The moment the temple opened, the world changed.
A deep tremor ran through the spine of Red Fang Ridge. The sky flickered with violet lightning, and the air grew heavy—thick with qi so ancient and potent it seemed to choke the very soul. Jin Mu-Won stood at the temple's entrance, his four-petal Lotus Seal glowing faintly at his back. Before him loomed twin gates of obsidian, carved with the same petal markings he bore.
They groaned open without touch, as if recognizing their master.
Behind him, his companions stood in a loose formation.
Yu Fei's grip tightened around her sword. "This place… it doesn't feel like Murim. It feels older."
Bai Yiran muttered, "Or cursed."
Lin Xue placed her hand over her heart. "The qi here is so dense, I feel like I'm drowning."
Hye Rin stepped forward. "This is sacred ground. This is where the Lotus once bloomed."
Jin turned. "Stay close. We go together."
They entered the temple.
---
The interior was a vast, circular chamber lit by floating orbs of golden flame. Murals stretched across the walls, depicting scenes Jin recognized only from fragmented memories—celestial wars, divine cultivators, and an endless sea of petals devouring the sky.
At the center stood an altar.
And atop it… the Heart Shard.
It pulsed like a living thing, a crimson crystal shaped like a teardrop suspended in air, wrapped in lotus-shaped runes. Its energy sang to Jin's very soul, resonating with the Lotus Seal on his back.
He took a step forward.
But the moment he did, a figure appeared behind the altar.
Ren.
He leaned casually on his sword, one eye closed, smiling faintly. "Took you long enough."
Yu Fei immediately drew her blade. "You!"
Ren raised a hand lazily. "Peace. I'm not here to fight."
Jin frowned. "Then why are you here?"
Ren's voice was calm. "Because the Lotus doesn't just grant power. It chooses paths. And before one of us takes that shard, we need to understand what that path will cost."
Jin didn't lower his guard. "Explain."
Ren stepped aside and gestured toward the murals. "This temple was built by the first Lotus Sovereign—the original wielder of the Seal. It was he who split the Lotus into shards to prevent absolute power from corrupting the world again."
Yu Fei narrowed her eyes. "So… the shard is dangerous?"
"No," Ren said. "The one who claims the fifth shard becomes more than human. The Lotus begins to overwrite their soul, reshape their memories, bind them to a cycle."
Lin Xue's eyes widened. "A cycle?"
Ren nodded. "The cycle of reincarnation. Every Lotus bearer before you and I? They weren't just wielders. They were the same soul. Over and over. Each time forgetting. Each time reborn."
Silence fell over the temple.
Jin's heart pounded. "Then you… you're…"
Ren smiled faintly. "The version that remembered too soon."
---
The implications hung heavy.
Jin stepped forward. "So this is a choice. Take the shard… and accept being part of something eternal. Or walk away."
Ren's eyes locked onto his. "But once you touch it, there's no going back."
Yu Fei spoke, her voice trembling. "Then don't take it."
Bai Yiran stepped in. "He has to. We've come too far."
Lin Xue whispered, "Even if it costs him everything?"
Hye Rin raised her head. "No. It will give him everything."
Jin looked at each of them.
At Yu Fei—who had stood beside him through impossible battles.
At Lin Xue—who had nearly died to protect him.
At Bai Yiran—who mocked him yet followed with unwavering loyalty.
At Hye Rin—who saw fate, and still chose him.
They were not just companions. They were pieces of him.
He stepped toward the altar.
Ren didn't stop him.
The shard pulsed in anticipation.
---
The moment Jin touched it, time shattered.
He was no longer in the temple.
He was in a field of lotuses that stretched into eternity, under a black sky filled with stars shaped like swords.
Before him stood a figure in white.
The First Lotus Sovereign.
The man who had created the Seal.
He turned, and Jin saw his own face reflected in the sovereign's eyes.
"You have come far," the sovereign said. "But now comes the trial."
Jin steadied himself. "I accept."
The field exploded into chaos.
Swords rained from the heavens. Flames rose from the ground. Beasts of nightmare surged forward. It was not a trial of strength—it was a trial of memory. Of identity.
Every step Jin took forward, he saw flashes of past lives—glimpses of other selves, other battles, other loves.
A girl with golden eyes reaching out for him.
A brother with a dagger in his back.
A dragon whose tears drowned kingdoms.
He staggered but did not fall.
The sovereign's voice echoed, "Who are you?"
Jin roared, "I am Jin Mu-Won!"
The lotuses surged upward, wrapping around his body, burning away the falsehoods.
And then—he was back.
---
He collapsed to the floor of the temple.
The shard had vanished.
In its place, a fifth petal bloomed on his back.
The Heart Petal.
His aura exploded outward, sending cracks through the walls. The temple trembled. The flames surged higher.
Ren shielded his eyes. "So… you did it."
Jin stood slowly, eyes glowing with crimson-gold light.
He had changed.
Not just stronger. Sharper. Deeper. As if a veil had lifted from his soul.
Ren stepped forward. "Then I suppose the real battle begins."
Jin shook his head. "No. Not today."
Ren arched a brow. "Mercy?"
"Wisdom."
Ren grinned. "Then I'll be waiting."
And with that, Ren vanished in a swirl of petals.
---
Outside, the sky had cleared.
The sun bathed the mountain in golden light.
Jin walked slowly toward his companions. They gathered around him, eyes wide.
Yu Fei touched his arm. "You're… different."
Lin Xue nodded. "Stronger."
Bai Yiran smirked. "Scarier."
Hye Rin bowed her head. "Awakened."
Jin looked at them. "The path ahead won't be easy."
Yu Fei smiled. "We know."
He looked over the horizon.
War was coming.
Not just with Murim.
With fate itself.
But he would not walk it alone.
Not this time.