The Shrine’s Spark

Kyoto's ancient shrine stood amidst cherry blossoms, its torii gate framing a stone path to a hidden spark enclave beneath a sacred grove, the air thick with incense and spring's bloom. Ruoxi sat on a tatami mat within a wooden pavilion, the phoenix blood book open before her, its golden script pulsing softly, a beacon of the pact—"choice, sacrifice, heart to bind". Her face scar from Nadia's claw was barely visible, healed by time, but her heart carried New Zealand's weight—Lian's sacrifice, Tane's test, and the unborn spark growing within, a quiet pulse of life. The phoenix tattoo glowed steadily—heart-driven, balanced—its fire tempered by Mei and Einar's sparks and the global enclaves' call.