Spiritrun Arena

​The morning sun filtered through the Spirit Pattern Tree's leaves, dappling the plaza with gold. Lin Ye leaned against the trunk, his Reverse Scale Core humming faintly as he watched Xiao Tao practice her shadow crow tricks. She darted between the branches, her bells chiming like wind chimes, and for a moment, he forgot the weight of the previous night's battle.

"Hey, Captain!" Sakura called from the edge of the plaza, her tablet in hand. "The Spirit Pattern Guild just sent a message. They found something weird in the archives—old footage of Yuehuan's final battle."

Xiao Tao paused mid-flip, her bells stalling mid-chime. "Footage? Of Yuehuan?"

"Apparently, it was buried in a sealed vault beneath the arena," Sakura said, scrolling through her tablet. "They couldn't access it before because of some kind of… temporal lock. But now it's unsealed. Wanna watch it?"

Lin Ye and Xiao Tao exchanged a glance. Since their encounter with the Echo of Doubt, they'd felt a growing urgency—a sense that Yuehuan's story wasn't fully told. "Let's go," Xiao Tao said, her voice steady.

​​The Vault of Time​​

The vault was hidden beneath the Spirit Pattern Tree, its entrance disguised by a wall of ivy. When they stepped inside, the air felt thick with history—dusty scrolls, rusted armor, and the faint scent of osmanthus. At the center stood a pedestal, holding a crystal orb that glowed with a soft, blue light.

"Place your hands on it," Sakura instructed.

Lin Ye and Xiao Tao each laid a hand on the orb. Instantly, the room dissolved into a swirl of light, and they were transported to a sunlit battlefield.

The year was 302—three centuries before their time.

Yuehuan, young and radiant in her armor, stood at the center of a wasteland. Her sword, the Starlight Sword, glowed with the same silver light as the Starlight Flower. Before her lay a fractured seal, its edges crumbling, and beyond it, a void of swirling black mist.

"This is it," Yuehuan said, her voice echoing through the vault. "The Final Seal. If I close it, the pollution will be contained—but I'll lose my connection to this world. My spirit will fade, and I'll never see my friends again."

Behind her, a figure stepped forward: a young man with dark hair and a scar across his cheek. Lin Ye recognized him as Mingyuan, but younger, his eyes still bright with hope. "Yuehuan, don't do this," he said, his voice breaking. "We can find another way. We can—"

"I can't," Yuehuan interrupted. "The pollution is growing stronger. If I wait, it will consume everything—even the memories of us. I'd rather fade than let that happen."

Mingyuan reached out, his hand hovering over hers. "Then let me stay with you. Let me be your light, even in the dark."

Yuehuan smiled, a tear slipping down her cheek. "You already are. But you have to live. For me. For everyone."

She turned to the seal, her sword glowing brighter. "Mingyuan, promise me—live. Fight. Protect the world. And… tell my story. Let them know I wasn't alone."

Mingyuan nodded, his throat tight. "I promise."

Yuehuan plunged the sword into the seal. The black mist roared, but the seal held. Her body began to glow, her armor dissolving into stardust. "Goodbye, Mingyuan. Goodbye, my loves."

The vision faded, and Lin Ye and Xiao Tao were back in the vault, their hands still on the orb. Xiao Tao's tears fell onto the crystal, and Lin Ye pulled her close, his Reverse Scale Core radiating warmth.

​​The Promise of the Past​​

Afterward, they sat beneath the Spirit Pattern Tree, the memory of Yuehuan's sacrifice fresh in their minds.

"She gave up everything," Xiao Tao whispered. "Her life, her future… just to protect us."

Lin Ye brushed a tear from her cheek. "She didn't give up. She trusted us. Trusted that we'd carry her light forward."

A familiar chime echoed through the plaza—Grandma Chizuru approaching with a tray of osmanthus cakes. "Took you two long enough to come down," she said, grinning. "And Xiao Tao—your eyes are red. Did the footage make you sad?"

Xiao Tao shook her head. "It made me… determined. Yuehuan didn't fight for herself. She fought for us. For the future."

Chizuru sat beside them, her hands resting on her lap. "You know, I think she's still here. Not just in the tree or the flower. In you." She nodded at Lin Ye. "In the way you protect Xiao Tao. In the way you both fight for what's right."

Lin Ye looked at Xiao Tao, her face soft in the sunlight. "We're not alone, are we?"

Xiao Tao smiled, her hand finding his. "No. We have each other. And we have her light."

​​The Call to Tomorrow​​

That night, as they prepared for bed, Lin Ye found Xiao Tao staring at the Starlight Flower. Its petals glowed softly, as if pulsing with a heartbeat.

"Do you think she hears us?" Xiao Tao asked.

Lin Ye climbed into bed beside her, wrapping an arm around her waist. "I think she does. And I think… she's proud."

Xiao Tao rested her head on his chest, listening to his steady heartbeat. "What do we do next?"

"Whatever comes," Lin Ye said, pressing a kiss to her hair. "We face it together. Like Yuehuan taught us. Like Mingyuan would've wanted."

Outside, the Spirit Pattern Tree rustled in the wind, its leaves whispering a promise: Tomorrow will come. And when it does, you'll be ready.

(Wind carried the scent of osmanthus. In the distance, the Spirit Pattern Arena's broadcast played: "Tonight's featured story? A love that outshines even the stars.")