The moment Shao crossed the gate, he felt his body tear apart and rebuild all at once. It wasn't a spatial crossing—it was an existential one, as if the laws of reality had been rewritten.
He opened his eyes to find himself standing on a land blanketed with ash, beneath a sky that looked like cracked glass, spilling violet sparks of light. Nothing here felt familiar. No time, no direction—only a faint pulse shimmering on the horizon.
Before him, a long shadow appeared, gradually taking human form… It resembled him, but older, wiser, and with eyes glowing with the light of memories.
The figure spoke in a voice not heard, but felt:
*"You are here, where time fades, and souls are judged."*
Shao asked, "Who are you?"
*"I am you—after you've been everything… and lost everything."*
The figure stepped forward and traced a circle of light around Shao. Within it, scenes from his past appeared: his father's death, Aster's fall, a companion's betrayal, and the collapse of the world of Seraphil.
The figure said, *"Every wound in your heart… tore a rift in the fabric of this world."*
Shao whispered, "Can it be healed?"
The figure replied, *"At the right price."*
The memories faded, and before him appeared a crystalline orb, pulsing with pain… It was Seraphil's heart itself.
The voice continued, *"It's dying. You alone can revive it—but the price is either your memory… or your soul."*
A dreadful silence followed.
Then Shao said, *"Take the memories. If I die with my soul, there's no meaning in what I fight for. But if I live without my memories… at least I can protect them."*
The figure smiled, his features dissolving into light, and said:
*"You've chosen the harder path… then you're worthy of bearing the will of light and shadow."*
The sky collapsed, the ash vanished, and Shao returned to the real world—missing part of his past, but stronger… and more enigmatic.
He looked around and saw Aster and Heim running toward him, but they suddenly halted as they met his gaze… His eyes were void of memories, but filled with power.
Shao said,
*"Who are you?"*