Crimson Marshes – Near the Second Seal
Feng Chan stepped forward, eyes unwavering. The old man with the third eye watched him silently, the golden robes around him fluttering though there was no wind.
Xiao Mei stood back, her instincts on high alert. "Who is he?" she whispered.
The man stood. "I am Elder Hanxu, Guardian of the Book of Reversals. I've been waiting for one marked by the Fallen Phoenix."
Feng Chan narrowed his eyes. "Then you know why I'm here."
"Yes," Elder Hanxu replied. "To break the second seal. To reclaim your bloodline's stolen fate."
He raised his hand, and the monolith behind him began to glow. Runes emerged from its surface like molten gold, spiraling around Feng Chan.
"But the seal will test you. Not with force… but with truth."
The ground trembled.
---
Illusion Realm – Reversal Memory Trial
Suddenly, Feng Chan's surroundings changed. The swamp faded. He stood in a grand hall of golden pillars, walls painted with the history of celestial clans.
In front of him—his mother.
She was younger. Dressed in regal robes, her eyes filled with fire and sorrow.
"You must understand, Chan'er… the bloodline you carry is cursed."
Feng Chan took a step forward. "Why did you seal it?! Why hide it from me all these years?"
Tears brimmed in her eyes. "Because I had no choice. If the world knew… if he knew…"
The sky above cracked like glass, and through it emerged a black phoenix with crimson eyes.
> "Traitor clan… cursed soul… your heir must be destroyed!"
His mother turned, summoning a flaming barrier to protect him.
> "No, Chan'er! Run—! Remember this name: Yuyan Dynasty—they betrayed us!"
---
Crimson Marshes – Reality
Feng Chan gasped, staggering out of the vision. Xiao Mei caught him. "What did you see?"
He clutched his head. "My clan… my bloodline… was betrayed by the Yuyan Dynasty. That's who the main villain serves."
Elder Hanxu nodded grimly. "Now you understand. The truth is never easy."
Feng Chan looked up, eyes burning. "Then I'll destroy them. One by one. I'll uncover every traitor."
The monolith pulsed, and a new tattoo burned itself onto his arm—a seal shaped like a broken crown.
"Then take this," Hanxu said, handing him a scroll bound in black threads. "The Book of Reversals. It holds the names of those who rewrote your fate."
Feng Chan took it, feeling the power within.
---
Temple of Shadows – The Villain Moves
At the same moment, across the continent, the main villain—cloaked in a robe of shadows—opened his eyes.
"So… the boy has awakened the second seal."
A woman beside him stepped forward. Her face—familiar.
Ying Yue.
But something in her eyes had changed—cold, distant.
> "Shall I kill him now?"
The man laughed. "No. Let him struggle. Let him crawl. Every step he takes brings him closer to despair."
---
Back in the Marsh
Feng Chan stood at the edge of the black lake, scroll in hand. His path was no longer clouded by doubt.
"Next… I find the truth behind my father's disappearance. And the third seal."
Xiao Mei nodded. "We go together."
He looked at her, and for a moment, his heart softened. "Thank you… for staying."
She smiled faintly. "I'm here until the end, Feng Chan. No matter what you become."
Above them, the clouds swirled into the shape of a phoenix. A sign… that the heavens were beginning to fear him.
Somewhere Deep Beneath the Yuyan Dynasty Capital – Forbidden Vault
A place untouched by time. Darkness ruled here—not the absence of light, but the presence of something far older, far more sinister.
Crimson torches ignited by themselves as a man in golden-black robes stepped into the sacred vault. His face hidden under a veil of divine silk.
He walked up to a sealed altar glowing with blood sigils.
> "Feng Chan... you've finally touched the second seal. Which means… the clock has begun."
The man removed a talisman and pressed it against the altar. The ground trembled as ancient chains shattered, revealing a floating crystal—a Soul Memory Stone.
He whispered to it. "Awaken… the First Betrayal."
Inside the crystal, a scene replayed—one from centuries ago:
A young woman, strikingly similar to Ying Yue, knelt before a celestial emperor.
