The silence that followed the apparition's words was suffocating. Lian Yu lay on the stone floor, breathing heavily as the glow of the altar dimmed to a low, haunting pulse. The last words echoed in his mind.
"So, it begins…"
He slowly got to his feet, every muscle screaming in protest. Dust clung to his robes, and his body trembled—not from fear, but from the overwhelming sensation of recognition. That figure—sad-eyed, powerful, and clad in majestic robes bearing a golden insignia—was no stranger.
It was him.
Or at least… it used to be.
He stepped toward the doorway again, but the apparition was gone. The passage was silent once more.
The altar remained, humming softly. The crystal, now dim, seemed lifeless. Lian Yu reached out once more, but this time, there was no reaction.
"Why… am I split in two?" he muttered.
He glanced at the runes carved around the altar. They pulsed faintly, whispering truths too ancient for common understanding. The characters weren't of any known script, but somehow, Lian Yu understood them.
"The Price of Defiance is Identity. The Price of Memory is Power."
His breath hitched.
"Was I… punished by Heaven itself?"
Suddenly, a voice broke the stillness.
"You shouldn't be here."
Lian Yu turned instantly, hand instinctively moving to summon the energy at his core—but he stopped as he saw the figure that stepped out of the darkness.
She moved like a shadow—graceful, silent, deadly. Her robe was black with silver threads, shimmering like moonlight on water. Her face was concealed behind a veil, but her eyes burned like twin stars—sharp, intelligent, and… familiar.
"I was drawn here by the Guardian," Lian Yu said, cautiously. "And you are?"
The woman studied him for a moment before replying.
"Call me Yan Xi."
A strange sensation pulled at his chest—he'd never heard the name before, yet it stirred something deep within him.
Yan Xi stepped closer, gaze scanning the altar.
"The Temple of the Erased… This place isn't meant for the living."
"You know what this place is?" Lian Yu asked. "Then tell me—who am I?"
She looked at him with a flicker of sorrow. "You're a fool, if you think answers come so easily."
Lian Yu frowned. "Then why are you here?"
"The same reason you are," she replied, her voice soft but unwavering. "To remember."
A beat of silence stretched between them. There was no hostility in her tone, only certainty. She seemed to know more than she was letting on—but Lian Yu had no time to waste on mistrust.
"I saw something in that crystal," he said. "A version of myself. It wasn't just a memory—it was real."
Yan Xi's eyes narrowed slightly. "Then the seal has weakened more than I expected."
"What seal?"
Yan Xi turned toward the altar. "The seal placed by the Heavenly Mandate… to erase a name too dangerous to exist."
Lian Yu felt the weight of her words crash over him. "You mean… my name?"
"You once held a name that shook the heavens," she said. "But it was erased not just from the world—but from the laws of existence themselves. Even time itself forgot you."
"Why?"
Yan Xi looked at him. "Because you dared to defy the fate Heaven decreed."
Lian Yu's pulse quickened. "And who was I, to challenge Heaven?"
"That's what you're here to find out," Yan Xi replied.
Lian Yu turned to the altar once more. "And what now?"
"You leave," she said. "The path forward lies not in forgotten chambers, but in living trials. There are three relics scattered across the continents—each one tied to the identity you lost. You must find them if you want to remember who you are… and what you've lost."
As she turned to go, Lian Yu called out, "Why are you helping me?"
She paused, then answered without turning back, "Because I promised you. Long ago."
Before he could ask more, she vanished into the shadows.
The morning sun had begun to rise by the time Lian Yu emerged from the temple. He shielded his eyes from the light, breathing in the crisp air of the mountains. The weight in his chest hadn't lightened, but it had taken form.
Three relics. A forgotten name. A sealed fate.
He reached into his robes, fingers brushing the pendant at his neck. It still hummed softly, its rhythm in tune with the power now awakened within him. He was stronger now—not just in energy, but in resolve.
There was no turning back.
He descended the temple steps, only to find a surprise waiting.
A young man stood at the base of the stairs—cloaked in white, carrying a long blade, his eyes wide in awe.
"You—!" he stammered. "Did you really go in there?"
Lian Yu nodded. "Who are you?"
The youth bowed deeply. "I'm Jin Mu, disciple of the Nine Rivers Sect. I was ordered to observe this place… but you're the first person to ever come out of it alive."
"Your Sect sent you?" Lian Yu asked, intrigued.
"Yes. The elders believed this temple was a cursed ruin from the Forgotten Era. No one dared enter. But then I saw the golden light—then silence—and now… you."
Lian Yu considered for a moment. "Where is this Nine Rivers Sect?"
"Just past the Ridge of Broken Stars," Jin Mu replied. "Half a day's travel if we move quickly."
Lian Yu nodded. "Take me there."
Jin Mu blinked. "You want to join the Sect?"
"No," Lian Yu said, walking past him. "I want answers—and they may have some."
The youth hesitated, then quickly followed. "You're not from around here, are you?"
Lian Yu didn't answer.
As they walked, Lian Yu's mind wandered back to Yan Xi. Her voice. Her presence. The veil that hid her face, yet not her intentions.
"Because I promised you."
What kind of promise had she made? Who had she been to him, before everything was taken?
Something more than an ally…?
His heart beat faster without explanation. He shook it off.
There would be time for questions later. For now, the path forward was clear.
He was Lian Yu. A man with no past—but a future that Heaven itself feared.
And he had just begun walking toward it.