They did not speak of the moment.
Not the flame between their fingers.Not the ache that softened in their chests.Not the petal that still pulsed between them like a heartbeat they had never learned how to share.
Instead, they sat by the koi pond until the lanterns burned low.
Until the stars came out.
Until silence felt safe again.
And for the first time in what felt like lifetimes,Lian Qiao did not feel like she was burning alone.
❄️ Frozen Court — The Throne of Frost
The halls of the Frozen Court were carved in crystal and pride.
The air did not carry warmth. It carried whispers.
And they all whispered her name.
Xue Ran.
She stood at the heart of her throne hall, facing the pool of Evermirror Ice, where visions flickered without invitation.
Right now, it showed him.
Mo Yujin.
Not in battle.
Not in glory.
But beside her — Qiao — on a garden bench, hands nearly touching, flames flickering softly between them.
"He should've burned for me," she said aloud.
Her voice didn't crack.
But the mirror did.
Just once.
A hairline fracture across the ice.
Behind her, an attendant stepped forward carefully.
"The Sealed Council remains silent. They will not interfere."
Xue Ran's lips curved. "Of course not."
"And the girl?"
The mirror shifted.
Now it showed Lian Qiao sleeping — forehead pressed to her arm, her sword beside her, the mark of flame flickering faintly in her sleep.
"The flame is merging," said the attendant. "With her. With him."
"Then it's time," Xue Ran said softly.
She turned away, snowflakes swirling at her heels like loyal ghosts.
"The North will strike.But not with armies.With evidence."
🌌 Celestial Archives — Secret Wing
A scroll was drawn from a locked chamber.
Old. Forbidden.Its seal bore the insignia of the Flame Court — now extinct.
But the name scrawled inside still glowed faintly:
Lian Hua.
And beneath it, in faded divine ink:
The bearer of the Fifth Flame is not a protector.She is the final key to what sleeps beneath.
🌸 Back at the Sect — At Dawn
Lian Qiao woke to the sound of birds, the scent of dew, and the whisper of a thread still tied to her heart.
She didn't open her eyes right away.
She just reached toward the place beside her—
Where, for the first time in this life, he had stayed.
Mo Yujin was still there. Awake. Watching her.
She smiled faintly.
"You're here."
He nodded. "Always was. You just forgot."