> "We cannot allow the blood of the Phoenix Clan to rise again, Your Majesty. The boy… must be eliminated."
The emperor's voice was cold. "Then go. Join his life. Twist his fate. And when the time comes… finish what we started."
---
At the Border of the Jade Forest
Feng Chan and Xiao Mei approached the ancient forest known to be the resting place of the third seal.
Feng Chan held the Book of Reversals tightly.
"The names… they're written in blood. Some I've never heard of. Others… I grew up trusting."
Xiao Mei hesitated. "Will you still go forward, knowing your own clan members may be part of this?"
"I must," Feng Chan replied. "Justice isn't a choice. It's the weight I was born with."
Suddenly, the sky above crackled. Dozens of spirit beasts emerged from the forest—each one radiating terrifying auras.
A voice echoed:
> "Only those who face their inner demons shall pass."
Feng Chan's eyes narrowed. "Then bring them all. My inner demons… I've fought them since the day I was abandoned."
He stepped forward. The air shattered like glass as he activated the second tattoo seal on his arm. A blazing phoenix wing burst out behind him—half-spiritual, half-real.
The beasts roared.
And Feng Chan charged.
---
Elsewhere – Ying Yue's Inner Conflict
In a mountain temple drenched in moonlight, Ying Yue sat in silence. The moon reflected in her silver eyes.
A figure approached her. "Why do you hesitate, Yue?"
It was her elder cousin—a commander under the main villain.
She didn't answer at first. Then finally said, "Because… when I look into his eyes, I see someone who still remembers me."
Her cousin sneered. "Sentiment is weakness. You are the key to destroying him. Do not forget the oath you took."
Ying Yue turned away, hiding the silent tear that escaped her eye.
"I haven't forgotten. But I also haven't forgotten… what he once meant to me."
---
Back at the Jade Forest – After the Battle
Feng Chan stood among the ashes of fallen beasts, his robes tattered but eyes blazing with clarity.
A golden gate appeared—ancient, humming with divine power.
Xiao Mei gasped. "That's… the Third Seal."
Feng Chan stepped forward.
Inside the gate was not a battlefield—but a mirror.
A massive mirror, carved from starlight and sorrow.
And within it… his father.
Bound in chains.
Eyes begging for help.
Feng Chan's voice cracked. "Father…?"
But before he could reach him, the mirror shattered.
And from behind him, a familiar voice whispered:
> "You've seen too much already, Feng Chan."
He turned.
And saw someone he never expected…
Feng Chan's Heartbeat Stilled.
The voice was like velvet wrapped in steel—smooth, commanding, but hiding blades beneath every syllable.
He turned slowly.
Standing behind him was a man dressed in black-gold armor, a dragon insignia pulsing at his chest. His long dark hair swayed in the windless air, and his eyes... carried the weight of countless lives lost and forgotten.
> "You…" Feng Chan whispered. "You're supposed to be dead."
The man smirked. "Death is only for the weak, child. For those who bow when crushed. I—am reborn in betrayal."
Feng Chan stepped back, recognizing the aura. "You were part of my father's council. You were his sworn brother!"
"And he," the man spat, "was a fool who let emotions govern his rule. That's why your clan fell. That's why the Phoenix Lineage was nearly erased."
He raised a finger and pointed at the shattered mirror.
> "This illusion? It wasn't your father. It was your guilt."
Feng Chan gritted his teeth. "You lied. All these years... you were the traitor."
The man laughed. "Not a traitor, boy. A visionary."
And then, without warning, he attacked.
---
Outside the Mirror Gate
Xiao Mei sensed the change. Her spirit sword flashed out, but an invisible barrier threw her back.
"No!" she screamed, trying to break through. "Feng Chan is still inside!"
Suddenly, a soft voice came from behind her.
> "He must fight this one alone."
She turned. A figure in red robes, face veiled, stood calmly.
"You… who are you?"
The woman tilted her head. "A memory. A promise. Perhaps even a warning."
Then she vanished like smoke in the wind.
---
Inside the Battle Realm
The traitor's blade met Feng Chan's flames again and again. Sparks burst with every strike. The air itself distorted under their power.
