The wind howled across the northern cliffs as if mourning something ancient.
Jin Mu-Won stood alone at the peak of Red Fang Ridge, the four-petal Lotus Seal blooming behind him in a soft swirl of white and gold. The fifth shard's aura pulsed somewhere below, deep within a hidden temple that hadn't seen the light of day for a thousand years.
His companions rested at the base of the climb—Yu Fei tending to the wounded Lin Xue, Bai Yiran sharpening his blade while cursing every rock on the mountain, and Hye Rin chanting softly beneath her breath. The last battle with the Red Moon cult had drained them.
Jin had climbed ahead not just to scout the temple, but to clear his thoughts. The power growing inside him had become almost unbearable—too vast, too unpredictable. It was no longer just strength. It was memory, fate, and divine will tangled together.
He knelt and placed his hand on the frozen stone.
The shard was close.
But before he could move, a voice cut through the mountain air like a dagger wrapped in silk.
"You're still too slow."
Jin froze.
He hadn't sensed anyone approach. Not a single thread of qi, not a flicker of killing intent.
He turned.
The man standing across from him wore a long white coat trimmed in deep black. His hair was silver, tied into a loose tail that fluttered in the wind. His eyes were a perfect mirror of Jin's—crimson ringed in gold.
And on his back… a Lotus Seal.
But this one had five petals.
Five.
"Who are you?" Jin asked, rising slowly.
The stranger smiled. It was familiar. Too familiar.
"Name's Ren," he said casually. "But to you, I suppose I'm the path not taken."
---
They stood in silence for a moment.
Jin's mind raced.
There were no records of another Lotus bearer. Not even legends. The Eternal Lotus Seal was said to choose one wielder per cycle—a soul destined to rewrite the world.
Was this man a fraud?
No. The aura was real. He could feel it resonating with his own. Like two swords forged from the same flame.
Ren's tone was light, almost amused. "You look surprised. Didn't think fate made duplicates?"
Jin narrowed his eyes. "No. Fate doesn't make mistakes."
"Doesn't it?" Ren tilted his head. "Then why was I cast into the Abyss while you rose with fortune at your back? Why was I chosen, awakened, and then forgotten?"
Jin's chest tightened. "You're a reincarnator."
Ren's grin widened. "Ding ding. Took you long enough."
---
Ren walked toward the cliff edge and looked down at the temple carved into the mountainside. It was ancient and foreboding, sealed behind a wall of obsidian and glyphs glowing in blood-red script.
"The fifth shard is in there," Ren said. "But here's the catch—only one of us can claim it."
Jin didn't answer.
"I've already touched five," Ren continued. "But this one… this is the Heart Shard. It completes the inner ring of the Lotus. The one who gets it becomes the Lotus Sovereign."
Jin's knuckles cracked. "You're saying we're enemies."
"I'm saying," Ren turned, his face darkening, "that if you reach that shard first, I'll kill you. Not because I want to—but because I have to."
For the first time in his life, Jin felt fear.
Not from Ren's strength—but from his conviction.
---
They clashed.
The air ruptured from the force of their collision. Jin's spear met Ren's bare palm, but instead of resistance, there was redirection—an unseen martial art that flowed around impact.
Jin spun back, unleashed his third form: Lotus Pierces Heaven.
Ren countered with a single finger strike. Not powerful—perfect. It disrupted the technique entirely.
He came forward, palm aimed at Jin's heart. Jin shifted, using Shadow Step: Phantom Drift, vanishing into wind.
Ren laughed. "Not bad!"
They exchanged sixty blows in a blink. Each of Ren's movements mirrored something Jin had once learned—but refined, evolved. As if someone had taken all of Jin's growth, torn away the distractions, and focused only on destruction.
Jin's seal flared. He called on the Fourth Petal — the Silent Flow.
The world stilled.
All sound vanished.
And for a moment, Ren hesitated.
Jin struck.
A single point aimed at the neck.
Ren leaned… just enough.
The strike grazed his collarbone.
Blood trickled.
Then Ren vanished.
Jin whipped around, instinct screaming—
—too late.
A palm hit his spine.
The world went dark.
---
When he woke, he was still on the cliff. The sun had dipped lower.
Ren sat a few feet away, tossing a stone into the air.
"Relax," he said. "Didn't kill you."
"Why?"
"Because I want to see what you'll do. You've got four petals now. You're strong. But the world we're heading into…" He looked up at the clouds. "You'll need more than talent and women to survive."
Jin sat up, wincing. "You don't know anything about me."
"I know enough," Ren said. "I know your girls follow you like stars orbiting a sun. I know you get lucky without trying. And I know you've never once lost something that mattered."
Jin's eyes flashed.
Ren's tone darkened. "That's why you'll lose to me."
And then he was gone.
---
By the time Jin returned to camp, the others had sensed the clash.
Yu Fei rushed to him. "You're hurt! What happened?"
He didn't answer.
Bai Yiran crossed his arms. "That look on your face… who did you lose to?"
Jin didn't reply.
Lin Xue touched his arm. "We saw something in the sky. Like a Lotus with five petals."
Even Hye Rin seemed shaken. "You met your opposite."
Jin finally spoke. "No. I met my other half."
---
That night, he couldn't sleep.
He stared at the stars, thinking of Ren—of the skill, the conviction, the fury.
And the five petals.
Why five? Jin wondered. Was Ren ahead… or was he incomplete?
Yu Fei sat beside him. "You're scared."
He didn't deny it.
"He pushed you," she said. "Good. Now push back."
He turned. "You always know what to say."
She smiled. "That's why I'm still here."
Behind them, the air shimmered.
A pulse rippled through the land.
The temple had opened.
The fifth shard was ready.
And Ren… would be waiting.