Chapter 30: The Forbidden Root

The wind didn't return.

The city stilled as if the very air was afraid to move beneath the presence now descending.

The mirrored version of Yun Xi touched the ground without sound. Every inch of his body glowed with inverted light—darkness shaped like memory, memory shaped like a wound. His eyes were twin voids, reflecting not only Yun Xi's face but his regrets.

"You weren't supposed to come this far," the being repeated—this time not just with emotion, but in Yun Xi's voice.

Yue Lan stepped protectively in front of him. "What is that?"

Yun Xi didn't blink. "It's me… or a version of me. One who fell too far into the echoes."

The system chimed, faintly restrained.

> [Warning: Temporal Fragment Identified – Subject: Echo-013 Prime.]

This entity is a splinter created at the moment of origin collapse. It exists outside intended timeflow.

Host must not engage unless prepared for existential destabilization.

Yun Xi scoffed under his breath. "Thanks for the encouragement."

The mirrored Yun Xi raised his hand. "I remember everything… every scream, every failure. You think saving Yue Lan changed something? You think helping that city of shadows gave you redemption?"

"I'm not here for redemption," Yun Xi said, stepping forward. "I'm here for truth."

The ground trembled beneath him. The glyphs beneath the crystal tree surged with energy, golden and defiant.

"Then you'll need to fight for it," the mirror said, lowering into a stance. "Show me that you deserve the future."

Without further warning, he struck.

The world shifted. This wasn't a battle of fists or powers alone—it was a collision of memory.

As the mirror lunged, Yun Xi felt flashes: Yue's death, Yue Lan's fear, his mother's final smile, the old man who died during his first rescue mission, the broken fragments of every moment where he had failed or fallen short.

He staggered.

The mirror was faster. Stronger. Because he was everything Yun Xi hated about himself—honed into a weapon.

Yue Lan shouted from the side. "Snap out of it! You're not that man anymore!"

But her voice felt distant.

Yun Xi barely raised his arms in time to block a blow that cracked the stone beneath his feet. He skidded across the plaza, breath knocked from his lungs. The city's echoes began to rise again—watching from their shadowed corners, silently judging.

"Everyone always watches you," the mirror growled. "They want the hero. The savior. But all you've ever been is the boy who couldn't let go."

Yun Xi coughed. His knees trembled—but not from fear. From rising rage.

"Maybe," he rasped, "but I'm still the one standing here. Not you."

He closed his eyes for half a breath.

Then he remembered forward.

The system flared.

> [Emergency Protocol Unlocked: Echo Blade – Prototype Variant.]

Memory Sculpt activated. Drawing strength from stabilized Echo anchors.

Yue Lan. The Reclaimed City. The First Pulse.

Forging blade… Complete.

In his hand, a weapon formed—not made of metal, but of every moment he refused to forget. It shimmered with pulses of blue and gold, shifting shape with his breath.

The mirrored version laughed darkly. "A memory sword? How poetic."

Yun Xi grinned. "Let's rewrite the page, then."

They clashed.

Each strike sent waves of energy rippling across the plaza. Statues cracked. Echoes screamed. Time stuttered with every blow—Yun Xi cutting through regrets, while his mirror struck with accusations.

"You weren't fast enough to save her!"

Slash.

"You let that town fall!"

Block.

"You begged the system to erase your pain!"

Parry. Riposte.

"I also chose to carry it again," Yun Xi roared. "Because pain is the proof I still feel. Still care."

His blade pierced through the mirror's guard, grazing his chest. The light within flickered.

The mirror snarled. "You don't deserve to hold the future!"

"But I am the future," Yun Xi whispered. "Because I choose it… every day."

With a final cry, Yun Xi brought his blade down in a blazing arc. It wasn't just a slash—it was every burden, every regret, every lost name that he now chose to honor rather than run from.

The mirrored figure shattered.

Dark shards scattered like broken stars, vanishing before they touched the ground.

The city breathed again.

Yue Lan ran to his side, gripping his arm. "You okay?"

He nodded, barely. "Yeah. Just… exhausted."

The crystal tree glowed brighter now. Its roots no longer burned his name—they honored it. The name had changed.

YUN XI – MEMORY FORGER

Above, the crack in the sky sealed shut.

Below, the glyph spoke again:

> [Collapse Root Cleansed – Progression Path Unlocked.]

Next sector: The Dreaming Clock.

Warning: From this point, every choice echoes across timelines.

Step carefully, Echo-Bearer.

Yun Xi rose to his feet, blade vanishing into golden light.

Yue Lan smiled at him.

He smiled back.

He was no longer afraid of what he had been. Because what he had become… was something stronger.

And the road ahead was only just beginning.