The sky felt devoid of life, dark like the abyss of eternal oblivion. A thick cloud of ash drifted overhead as the three travelers stepped cautiously through the ruins of an ancient temple—half buried in snow, half suffocating beneath forgotten debris. Xiao, more wary than ever, carried a heavy sensation deep within him… the feeling that something inevitable was drawing near.
_"We've been here before… haven't we?"_ Astir whispered, her gaze fixed on the eroded carvings along the temple walls.
Heim responded in a low voice, tinged with doubt:
_"It looks like the Temple of 'Hardar'—but this one is much older… Something isn't right here."_
Xiao remained silent. In his eyes, fleeting visions sparked—glimpses of memories slipping from his blood without permission. He saw his mother's face, then a blade stained with crimson, and a hollow voice murmuring in a language foreign to this world.
But why now? And why this place?
Every step within this temple resonated with an eerily familiar echo. The ground itself seemed to pulse—not with life, but with something closer to a curse. As they advanced toward the grand altar hall, ancient symbols on the floor suddenly ignited, glowing with a pale blue flame. The group froze.
_"Don't move!"_ Xiao shouted, but it was too late.
The ground trembled, and the temple walls let out a deep, mournful groan, as though awakening after centuries of slumber. Suddenly, a towering figure emerged—draped in flowing black robes, surrounded by drifting ash, its face concealed by a mask—half gold, half bone.
_"At last…"_ the entity rasped, its voice rough and broken. _"The cursed blood has entered the Temple of Chains.
Xiao tightened his grip around his sword, as one burning question flared in his heart:
Who was this figure? And why did it feel like it had been waiting for them all along?
A faint sound of cracks forming along the walls of the cell was followed by the sharp screech of iron, as if time itself had bent before the arrival of something… something heavy, reshaping fate.
In the dark corner of the cell, Xiao sat in utter silence, his shoulders tense, his eyes fixed on a dim patch of light filtering through a small crack in the stone ceiling. That tiny flicker of light was the only thing moving in his otherwise stagnant world. No sound could be heard—only his slow breathing and the rhythmic pulse of blood in his ears… blood unlike any other.
He felt something stirring inside him. It wasn't hunger, nor pain… but a call. A faint voice rising from the veins of his heart, from the very cells of his unique blood. It was as if his entire being was summoning him to awaken. His heart suddenly pounded with force, and a strange tremor coursed through his limbs.
_"It's time…"_ Xiao whispered to himself, as if responding to the voice.
The key turned in the outer lock of the cell, followed by heavy footsteps. A guard clad in gray armor bearing the emblem of the Northern Kingdom stood at the door, his face concealed behind a helmet curved like a beak. He slowly pushed open the iron door, pausing for a moment as he studied Xiao—not as a prisoner, but as a creature.
_"The trial begins in an hour. The king is waiting."_ The guard spoke in a rigid tone before stepping back.
But Xiao didn't move. He remained seated, his eyes fixed on the patch of light.
_"Do you hear me, you cursed one?!"_ the guard roared, striking the iron rod against the ground.
Finally, Xiao rose—slowly—but his gaze remained calm… even cold.
_"I hear more than you can imagine…"_ he murmured, his voice low yet carrying something that made the guard instinctively recoil.
As Xiao stepped out of the cell, a chilling wave swept through the corridors, despite the torches burning bright. Some guards exchanged uneasy glances—even the dullest among them felt that something unnatural was unfolding. Xiao's blood… was no longer silent.
At the entrance of the stone palace, a familiar figure awaited him. Draped in a black cloak with golden edges, silver-white hair cascading over his shoulders, and emerald eyes that bore an unearthly quality.
_"So, you finally emerged from the pit, heir of sins."_ The figure spoke with a faint smile, as if already knowing what was to come.
Xiao paused, studying him for a long moment before responding,
_"If you truly cared, you wouldn't have left me there all this time, Heim."_
_"I was watching… and I wasn't alone."_ Heim's tone was cryptic as he turned away.
Xiao followed in silence. Their footsteps echoed against the stone floor. At every corner, there were guards, monks, and members of the royal intelligence—as if the palace itself feared Xiao.
But inside, Xiao wasn't afraid. He was ready. The fire within him burned fiercer than ever.
Somewhere, beyond the shadows of these walls and beneath the stone throne, _the Chains of Fate_ awaited him—chains he was either destined to break… or be crushed beneath.
Deep within the palace, beneath the ornate dome that told the history of the ancestors, the attendees lined up on either side of the long corridor leading to the throne. The knights stood ready, hands gripping the hilts of their swords, while the noble spectators hid their expressions behind silver masks—masks that concealed eyes more eager for scandal than justice.
