The Realm of Echoes wasn't entered through gates, but through mirrors—twelve black mirrors that shimmered under the noonday sun, each reflecting not the present, but the heart.
Han Li stood before them with his students.
Jian Mo's hands trembled. "It's like… the mirror is breathing."
Ling Yue's pupils flickered with nervous light. "What if we don't make it out?"
Han Li looked at them. "Remember this: the Realm cannot kill you—unless you give it permission."
He walked to the largest mirror and pressed his palm against it. A ripple spread.
"One at a time," he said, voice calm.
Each student stepped forward, disappearing into their own reflection.
Han Li watched them vanish, then turned to Elder Sun, the guardian of the Realm.
"Keep everyone else out," Han Li said.
Elder Sun raised a brow. "Even the elite classes?"
Han Li smiled. "Especially them."
—
Inside the Realm…
Jian Mo opened his eyes. He stood in the ruins of his childhood home. His father's broken body lay on the floor, eyes empty.
"No!" he shouted. "Not again!"
Behind him, his old clan-mates emerged, faces twisted with laughter.
"You failed us!"
Suddenly, a rune in his sleeve pulsed. Master Han's talisman—it glowed gold.
Jian Mo inhaled. "You're not real."
With a snap of his fingers, the illusions shattered.
—
Ling Yue stood before her mirror-self—noble, perfect, cruel.
"You'll always be beneath me," it sneered.
But Ling Yue raised her sword.
"No. I am me. And I choose my path."
Steel clashed with shadow—and light won.
—
Above the realm, Han Li sat cross-legged, watching twelve lights flicker in the void.
"So far, so good."
But deep within the Realm… something old stirred. Something not created by the academy.
Something watching him back.