The air shimmered like a memory being rewoven—three familiar figures stepped into Jin's domain: Nihilith, Yggdrasil, and Xir'vanta.
Jin's eyes widened, his voice almost a whisper.
"You're still alive?"
Nihilith answered, her tone calm, ethereal.
"No. What you see are fragments—memories of what we once were."
A silence hung before Jin raised a single question, his voice trembling with hope.
"Eleanor... Where is her soul now?"
Nihilith turned her gaze away briefly, then replied,
"She has been reincarnated in the Vast Expansion."
Then she added, almost sternly,
"But remember, this is not a favor. Only an answer."
Jin nodded slowly. "I understand."
He then stepped forward, eyes resolute.
"Grant me the Tears of Fate."
The three entities fell into stunned silence.
"Why do you seek that relic?" Yggdrasil asked, her voice tinged with alarm.
Jin's voice turned grim.
"Because Nyreth left something behind. A seed of his consciousness in the Vast Expansion—more evil than the original. The Tears of Fate can destroy soul and consciousness alike. If even a shard of him remains, it must be erased."
They looked to one another—and then, wordlessly, agreed.
A silver chalice descended from the sky, gleaming with sacred energy. It settled into Jin's palm. Without hesitation, he cut his palm, letting his blood drop into the cup. It pulsed with crimson light, then exploded in divine resonance.
"It is done," Yggdrasil whispered. "All remnants of Nyreth's mind are erased."
But Jin wasn't finished. He lifted his gaze again.
"Now… grant me the Blue Heaven Lily."
Xir'vanta's expression turned serious.
"This flower connects to the Otherworldly Realms. Contacting them can break all boundaries—what do you seek?"
Jin's voice softened.
"There's something I must do. Something only the beyond can answer."
The air twisted, and a brilliant azure lily bloomed in the space between worlds. It floated into Jin's hands, its petals burning softly with unknown power. As it merged with his form, a blue lily mark appeared on his forehead—glowing, alive.
The moment it appeared, Jin's cloak turned black, his surroundings melting away.
He now stood in a realm of volcanic ruin. Lava rivers twisted between jagged rocks, and titanic beings strained under cosmic chains. One titan noticed him and pointed toward a broken road ending in a chasm of flame.
Jin walked calmly to the edge. He didn't know about this place. He saw mysterious ruins in this cave. The temperature was unbearable. But it didn't effect on Jin.
Now he reached the Cliff where the road ended in fire.
Suddenly the ground quaked. From the pit rose a giant, cloaked in obsidian armor, his hand outstretched like a mountain. Jin stepped onto his palm. Slowly, the giant raised him toward another open palm, where a volcanic statue glowed with molten light.
The lava peeled away—revealing a girl, radiant and unreal.
Her legs were still submerged in lava, yet she looked serene. Her attire shimmered—dark silk with gold and crimson embroidery, and her hair flowed like stardust. She looked no older than Jin… and yet, her eyes held the weight of galaxies.
"Who are you?" Jin asked, quietly.
She smiled.
"I am Eleni. The Sun Guardian."
"Then… I shouldn't be here," Jin said, almost apologetically.
"Indeed," she replied gently.
He bowed—not in subservience, but in respect. She returned the bow.
But before Jin could leave, her soft voice echoed again.
"Jin Shang… or should I say, Han Suho?"
Jin's heart froze.
How did she know that name? That identity had been erased—not even gods, myths, or records remembered Han Suho. He had killed that version of himself, and with it, all trace of his former life. No fragment of history should remember it—not even Nihilith, Yggdrasil, or Xir'vanta.
He recalled the Temple of Tumaru, where he once stood before the Mirror of Worlds. He had asked Yomon.
"What is this mirror?"
"It shows anyone whose name you speak," Yomon explained.
"And if it shows nothing, it means… that person no longer exists."
Out of curiosity, Jin had once whispered accidentally, "Han Suho."
And the mirror had remained blank.
Back to the present.
Jin turned to Eleni, eyes wide.
"How… do you know that name?"
She smiled, enigmatic.
And said nothing.