Amid this grand royal spectacle, Xiao entered with steady steps.
The air was thick with tension. No one trusted him. No one expected anything from him but destruction. Yet, there was an unspoken dread in his presence—a fear not born from his reputation or his alleged crimes, but from something far deeper… something primal, reminding them all that he was a being beyond the laws they had written.
Xiao stood before the throne, where King Eryon sat, his flowing white beard cascading over golden armor. His fire-lit eyes revealed nothing but contempt.
_"Xiao, heir of sins…"_ the king's deep voice echoed through the columns. _"Do you understand the charges brought before my throne?"_
Xiao remained silent.
The king continued sharply,
_"Treason. The spilling of sacred blood. The destruction of the Resurrection Seal. Conspiring with forces beyond the veil…! Do you have any defense for yourself?"_
Silence hung in the air for a few moments. Then Xiao lifted his gaze, piercing through everyone before him, and spoke calmly,
_"I have betrayed no one. I have only refused to live as a slave to a fate I never chose."_
Murmurs spread among the gathered nobles. The king clenched his fist and shouted,
_"Do you defy the will of the gods?! Or do you believe yourself above the law?"_
Xiao stepped forward.
_"If the law is crafted by those who do not understand my truth… then yes, I am above it."_
A priest gasped in horror, while several soldiers tightened their grips on their swords, preparing for action. But a single gesture from the king halted them.
_"Arrogant, as always."_ Eryon muttered as he descended from the throne, approaching Xiao slowly.
_"But I will not imprison you again. I have decided to grant you one last chance—not because you deserve it… but because the Blood Prophecy is not yet fulfilled."_
Xiao raised an eyebrow.
_"The Blood Prophecy?"_
From the shadowed columns, Heim whispered, his voice barely audible,
_"Fate is shifting its pieces… and the call of blood is stronger than kings."_
The king turned to a guard and commanded firmly,
_"Open the western gate. Let him be tested."_
Silence fell. No one spoke when that gate was unsealed…
The *Gate of Chains*.
Where the chosen face their worst nightmares, fighting for their freedom… or vanishing into the abyss.
The ancient palace walls trembled as the western gate swung open. Its creaking was not ordinary—it was as if the very sound of death itself was being displaced, rising from its eternal slumber. The air that seeped from behind the gate was heavy, laced with the scent of decay, ash… and memories.
The massive gears turned slowly, synchronized with the eerie silence of the hall, as if the entire room conspired to freeze in this moment.
Xiao gazed at the gate—no shock on his face, no fear, only a deadly calm.
As if he had always known this day would come.
The guards approached, presenting him with a set of black shackles, inscribed with ancient symbols that most could not decipher.
One of them spoke hesitantly,
_"These seals will keep your power contained within the gate. The king does not want you… destroying everything again."_
Xiao took them slowly, fastening them around his wrist without resistance. As soon as they settled, a faint red glow emerged, gripping his bones and weaving a hidden collar of oppression around him.
He muttered under his breath,
_"Another chain… What's new?"_
Before he could step forward, he caught sight of a familiar figure in the corner of the hall.
A woman in a blue cloak, her face obscured, but her eyes glowed with an unmistakable brilliance—one he could never forget.
_"Freya..."_
He wanted to approach her, but he knew the time wasn't right.
Just seeing her ignited something within him… something that had long been dormant.
The king stepped closer, standing beside him, staring at the now fully open gate. Behind it lay a dark passage—leading to _the inevitable path_, where the soul, not the body, was tested.
The king spoke in a grave tone,
_"You have three days to emerge from this trial… If you fail, know that your blood will be erased from the records of this kingdom."_
Xiao responded,
_"I was never one of you to begin with—your threats mean nothing to me."_
The king smirked in cold amusement before turning away.
_"We shall see… whether you are merely a shadow of the past, or a curse reborn."_
Without hesitation, Xiao stepped into the gate, and the darkness swallowed him whole, as if it had been waiting for him for centuries.
The hall fell into absolute silence.
But what no one saw was that the symbols on his shackles were slowly fading—as if something inside was acknowledging the truth:
This man could never be bound.
The corridor behind the gate twisted like a serpent through the layers of the earth. The walls were unnaturally smooth, as if carved by a being not of this world, covered in a thick layer of accumulated ash and cryptic symbols that glowed faintly as Xiao passed them.
The sound of his footsteps alone filled the empty space, echoing against the stone walls like the weary pulse of a restless heart.
