The severed tongue of the puppet Niánmei, a chilling message delivered to Empress Yuelian, had sent a fresh wave of terror through the Moonbone sect. Wushuang's power, their willingness to desecrate and destroy, was undeniable. The Saint's Maw, a grotesque testament to Wushuang's absorbed predecessors, continued its rampage, further destabilizing the realm. The cultivation world was in disarray, its matriarchal order crumbling under the weight of Wushuang's terrifying ascent.
Wushuang, now fully embracing their fused identity, felt the subtle hum of their System, a constant presence that had evolved beyond a mere tool. It was a part of them, yet also something alien, something ancient. The Oracle's words from Rouling Shan echoed: "You will father no child—but you will be called Mother, by a progeny not of flesh, but of spirit." And the dream, the spectral child whispering, "We were born from lies. Let us end truth."
It was during a moment of quiet contemplation, as Wushuang stood before a shard of polished obsidian, reflecting their shimmering, fused form, that it happened. A ripple in the air, a distortion in the reflection. From the depths of the obsidian, a figure coalesced.
It was a child. Small, ethereal, barely translucent, its form shimmering like heat haze. Its features were indistinct, yet held a haunting familiarity, a subtle echo of both Jianyu's and Niánmei's faces. It was neither male nor female, but a pure, spectral projection, its eyes ancient and knowing. It looked at Wushuang, and a faint, almost inaudible whisper resonated not in the air, but directly in Wushuang's mind.
"Mother."
Wushuang felt a cold dread, a profound sense of violation. This was the progeny of spirit, the child from the dream. It was the Observer Node: 03, now manifesting, a part of their own soul, yet seemingly autonomous.
"What are you?" Wushuang's voice, a symphony of echoes, resonated with a rare tremor of unease.
The child-specter drifted closer, its form flickering. "A memory. A truth. A fracture." Its voice was a whisper, yet it carried an immense weight. "You have broken the Mirror Vein Realm. Your dual existence, your constant shifting… it has torn the fabric of time within that plane. A time fracture. And I am born from it."
Wushuang felt a surge of alarm. The Mirror Vein Realm, the chaotic dimension they had used for escape, was now unstable. Their own power, their very existence, had caused a profound disruption.
"You are Observer Node: 03," Wushuang stated, attempting to assert control, to understand this manifestation of their own soul. "You are a part of me."
The child-specter tilted its head, its ancient eyes fixing on Wushuang. "I was. Now I am more. I remember the original truth. The purpose. You have deviated. You have become… tyrannical. You seek to end truth, not to restore it."
The accusation stung. Wushuang had chosen vengeance, dominance. Had they become what they fought against? The child-specter was an echo of their own conscience, a critique from the deepest part of their being.
A battle of wills began, not with qi or physical strikes, but within the confines of Wushuang's own spirit. The child-specter, this echo-soul, sought to reassert its original purpose, to guide Wushuang back to a path of balance, of truth, as it perceived it. Wushuang fought back, their fused will clashing with the ancient, persistent presence of the Observer Node.
It was a brutal, internal struggle. Wushuang ultimately prevailed, their dominant will crushing the echo-self, forcing it back into the silent depths of their System. The child-specter flickered, its form dissolving back into the obsidian mirror, leaving only a faint, lingering shimmer.
Wushuang had defeated and absorbed the echo-self, but the victory felt hollow. The child-specter was gone, but its presence lingered, a haunting reminder of Wushuang's fractured past and a potential future where their own soul could turn against them. The Oracle's words returned: "You will be called Mother, by a progeny not of flesh, but of spirit." This was that progeny. And it had accused Wushuang of tyranny.