The sky remained unnaturally silent, as if the heavens themselves held their breath. Within the chamber of celestial scriptures, Jin Long sat cross-legged beneath the starlit dome of the monastery, his mind drifting through the fragments of what he had just seen.
The Void Throne. The stitched-mouthed being.
And the truth Elder Ji dared not speak aloud—he wasn't merely chosen by the Genesis Core… he was a safeguard built into the universe.
Yue Lan sat across from him, eyes closed, hands still trembling from the glimpse beyond the Fold. "That thing… it wasn't sleeping. It was waiting."
Jin nodded, gripping his robes tighter. "And it knows I exist."
—
Meanwhile, in the Eastern Wastes
Zhan Wuhen stood on a cliff of fractured stone as the Twelve Hands of Ruin descended. Each was a master of a forgotten art—Time Decay, Bone Calling, Mirror Possession…
Monsters once sealed in legend, now reborn in flesh.
"Find the Skyward Child," Zhan ordered. "Draw him out. Make the world bleed if you must."
Behind him, a massive gate made of void crystal cracked open. From within, a fragment of the stitched god's will slithered forth, whispering madness and ruin.
Zhan Wuhen welcomed it. "Come. Let Jin Long see what his destiny costs."
—
Skyward Monastery: Council of Fate
Master Lingxu unsealed the Grand Mirror of Aeons, revealing past timelines and possible futures. The reflection showed Jin Long transforming—not into a hero, but into a burning entity of golden fire, tearing reality asunder to hold the stitched god at bay.
Yue Lan gasped. "That's… him?"
Elder Ji nodded solemnly. "That's one future. The cost of becoming the lock is annihilation. If he unlocks too much of the Core—"
"I'll choose another path," Jin interrupted, stepping forward. "I'll protect this world… without becoming a monster."
The mirror shimmered, as if testing his resolve.
Master Lingxu stepped forward, handing Jin a shard of white flame. "Then take this—the Ember of Origin. It is the last remnant of the First World. Let it temper your Core… before the Void consumes you."
—
Final Scene: Across Realms
In a distant galaxy, beneath a shattered moon, a young woman with silver hair sat in meditation. Her eyes snapped open.
"The Lock has awakened," she whispered.
Behind her, a draconic spirit stirred. "Then the Flamebearer must answer. Destiny does not wait."
She stood, drew a blade carved from starlight, and walked toward a gate of spiraling silver.
"I'm coming, Jin Long."