The moment Vaelin's spirit vanished, the air began to freeze.
Not cold.
Hollow.
Above them, in the oceanic sky, the colors bled away.
The sea overhead turned to still glass.
Zhao Kai reached for his hammer. "Something's wrong. I feel like I'm about to see myself naked and evil."
Yue muttered, "That's not a thing. Stop talking."
Lin Yao's eyes narrowed. "This... is a reflection domain."
Bo Ren's face paled. "No. Worse. It's a Pale Throne."
Tian Xue turned to Jiang Han.
> "He's coming."
---
The Pale Sovereign Arrives
A crack split the horizon.
From within stepped a man whose skin shone like moonlight, whose robes shimmered like fog over still water.
His flame didn't burn.
It silenced.
The Pale Sovereign.
Once a protector of the Twelfth Flame. Now, an enforcer of balance—at any cost.
He raised one hand. The realm bent beneath him.
> "Jiang Han. Four flames gathered.
Four choices made."
He extended his arm.
> "Now see the one you didn't."
---
The Mirror Trial
The ground split.
A second Jiang Han stepped forward—his skin marbled with golden flame, his eyes hollow and cold. No warmth. No hesitation. No companions at his side.
He spoke with Jiang's voice.
> "I chose power. Not people."
"I have ten flames already."
He unsheathed a massive blade, black and jagged.
> "You want to merge the multiverse with mercy?"
"Then prove it matters."
The Pale Sovereign spoke again:
> "Defeat the self who burned everything.
Or become him."
---
Duel: Jiang vs Jiang
The battlefield bent with Sovereign weight.
Jiang Han clashed blades with his reflection—each strike a clash of flame laws. Beast Flame met Cold Fury. Mourning met Ruthless Fire. Love met Void.
The Mirror Jiang didn't speak. Didn't hesitate.
He overpowered.
> "You hesitate," Mirror-Jiang spat.
"You protect the weak. You weep. I conquered."
Jiang bled.
He burned.
But as Sovereign Emberfang cracked, Tian Xue's voice cut through the haze:
> "You're not alone!"
Yue loosed an arrow—though it didn't cross the domain, Jiang felt the intention behind it.
Zhao Kai shouted something. Lin Yao cried out. Bo Ren sent a soul thread of faith.
> And Jiang remembered.
---
The Flame of the Present
He stood.
Not with rage.
Not with guilt.
But with everything he had earned.
> "You might have ten flames," Jiang said softly.
"But I have something better."
> "People who remind me why I burn."
His flame ignited—not from fury, but unity.
> Trithrone Alignment: Flame Lord State Reignited!
His strikes flowed—not like war, but like water over truth.
The Mirror faltered.
Jiang stepped in.
And spoke the final words:
> "I'm not here to burn the world."
> "I'm here to light the way."
He struck.
---
Resolution
The Mirror shattered—no scream, no echo.
Only silence.
And peace.
The Pale Sovereign watched in silence.
Then lowered his hand.
> "You… are not what I expected."
> "Perhaps mercy is not weakness."
He turned, and began to fade.
> "Claim the Fifth Flame… if you dare."
The domain broke.
The sky returned.
So did the ocean.
---
Aftermath
Jiang Han knelt, breathing hard.
Tian Xue knelt beside him, forehead against his.
> "Still you?"
He smiled.
> "Yeah. A little wiser, maybe."
Zhao Kai dropped beside them. "I liked the dramatic monologue. Less screaming than usual."
Yue added, "He actually beat himself. Not bad."
Bo Ren watched the horizon.
> "The Fifth Flame waits in the Storm Vault."
> "And something… old… guards it."