Qingsai stood in the aftermath, breathing heavily. The arena was quiet. His hair clung to his face with sweat, but his posture was steady. Lucentia flickered faintly around his body like golden mist.
Lucen Arkai approached.
> "You saw what lay beneath the illusion," he said. "And you showed mercy, even in destruction."
Qingsai glanced at his hands. "It felt… right. Like Lucentia wanted the truth, not just the victory."
Lucen nodded. "Then you've passed the first trial."
From his sleeve, the old master withdrew a small silver badge etched with the symbol of the Light Flame—the ancient emblem of the first Soulkindled to ever master Lucentia.
> "You are now Initiated. One of Light's chosen."
That evening, as the moons rose over the towers of Whispering Hollow, Qingsai stood on the balcony beside Meiyan, Chunsi, and Lianhua.
> "Did it hurt?" Chunsi asked gently.
> "Only for a moment," Qingsai said.
> "You're changing," Meiyan observed. "You're starting to look like the man they all want you to be."
Qingsai didn't respond right away.
Then he said softly, "No. I'm starting to become the one I choose to be."
And far beneath the castle, something stirred in the sealed chamber—a Soulkindled relic responding to the light's return.