The cracked door opened with a pulse of harsh light, and when Lin Qing stepped inside, the atmosphere shifted completely. The space felt wrong—hollow in a way that made the skin prickle.
It wasn't a room, not even a chamber. It was a pocket of existence stripped clean, as if someone had carved out everything except a single object suspended in the center.
A mirror.
Tall, oval, and bound in heavy black metal bands covered with talismans. Some of the seals were burnt through, others split down the middle, all of them hanging on by threads of weakening light.
This wasn't decorative.
This was containment.
Lin Qing's Mirror Domain reacted immediately, tightening instinctively. Whatever was inside that mirror didn't belong here.
A voice slipped out from behind the glass.
"…you're early."
It wasn't the calm, ancient voice he'd heard guiding him earlier.
This one sounded frayed at the edges—younger, irritated, worn down.
"You weren't supposed to open this door," it added.
Lin Qing stepped forward slowly. "Then explain what this place is."
A tired laugh rolled out. "It's a mistake. I'm a mistake."
The talismans buzzed weakly as another crack split across the metal frame.
"I wasn't part of the plan," the voice continued. "When the Mirror Emperor tried to reincarnate into himself, Heaven shattered him. Most of him faded. One piece didn't."
The voice grew sharper.
"That piece is me."
Lin Qing's eyes narrowed. "And I'm what—your replacement?"
Another crack spread across the mirror. "Yes. When the Emperor tried again and Heaven blocked the path, he forced his soul into a world outside Heaven's reach. That world shaped you."
The figure inside the mirror leaned closer.
"The Emperor intended to return as himself. That path failed. So Heaven left the next best option."
A pause.
"You."
The restraints snapped one after another. Sparks of dull silver scattered through the void.
Lin Qing braced himself, Mirror Domain fully active.
But the pressure coming from the mirror only grew heavier, like the presence inside was pushing against every corner of the sealed space.
The glass fractured.
Then shattered outward.
The fragment stepped onto the ground—the mist finally clearing from its features.
He looked like Lin Qing.
Same body.
Same face.
Same aura.
But the expression was entirely different—older, colder, carrying the kind of certainty that came from a lifetime of bending the world to one's will rather than adapting to it.
He circled Lin Qing once, examining him the way a swordsman appraises a new blade.
"You're weaker than I expected," the fragment said. "But stable. More stable than the Emperor himself at your age. That part is interesting."
Lin Qing didn't rise to the provocation. "What do you want?"
"What's mine," the fragment replied. "But since I can't have it, I want to know whether you deserve it."
He stepped close enough that Lin Qing could see the faint silver fire in his eyes.
"That inheritance belongs to the one who carries the Emperor's will. I need to see whether you have it."
He raised two fingers and pressed them against Lin Qing's forehead.
A shock of foreign thought shot into Lin Qing's mind—visions clashing together in a violent rush. A cracked throne. A battlefield swallowed by light. Seven silhouettes towering over a man kneeling in a ruined world. A crown splitting open. A path paved entirely in broken reflections.
Lin Qing snapped his head away as his Mirror Domain surged, ejecting the invading intent with a burst of silver clarity.
The fragment staggered back half a step, then gave a small, satisfied smile.
"Good. You're not empty."
Lin Qing steadied his breathing. "If this is going where I think it is, just say it."
"It isn't a request," the fragment said. "You want what the Emperor left behind. The true inheritance. All of it."
He took a slow step back, shoulders lowering into a stance that looked far too familiar.
"Then show me you're worthy of carrying him."
Silver fire flared behind his eyes.
Lin Qing shifted forward, his own Domain tightening into a clean defensive shell.
"Fine," he said. "Let's see what the Mirror Emperor left behind."
The fragment smiled faintly, and the entire void pulsed with pressure as the real battle began.