The Godflame's cracked mask fell away.
And beneath it…
Ryon.
Not exactly.
But close enough that every flamebound woman behind him gasped.
He was older. Burned in ways Ryon wasn't. Eyes silver, rimmed with void. A twisted core flickering beneath skin etched with corrupted threads.
The face of someone who had chosen wrong—and survived.
> "I was you," the figure said.
"Before the world chose systems. Before the flames began to love. I ruled. I burned. And in the end, I broke."
"Your name?" Ryon asked.
The reflection tilted its head. "You already know it."
"No. I don't."
> "Then say mine," it challenged. "And find out if you're ready to replace me."
> System Thread Conflict Detected
⊕ Name Overlap Event – Mirror Sovereign
Risk: Identity Merge
Potential Event: Flame Eclipse
Warning: Proceeding may cause core instability in Ryon and bonded threads
The two Ryons stood across from each other, the Godflame's presence stretching backward into a scorched sky.
