Judgment of the Echoes

Night fell fast in the Whispering Vale.

And with it came the screams.

They weren't from animals.

They were from spirits—twisted, broken things that once had names and hopes.

Now? They only had hate.

And they were coming for us.

---

The masked figure stood at the forest's edge. Behind him, a dozen flame-corrupted spirits crawled from the shadows—each one once a cultivator, now nothing but charred regret wrapped in spiritual fire.

He raised a hand.

> "Let the judgment begin."

---

Lan Ruo didn't hesitate.

She charged first, blade glowing bright with resolve.

She moved like fury—precise, clean, beautiful.

Until three spirits cornered her, whispering:

> "She left you."

> "You were never chosen."

> "He'll pick her in the end."

Her blade trembled.

For the first time in battle—Lan Ruo hesitated.

---

Zhao Feng fired off a talisman.

It bounced off a tree and smacked him in the face.

"Okay! Plan B: scream and run!"

"Zhao, hold the left flank!" I shouted.

"Copy that! Dying with honor!"

---

Qing'er fought silently—her flame cold, focused.

But as she battled a spirit cloaked in sorrow, it hissed:

> "You are his mistake."

> "You were made to obey."

She staggered.

Her flame flickered.

I felt something snap inside her—something hidden.

The pendant around her neck shattered.

---

Suddenly—a new flame erupted.

Not red.

Not gold.

Not void.

But white.

Pure. Sharp. Like moonlight wrapped in fire.

The spirit screamed as Qing'er's new flame consumed it entirely.

I stared.

Even the masked man paused.

> "Impossible."

Qing'er's eyes glowed—bright and terrifying.

"I'm not a spark," she said coldly.

"I'm the flame that survived."

---

Lan Ruo finally broke through her hesitation, eyes filled with tears.

"I hate you," she whispered at no one.

Then she slashed through her enemies with reckless grace.

---

I turned to the masked figure.

"You wanted a trial? Here's mine."

He smiled behind the mask.

> "Let's see what Ashen's legacy truly means."

He rushed me—faster than before.

Flames met flames.

His spirit fire lashed at my memories.

I saw visions.

Ashen Fang.

Standing over a child.

Me?

No.

Qing'er.

He was whispering something.

Then—he placed the Void Flame in her chest.

---

I gasped.

He saw my hesitation—and drove a fist of flame into my stomach.

I flew backward.

Everything burned.

> "Now you see," he said. "She was always meant to carry the flame."

> "You're just holding it for her."

---

Qing'er stepped between us.

Her new flame shielded me.

She turned to the masked spirit.

"No," she said. "He chose me to carry it—but he lit it."

Then she unleashed her flame.

The masked figure screamed as his mask cracked.

Behind it—was a child's face.

Young.

Innocent.

Twisted by pain.

> "I just wanted to matter…"

And he vanished into ash.

---

The forest stilled.

The whispers stopped.

For the first time since we entered the Vale—silence.

---

We collapsed by the spirit spring.

Lan Ruo curled into herself, blade across her lap.

She didn't speak.

Qing'er sat beside me, flame dimming.

"You okay?" I asked.

"No," she said. "But I'm real now."

I touched her cheek.

"You always were."

---

Zhao Feng limped over, covered in soot and disappointment.

"I saved a squirrel," he muttered.

"Did it help?"

"No. It bit me."

---

[SYSTEM UPDATE]

> Judgment of the Echoes: Passed

Qing'er's Flame: Awakened (White Flame: Soulborne Tier)

Void Flame Resonance: 93%

Lan Ruo Status: Emotionally Shaken

Zhao Feng: Minor Spirit Rabies (Unconfirmed)

Flame Echo: Watching

Next Location: City of Jade Blades (1 Day Travel)

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To be continued…

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✍️ Author's Note – by [Your Author Name from Shadows of the Last Light]

🔥 Chapter 25 included:

Ful

l-on ambush in Whispering Vale

Qing'er unlocking the White Flame, a lost spiritual fire tied to her origin

Lan Ruo cracking emotionally for the first time

The truth that Ashen Fang may have split the flame on purpose

And a spirit who was once just a child—burned by guilt