The gate of spiraling silver flared as the silver-haired woman stepped through. Space twisted, the stars themselves bowing around her presence. The starlight blade in her grip pulsed with quiet fury—an ancient force once bound to the will of forgotten deities.
She had no name in the mortal world, but in the higher realms, they whispered of her as Xingyin, the Flamebearer, Guardian of the Celestial Verge.
Her draconic spirit hovered beside her, wings of shimmering light outstretched. "You sensed the Genesis Core awakening. Do you remember what it means?"
"I remember everything," she murmured. "Jin Long was never just a boy with power. He is the Key, and I… am the Seal that must protect him until the final hour."
—
Skyward Monastery – Midnight
Jin Long held the Ember of Origin in his palm. It didn't burn his flesh—but it burned something deeper. Memories surfaced… not his own. Visions of battles waged before time, where flame and void clashed in an endless cycle. The Genesis Core had once shattered reality—and he was now its bearer.
Yue Lan watched quietly as Jin trembled.
He turned to her. "This flame… it's alive. It remembers the beginning."
"What does it want?"
Jin looked toward the stars. "To finish what it started. But I won't let it. I'll forge a new path."
At that moment, a voice rippled through the night sky like thunder cloaked in silk.
"Then you must prove it."
A radiant arc split open the heavens above the monastery, and Xingyin descended like a falling star, her blade singing in resonance with the Genesis Core inside Jin.
Yue Lan's eyes widened. "Who is she?"
Jin Long's heart thudded. He didn't know why, but he felt as though… they had once been connected.
"I am Xingyin," she said, landing before him. "Guardian of the Verge. Watcher of the Lock. You carry the Core… and with it, the power to unmake everything. I've come to test your resolve."
—
Trial of the Twin Flames
Within moments, Jin Long and Xingyin stood inside a conjured arena of flame and mist. The Ember of Origin danced between them, pulsing in harmony with her blade.
"You carry destiny in your blood," Xingyin said, eyes fierce. "But so did many before you. And they failed."
Jin Long drew his sword, its edge alight with Genesis energy. "Then I'll be the first who doesn't."
They clashed.
Blade met flame. Starfire met void-light. Every strike was a storm. Every breath burned with the weight of cosmic fate.
And in the final clash, when their powers met in a crescendo of light, they both stumbled back—neither victorious, both breathing hard.
"You're not ready," Xingyin said, lowering her blade. "But you're close."
She turned to leave, but paused. "When the Ninth Seal cracks, I will return. Until then, master your Core. Or we're all doomed."
She vanished in a trail of stardust, leaving behind a whisper: "You are not alone, Jin Long. Not anymore."
—
Final Scene: The Ruins of Kar'Zeth
Zhan Wuhen stood amidst the ashes of a fallen city. A dark crystal pulsed in his hand—the first Void Keystone.
"One down," he smirked. "Eight to go."
Behind him, the stitched god's shadow grew larger.