Spiritrun Arena

Tokyo's morning mist still clung to the air as the Spirit Pattern Tree's branches sagged under a shower of stardust. Lin Ye and Xiao Tao stood side by side in the courtyard, their palms pressed together—the twin patterns of light from their spirit cores still shimmering, pulsing in rhythm with their heartbeats.

"Captain, look," Xiao Tao said, pointing to the sky.

Lin Ye followed her gaze. Twelve Moon Rabbit Lanterns floated above the clouds, each casting a golden glow that etched faint characters into the air: "Unity Formation · Dragon Lock Abyss."

"Hints from Sister Yuehuan," he murmured. The night before, as the moonlit battle against the Eclipse Beast raged, Yuehuan's spirit had pressed a half-meteorite into his palm. Carved into the stone was a map of Dragon Lock Abyss. "She said to find her 'original heart' there."

Xiao Tao's hand tightened in his. Memories flooded back—of the stormy night three centuries ago, when Yuehuan (then a young general) had knelt at the edge of Dragon Lock Abyss, cradling the injured Mingyuan (a fallen comrade). Blood had soaked her star-meteorite pendant. "If I die," she'd whispered, voice breaking, "tell the girl with the moon-rabbit pattern… tell her I never stopped fighting for us."

"We're going to Dragon Lock Abyss," Lin Ye said, his Reverse Scale Core flaring to life between them. "Now."

​​The Starry Abyss​​

Mist coiled thicker than memory as they trekked into the valley. Grandma Chizuru led the way, her bamboo cane tapping the damp stone. Her silver hair, streaked with frost from the mist, still held the same determined set as three centuries prior. "Yuehuan used a star-meteorite sword here," she said, lifting a lantern. Its wick, woven from osmanthus leaves, glowed faintly. "She said the light would reveal truths hidden by darkness."

The lantern's flame touched the mist—and the valley erupted into radiance.

The group staggered back. Below, embedded in the cliff face, was a half-melted star-meteorite sword. Its patterns mirrored Lin Ye's Reverse Scale Core and Xiao Tao's Shadow Crow Bell exactly. A frayed ribbon, embroidered with moon-rabbit flowers, still clung to the hilt—the same design as Yuehuan's hairpin.

"That's…" Xiao Tao's voice trembled. Memories surged as she brushed the sword's surface:

Three centuries ago, a young Yuehuan (her face soft with youth) knelt at the cliff's edge, cradling Mingyuan. Black mist swirled around them, eating at Mingyuan's spirit patterns. Yuehuan bit her finger, drawing blood to carve twin patterns onto the sword: "Reverse Scale as bone, Shadow Crow as wing. If I fall, this sword will find the one who shares your vow."

"It was you," Xiao Tao whispered, tears welling. "Three hundred years ago, you used your spirit to seal the corruption… and left life to Mingyuan."

"No," Lin Ye interjected. His Reverse Scale Core resonated with the sword, its edges glowing with Xiao Tao's moonlit light. "Look at the hilt."

They leaned closer. Engraved in tiny characters: "To Ah Kui—if there's an afterlife, I want to be the one who shields you."

​​The Eclipse Beast's Return​​

A low rumble shook the valley.

Black mist gushed from the cliff's cracks, coalescing into a beast larger than the Eclipse Beast they'd fought before. Its forehead bore a half-meteorite—the same fragment Yuehuan had plunged into her chest centuries ago.

"Pollution remnant!" Su Rui's voice wavered. Her Time-Space Spirit Pattern rippled, projecting a vision: Yuehuan, bleeding, driving the sword into her own heart. "It's absorbing Dragon Lock Abyss's resentment to revive the old dark army!"

"Captain!" Zhao Yan's Shadow Crows swarmed, pecking at the beast's eyes. A Jiu's Shadow Crow darted forward, dropping a "Purification Talisman" (forged by Grandma Chizuru) onto its paw. Sakura's modified Spirit Cannon blazed, firing a crescent beam of Moon Rabbit Lantern light.

"Xiao Tao!" Lin Ye shielded her with his body. "Use the twin patterns!"

Xiao Tao yanked off her osmanthus sash. The flowers blazed gold, mirroring Lin Ye's Reverse Scale Core and her own Shadow Crow Bell. Together, they raised their hands—the twin patterns surging into a celestial sword of light, its form matching the half-melted relic below.

"That's… Yuehuan's 'Twin Vow Formation'!" Grandma Chizuru breathed.

"Ah Kui, take this!" Xiao Tao's voice echoed with three centuries of resonance. Her Shadow Crow Bell and Lin Ye's Reverse Scale Core shattered in unison, their light flooding the sword. The cliff's relic trembled, its fractured edges knitting back together. The blade flared, its twin patterns blazing like twin suns.

​​The Truth of Eternity​​

The Eclipse Beast roared its final defiance.

The celestial sword pierced its chest. Black mist billowed outward, dissolving into stardust. A single meteorite fragment fell, glowing softly—purified, now resonating with the sword and Dragon Lock Abyss's spirit.

"You did it!" Zhao Yan threw herself into Sakura's arms.

Yuehuan's spirit emerged from the light. She wore a simple white kimono, her hairpin still in place. Her gaze swept over Lin Ye and Xiao Tao, warm as three centuries prior. "I knew you'd write 'eternity' in your own way."

"Yuehuan-jie," Lin Ye's voice cracked. "Why didn't you tell us…"

"Some vows must be lived, not told," she said, stepping forward. Her hand brushed Xiao Tao's cheek, then Lin Ye's—warm, solid, alive. "This is my spirit, my blessing. From now on, your heartbeats, your warmth, every smile you share… these are the proof of 'forever.'"

​​Dawn of the Eternal Now​​

Morning light spilled over Dragon Lock Abyss, stretching their shadows long. Grandma Chizuru approached with fresh osmanthus cakes, painted with twin patterns. Su Qinghuan carried rice wine, a meteorite fragment at the bottom of the bowl. Zhao Yan's Shadow Crows perched on Xiao Tao and Lin Ye's heads, weaving the Moon Rabbit Lanterns' tassels into their hair. A Jiu's Shadow Crow clutched a marriage certificate (drafted by Su Rui), its cover printed with the twelve Moon Rabbit Lanterns.

"Captain, Xiao Tao!" Sakura called, waving a tablet. The screen showed global Spirit Pattern Arena viewers commenting: "The most romantic purification ritual ever!"

Xiao Tao's face flushed. She looked up at Lin Ye, his features soft in the dawn light, and kissed his cheek. Starlight flared between their lips, weaving a single line of text into the air:

​​"The eternal answer is the 'now' we share."​​

Wind swept through the valley, carrying a osmanthus leaf. It settled on Yuehuan's shoulder, overlapping with the moon-rabbit hairpin she'd worn three centuries ago. Far above, the twelve Moon Rabbit Lanterns still glowed, twelve stars that would never fade. And at their center, two hands clasped tight—writing their own story of eternity, one "now" at a time.