The next morning, mist clung to the sect's tiled roofs, and a calm hush settled over the valley. From his place on the outer platform, Lian Yu gazed into the distance, thoughts still spinning from what had occurred beneath the earth.
The relic shard still glowed faintly against his chest, its light having dulled since the encounter. Elder Xuan had said little after they returned—only that the scroll Jin Mu recovered must be studied thoroughly, and that Lian Yu should prepare for a visit to the Hidden Root Pavilion.
Now, Jin Mu returned with two robes slung over his shoulder, his expression a little too casual.
"The elder wants you dressed properly before entering the Pavilion," he said, tossing one robe to Lian Yu. "Scholars get weird about tradition."
Lian Yu caught it, raising a brow. "I didn't expect books to come with such ceremony."
"They're not just books," Jin Mu said. "And it's not just any library. The Pavilion holds texts sealed by generations of sect leaders. Cultivation manuals, historical records, forbidden tomes—some of which even our elders haven't fully deciphered."
As they walked, Jin Mu added more quietly, "And some say, texts written by those erased by Heaven itself."
That caught Lian Yu's attention. "You mean…?"
"Exactly what you're thinking," Jin Mu replied.
The Hidden Root Pavilion sat nestled behind the main sect compound, built into the slope of a stony hill veined with ancient tree roots. It looked deceptively small from the outside—until one stepped through its threshold.
Inside, the air shifted. Warmth met them first, followed by the quiet weight of time. Shelves wound in circular patterns, with spiral staircases climbing into shadowed upper levels. Lanterns floated silently, lighting only when one passed beneath them.
Elder Xuan stood near the central desk, where a thick scroll lay unrolled. Several older disciples—curators, judging by their robes—hovered around, casting glances of equal parts curiosity and unease at the elder and Lian Yu.
"Come," Xuan Qian said without turning. "This scroll… It wasn't just hidden. It was sealed with intent."
He gestured to the symbols glowing faintly on the paper's surface. They shimmered like ink drawn from starlight—ancient glyphs, much like the ones Lian Yu had seen etched into the stone walls before.
"It was buried deep," Jin Mu added. "The tunnel was filled with collapsed rock. We almost missed it."
Xuan Qian nodded. "And yet, Lian Yu sensed it." He looked up now, eyes sharp. "This was not chance. The relic's shard guided you."
Lian Yu stepped closer. The scroll vibrated faintly under his gaze—as if recognizing him.
"The energy is similar to the glyphs near the Temple of the Erased," Lian Yu said. "It responds to memory."
Xuan Qian tapped a finger against one line of the scroll. "This map details the location of what was once called the Garden of Withering Truths. A sealed domain that existed before our sect's founding."
"A relic site?" Jin Mu asked.
"Possibly," the elder said. "Or worse."
Silence followed.
"But how did the scroll end up there?" Lian Yu finally asked.
Xuan Qian answered slowly. "Before you arrived… I received a message from an old contact within the Hidden Archive—a branch of our sect no longer active. He claimed certain energies had begun to awaken again. The same energies you now carry."
"You think he left this scroll for me?" Lian Yu asked.
"Or for whoever could awaken the relic's memory," Xuan Qian replied. "He believed the past would not stay buried forever. He was right."
Lian Yu studied the glowing glyphs again. The markings pulsed not just with power—but with familiarity. Like the glyphs he saw in visions, etched into impossible structures beyond the reach of time.
"I need to understand what this map leads to," Lian Yu said. "But I also need to know what's been erased from me."
The elder nodded solemnly. "Then this Pavilion may hold answers. You'll begin here."
Lian Yu looked around at the towering shelves. "Where do I start?"
"With this," said one of the curators, stepping forward hesitantly and placing a worn tome in Lian Yu's hands. "It's a commentary on sealed domains. Half its pages are lost, but some names… some diagrams match the scroll."
Lian Yu opened the book. Dust clung to the edges, but the ink inside shimmered subtly—as if freshly written.
And then, as he stared at a particular page, a vision stirred again.
A circular garden. Towering obsidian petals. A pond that reflected not light, but thought.
He blinked, the image vanishing.
"I've been there," he whispered.
Jin Mu looked over. "In your memories?"
"No," Lian Yu said slowly. "In whatever came before memory."
They spent hours digging through scrolls, records, and fragmented manuals. Most mentioned only brief details—'Forbidden Seed', 'Mirror of Roots', 'Three Paths to Ascension'—but none gave a full picture. It was as if history itself had been carefully excised, leaving only suggestion.
At one point, Elder Xuan handed him another fragment, sealed in a metal case.
"It was found decades ago, during an expedition to the outer cliffs. No one could read it. But now…"
Lian Yu unsealed the case, and the glyphs inside ignited faintly.
"They match," he said.
He traced them with his finger. As he did, a name rose unbidden in his mind.
"Yan Xi…"
Her image flickered at the edge of his thoughts, more real now. Her voice rang clearer.
> "You must find the Mirror. Only through it can you reclaim your true path."
He staggered back. Jin Mu caught him.
"Another vision?"
Lian Yu nodded slowly. "She was… trying to guide me."
"Who is she?"
"I don't know," he said softly. "But she remembers what I've forgotten."
Xuan Qian's brow furrowed. "Then the relic is only part of the truth. Your memory—your identity—is tied to something larger. Something Heaven itself sealed."
He looked to Lian Yu, eyes heavy with weight. "When you enter the Garden, do so carefully. What lies there may not want to be reclaimed."
---
Later that night, Lian Yu stood again beneath the stars outside the Pavilion. The scroll was safely stored in a protective casing, while the glyph fragment pulsed faintly in his robes.
Jin Mu joined him, arms crossed.
"You're quiet."
"There's too much to think about," Lian Yu said. "Too much I don't understand."
"You don't have to do it alone," Jin Mu said after a pause. "You've got me. And… Elder Xuan isn't as cold as he looks."
Lian Yu gave a small smile. "You're not what I expected from a sect disciple."
"I'm terrible at being a proper one," Jin Mu admitted with a shrug. "But I'm good at knowing which people matter."
A breeze passed between them.
"So," Jin Mu said, voice quieter now. "What will you do next?"
Lian Yu looked up at the sky.
"The scroll marks three possible locations where relics may be hidden," he said. "But only one is nearby—the Garden."
"And if it's a trap?"
"Then I'll find out," Lian Yu said. "Because whatever's waiting there… is part of who I was."
Jin Mu nodded slowly. "Then we'll leave tomorrow."
Lian Yu turned to him. "We?"
"You're not going alone. I'm coming with you."
There was no hesitation in his voice.
Lian Yu stared for a moment, then gave a single nod.
Above them, the stars shimmered faintly—as if listening.