Chapter 77: Trial of Sequences – Rebirth Mist vs. Dawn Flower
I. The Dawn and the Haze
The flickering morning light fell upon the plaza, blurring the edges of the platforms with a golden halo. The echoes of previous combats still vibrated in the air: Eris's fire, Maren's thunder, Cedric's steel, and Sela's shadow. Now, the atmosphere was different—softer, yet no less tense.
The System announced:
[Next Duel:
Lyra, Rebirth Mist (Origin Realm, Stage 1; Shadow/Mist/Illusion)
vs.
Lys, Dawn Flower (Transcendence Realm, Stage 9; Light/Healing)]
Lyra was the first to ascend the platform, wrapped in a mantle of mist that seemed to drink the light. Her dark hair billowed with every invisible current, and her eyes, of a nearly silver gray, were fixed upon the ground. Every step was silence, but every footprint was a promise of struggle.
Lys followed her, dressed in white and gold, her smile serene and her gait light. Her presence was like a ray of sunshine in the middle of a storm, but deep within her eyes burned a fierce determination. Violeta watched closely. —"They are not just opposites," she whispered to Elara. "They are mirrors of what we could become if pain turns into a shield… or into hope."
II. Greeting and Confession
In the center of the platform, the two stopped. —"You don't have to hold back," Lys said, her voice soft but clear. "If you wish, you may hurt me. I am prepared to heal."
Lyra nodded, the mist swirling around her. —"I am not afraid of your light. But do not forget: even the most beautiful flower can wither in the shadow."
Both bowed their heads in a sign of respect. Brief applause followed, then absolute silence. Samael, from above, gave the signal.
III. First Bout: Light Amidst the Mist
The gong rang. Lys was the first to attack. —"Dawn Art: Crown of Lotuses."
Flowers of light sprouted before her, each firing golden rays that traveled across the platform in curved lines, seeking Lyra as if they were alive. Lyra dissolved into a whirlwind of mist, the lotuses barely grazing her silhouette before dissipating. —"Dance of the Nameless Mist."
Lyra reappeared in three places at once, each copy projecting a freezing aura. Lys's flowers withered upon contact with the haze, but from one of them, a sudden stalk sprouted, catching one of the copies. Lys wasted no time: she channeled Qi through the stalk and projected a burst of light that swept the platform. Lyra, forced to reconstitute herself in the center, murmured: —"Good aim." Lys offered a faint smile, a bead of sweat on her forehead.
IV. Second Bout: Illusion and Memory
Lyra shifted her tactics. —"Seal of Broken Memory."
The mist became so thick that the audience lost sight of both contenders. Inside, Lys felt the air change; suddenly, she was elsewhere—an ancient battlefield, surrounded by the wounded and cries of pain. —"Where…?" she whispered, feeling the weight of guilt: patients she could not save, friends who died in her arms.
Lyra, in the real world, moved slow and silent, searching for Lys's true body. But in the illusory world, she approached from behind and whispered in her rival's ear: —"What happens when your light is not enough? Who do you heal if you cannot forgive yourself?"
Lys, trapped in the illusion, trembled. But instead of resisting, she closed her eyes and channeled her inner Qi. —"No healer is perfect. But every wound is a reason to try again." A flash of light erupted from her chest, so intense that it split the mist in two. The platform glowed, and Lys reappeared, gasping but free from the illusion. Lyra took a step back, surprised. —"How did you do it?" Lys smiled, though her eyes were moist. —"I accepted my scars."
V. Third Bout: The Limit of Light and Shadow
Both were now exhausted, but the determination on their faces was indomitable. Lys charged her Qi. —"Supreme Art: Aurora of Awakening."
From her hands sprouted a beam of golden light, so pure that Lyra's shadow vanished for a moment. The audience felt the warmth, the hope, and the pain of every wound healed and every loss endured. But Lyra closed her eyes, and the mist, instead of dissipating, condensed around her, forming a dark gray sphere. —"Embrace of Eternal Mist."
Lys's beam crashed against the sphere, but instead of dispelling it, the mist absorbed it, feeding on the light. Inside, Lyra felt the weight of all her memories, each twisting in pain and a desire for redemption. Samael, from above, clenched his fists. Violeta bit her lip. Kael whispered: —"Now we will know if the mist can be reborn… or if it will be lost forever."
VI. Climax: Rebirth and Hope
Suddenly, the sphere of mist split, and from it emerged Lyra, wrapped in a translucent haze shot through with golden threads. In her hands, she held a staff formed by the fusion of shadow and light. —"We are not enemies, Lys. We are wounds that heal and memories that teach."
Lys, on her knees, channeled her last reserve of Qi. —"Final Art: Dawn Lotus." A golden lotus sprouted beneath her feet, lifting her into the air, the light enveloping both in a warm glow. Lyra raised her staff, and instead of attacking, she touched the lotus with the tip, letting the mist and light blend together.
The audience saw an explosion of colors: gold, gray, white, and violet. The entire platform was covered in luminous haze. When the mist cleared, Lys and Lyra were embracing in the center. Both were trembling, both were crying, and both were laughing.
VII. System Judgment and the Promise
[Result: Draw Declared.
Sequence Status:
Lyra retains Rank 7 (Rebirth Mist).
Lys rises to Rank 12 (Dawn Flower).
Reward: "Dawn Haze" – a joint healing and camouflage technique.
Lyra: Spiritual breakthrough; mastery of Luminous Mist.
Lys: Ascension to Origin Realm, Stage 1.****]
The crowd erupted in applause. Sela and Elowen ran to embrace Lys; Aylin and Rowan high-fived Lyra. Samael descended from the air, placing his hands on the shoulders of both. —"Today you have shown that strength is not about destroying, but sustaining. When mist and light meet, they can heal even the longest night." Violeta, weeping with joy, whispered: —"Sister, you finally came home."
VIII. Epilogue: The Shadow and the Aurora
On the balconies, an emissary from the Sect of the Purple Light observed the union of mist and light, mentally transmitting to his superiors. —"The weakness of the Morningstars does not lie in their skills," he whispered, "but in the bonds that make them human."
In the plaza, however, no one feared that humanity. Beneath the newly born aurora, the Morningstar clan celebrated a victory deeper than any physical triumph: the promise that even wounds and differences could be the seed of a new rebirth.