> [Dungeon Instance: Echoes of the Buried Flame]
Trial Phase: Soul Reflection Chamber – Layer 1 of 3
Flame Integrity: 98%
Danger Level: Adaptive – Emotional Affinity Triggered
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Inside the Trial – Tian Xue vs. Tian Xue
The room flickered with gold and silver flame. Seven glowing mirrors hovered in a perfect circle, showing seven different versions of her.
One trembling.
One bleeding.
One smiling.
One screaming.
And the one across from her—cold, armored in royal fire, eyes like burning frost.
> "I was the one who waited. Who followed. Who watched him rise."
The echo's voice cracked with restrained rage.
> "And now you think you can fight beside him?"
Tian Xue stepped forward.
> "I don't need permission."
> "Then prove it," her reflection snarled. "Prove your flame isn't just something he lit and left behind."
The Phoenix Hatchling screeched—a call of loyalty—and circled her.
The Nightflame Lynx snarled, body shimmering with quiet motion.
The trial began.
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Aboveground – The Blade Remembers
Jiang Han sat quietly at Ashroot Pavilion, eyes closed, Emberfang across his lap.
But the blade… hummed.
A faint vibration. A memory. A thread that wasn't his.
> [Resonance Triggered – Echo Flame Signature: CLASSIFIED]
Source: Sovereign ID "Long Chen" | Fragmented Soul Flame Detected (Dormant)
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The blade pulsed—and for a moment, Jiang saw.
Not just a vision.
But a memory.
A crumbling shrine.
Long Chen—older, scarred, surrounded by Sovereign fire.
> "This sword... it remembers more than it should."
> "And if someone finds this…"
He turned toward the vision—toward Jiang Han.
> "Burn for those who never had the chance."
Then the flame blinked out.
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Dungeon Layer One – The Duel of Flame and Truth
Tian Xue struck first.
The echo blocked effortlessly.
It countered with a blast of mirror-flame that froze the Phoenix Hatchling mid-air.
> "You hesitate!"
Tian Xue growled and activated the scroll Jiang gave her.
Stormfire glyphs pulsed across her blade.
She spun and clashed with the echo in a blaze of violet and red. Sparks flew. Memory rippled.
> "You're not just Jiang Han's shadow!" she yelled.
"You're what he stands beside!"
The echo paused. Cracked. Smiled faintly.
And faded.
A pillar of flame opened.
> [Layer One Complete – Emotional Trial Passed]
+2 Flame Spirit Attunement | +1 Sync with Companion Flame Entities
She collapsed to her knees, panting.
But smiling.
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Nightfall – Reunion Pending
Jiang stared at Emberfang.
Bo Ren watched him in silence.
> "It really came from him?" Bo asked.
> "It was him," Jiang said. "His soul mark laced into the blade. He left a trail."
> "So… Long Chen's alive?"
Jiang stood.
> "He's out there. Somewhere. Maybe fractured. Maybe fighting. But not gone."
He looked to the horizon where the second sun began to set.
And beneath the ground, Tian Xue walked toward her next trial—with her own flame finally her own.