Spiritrun Arena

The autumn sun dappled the Spirit Pattern Tree's leaves with gold as Xiao Tao leaned against the trunk, her chin propped on her hand. Beside her, Lin Ye adjusted the strap of his spirit core harness, his Reverse Scale Core glowing faintly—a residual warmth from last night's battle simulation.

"Nervous?" he asked, noticing her gaze fixed on the horizon.

Xiao Tao nodded. "The World Spirit Arena finals are next week. The opponent's file says they're a 'Time Weave Master'—can rewind a fight up to three minutes. I keep replaying our last sparring match in my head… what if I freeze?"

Lin Ye reached out, his calloused palm brushing her knuckles. "You don't freeze. You adapt." He grinned, a hint of mischief in his eyes. "Remember the Eclipse Beast? You turned a near-fatal stab into a moon-rabbit lullaby. This'll be cake."

Xiao Tao huffed a laugh, but her smile faded as a shadow flitted across the training field.

It was a girl—no older than sixteen—with silver hair streaked with neon blue, like starlight caught in a storm. Her spirit core glowed faintly beneath her sleeves, its pattern unfamiliar: a clock face with roots instead of numbers, winding around her wrists like vines.

"Lin Ye," she called, her voice clear. "Xiao Tao."

They exchanged a glance. No one else was in the courtyard.

"Who are you?" Lin Ye asked, stepping forward. His Reverse Scale Core flared slightly, a defensive reflex.

The girl tilted her head, her eyes reflecting the Spirit Pattern Tree's leaves. "I'm… a message. From Yuehuan."

Xiao Tao's breath hitched. "Yuehuan? But she—"

"Isn't here physically," the girl finished. "Her spirit's tied to the Starlight Seed you planted. But she wanted me to tell you: the Time Weave Master isn't your enemy. She's a reminder."

The World Spirit Arena hummed with energy when they arrived. The stadium's domed ceiling projected a hologram of the finals bracket, with their names—Lin Ye & Xiao Tao (Team Eternity)—glowing at the top. Below them, the Time Weave Master stood alone on the opposite platform, her clock-patterned sleeves fluttering like living ink.

"Welcome, challengers," the announcer droned. "This match will be judged on creativity, teamwork, and resilience. Are you ready?"

Xiao Tao nodded, her grip tightening on her shadow crow bells. Lin Ye placed a hand on her shoulder, and she felt the steady thrum of his reverse scale core—a heartbeat she'd come to associate with safety.

"Begin!"

The Time Weave Master raised her hands. The air rippled, and suddenly, they were standing in a different arena: a snow-covered field, the Spirit Pattern Tree replaced by a frozen oak.

"Rewind complete," the Master said, her voice echoing. "Let's see how you handle this."

The frozen oak loomed, its branches heavy with ice. At its base lay a familiar object: the half-melted star-meteorite sword from Dragon Lock Abyss.

Xiao Tao's pulse spiked. "This is a memory of the battle with Yuehuan… but why?"

Lin Ye scanned the area. "Look closer."

The sword's surface was etched with new marks—symbols that matched the Time Weave Master's clock-and-root pattern. As they watched, the symbols began to glow, and the sword started to melt backward, as if time were unspooling it.

"Pollution residue," Xiao Tao realized. "The Master's using it to rewrite the past… to make us doubt what we know."

A low growl echoed from the frozen oak. The Eclipse Beast emerged, but not as they'd fought it before. Its scales were blacker, its eyes glowing with the same neon blue as the Time Weave Master's hair.

"Not real," Lin Ye said, his voice firm. "It's a projection. A test."

Xiao Tao took a deep breath. "Then we fight it like any other beast. Together."

They moved in sync—Lin Ye's reverse scale core flaring gold, Xiao Tao's shadow crow bells chiming silver. The Eclipse Beast lunged, but Lin Ye was already there, his core a shield. Xiao Tao darted past, her bells slicing through the beast's scales.

But the beast regenerated instantly, its wounds knitting closed. Worse, the frozen oak began to crack, and the sword's melting accelerated, sending shards of light flying toward them.

"Time Weave Master!" Xiao Tao yelled. "Why are you doing this? We're not your enemy!"

The Master appeared beside the tree, her hands clasped. "You're not. But Yuehuan's light… it's too bright. Some fear it. They want to bury it, to make sure it never challenges the past again."

Lin Ye froze. "Who's 'they'?"

The Master didn't answer. Instead, she snapped her fingers. The Eclipse Beast roared, and the sword's shards swarmed, forcing Xiao Tao to dodge. One shard sliced her arm, drawing blood.

"Xiao Tao!" Lin Ye lunged, his core engulfing her in a golden aura. The shards burned away on contact, but the beast was closing in, its claws aimed for her heart.

Xiao Tao's vision blurred. She thought of Yuehuan's seed, of the flower that bloomed only when they were together. She thought of Lin Ye's laugh, of the way he'd held her after their first battle, of the promise they'd made under the osmanthus tree.

"We build our now," she thought. "No one can take that from us."

She raised her hand, her shadow crow bells singing. The air around them rippled, and suddenly, the frozen oak was gone. They stood in the Spirit Pattern Tree courtyard, with the Time Weave Master watching, her expression softening.

"Clever," she admitted. "You didn't fight the beast—you fought the fear it represented."

Xiao Tao lowered her hand, her arm still bleeding but steady. "What's the message, then?"

The Master pointed to the Spirit Pattern Tree. At its base, the Starlight Seed had sprouted a new shoot, its petals glowing brighter than before. "Yuehuan wanted you to know: the light you carry isn't just yours. It's a chain—of every fighter who dared to hope, every heart that refused to break. And chains can't be broken. They can only be forged stronger."

The arena's lights flared to life as the match ended. The judges' scoreboard lit up: Team Eternity: 10/10 for Creativity, 10/10 for Teamwork, 10/10 for Resilience.

The crowd erupted in cheers. Xiao Tao looked for Lin Ye, finding him already sprinting toward her, his face split in a grin. He swept her into a hug, lifting her off her feet.

"We did it," he murmured.

Xiao Tao laughed, her head resting on his shoulder. "We did. But… do you think there are more 'tests'?"

Lin Ye kissed her temple. "Probably. But we've got each other. And Yuehuan's light. And that flower." He nodded to the Spirit Pattern Tree, where the Starlight Seed's shoot now glowed like a small sun.

As they descended the arena steps, a figure emerged from the crowd—Grandma Chizuru, holding a tray of osmanthus cakes. "Took you long enough," she said, grinning. "And Xiao Tao—your arm needs tending to. Come on, I've got a new balm made with star-lavender."

Xiao Tao allowed herself to be led away, but not before she spotted the Time Weave Master watching from the stands. The girl smiled, her neon-blue streaks shimmering like starlight, and vanished in a ripple of time.

That night, under the Spirit Pattern Tree, Lin Ye and Xiao Tao sat together, their hands laced. The Starlight Seed's shoot curled around their wrists, its petals brushing their skin like a caress.

"You think Yuehuan's watching?" Xiao Tao asked.

Lin Ye nodded. "I think she's always watching. And she's smiling."

He pressed a kiss to her knuckles, and in the distance, the twelve Moon Rabbit Lanterns flared to life, casting their warm glow over the two figures who'd learned to fight for their now—and in doing so, had become part of something eternal.

(Wind carried the scent of osmanthus. Somewhere, in a place beyond time, Yuehuan smiled. Now, she thought, is the song I've been waiting to hear.)