The Hall of Echoes pulsed with silver light, its mirrors a relentless gallery of Joshua Wise's soul, each reflection a judgment that seared deeper than the last. The visions clawed at him—Yumi in London, wreathed in flames, her silent scream piercing his heart; rifts tearing the city apart; the Umbral Citadel's spires looming like a promise of reckoning. His chest heaved, the Solar Ember within him roaring, a wildfire of sun-born fire that threatened to consume him. The Phoenix Phantom hovered before him, its robin-sized form flaring with ember-red feathers, molten-gold eyes blazing with defiance, its chirps a desperate melody against the Dominion's oppressive hum. But the mirrors' truths—Yumi endangered by his own powers—ignited a storm of guilt and rage, his solar heritage a radiant spark too bright for this death and dream realm.
"No!" Joshua roared, his voice echoing through the hall, his fists clenching as the Solar Ember surged, a chaotic pulse of fire that shook the ground. His tailored black school uniform, its single-breasted blazer adorned with gleaming gold buttons and a subtle lapel emblem, shimmered with heat distortions, the fabric rippling as if kissed by an unseen flame. The sleeves of his crisp white dress shirt, rolled up to his elbows with casual nonchalance, began to smolder, faint embers dancing along the cuffs, the black tie with thin gray stripes swaying as if stirred by a fiery breeze. His dark brown, wavy hair lifted, golden highlights in the bangs shimmering like molten sunlight, his golden-yellow eyes glowing with flickering flames in the pupils, their cat-like intensity blazing with unrestrained emotion. The mirrors trembled, their silver light flickering, the air crackling with the heat of his uncontrolled power.
Nyro, standing nearby, his silver-white hair glinting like moonlight, turquoise-blue eyes narrowed, stepped forward, his lean frame poised with disciplined grace. His shadow rippled, white eyes glinting, a silent echo of Nyxaris tethered to his suppressed emotions. "Joshua, control it!" he snapped, voice sharp but weighted with Artemis's will, his annoyance tempered by deference. "Your fire will unravel this realm—and us with it!"
Joshua's palms burned, the Solar Ember spiraling beyond his grasp, his heart pounding in rhythm with the Phoenix's frantic chirps. The mirrors pulsed brighter, reflecting his rage, each one a window to a future he couldn't bear. Driven by instinct, he thrust his fists forward, his lean, athletic frame tensing, the polished black oxfords bracing against the ground. Flames coiled around his fists like molten gold, radiating a fiery aura that flickered in wing-like shapes across his shoulders. The Phoenix hummed, a low, resonant melody syncing with his heartbeat, steadying the fire within. His Blazing Strike erupted—explosive punches that burst with searing light, each impact sending shockwaves through the hall, shattering the mirrors into shards that cascaded like falling stars. Scorch marks shaped like feathers glowed faintly on the ground, their edges smoldering with orange-yellow embers, a testament to his solar bond. The hall quaked, the Dominion's fabric straining under the weight of his outburst, cracks spiderwebbing through the walls as the air grew heavy with judgment.
Nyro moved swiftly, his black coat billowing, tattered hems dissolving into blue wisps. His shadow surged, a living tide of darkness coiling like a serpent, its edges shimmering with starlight. It swept across the hall, catching the falling shards in a web of shadow, suspending them to shield Joshua from their jagged edges. "Enough!" Nyro commanded, his voice steady but laced with urgency, his turquoise eyes glowing with starlight. He reached into his coat, pulling a small vial of silver salve, its contents shimmering like liquid moonlight. "Drink this—now. The salve's duration is gone. It'll anchor your fire."
Joshua's breath hitched, the Phoenix chirping softly, its wings brushing his cheek, urging him to trust. His golden-yellow eyes, still flickering with flames, softened slightly, his angular face flushed pink with exertion. He grabbed the vial, the cool metal grounding him against the heat radiating from his smoldering sleeves, and drank deeply, the silver salve sliding down his throat like a cold stream, soothing the wildfire within. The Solar Ember calmed, its chaotic pulse slowing, the Phoenix's hum a steady rhythm that tethered him to control. The fiery aura around his uniform faded, the embers on his sleeves extinguishing, leaving only faint singe marks that didn't ruin the fabric. The hall's tremors subsided, the Dominion stabilizing, though the air remained thick with the weight of judgment, the Umbral Citadel's distant spires pulsing in the twilight sky.
Nyro's shadow receded, its white eyes dimming, his posture relaxing but still poised, as if Artemis's will lingered in his bones. "Your solar spark is a beacon," he said, voice calm but heavy with experience, his eyes lowering in deference. "It draws the Dominion's gaze, a flame that burns too brightly here. I've rifted through countless realms, Joshua—dimensions that twist the heart, worlds that break the soul. The Endless Tower, the Starfield's collapse, the Eclipse of Endless Night—each rift tested me, forced me to face what I'd lost." His voice softened, a subtle weight in his words, as if the moonlight in his blood recognized the sun's fire in Joshua's, a celestial bond veiled by silence. "You'll rift often, like I have. Each one will demand more of you. Control your fire, or it will burn everything you hold dear."
Joshua's chest tightened, Yumi's face flashing in his mind, safe in London but tied to him by the rose's glow. The Phoenix chirped, its golden eyes steady, a reminder of his bond to the sun. His uniform, now settled, still carried the faint warmth of his aura, the gold buttons glinting softly. "What do I do?" he asked, voice raw, the weight of the shattered mirrors lingering, their truths still clawing at his heart.
Nyro stepped closer, his shadow trailing, white eyes watchful. "You face a choice," he said, his tone deliberate, weighted with Artemis's will. "The Dominion offers two paths: bind your fire to its will, becoming its champion, a guardian of its balance, but tethered to its rifts forever. Or reject it, forge your own path, but risk destabilizing the Mortal Veil and beyond, endangering those you love." His turquoise eyes met Joshua's, a flicker of starlight within them, urging him to weigh the cost. "Your fire, my shadow—we're intertwined, our strengths a balance. Choose wisely, or the rifts will choose for you."
Joshua's heart pounded, the Solar Ember stirring, the Phoenix hovering between them, its feathers flaring as if sensing the gravity of the moment. The hall's air grew heavier, the Umbral Citadel's pulse echoing in the distance, a reminder of the Dominion's reckoning. Nyro's wisdom, cold and enigmatic like moonlight, anchored Joshua's fiery potential, their strengths a delicate dance of sun and shadow. The Phoenix hummed, its melody weaving with Joshua's heartbeat, urging him toward a decision he wasn't ready to make.
Before he could speak, a soft clink of metal broke the silence, followed by the faint rustle of footsteps, swift and silent. A figure emerged from the shadows of the hall, her vibrant blue hair tied in a high ponytail, orange ribbons fluttering like sparks in the twilight. Her slender frame was poised with a predator's grace, turquoise-blue eyes gleaming with intense focus, narrowed as her hand rested on the hilt of a katana, its icy blade glinting like a shard of winter. A navy-blue coat hugged her form, an orange scarf snug around her neck, and faint snowflakes clung to her hair, as if she carried the chill of another world. Her gaze flicked to Joshua, a subtle smile softening her stoic expression, then to Nyro, respect clear in her stance. The Phoenix chirped, wings flaring, as if sensing a new rift in the making, and the hall's mirrors pulsed faintly, reflecting a triad yet to be forged.