Then, suddenly…
A cold blue light flared at the end of the passage, and the ground began to tremble. Before him, a massive stone door emerged, etched with only two symbols:
*"Choice"* and *"Blood."*
Xiao brushed his fingers against the door's icy surface. And then, a spectral figure appeared.
An old man with a long beard and the features of a king from forgotten legends—his eyes holding both wisdom and sorrow.
The apparition spoke in a hollow voice:
_"Xiao… To pass through, you must choose."_
_"Choose?"_
_"The path to salvation begins with sacrifice. You must either surrender a part of your strength… or a part of your memory."_
Xiao stood in silence, staring at the door. Both choices weighed heavily upon him.
To lose his strength? That would leave him vulnerable, exposed to those lurking in the shadows.
But to lose his memories… He might forget _her_. He might forget _who he truly was_.
He took a slow breath. His hands trembled—not with fear, but with the weight of this cruel paradox.
Then, in a quiet voice, he declared:
_"Take my strength… Memory is the only thing that keeps me human."_
The spectral figure nodded and gestured toward the first inscription on the door. As Xiao touched it, his black shackles gleamed once more, then suddenly contracted before shattering into dark sparks, leaving a scorched mark upon his wrist.
His power was gone… or at least, a part of it.
But in his eyes, something deeper ignited—a pure, unyielding resolve.
The door creaked open, revealing a vast courtyard surrounded by broken pillars, its ground layered with ancient ashes.
And in the center…
A colossal mirror suspended between the sky and the earth.
Xiao gazed at it, then stepped forward without hesitation.
He whispered to himself:
_"If the Chains of Fate are real… then I will break them. Piece by piece.
Xiao stood before the colossal mirror, which did not reflect his image but instead revealed glimpses of the past…
He saw himself as a child, holding the hand of a woman with white hair and a sorrowful smile. The surroundings were shrouded in mist, yet the warmth he had felt in that moment returned to him, as if the memory itself were alive.
Then, suddenly, the scene shifted—
Screams. Flames engulfing the world. Bodies collapsing.
The white-haired woman was kneeling, crying out his name as her form faded into a dim light.
_"Mother…"_ Xiao whispered, his voice trembling.
But the mirror did not stop. It continued to unveil images of pain and loss, forcing him to confront every moment of weakness he had ever endured.
Then, all at once, another face appeared upon its surface…
Kyra.
She stood within the mirror, gazing at him with tear-filled eyes, whispering,
_"Don't forget me… Don't lose yourself to the shadows."_
The mirror quivered as if it were about to shatter, but Xiao reached out and touched its surface.
Suddenly, black energy erupted from the heart of the mirror, hurling Xiao backward with violent force. He crashed onto the ground, his breath echoing through the stone chamber. When he opened his eyes again, he was no longer in the courtyard…
He was in another realm.
A sky of endless gray, cracked earth beneath his feet, and an air thick with distant, whispering cries.
Before him, a towering entity emerged—formless, a mere shadow pulsing with unimaginable strength.
The being spoke in a voice like thunder,
_"You have crossed the Gate of Perception, Xiao. Now, prove who you truly are."_
It raised its hand, forging a spear from pure darkness.
_"Chains are not just shackles upon your body… They are binds upon your soul."_
And the battle began.
Xiao, weakened by his sacrifice, relied solely on his instincts and skill. He evaded the entity's devastating strikes, leaping between the cracks in the terrain, focusing his remaining energy into a single, precise attack.
With all his might, he roared,
_"I will not be a slave to my fate!"_
He lunged forward, driving his spear into the heart of the entity…
A moment of silence.
Then, the shadow dissolved into dust, vanishing with the wind.
Breathing heavily, Xiao dropped to his knees.
But before he could catch his breath, a sound emerged behind him…
Slow, deliberate applause.
He turned to see a new figure—shrouded in a black cloak, carrying two crossed swords upon his back.
The stranger spoke,
_"The first trial is over… But your true path begins now.
The cloaked stranger stepped forward, his voice as cold as a whisper of wind seeping into the bones:
_"I haven't seen you since… your birth, bearer of the curse."_
Xiao froze, staring into the shadowed features of the figure. There was no hostility in the stranger's presence, yet an ominous energy radiated from him, as if the earth itself pulsed in sync with his breath.
_"Who are you?"_ Xiao asked, his hand subtly gripping his weapon.
The stranger's lips curled into a barely visible smile.
_"I am the one who shaped you… at least, half of you."_
His words struck like a slap.
_"What do you mean?"_
_"Half of you belongs to the light, the other… to the shadows."_
He gestured toward Xiao's heart, where the lingering heat of his battle with the colossal entity still burned.
