The world was burning behind his eyes.
Leon staggered through the treeline, one hand clutching the pendant, the other pressed to his ribs. The aftermath of the battle still echoed through his meridians—fractured Qi pathways, torn muscle fibers, and something deeper.
A tremor not of body—but of soul.
He collapsed beside a moss-covered boulder.
For a moment, everything went white.
—
In the void, he stood again.
But this time, not as Leon Fang.
He wore obsidian robes stitched with golden runes, and the world around him bent to his breath. Mountains bowed. Rivers froze. Stars trembled.
And before him knelt a man.
Armor blackened by blood, a single blade in his hand, eyes wet with betrayal.
"Forgive me… brother."
Leon—no, **he**—raised his hand.
Flame erupted. Celestial. Silent.
It consumed the traitor whole.
And then—
Darkness.
He jolted awake with a ragged gasp.
—
"You're lucky I found you first," Mira said.
She stood a few feet away, arms crossed, violet eyes studying him with a mixture of concern and calculation. Behind her was a hidden alcove built into the cliffside—a place shielded by ancient spirit wards.
"You passed out for nearly three hours," she added.
Leon blinked. His body was sore but healing fast. The Azure Flame worked silently, knitting flesh and nerves.
"What happened to the Red Lotus portal?" he asked.
"Sealed," she said. "But only temporarily. Whatever was on the other side—it wasn't done."
Leon sat up. "They were looking for Valeria."
Mira nodded slowly. "Or the piece of her that responded to you."
He pulled the pendant from his chest and held it in the moonlight.
It no longer glowed.
Dormant again.
But not gone.
Mira moved closer, kneeling beside him.
"I've seen this before," she said, tapping the pendant lightly. "Fragments of celestial souls call out to those with matching resonance. In rare cases… a bond forms."
Leon looked at her. "You mean reincarnated lovers?"
She smiled. "Or something worse."
He didn't answer.
The dream still swam in his head. The obsidian robes. The power. The **betrayal**.
"I saw him," Leon whispered. "The one who betrayed me."
"In this life?" Mira asked.
"No," he said. "In the last one. My final memory before death… I think it's coming back."
Mira looked serious. "If your soul is starting to burn through the walls of time, then what comes next won't be gentle."
Leon looked at his hands. They were steady.
But his flame wasn't.
It pulsed inside him like a beast stirring in its cage.
—
By morning, Mira had gathered supplies. Dried spiritual herbs, soul-soothing incense, a flask of mountain spring water infused with starlight energy.
Leon sat cross-legged within the circle she had drawn, surrounded by glowing runes etched into the stone with talon ash.
"This will force the flame inward," she said. "Push it toward your core. If your soul is ready, you'll begin to unlock the buried layers."
"And if I'm not?" Leon asked.
"You'll burn from the inside out."
Leon gave a small smile. "Comforting."
Mira stepped back. "Ready?"
He nodded.
She clapped her hands once.
The runes flared to life.
Flame leapt from the edges of the circle, threading toward him like serpents of light. Leon's body seized. He bit down, refusing to scream.
Inside, the Azure Flame tore downward—not outward.
He felt it—
Shatter through the first layer of his soul.
Then the second.
Then—
A name.
**Thalor.**
He saw it etched into a black temple wall, carved in bone and sealed in blood. Not of this world. Not of this dimension.
Another memory flashed:
A blade made from frozen starfire.
A city falling from the sky.
A girl with silver eyes, smiling as she whispered:
**"No matter how many worlds you burn… I'll find you."**
The pain became unbearable.
Then—
Darkness again.
—
When he awoke, Mira was pouring water into his mouth.
"You nearly combusted," she said. "Twice."
Leon blinked. "I saw another name. Not Valeria. Not mine."
"What was it?"
He swallowed. "Thalor."
Mira's face paled.
"You remember who you were," she said.
Leon sat up, slowly.
"I wasn't just a disciple," he said. "I wasn't just a son."
He looked at the pendant again.
"I was a god-killer."
—