The heavens had turned silent.
No wind stirred. No birds sang.
Even the stars above seemed veiled by a faint golden mist — the calm before the apocalypse.
Feixue stood upon the peak of Azure Flame Mountain, her long silver hair flowing with the wind, her robes glimmering faintly with frost and light. Her eyes traced the firmament where streaks of divine light gathered, each one marking the descent of a Heavenly Legion.
The skies were changing colors — from dawn blue to crimson, then gold — as divine sigils pulsed like heartbeats across the world.
From afar, the mortals could only kneel and pray.
To them, this was a heavenly omen.
To Feixue, it was a declaration of war.
---
Behind her stood Elder Mei Lian and the surviving disciples of the Frozen Sword Sect. Their eyes were filled with awe, fear, and devotion.
> "Feixue," Mei Lian said softly, "are we… truly about to face Heaven itself?"
Feixue's gaze did not waver.
> "No. We are not facing Heaven. Heaven is facing me."
The words were calm, but they carried the weight of law. Even the snow that fell upon her shoulders turned to motes of light, vanishing into her aura.
Mei Lian's hands trembled. "Then… what do we do?"
Feixue looked over her shoulder, her voice as quiet as drifting frost.
> "Prepare. When the first bell rings from the heavens, the sky will open."
---
Deep within the Celestial Palace, beneath layers of sacred formations and golden clouds, the Immortal Emperor stood before the Mirror of Judgment.
His face was serene, but his eyes held endless calculation.
Each reflection within the mirror showed countless worlds — realms trembling under the pressure of his decree.
> "Feixue… Origin incarnate," he murmured. "You should not exist."
The hall echoed with the steps of his generals. Ten Celestial Marshals knelt before him, their divine armors radiant with flame, lightning, or light.
> "Your Majesty," one said, "the armies of the upper heavens stand ready. When shall we descend?"
The Emperor closed his eyes, a divine sigil glowing upon his brow.
> "When the First Bell tolls."
---
But far away, in the hidden library beneath the Palace —
Seraphis stood once again before the Original Mirror.
Its light no longer reflected the golden glow of Heaven, but the silvery radiance of Feixue's realm.
Her heart pulsed in rhythm with that light. Frost coiled beneath her skin.
> "Feixue… I've seen what they fear."
The mirror trembled.
> And what do you fear, Seraphis of the Seventh Heaven?
She closed her eyes, whispering:
> "That I was born to serve a lie."
The mirror flickered. In its depths appeared an ancient vision — a vast realm before time, where all existence flowed from a single lotus of light and frost.
From that lotus, countless beings emerged — gods, mortals, spirits, stars.
And among them, the first Heaven rose…
carved not by rebellion, but by forgetfulness.
> Heaven was not born to rule, the mirror whispered. It was born to remember.
Seraphis's hands trembled. "Then we've spent eternity worshiping amnesia…"
The mirror dimmed, leaving her reflection alone.
She turned, her eyes glowing faintly with blue frost.
> "Then let Heaven remember again — even if I must destroy it to do so."
---
That night, a shadow crossed the Celestial Palace.
Silent as thought, it slipped between the guards, the barriers, the divine halls — unseen, untouchable.
It descended into the mortal world and appeared beside Feixue as a shimmer of light.
Feixue opened her eyes slowly.
The air thickened as the two women faced each other — flame and frost, Heaven and Origin, past and present.
> "You came," Feixue said softly.
Seraphis's golden armor glowed faintly, dimmed by the frost forming on her gauntlets.
> "The Emperor will strike when the First Bell tolls," she whispered. "Heaven's armies will descend through the Nine Veins of Sky. Every realm will burn in divine light."
Feixue's gaze deepened. "And you?"
Seraphis looked down. "I… am no longer certain where I stand."
Feixue stepped closer, her voice calm yet piercing.
> "You saw the mirror."
Seraphis nodded.
> "Then you know," Feixue said. "Heaven was born from my silence. You were born from my thought. Everything above and below — all of it came from Origin."
Seraphis trembled. "Then what are you now?"
Feixue smiled faintly, her breath frosting the night.
> "A reminder."
She extended her hand, and the Lotus of Balance appeared between them, radiating serene light.
> "When Heaven falls upon the world, hold this. It will protect those who still remember truth."
Seraphis hesitated — then took it.
The moment her fingers touched the lotus, her divine core flared. Frost and flame intertwined within her, burning her from within, yet freeing her spirit.
> "I see it…" she gasped. "The chains… breaking."
Feixue nodded. "Then the war has already begun."
---
Far above, the heavens trembled.
The First Bell rang.
Its sound was not heard by ears, but by the soul. It echoed through every realm — a note of divine authority that declared:
> Heaven descends.
The skies split open.
Rivers of golden light poured down, forming countless divine paths. Millions of Celestial Soldiers marched upon them, their weapons blazing with the runes of divine judgment.
The War of Heaven had begun.
Feixue raised her gaze to the storm above, her eyes glowing with the light of ten thousand stars.
> "So… they have chosen."
She lifted her hand.
The frost around the mountain rose like a tidal wave, shaping into wings of light and snow.
> "Then let them remember why Heaven once knelt."
And with a single step, Feixue rose into the sky.