"You've improved," the traitor sneered, "but not enough."
Feng Chan's arms bled, his knees buckled—but his eyes blazed with determination.
"Maybe not enough to defeat you now… but I don't need to win. I just need to last long enough."
"Long enough for what?" the traitor mocked.
And then—
From behind him, a seal ignited on the ground. The air shimmered as ancient phoenix runes awakened.
The Book of Reversals floated into the air and cracked open.
Words glowed:
"When the past burns bright, the truth shall be reborn."
The mirror reassembled itself.
This time, the vision was different.
Not his father.
But a battlefield. Phoenix warriors burning. Screams. A child being carried away by shadowed hands.
> "This… was the day it all began…" Feng Chan whispered.
He turned to the traitor. "You weren't just a betrayer. You led the massacre."
The man's eyes flared, for just a moment, with surprise.
Feng Chan's fists tightened. "You tried to erase the truth. But now it lives in me."
---
Elsewhere – Inside the Villain's Throne Hall
Ying Yue stood silently as the villain, cloaked in void-like robes, watched a floating orb.
The scene of Feng Chan's battle played within.
"He's progressing faster than expected," Ying Yue said quietly.
The villain chuckled. "Which is exactly what we want. Every step closer to the truth... brings him closer to his ruin."
Ying Yue clenched her fists behind her back.
"May I return to my duties?"
The villain nodded.
But as Ying Yue turned, she whispered so quietly even the winds couldn't hear:
"Forgive me, Feng Chan. I pray you never reach the truth… because what lies at the end will destroy you."
Ying Yue's voice was barely a breath, but its weight was heavier than fate itself.
She walked away from the obsidian throne, her footsteps silent on the cold stone floor. The villain behind her remained still, his fingers caressing the floating orb that now dimmed to black. His eyes glowed faintly—a color not of any element or realm, but something older… darker.
> "Even gods bleed," he murmured, "and soon… so will he."
---
Back in the Trial Realm
The Book of Reversals slowly closed on its own, vanishing into the ether. Feng Chan stood surrounded by the remnants of the illusion. The battlefield was gone, but the fire in his heart had only just begun to blaze.
The traitor coughed blood, barely standing. "You think… knowing the truth changes anything? The world still belongs to the strong."
Feng Chan stepped forward. "Then I'll become strong enough to rebuild the world… in my own way."
The traitor sneered. "Naïve."
But as he raised his weapon for one last attack—
> "That's enough."
A blinding sword of starlight pierced through the air, stopping inches from the traitor's chest.
Feng Chan's eyes widened. "That sword…!"
From the shadows walked out a man shrouded in flowing celestial robes. His face was hidden beneath a jade mask, his voice calm like a forgotten river.
> "You've learned what you needed, Feng Chan. It's time to leave."
"Wait… who are you?"
The man's eyes, visible through the jade slits, were ancient. Tired. Powerful.
"I am the one who opened the Book of Reversals for you. Nothing more. For now."
The traitor roared, lunging forward—but the jade-masked figure raised his hand. Reality twisted, and the traitor was pulled into a swirling void.
"W-What did you do?" Feng Chan asked.
"I returned him… to where he belongs. A prison of memory."
Before Feng Chan could question more, the man vanished in a ripple of space.
---
Outside the Trial Realm
The mirror gate shattered. Feng Chan stumbled out, sweat on his forehead, but his eyes burning with purpose.
Xiao Mei ran to him. "You're back! What happened in there?"
Feng Chan looked at the distant mountains. "I saw the past. My father's truth. My clan's fall."
Xiao Mei hesitated. "And what now?"
He looked at his hands, still shaking from the battle. "Now… I rebuild. I rise."
But far above them, perched on a floating cliff hidden in clouds, Ying Yue watched silently, her eyes shimmering with emotion she couldn't name.
Behind her stood a figure wrapped in storm-like robes. "You still care for him."
"I… I don't know," she whispered.
"Your hesitation will destroy you both."
She turned away. "Then let it."
The clouds darkened.
Destiny was shifting.
And the war was only just beginning.
To be continue