The path ahead was not made of stone or soil—
It was made of light. Ancient, cracked, and fading light, suspended in the emptiness between realms.
Lin Xian stood at the edge of the Celestial Bridge, the fourth trial in his journey to unlock the Nine Seals. Behind him lay death and shadow. Ahead… the sky bled silver.
> [Location: Celestial Bridge – Trial of Burden]
[System Status: Stable]
[Warning: Dimensional Rift Detected – Presence of Unknown Flame Variant]
The air was cold. Not freezing—empty. Like even time had chosen not to walk here.
Whisperfang hummed faintly, its black edge echoing with the residual cries of Kehras, the slain Apostle. Yet even with that victory, Lin Xian's grip was tight.
Because something had changed.
In the distance, hovering above the halfway point of the bridge, was a monolithic gate of glass and gold—its doors shut, its carvings writhing.
Something pulsed within it.
> [Flame Type: God-Forged Ember – Class: Forbidden]
[Estimated Trial: Confrontation of Past Self]
"Face who you were… or perish as who you are."
---
⚔️ Flashback Rift — The Day He Died
Suddenly, his breath stopped.
The world twisted.
He wasn't on the bridge anymore.
He was… back.
Back on the crimson battlefield of the Burning Sky Sect, where he—Lin Xian—had once been betrayed.
> "Sword Brother Xian! Wait—don't open the gate!"
Li Yan's voice. The one who laughed as he stabbed Lin in the back.
A dozen figures surrounded him—former allies, traitors, their faces flickering like ghosts. Their blades burned with the fire of his past failures.
"Why did you rise?" one asked.
"Why didn't you stay dead like the rest of us?" another hissed.
> [Trial Commencing: Purge of Memory Echoes – Stage I]
---
He didn't speak.
He simply drew his sword.
And the first ghost fell—cut clean through, its false soul unraveling into smoke.
But with each swing, each shadow slain, the weight grew heavier.
Not just from pain.
But from remorse.
"You abandoned me…" a young voice said.
A girl stepped out from the smoke.
She had short hair, a pendant he remembered carving with trembling hands, and eyes that once sparkled at the stars. She looked no older than sixteen.
"…Suyin," Lin Xian whispered.
She didn't speak again.
She just charged at him with a blade made of memory.
---
He fell to his knees.
Not from the wound—but from the truth.
> "You sacrificed everything to become strong. But what did you protect?"
---
🩸 Flame Awakened
> [System Pulse Detected: Soulbreak Flame Synchronizing…]
[Resonance Complete – Trait Unlocked: Ember of Regret]
Lin Xian stood.
Tears—real ones—cut across his cheek.
But his eyes blazed with resolve.
"I carry the dead not in shame," he said. "But so they burn with me."
His aura exploded outward.
A new flame—blue at the core, black at the edge—swirled around him.
> [Skill Evolved: Hellfire Draw → Soulburn Ascension]
Effect: Attacks now consume false memories to increase critical damage. Resistant to Illusion-type techniques.
The last echo tried to speak—but was engulfed in a single slash.
---
The bridge stabilized. The gate opened.
He walked through, silent, calm, and changed.
> [Trial Complete – 4/9 Seals Broken]
New System Trait: Flame of the Forsaken Heart
— "Those who burn in silence are the ones who blaze through gods."
---
Far above, in the Celestial Pavilion, a pair of eyes opened.
Lady Xuanyu stirred from meditation.
"…He survived the bridge."
One of her attendants stepped forward. "Should we invite him now, my Lady?"
Xuanyu's silver eyes narrowed.
"No. Let him climb higher.
Let the heavens see what a forsaken can become without our favor."