**Early Morning – Meditation Grounds, East Peak**
Han Sui, a reserved disciple known for his calm demeanor, quietly climbed the eastern hill before sunrise. He had seen Zeravon meditating here days ago, and something about the energy felt… deep.
He sat on the same moss-covered stone beneath the pine tree Zeravon had used.
> *"Even the grass is different here…"*
He closed his eyes to cultivate.
And then…
The world fell away.
---
**Realm Between Realms – Void Throne World**
Han Sui gasped.
He stood on a platform of endless glass, suspended in nothingness. All around him — floating bones, inverted waterfalls, reflections of stars that no longer existed.
He turned.
And saw it.
A **mirror throne** — massive, cracked, and hovering just above the surface. And sitting upon it…
Was **Zeravon**.
But not the Zeravon from the sect.
This one wore no robe. His body shimmered with runes, and his eyes — black, endless, hollow.
Han Sui tried to scream.
But no sound came.
The Zeravon on the throne tilted his head.
> *"You're not supposed to be here."*
---
**In the Sect — Zeravon's Room**
Zeravon jerked awake.
His heart pounded. His body was cold. His palm burned with the **spiral mark**, now glowing faintly red.
> *"Something's wrong."*
He stood, walked to his door, but froze.
His reflection on the polished metal frame showed his face.
But… **his reflection smiled back.**
Zeravon wasn't smiling.
---
**Void Realm – Still Trapped**
Han Sui backed away from the throne, trembling.
> "I-I didn't mean to enter… I was just…"
The throne-Zeravon rose to his feet.
> *"This place remembers only pain."*
He raised a hand.
The space behind Han Sui **cracked open**, revealing a thousand versions of himself — screaming, suffering, breaking.
Suddenly, everything stopped.
A cold wind swept through.
The throne version paused… and **vanished**.
Han Sui collapsed to the mirrored floor, breath shallow.
---
**Back in the Real World – Medical Pavilion**
Han Sui was found unconscious near the east meditation hill by a junior disciple.
When he awoke… his eyes were **completely white**.
He screamed for hours.
But could never explain what he saw.
He forgot his own name.
---
**Council Chamber – Elder Lin & Instructor Wei**
> "That's the second disciple," Wei said, voice shaking. "We're losing them to something we can't see."
Lin slowly walked to the open scroll on his desk.
Zeravon's name glowed red.
> "He doesn't just walk reality. He… carries *another one* with him."
> "A curse?" Wei asked.
> "Worse," Lin whispered.
> "A truth."
---
**Zeravon – Later That Night**
He sat alone beneath the moon.
Voices whispered in the wind.
He looked at his palm. The spiral mark pulsed — once, twice — then vanished.
And behind his eyes…
That throne still waited.
A voice echoed softly in his soul.
> *"You are two halves, walking one path."*
> *"When they meet… the world must choose which one to obey."*
---