The gateway to the Second Flame lay in the void-shadowed fissure between realms—accessible only through a spiritual coordinate encoded within the Sovereign Flame itself.
Bo Ren adjusted his soul compass, sweat beading his forehead. "It's close, but the path loops. It's like the realm doesn't want to be found."
Tian Xue placed a palm over her chest. "No… it wants to be remembered."
Yue grumbled, "Creepy flame realms. Why can't one of these trials take place in a field of flowers or a hot spring?"
Zhao Kai grinned. "I'd settle for a good noodle shop."
But Jiang Han said nothing.
Because the moment they crossed into the Realm of Echoes, he felt it.
> The weight of memory.
The pressure of guilt.
---
The Forgotten World
The realm stretched endlessly—flat, silver, and mirror-like.
But the reflections in the ground didn't match their movements.
In the mirror-world below their feet, other versions of themselves walked beside them.
Zhao Kai blinked. "I'm waving… but that me's not waving back."
Bo Ren said flatly, "This realm remembers what was. And what could have been."
Jiang Han didn't speak.
Because his reflection wasn't just different—it was burning.
And behind it stood a thousand silhouettes… collapsing into ash.
---
At the center of the realm rose a throne—not grand or jeweled, but made of blackened bone and broken oaths. Above it burned the Second Flame—hovering like a silent judgment.
And seated upon the throne…
A spirit cloaked in tattered Sovereign robes, his crown cracked, his face wrapped in shadow-flame.
His voice echoed across the realm.
> "Jiang Han."
> "Do you remember me?"
Jiang Han froze.
Tian Xue gripped his arm. "Who is he?"
> "He was the Sovereign of Mourning Flame," Jiang said. "From the Ninth Cycle… the last world I failed to save."
---
The Accusation
The spirit rose, chains dragging behind him.
> "You broke the Flamewheel. You scattered our purpose."
"You made us echoes—not Sovereigns."
Jiang stepped forward. "I was trying to save us all."
> "You saved nothing," the spirit snarled.
"You burned our realm to keep the flame from falling into void hands."
"You chose destruction over risk."
Jiang's voice shook. "I chose the only path left."
> "Then walk that path again."
The spirit extended his arm.
The mirror floor cracked open.
And Jiang fell—into a vision of the past.
---
The Last Time He Burned the Sky
He was there again.
Standing on a crumbling cliff as dark void ships closed in. His companions dying around him. The Flamewheel collapsing, its core nearly stolen.
His own Sovereign brothers yelling for mercy.
But Jiang—
He had chosen burning the core.
Burning them.
> "You killed us to save the flame," the spirit echoed, surrounding him.
"Now prove you were right."
---
The Trial – Redemption Through Flame
Back in the present, Sovereign Emberfang glowed brighter than ever. It pulsed not with rage… but with remorse.
Jiang raised it slowly.
"I can't undo the past," he said. "But I won't let flame cost more lives than it saves."
> "Then fight me," the spirit hissed.
"And earn what you lost."
The throne exploded in light.
The Mourning Flame Sovereign attacked—wielding chains of grief-fire and blades of black memory.
Jiang dodged barely in time.
> "This isn't just a battle," Bo Ren warned. "It's a confrontation of guilt!"
Zhao Kai readied his weapon. "Then let's burn some guilt down!"
"No," Jiang said.
He blocked the next strike head-on—his own flame shielding his friends.
"This one… I fight alone."
---
Duel: Guilt vs Flame
Each strike from the Mourning Sovereign tore illusions from Jiang's mind—memories of failure, screams of the innocent, choices made with too much fire and not enough time.
Jiang's flame flickered.
But every time it dimmed, a voice called him back:
> Tian Xue: "You saved me."
Yue: "You protect us."
Zhao Kai: "You gave us a reason to fight."
Lin Yao: "You chose us."
And from within—his own voice, from the Trial of Echoes:
> "I burn to protect."
With a roar, he ignited Sovereign Emberfang fully.
> Flame Throne Art: Chainbreaker Flame.
His strike hit the spirit's core.
The black flame shattered.
The Sovereign spirit gasped.
And smiled.
> "So the flame remembers mercy after all…"
He reached up.
Removed his crown.
And offered it.
> "Take my flame. Rekindle what we lost."
---
Reward
> Second Sovereign Flame Acquired: Mourning Flame
Trait Gained: Echo Reversal
• You can reflect any soul-based attack once per battle.
• Flame skills now gain "Delay Burn" – damage over time effect on guilt-touched enemies.
Flame Throne Mark: 2/12
---
As the spirit faded, so too did the realm.
Only the Second Flame remained, now burning quietly within Jiang's soul.
Zhao Kai exhaled. "Two down."
Tian Xue stepped beside Jiang.
"You're not who you were."
He looked at her.
"No," he said. "I'm better."