chapter 61: Blood Echo — Awakening the Origin

Xiao stepped toward the Core of Truth, each stride peeling back a new layer of consciousness. The world no longer appeared as it once had; time ceased flowing in a straight line—it rippled around him in swirling patterns and complex shapes.

A moment… he saw himself falling, then saw himself standing in the entity's place—on the throne—as if he'd always been the observer.

Esther murmured in a trembling voice:

_"This place… it's playing with our minds."_

But Xiao did not stop.

Suddenly, the ground—or what resembled ground—quaked, and from the throne erupted a dark crimson beam. Rising from it came a shadowed version of Xiao… distorted, steeped in blood and hatred.

_"I am you… if you had chosen the other path."_

The dark Xiao advanced, his sword an extension of the guilt for every soul Xiao had taken on his journey.

_"You wish to end the curse? No… You fear seeing yourself as you truly are."_

Their battle erupted — each strike clashed against guilt, each counter tore through fear.

Every clash of blades released echoes that shook neighboring worlds.

Esther tried to intervene, but the entity blocked her:

_"No one may interfere in this battle… this is the Blood Echo."_

Xiao realized his struggle with the shadow was more than physical — it was spiritual, psychological.

If he lost, it wouldn't just be his body — it would be his will, his destiny.

He began reliving every moment of weakness...

Every time he fell, every lie he told himself, every scream he buried.

And that became his strength.

In a moment of clarity, he whispered:

_"I am not what was… nor what might be… I am who I choose to be."_

The shadow vanished… transformed into smoke, then into a tear that fell to the ground — and was absorbed by the truth.

Xiao stepped toward the throne.

The cosmic girl said:

_"You have overcome the final trial… Now, the choice."_

Two symbols appeared before him:

1. A symbol to continue bearing the Blood Curse, preserving balance.

2. A symbol to break the curse and free the world, regardless of the consequences.

Xiao looked at Esther, at Heim, at those he had lost, at those who believed in him.

Then he said:

_"The curse was a beginning… but it is not my destiny."_

And he reached for the second symbol.