The heavens didn't fall.Not yet.But they tilted — ever so slightly.
Because a question had been asked.
And no one answered it.
Is the flame still hers?
A question meant to be theoretical.Philosophical.Precautionary.
But in the halls of the Celestial Court, that kind of question had only one meaning:
If she cannot say "yes"… then the answer must be no.
🌌 Celestial Court — Southern Gate
Lian Qiao stood before the summoned circle, Mo Yujin at her side.
The council's light veils shimmered faintly, no faces shown — only presence.
And the question was asked again.
Not with hostility.
But with finality.
"Lian Qiao, bearer of the Southern Thread and inheritor of the Fifth Flame:Does the fire within you still belong to you… or has something else taken root?"
The room pulsed.
Mo Yujin's jaw clenched.
Qiao stood still.
And said… nothing.
The silence stretched.
Not because she didn't want to lie.Not because she couldn't.
But because she didn't know.
Something had changed inside her.The mirror had shown her things that weren't reflections — they were memories twisted into desire. Hunger. Possession.
She could feel it, sometimes — like another heartbeat beneath her own.Like love made monstrous.
And so, she did not answer.
Not aloud.
Not yet.
One councilor whispered, "So it begins."
Another added, "Then her fate must be decided soon."
"We do not decide fate," the eldest reminded."We only endure it."
🌸 Outside the Court
Afterward, she stood beneath a banyan tree, fingers tracing the Flamebinder's hilt.
Mo Yujin stood beside her. Silent.
She finally spoke.
"You wanted me to answer."
"No," he said. "I wanted you to be able to."
That stung more.
"You think I'm losing it."
"I think something else wants to finish what you started ten thousand years ago."
She turned to him.
"And if that's true… what would you do?"
His answer came quickly.
Too quickly.
"Then I'll burn with you."
She stepped back.
"That's not what I need."
"Then tell me what you do."
Her voice shook.
"I need you to stay alive if I lose myself."
He didn't agree.
Didn't promise.
Just said:
"Then don't make me choose."
Above them, far beyond mortal reach,the cracked seal at the bottom of Mirror Moon Lake pulsed once—
—and something within it began to dream again.