The trio descended from the Ashen Wastes into the Luminous Plains—a place said to be untouched by corruption since the First Era. Rolling fields of radiant grass shimmered under a sky filled with twin suns. The air pulsed with spiritual energy so dense, Jin Long could feel the Genesis Core within him responding, almost sighing in relief.
But he didn't relax. Not here. Not after what he had seen in the Silver Rift.
They camped near a crystalline river, its waters glowing softly in the moonlight. Yue Lan sat quietly across from him, stirring a pot of broth, her face thoughtful.
"You saw us lose, didn't you?" she finally asked.
Jin Long didn't answer immediately. His fingers brushed the ground, feeling the thrum of life beneath. "I saw every possibility. Every failure. Every victory. And in almost all of them, one truth remained…"
She looked up.
"I lose something… someone. And sometimes, it's you."
Yue Lan's eyes didn't waver. "Then we defy the pattern."
Before Jin Long could reply, Valen returned from his perimeter watch, his face grim. "Something's wrong."
A moment later, the sky darkened—not like a storm, but like the light itself was being devoured.
From the shadows emerged a hooded figure clad in golden robes threaded with black veins. His face was hidden behind a mask of glass, reflecting Jin Long's own face back at him.
"Elarys warned you," the figure said in a voice like glass scraping steel. "But not all fates can be avoided."
Jin Long stood, drawing his blade. "Who are you?"
"I am Miren, a former bearer of the Genesis Core—one who tried to fight fate and failed. Now I serve the Spiral Sovereign… Zhan Wuhen."
The Genesis Core inside Jin Long pulsed violently. He felt a strange kinship with this man, as if Miren had once stood in the same place he did now, made the same vows, and failed.
"You don't have to serve him," Jin said. "Whatever broke you, it doesn't have to define you."
Miren laughed bitterly. "I'm not broken. I'm enlightened. I saw the truth. The Core does not bring salvation—it brings collapse. And you are its latest curse."
He raised his hand, summoning a blade forged of fractured light, and charged.
The battle was unlike any Jin Long had faced.
Miren's strikes were impossibly fast, like he moved through multiple timelines at once. Jin could barely parry, only surviving by instinct and the Core's subtle whispers. Sparks flew as blade met blade, each strike a clash of destinies.
Yue Lan leapt in to aid, her energy lashing out like lightning. But even her power was deflected—Miren was too experienced, too precise.
Then Valen charged, striking with a wave of molten fury. Miren was forced to retreat, skidding across the grass as he lowered his blade.
"You're strong," he admitted, mask cracked slightly. "Stronger than I was. But not strong enough yet."
Before Jin could respond, Miren raised a crystal and vanished into shadow, his voice echoing behind him:
"Zhan Wuhen will consume the next Core at the Temple of Mirrors. If you wish to save your world, Jin Long… then come and fail with honor."
As the night fell silent again, Jin lowered his sword, sweat pouring down his face.
"The Temple of Mirrors…" Yue Lan said softly. "That's in the Hollow Realm."
Jin nodded. "Then that's where we go. No more reacting. It's time to strike first."