The sparring grounds of the sanctuary shimmered to life, summoned at Chen's will.
It wasn't a battlefield made of stone or steel, but of soul-threaded energy—responsive, adaptive, forged for divine beings. The very air pulsed with anticipation, as if the sanctuary itself wanted to see what the new path could do.
Lanmei cracked her knuckles, her eyes gleaming with challenge and affection. Her spear of glacial light shimmered to life.
"Think your fancy new bond can handle this?" she teased, stepping into the ring. "I won't hold back."
Ye Yue stood nearby, arms crossed, the silver crescent of her divine blade resting on her shoulder. "I'll watch for now," she murmured. "But if things heat up—don't expect me to stay out."
Chen smirked, confidence humming in his blood.
"Let's see what the Heartbound Flame can do."
They clashed.
Lanmei struck first—a sweeping arc of ice and divine force meant to test his defenses, not kill. Chen dodged smoothly, reflexes sharpened, but as the spear whipped back toward him—
He reached inward.
The bond shimmered.
[Soulflame Unison: Partial Activation.]
Ye Yue's calm focus flooded his senses. Lanmei's passionate rhythm surged in his veins. In that instant, time seemed to slow—not because of power, but because he knew her next move. Not just as a fighter, but as someone who had loved her soul.
He twisted. Caught the shaft of her spear with two fingers.
Lanmei's eyes widened. "What—?"
"I felt your heartbeat before you moved."
He pulsed energy through the weapon—sending a ripple back through her divine channel. Not to harm. To share. She gasped, shuddering slightly, the spear vanishing in a flicker of light.
And then Chen launched forward.
A punch—not charged with pure power, but connection. Radiant threads followed behind it, trailing memories, shared laughter, pain, longing, ecstasy.
When it struck her, Lanmei didn't fall.
She cried out—and remembered.
Every night they'd spent under stars. Every whispered fear. Every desperate kiss.
And from the edge of the ring, Ye Yue trembled. "That… That wasn't just force. It was feeling."
Chen turned to her. "Ready to see what it's like?"
She stepped into the ring without a word, blade dissolving into moonlight. "Always."
The spar continued—but it was no longer about winning.
Lanmei and Ye Yue flowed around Chen, and he flowed around them. A perfect triad of motion and soul. With every exchange, the Soulflame Unison adapted—glowing brighter, faster. At one point, their movements blurred into a dance. Not battle—but bond.
And the system responded.
[Soulflame Unison Tier 2 Reached – "Triad Flow" unlocked.]Passive: When surrounded by two or more bonded, gain 22% bonus to speed, defense, and spirit regeneration.Active: On emotional sync, trigger "Soul Echo Pulse" – releases a wave that disorients foes and restores allies within range.
When the spar finally slowed, the sanctuary was quiet—awestruck.
Chen stood in the center, panting, arms around both women.
"I didn't create this alone," he said softly. "It was born because of you. Both of you."
Lanmei smiled through her sweat. "So this is what it means to love like a god."
Ye Yue nodded, her forehead resting against his. "No. This is what it means to become one."