_"That creature… was merely a reflection of your inner self. A fragment of your curse."_
The stranger took another step forward, his eyes glowing a dim, crimson hue.
_"Now that you've survived, you are approaching the first broken chain. But beware, Xiao… The Chains of Fate are only the beginning."_
He raised his hand, and in a swift motion, a glowing circle of ancient symbols formed around them. It felt as if time itself had frozen.
_"This is the Seal of the Past—the second gate. Open it… or be trapped within it forever."_
With those words, the ground beneath Xiao split open, dragging him down with an unstoppable force.
A scream tore through the void—
Then… silence.
---
Xiao opened his eyes, finding himself sprawled within an immense archive. Thousands of books, ancient scrolls, torn newspapers.
But the true shock was not the place itself—
It was what he saw on the walls.
Images of his life… before he was born.
A picture of his mother, speaking with a council of priests. A glimpse of his father—whom he had never met—waging war in another realm.
And in the center of the room, one book stood alone, glowing in golden light.
Xiao stepped closer, hesitantly opening its cover.
The first page, written in an aged script, read:
_"This is your fate, written since the beginning… Yet it can be changed, if you possess the will."_
His breathing quickened. His heart pounded.
_"This… is my book of destiny…"_
But before he could read further, voices erupted from outside.
Shouts. Whispers. Heavy footsteps approaching.
Xiao lifted his head, bracing himself for battle once again.
The past never reveals itself without a price… And despite his exhaustion, he was prepared to pay it.
The approaching sound outside the archive grew louder, and shadows stretched along the walls as if trying to seep inside. This was not merely a physical battle—it was a clash between two wills: Xiao's determination and the fate that sought to consume him.
Xiao slowly raised his head, his eyes radiating unwavering resolve. He placed his hand on the golden book, feeling an unfamiliar warmth emanating from it, as though something within was trying to illuminate his path through the darkness.
Suddenly, the great doors of the archive shattered open, and a group of warriors stormed in, their faces grim. Leading them were _Heim_ and _Astir_, bearing wounds from previous battles.
_"Xiao, you need to move now!"_ Astir called out urgently, gripping her weapon tightly.
_"The past does not wait, and we can't stay here!"_ Heim added, advancing cautiously.
Xiao shut the book quickly, then stood up with unwavering steadiness.
_"Then let's go. There is no room for regret."_
Together, they charged toward the exit, where fate awaited them with heavy steps. Now, they had to decide—would they face the future with hope, or succumb to the shadows encircling them?
They emerged from the archive into the shadowed depths of the city, where dim lights flickered between the narrow alleyways. The air was heavy with tension, filled with an eerie scent—an unsettling mixture, as if the very streets breathed dark magic.
_"Xiao, I've noticed that the blood in your veins is no ordinary blood,"_ Heim said, watching the hero's movements closely.
Xiao gave a bitter smile and replied,
_"I know that well. It is sealed blood… the blood that binds both light and darkness."_
Astir halted suddenly, raising a hand as if about to speak, but silence lingered stronger than words.
_"It's a curse, but not one of mere death or destruction—it's a constant internal struggle. The more I try to control my power, the stronger the shadows within me grow,"_ Xiao continued in a heavy voice.
Heim studied him intently.
_"This curse may be the key to your strength, but it could also be your downfall."_
Xiao stepped forward into a dark alleyway, where a mysterious figure awaited him, its face obscured beneath the faint glow.
_"Fate does not grant you the luxury of choice, Xiao. But you hold the power to change that… Are you ready?"_
Xiao hesitated for a moment, then nodded slowly. Yes, he was ready to fight for what he believed in—even if it cost him everything.
The air in the alley was unnaturally cold, with a faint breeze carrying the sound of approaching footsteps. The mysterious man moved slowly toward Xiao, as if he knew all his secrets—his every step accompanied by the shifting shadows around him.
_"I am here to offer you a choice, Xiao. A choice that will change the course of your life. You can abandon this cursed blood, free yourself from the chains of fate,"_ the man said in a calm yet firm voice.
Xiao looked at him, his eyes unwavering.
_"And how can I trust you? How do I know this isn't just another deception?"_
The man smiled cryptically.
_"You don't have to trust me. You only have to choose. The decision is yours—but remember, every choice comes with a price. And you are about to pay it."_
Xiao felt the weight of responsibility pressing on his shoulders. But he knew retreat was not an option.
_"I will choose my own path, no matter the consequences."_
The man raised his hand, and suddenly, sparks of darkness erupted around him. Then, just as swiftly as he had appeared, he vanished, leaving Xiao alone in the alley—facing a decision that would shape his unknown future.