families.
Entire civilizations.
All protected behind him.
"They called him savior."
The image shifted again.
Worlds burned.
Stars collapsed.
Enemies screamed.
"They called him destroyer."
Another shift.
A universe flourished beneath golden light.
"They called him king."
The images vanished.
Silence returned.
The golden figure looked at Lin Feng.
"Most of them were correct."
Lin Feng stared at the empty space where the visions had been.
"…And what do you call him?"
For the first time—
The golden figure became quiet.
Then he smiled sadly.
"My friend."
The answer surprised him.
More than anything else.
Because it sounded genuine.
Not reverence.
Not worship.
Loss.
The golden figure walked toward the mirror.
"The First Heir wasn't perfect."
The reflection changed again.
This time—
The crowned ruler sat alone on the throne.
No armies.
No followers.
Just silence.
An endless silence.
"He carried too much."
The golden figure's voice softened.
"He believed every burden was his."
The image showed wars.
Then sacrifices.
Then losses.
Again and again.
"He saved everyone."
A pause.
"But forgot himself."
The throne room faded.
Lin Feng frowned.
"…What happened to him?"
The golden figure didn't answer immediately.
Instead—
He raised one hand.
The final memory appeared.
A shattered sky.
Broken heavens.
The Celestial Watchers.
The Warden.
And the First Heir standing before them.
Alone.
Just as before.
But this time—
He wasn't fighting.
He was smiling.
The same calm smile Lin Feng had seen before.
Then—
The First Heir raised one hand.
And the throne disappeared.
The crown disappeared.
The seals appeared.
The worlds trembled.
And the First Heir himself—
Vanished.
The memory ended.
Lin Feng stared.
"…He sealed himself."
The golden figure nodded.
"Yes."
"Why?"
A long silence followed.
Then—
"Because he saw the future."
Lin Feng's eyes narrowed.
"What future?"
The golden figure looked directly at him.
"The one where he became the thing he fought."
Silence.
Heavy silence.
The answer landed harder than any attack.
The First Heir hadn't lost.
He hadn't been defeated.
He had walked away.
Chosen to disappear.
Chosen to erase himself.
Chosen to begin again.
As Lin Feng.
The realization hit him like lightning.
The golden figure smiled.
"Now you understand."
"No."
Lin Feng shook his head.
"Not completely."
The figure laughed.
"Good."
A pause.
"If you understood everything already, there would be no point."
The throne pulsed beneath him.
The frozen world around them began trembling.
Time was returning.
The battlefield was awakening.
The golden figure looked upward.
"It's almost over."
Lin Feng immediately had more questions.
Thousands of them.
But one mattered most.
"If I was him…"
The golden figure smiled.
"You aren't."
Lin Feng froze.
The figure stepped closer.
"The First Heir is gone."
A pause.
"His memories remain."
"His power remains."
"His enemies remain."
The smile softened.
"But you are Lin Feng."
For the first time—
The pressure on Lin Feng's heart eased.
The figure continued.
"You are not his replacement."
"You are not his reincarnation."
"You are not his second chance."
The world trembled harder.
Time was beginning to move.
The golden figure faded.
"Then what am I?"
The figure's final smile was warm.
Proud.
Hopeful.
"You are the choice he never had."
The frozen world shattered.
Reality returned.
Cliffhanger
The battlefield exploded back into motion.
The Celestial Watchers resumed their attacks.
The guardian roared.
The armies clashed.
The Warden descended.
But everything changed the moment Lin Feng opened his eyes.
Because the throne behind him had awakened completely.
And every being on the battlefield—
Including the Warden—
Dropped to one knee.
Against their will.