The night air outside the Flamekeeper Archives was cold and still.
Not a sound in the gardens.
Not a ripple in the spiritual formations.
No guards.
> "Because none dare enter," Yun Rou whispered.
"Not without a Council Writ. Not even elders."
Liu Shen didn't reply.
His crimson eyes studied the seal on the towering obsidian doors.
A burning phoenix and a chained serpent, locked in eternal struggle.
> "Only a Sovereign Flame can open this," Rin muttered.
"And only if it's acknowledged by the archives themselves."
Liu Shen raised a hand.
> "Crimson Flame Art – Ninth Tongue: Echo of the Abyss Sovereign."
The mark of the serpent flickered.
Then bowed.
The seal shattered like ash.
---
The Forbidden Past
The archives smelled of old fire, dust, and secrets.
Scrolls hovered in stasis, lit by soul lanterns.
Memory jades floated silently between pillars of flame-wrought jade.
Liu Shen passed rows of historical records, ignoring the sect's sanctioned history.
He sought the Vault of Contradiction—a section sealed by decree of the second Sect Master and banned to all but the Flamekeeper.
> "The truth was hidden here," he murmured.
At the heart of the vault, he found it.
A jade slip wrapped in black silk.
No name.
Just a symbol:
> A crown of bone over a lotus of flame.
---
The Prophecy of Sovereigns
Liu Shen placed the jade slip to his forehead.
Flashes of voices surged through his mind—echoes of ancient oracles, long dead:
> "He who walks twice through the flame…"
"…shall either break the heavens…"
"…or be broken by the throne."
Another voice:
> "The Black Flame shall rise where betrayal is deepest."
"Its light shall blind the Heavenly Seal."
And one final whisper—low, ragged, feminine:
> "You will return… Liu Shen…"
His eyes snapped open, breathing heavy.
Yun Rou steadied him. "What was that?"
He stared at the slip.
> "A prophecy. Older than the sect itself."
> "They knew I would return."
---
The Flamekeeper's Warning
Just as he tucked the jade slip away, a gust of wind blew through the vault.
And a presence—quiet but immense—settled in the room.
From the shadows emerged a woman clad in phoenix-red robes and silver flame ornaments.
Her face was ancient yet beautiful. Eyes glowing with the mark of flame.
> "You've broken sacred seals," she said softly.
"Do you seek death, Liu Shen?"
He didn't flinch. "I seek truth."
She studied him for a long moment.
Then sighed.
> "Then understand this: The prophecy is real."
"But it speaks of two paths—one of vengeance, and one of ruin."
"You cannot walk both."
He stepped forward.
> "Then I'll make a third."
---
Seeds of Fire and Fate
As the trio exited the archives, dawn broke across the sect.
The crimson sun reflected in Liu Shen's eyes.
> "They tried to erase my name," he said.
"Tried to twist the prophecy to control me."
> "But I remember now."
> "And I will show them the path I carve."
Rin asked quietly, "What do we do next?"
Liu Shen smiled coldly.
> "We prepare for the Grand Council Assembly."
> "Because before their own, I will make Fei Liansheng confess."
> "And the world will remember the name—Demon Sovereign Liu Shen."