The journey from the ruins of the Spiritforge Temple was not quiet. Thunder stalked the skies overhead, black clouds gathering with unnatural swiftness. The land itself trembled under the weight of something awakening — something ancient.
Li Wei walked ahead, his gaze hard. The Blade of Aether now floated slightly when drawn, humming in resonance with his heartbeat. Mei Ling kept a protective talisman hovering over the group as they moved through the jagged trail of the Ember Ravine.
"I've never seen the sky look like that," Yu Lin murmured, gripping her staff tightly.
Bo Qian nodded. "The clouds carry more than water. They carry war."
As they trekked deeper into the ravine, they encountered signs of a battle long past — charred bones, shattered armor, and obelisks covered in runes.
"We're not alone," said Mei Ling.
They weren't. The air vibrated with Qi signatures, faint but powerful. As they crossed into a stone-ringed chamber surrounded by whispering wind, a voice echoed across the stones.
"You awaken powers you do not yet understand, children of flame."
A figure emerged from the shadows — a man cloaked in storm-gray robes, eyes glowing faint blue. He bore a staff made of twisted jade, and his aura pulsed like thunder itself.
"Who are you?" Lin Wei demanded, weapon at the ready.
"I am Elder Xuan, the last Stormsinger of the Jade Courts. I have waited three centuries for your coming."
---
Elder Xuan revealed that the Jade Flame's awakening had reactivated ancient wards around the continent — and that Li Wei and his companions were at the center of the balance between light and oblivion. The Blade of Aether was not just a weapon — it was a key. A key to the Celestial Gate.
He raised his hand and summoned an orb of condensed storm Qi.
"Let me test your resolve."
He struck. And the trial began.
---
Trial of the Stormsinger
Each of them was pushed to their limit — not by force, but by illusions that attacked their minds and fears. Mei Ling faced her past: the village she left behind, now engulfed in green fire. Yu Lin saw the fall of her people — again and again — until she broke free with sheer will.
Bo Qian relived the betrayal of his brother in the Crimson Rebellion.
And Lin Wei... faced himself.
A mirror version appeared, cloaked in black flame, whispering doubts.
"You are no guardian. You are a weapon made to destroy. What happens when the blade no longer knows its master?"
"I do," Lin Wei said. "I master the blade. I carry it for those who cannot."
With a burst of emerald light, the illusion shattered.
When the trial ended, Elder Xuan stood silently, smiling.
"You may yet stand against the Forgotten King."
He gifted them each a sigil — markings that burned into their skin and would grant them resistance to void magic.
"Seek the Whispering Stones," he said. "There, the next truth awaits."
---