The duel was over. The assassins were ashes.
The crowd had scattered.
And the Flame Court had summoned him.
When a disciple is called before the Flame Court, it isn't for punishment.
It is for judgment.
And sometimes… prophecy.
---
The Flame Court
At the heart of the Crimson Flame Sect stood the Hall of Eternal Ember, a sacred hall built into the side of a mountain carved from volcanic crystal and sealed by ancient runes. The Flame Court only opened for matters that concerned the fate of the sect — or the fate of the realms.
Long Feng stood before the great bronze doors.
Behind him, Mei Ling and Xue Yiran waited — not allowed to follow, but refusing to leave.
"You don't have to go alone," Mei Ling said quietly.
"I've always been alone," Long Feng replied. "But thank you."
He pushed the doors open.
---
Within the Court
Six elders sat around a ring of eternal flame, each surrounded by burning spirit mirrors that reflected not just the present — but echoes of the past.
Elder Huang, ancient and gaunt, studied Long Feng with cold eyes.
"You've awakened a flame that has been sealed for ten thousand years."
Long Feng nodded. "The Soul Flame."
Elder Bai Wen stood. "That flame once belonged to a man who nearly burned the heavens themselves."
Long Feng's voice remained calm. "That man was me."
Gasps rang through the hall — even among the ancient ones.
But Huang didn't flinch.
"You remember?"
"Fragments," Long Feng admitted. "But each time I fight, each time I bleed, more returns."
---
Memory Surge – Flashback
Suddenly, the soul mirror pulsed.
Flame coiled around it — reacting to Long Feng's presence.
The court watched as the image within flickered to life.
A battlefield.
A sky on fire.
A young god standing alone with silver flame in his palm — eyes burning like stardust.
> "You think heaven chooses who rules?" the man in the image snarled.
"Then I will break heaven."
Elder Huang closed his eyes. "So it's true…"
---
Judgment Begins
"The Heaven-Breaker Soul," Bai Wen whispered. "The very soul that shattered prophecy."
Elder Xun, the youngest of the six, leaned forward.
"If he truly is the reincarnation of Long Feng the Flame Sovereign, we have a choice."
"Seal him," one elder growled. "Or use him."
"He cannot be sealed," Huang said. "The soul chose to return. Fate has already shifted."
Bai Wen turned to Long Feng.
> "What do you intend to do with this power?"
Long Feng stared at him, unblinking.
> "Climb back to the realm I was cast down from.
Find those who betrayed me.
And protect the ones beside me now… at any cost."
---
The Revelation
The Flame Court fell into stunned silence.
Even the flames themselves seemed to bow inward.
"Then the prophecy…" Xun whispered. "The one sealed by the Burning Sky Temple…"
Huang nodded grimly.
> "It has begun again.
The Five Flame Maidens.
The Soul Sovereign.
The Return of the Flame God."
Bai Wen's voice dropped cold.
"Then we must act. Either guide him—or kill him before the fifth flame awakens."
---
Outside – Mei Ling's Fear
Mei Ling paced outside the court, her heart pounding.
She could feel the change in the air. The sky itself had dimmed, and every flame on the mountain flickered in warning.
"He's not like before," she whispered. "He's stronger… but farther away."
Xue Yiran crossed her arms, voice quiet. "The more he remembers… the more we'll have to fight to keep him grounded."
"You're afraid?"
"I'm intrigued."
---
Decision of the Court
Back inside, the vote was taken.
Three elders voted to guide him.
Two voted to destroy him.
Huang did not vote.
Instead, he stood and addressed Long Feng directly.
"You have one chance," he said. "Leave the sect. Do not climb higher. Do not seek the final flame."
Long Feng stepped forward, his Soul Flame flickering in his silver eyes.
"I was born to seek it. Whether you bless me or not."
---
Final Warning
Elder Huang's face darkened.
"Then beware, child of fire. The heavens you once challenged have changed. You may not be the only one reborn."
Long Feng paused.
"What do you mean?"
Huang gave a cryptic smile.
> "The flame of your greatest enemy… has already returned.
And it wears a crown."