Chapter 114: Feather of the Fallen Flame

The feather hovered before Chen, weightless and warm, as if alive. It drifted downward slowly—drawn not to his hand, but to his core.

It pulsed once.

[SYSTEM ALERT] —Unique Artifact Detected: Divine Feather of Lysaria, Guardian of Purity and Flame. —Compatibility: Confirmed. —Initiating Soulbond...

Chen flinched. Not from pain—but from recognition. The same strange comfort he'd felt in Lysaria's presence during the trials now returned, amplified. This feather wasn't merely a relic—it was a piece of her, left behind for the one she had wagered her silent hope on.

The moment it touched his chest, the world around him disappeared.

Flame.

And then—

A garden of still light.

He stood within a realm not his own. Sacred. Untouched.

Across from him stood Lysaria. Not as a broken exile, but in her prime—radiant, serene, eyes full of mourning and strength.

Her voice was both distant and near. "You've felt it, haven't you? The pull between purity and desire. The soul and the flame."

Chen nodded, unable to speak.

"You carry more than power now. You carry the choice I once made. A flame that does not consume—but frees."

She reached forward—her hand not touching him, but sinking into his aura.

[SYSTEM UPDATE – NEW ABILITY ACQUIRED] Soulflame Technique: Ember of Liberation —A divine-tier ability unique to the Wielder of Lysaria's Flame. —Cleanses corruption, nullifies divine suppression, and strengthens allies bonded through desire, trust, or love. —Empowers all existing techniques with purified Soulflame energy.

Note: When used in unison with bonded partners, effect scales drastically.

Lysaria smiled faintly, sadness lingering behind it. "They buried me for this. For saying love needn't be leashed. That desire wasn't impurity. I see now... you were always meant to finish what I could not."

The garden burned away.

Chen awoke, his hand still over the now-empty sarcophagus.

The feather was gone—but its warmth remained within his chest, braided into his very essence.

Lanmei knelt beside him, tears on her cheeks. "We… felt it, all of it."

Ye Yue touched his shoulder, voice steady. "You've been chosen, not by another system or court—but by a truth they all feared."

Behind them, Sarina stared in quiet awe. "You carry a forbidden flame now."

Chen rose slowly, the glow in his eyes deeper. Not just desire, not just power—but clarity.

He looked at them—all three—and said only one word:

"Let's burn down their lies."