Chapter 15: Ashes of an Oath
For a moment, time froze.
The wind over the Lake of Fallen Stars halted.
The water went still, reflecting the two figures locked in silence — Tham Duong, with his blade dripping starlight, and Bạch Tiêu Vân, whose silver mask now floated beside her torn robes.
Duong's heart twisted, not with sentiment, but with confusion — and rage.
She was dead.
He killed her.
He buried her in this lake, lifetimes ago.
And yet… here she was. Alive.
Bleeding.
Looking at him not with hatred, but with something far worse.
Remorse.
"I saw you die," he whispered. "I watched your body dissolve into spirit ash…"
Tiêu Vân coughed, her blood dark against the pale light.
"I did die," she rasped. "But the Mother brought me back."
Duong's grip on his sword tightened.
"The Red Mother. That abomination."
Tiêu Vân nodded slowly. "She isn't what you think she is. None of us are."
"You betrayed me."
Duong stepped closer.
"You sold me to the Empire's soul hunters. You whispered lies into my brother's ear. You watched me burn."
Her lips trembled.
"I did. And I would have done worse… had I not seen what they did to you after."
She staggered forward, but he raised his blade.
"Don't."
"I'm not your enemy anymore, Duong. I came to warn you."
"Warn me?" He laughed, but it was hollow. "You led the Ouroboros to my door."
"No," she said, eyes flaring. "They were already watching. I diverted them — bought you time. But it won't last."
She pulled a jade pendant from her sash and tossed it to him.
He caught it instinctively.
It pulsed with faint warmth — an ancient Soul Beacon.
Duong's eyes narrowed.
"This is from the Sevenfold Seal Array," he muttered. "From the inner sanctum of Mount Sát Vọng."
"You remember."
"I never forgot."
Tiêu Vân dropped to one knee, blood staining the lake shore.
"The seal is breaking," she whispered. "The Mother's true body is waking. And she wants you back."
Duong's voice was cold.
"She can want in vain."
Tiêu Vân looked up, pain in her gaze. "She calls you the 'first flame,' Duong. The spark that failed to ignite."
He turned away.
"I'm not a spark anymore."
"I know. That's why they fear you."
Later that night, Duong returned to his chambers.
He sat cross-legged beneath a scroll depicting the Four Immortal Rivers, heart heavy with questions he had no wish to ask.
He held the jade pendant in his palm.
So it begins again, he thought.
Just as in the old life.
A knock came.
He opened the door to find Sư tỷ Linh Khuyết, standing there with a letter.
"From the Grandmaster," she said.
He opened it.
"You are summoned.
Three days hence, the Elders' Council convenes.
A seat may open.
If you are ready."
Duong frowned.
A seat on the Elders' Council?
That wasn't just rare — it was unprecedented for someone at his age and cultivation.
Something was moving beneath the surface.
"Thank you," he said to Linh Khuyết. "One more thing… do you know who last entered the Mirror of Mourning?"
She blinked.
"Only the Grandmaster himself. Why?"
He offered her a rare smile.
"No reason."
That night, in the deepest vault of the sect, a shadow stirred.
It passed through locked formations.
Through layers of divine runes.
Until it reached a sealed coffin.
Within, a voice echoed.
"He remembers.
He walks the flame again.
The Oath of Ash is not yet broken."
And slowly, the coffin lid began to crack.
Meanwhile – In the Frozen North
Mạc Hàn stood beneath the aurora, his blade buried in the chest of a beast that once swallowed a spirit cultivator whole.
His robes were soaked in blood and frost.
A woman approached — her breath visible in the icy air.
"You're improving," she said.
He yanked his sword free.
"I'm not here to impress you, Liễu Tâm."
She smiled.
"You're always angry after Tham Duong outshines you."
He said nothing.
She handed him a scroll.
"Orders from the elders. You're to observe the next Soul Assembly. Apparently, Duong's name was… marked in the flame."
Mạc Hàn's eyes gleamed.
"Good."
"I'll enjoy watching him fall."
Back in the Sect – 3 Days Later
The Elders' Council Chamber was carved into the heart of the mountain itself, lit by eternal lanterns that burned with qi fire.
Duong stepped in, dressed in black robes with a silver trim, sword sheathed at his back.
Ten elders sat in a circle — faces old, eyes older.
The Grandmaster stood in the center.
"We are gathered to discuss the motion:
Should Tham Duong be granted interim elder status and seat among us?"
Gasps.
Whispers.
Disbelief.
An elder with a long scar across his brow spoke first.
"He's too young. Too volatile."
Another, her voice like dry leaves: "He survived the Soul Inferno. Reforged his foundation."
"But he has enemies," the first countered.
"So do we all," came a third voice. "The question is… can he face them better than we can?"
The Grandmaster raised a hand.
"Let him speak."
Duong stepped forward.
He bowed once.
"I seek no seat out of ambition. I seek no title for pride."
He looked each of them in the eye.
"But you summoned me. Because you know something is coming. And I am the only one who's seen it before."
A silence followed.
Then the Grandmaster spoke.
"Let it be known. By vote of five to four… the seat is granted."
A tremor of qi shook the room.
From the wall behind the elders, a stone throne emerged.
Duong stepped toward it.
Then paused.
He looked at the flame brazier behind the throne — a sacred fire used to test truth.
He threw the jade pendant into it.
The flame turned black.
The Grandmaster's face went pale.
"The seal is failing," Duong said quietly.
"War is coming."