Spiritual Resonance Chamber – 3:00 a.m.
Lu Feng sat cross-legged within a circle of ancient symbols etched into the floor. Blue flames flickered around him, casting long shadows. Above, a soul lantern rotated slowly, its light bathing him in ethereal glow.
"You're really doing this?" Kai Lin stood at the edge of the circle, holding a soul-link talisman.
Lu Feng nodded. "If I'm going to face what's coming, I need to know who I was."
"This ritual—Soul Binding—could destroy you if your current self rejects your past."
"Then I'll embrace it."
Kai Lin stepped forward and released the talisman. It shattered mid-air, dissolving into millions of glowing fragments that entered Lu Feng's chest.
Immediately, his body trembled.
Flashes. Visions. Pain.
> "I was you… and yet not."
> "I remember sealing that forbidden relic… dying… watching her cry as I vanished."
A battlefield engulfed in fire. A younger Kai Lin, kneeling, screaming his name. His own voice—promising to return.
His heart thundered.
He screamed.
Kai Lin rushed forward, placing a hand on his back. "Focus!"
"SOUL RETURN: INTEGRATION SEAL!"
A ring of pure light erupted from him, stabilizing the runes. The lantern flared—then shattered.
When the glow faded, Lu Feng collapsed, breathing hard.
Kai Lin helped him up, her hand trembling.
"You remember…"
He nodded slowly. "I was the founder. I died sealing the Forbidden Will. You… tried to follow me."
She looked away. "And failed."
He gripped her hand.
"But this time, I won't let go."
Suddenly—
> **Alert: High-Security Breach! White Tower Seal Failing! Forbidden Artifact 'Will of Reincarnation' Awakening!**
Kai Lin turned to him. "It's the relic you died for."
Lu Feng's eyes narrowed. "Then it's time we finish what I started."
She handed him his coat. "We do this together."
He smiled, soul chain wrapped tight around his wrist.
And together, they ran toward the storm.