chapter 45: Bonds of the Soul

The wind swept across the white desert made of bone, as Xiao took his first step into the other dimension. This place was not one of the Nine Realms… but the origin of all creation. No time, no space—only echoes of ancient souls, suspended between sin and absolution.

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*Echoes of Souls*

The souls there spoke forgotten tongues, faint whispers swirling around Xiao like smoke wraiths:

> "We were born of light, then betrayed by shadow."

> "He who breaks the soul, breaks time."

> "Xiao… is not a name, but a key."

Xiao stood firm, his hair drifting, eyes ablaze. Yet… something felt off.

His body… wouldn't respond.

He tried to step forward, but the ground vanished beneath his feet.

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*The Inner Fall*

Xiao plunged into a vortex of memories… memories that were not his.

He saw men of his blood worshiping darkness.

He saw women sacrificed to birth the "Chosen Blood."

And he saw a child… handed over by his parents to the gods, in exchange for a nation's survival.

That child… was him.

> "I was not born to be a slave to fate."

Xiao cried out, his eyes exploding with light.

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*The Entity Appears — The Watcher*

Suddenly, a towering form of pure energy manifested before him. Faceless. Nameless. Only… "The Watcher."

> Watcher: "Welcome, child of fractured blood. You've arrived… where nothing returns as it was."

> Xiao: "What is this place?"

> Watcher: "A prison… or a shrine? That depends on what you choose to become."

Behind the Watcher, three doors materialized:

1. One echoed with the cries of children.

2. One roared with the screams of war.

3. One was silent… yet breathing.

> Watcher: "Each door leads to a version of you.

Choose the wrong one… and you'll forget who you are."

Without looking back, Xiao chose the third.

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*The Silent Door*

He passed through it, entering an inverted version of his homeland.

The sky—black.

Gods—slain in the streets.

And a colossal statue of Xiao stood at the center plaza… gripping a sword, moving with hollow eyes.

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*Confrontation: The Alternate Self*

Xiao faced someone identical to him—but whose eyes were dead. This was his version that ruled through might, not redemption.

> Alternate Xiao: "Weakness killed your mother. Compassion wiped out your brother. Redemption? I'll show you its price."

They clashed in a mighty battle—swords striking, each blow fracturing time itself.

At the pivotal moment…

> The real Xiao whispered:

> "True strength… isn't about who stays standing. It's about knowing when to fall, and rise again."

He drove his fist into his counterpart's chest—pulling free the "Essence of the Soul."

The copy collapsed. The inverted world vanished.

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*Return to the Watcher*

Xiao returned to find the Watcher waiting.

> Watcher: "You… have passed the first trial."

> Xiao: "How many remain?"

> Watcher: "Seven. But the next… won't be a matter of choice."

And it disappeared.

Xiao stood alone, the glowing essence in his hand, and the echo of ancient words in his heart.

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*End of Chapter*

> "The one shackled by iron is not the prisoner… but he who is bound by regret."