The summons arrived before dawn, carried by glass-wing ravens stitched from magic and bone.
White sigil scrolls burnt into the chapel floor:
YU ZHEN, THORNBOUND WITCH, YOU ARE CALLED TO THE COVEN VERDICT CIRCLE.
Judgement.
Lian Xuan ripped the parchment apart without hesitation.
"No."
Yu Zhen placed his hand gently over Lian Xuan's fist.
"We can't refuse coven law."
"They'll sentence you," Lian Xuan snapped. "They already see you as unstable."
"They see me as dangerous."
"Same difference."
Yu Zhen met his eyes.
"And that means we face them together."
[TRIAL EVENT: MANDATORY]
[MEMORY FRAGMENT 7: INSTABILITY SPIKE] The Coven's Circle
The verdict circle rose at the heart of Witchspire—a colossal arena woven from living roots and glowing runestone.
Seven coven leaders waited at the perimeter, faces hidden beneath ceremonial masks.
Yu Zhen was guided to the centre.
Lian Xuan followed.
Spears crossed his path.
"He may not enter."
"He will," Yu Zhen said quietly, magic vibrating in the air.
The earth answered.
Stone pillars trembled.
The guards hesitated, then withdrew.
Lian Xuan joined Yu Zhen's side without another word.
The Accusation
The eldest coven priestess spoke:
"You performed the Covenant of Thorns without authorisation. You shared a curse meant to kill a man not chosen by fate."
She raised her staff.
"You burnt half your life to save one soul."
Yu Zhen's voice remained steady.
"It was my choice."
"That choice endangered world balance," another coven hissed.
A shout followed:
"Banish the Thornbound Witch."
The Knight Speaks
Lian Xuan stepped forward.
The crowd rippled.
"I am the man he saved," he said clearly.
"I bear witness to the crime."
Gasps.
"You broke fate," a priestess snarled.
Lian Xuan raised his head.
"Then fate deserves to be broken."
His voice shook slightly, but his resolve did not.
"Condemn him and you condemn me with him."
"You would choose exile?"
"Gladly."
He turned toward Yu Zhen and reached for his hands.
"And even death."
The entire coven froze.
[DIVINE DEVOTION SPIKE]
[MEMORY FRAGMENT 7: FINAL BREACH] Heaven Descends
The air tore open.
Blinding light struck the circle.
A figure emerged within it, cold and luminous.
A Priestess of Heaven.
Her eyes gleamed with judgement older than stars.
"These two souls threaten divine equilibrium."
She extended her hand toward Yu Zhen.
"This witch carries the remaining fracture of a god."
"And the knight…" she hissed.
"...is the traitor war deity reincarnated."
The truth jolted both realms.
Full Awakening
Yu Zhen felt every missing piece crash together.
He remembered fully:
He was the God of Souls. Lian Xuan was the God of War.
And they had fallen, not from arrogance, but love.
[MEMORY FRAGMENT 7: COMPLETE]
[DIVINE MEMORY: FULL RESTORATION]
Golden-silver light blazed from their joined hands.
The priestess of Heaven recoiled.
Lian Xuan stepped forward, eyes glowing with godfire.
"You punished us for loving freely."
"And we still chose each other."
Yu Zhen lifted his chin.
"If love unbalances heaven, then heaven was never balanced to begin with."
The coven kneeled, instinctively sensing a higher truth.
The Final Witch Verdict
Faced with divine power, the covens reversed their ruling.
"We withdraw condemnation."
The priestess screamed.
But Heaven couldn't reach through the strengthening soul-thread anymore.
Yu Zhen's magic flared, aided by Lian Xuan's echo.
Light sealed the sky; a tear closed.
[SOUL THREAD: DEFENSE LOCK ACHIEVED]
[DIVINE INTERFERENCE: BLOCKED] After the Trial
They collapsed together in the empty root circle.
Lian Xuan cupped Yu Zhen's face.
"You stood up to heaven."
Yu Zhen smiled tiredly.
"I had backup this time."
They kissed beneath fading starlight, slow, grounding, real.
No divine witnesses now.
Only devotion.
A New Resolution
Hand in hand, they returned to the chapel.
Yu Zhen whispered:
"One more fragment remains to stabilise through this world."
Lian Xuan nodded.
"Then we'll see this arc through."
They lay together that night, blankets tangled around entwined bodies.
No desperation, just closeness.
Lian Xuan kissed Yu Zhen's temple.
"We always survive when we stand together."
Yu Zhen smiled.
"That's the moral of every life."
[MEMORY FRAGMENT 7: COMPLETED]
[DIVINE STATUS: CONFIRMED]
[SOUL THREAD DEFENSE: ACTIVE]