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The courtyard echoed with fading cheers. Zena and I had won the duel—barely. My shoulder still throbbed from that last clash against the twin-blade user, but the thrill of battle stirred something within me. Something ancient.
Zena walked beside me, not speaking, but smiling smugly. Her palm held one of the rare cultivating pills. I held the scrolls—six in total. They pulsed faintly in my hands like they were alive.
We found ourselves in the quiet of the academy's ancient library, sitting on the floor. "So," Zena finally broke the silence, "you gonna open those?"
"I will," I replied, "but not here."
We sneaked into the academy's old east wing—sealed off for decades. Rumor had it the wing was once used by cultivators who unlocked their past-life stages too early. I didn't know if it was true, but the place had... weight.
One by one, I spread the scrolls on the floor. They each shimmered in different colors—blue, crimson, gold, void-black, and two silver.
Zena leaned over, whispering, "The black one… it's a memory scroll. But not from this life. That's past-life data."
My hand paused mid-air. "What?"
She nodded. "These are banned items in most academies. The reason they were hidden in the duel prize is because no one except you can open them."
A chill ran down my spine. "Why me?"
"Because your soul signature... matches someone from history. Akido Akino. He wasn't just a warrior. He was the Voidmark—the last wielder of the Hollow Flame."
I stared at her, speechless. "You're saying… that's me?"
Zena placed a hand over mine. "It's time to see."
As I unrolled the black scroll, reality warped. My vision blurred, the air thickened, and everything faded—
---
FLASHBACK BEGINS
—A battlefield. Ashes swirling in the storm. Bodies piled high. In the center, a man with silver hair and a cloak made of dark fire. His blade hissed with screams.
He was surrounded by enemies—and one woman stood before him. Shiro Hanara.
"Akido!" she screamed. "Don't do this!"
But the man said nothing. He charged. The battlefield turned white.
---
FLASHBACK ENDS
I collapsed to my knees, sweat dripping from my forehead.
"That's… me," I gasped. "That's what I did?"
Zena looked at me seriously. "Now you understand why they're watching you."
"Who?"
She stood. "Not who. What."
Outside, the sky above Flameheart cracked faintly, like glass under pressure. And somewhere in the void, the omnigod watched once again—and whispered, "Awaken, child of the void.