Chapter 59 – The Mirror of Flames
Two Bai Xueqings stood in the heart of Vault 09. One forged by time, vengeance, and grief. The other—reborn, shaped by memory loss, warmth, and modern chaos.
Mo Chen stood between them, gaze flicking from the woman he had loved through lifetimes, to the one fate had rewritten.
The original Xueqing—the General of Flame—stepped from the cryo-pod barefoot, body stiff but powerful. Her long, unbound hair flowed like black fire. The gleam in her eyes was unfiltered fury.
"You…" she said, voice low, feral. "You took what was mine."
"I didn't take anything," Bai Xueqing said, breath catching.
"You live the life meant for me," the General hissed. "My name. My face. My bond."
Her eyes flicked to Mo Chen, narrowing with sharp betrayal. "Even you—you found her again before I awoke?"
"Xueqing—" Mo Chen started, but stopped. How could he explain that fate had rewritten everything, and he'd simply followed his heart?
Lin Nuo muttered under his breath, "This is why cloning never ends well."
The General raised a hand. Fire bloomed in her palm, ancient and deadly.
Bai Xueqing instinctively stepped forward. "If you want to fight, go ahead. But I won't apologize for existing."
That caught the General off guard.
"I'm not your enemy," Xueqing continued. "We might share blood, face, even soul—but I was born into this world, and I won't erase myself to make space for you."
Mo Chen's lips parted, gaze caught between the past and present.
The General lowered her flame slightly. "You don't flinch. Not from me. Not even now."
"I've stared down corporate sharks and ancient conspiracies," Xueqing said. "You're not scarier than my morning board meetings."
A snort of laughter escaped Lin Nuo.
The General stared at her—herself—and for a moment, something shifted. Recognition. Reflection.
"You don't remember our wars. Or the fire we wielded."
"I see flashes," Xueqing admitted. "Dreams. Pain. But that doesn't make you more real than me."
Silence stretched long and heavy.
Then, Mo Chen stepped forward. "This world doesn't need two of you. Not at war. But it could use both of you—together."
The General tilted her head. "You want to merge us?"
"No," Bai Xueqing said, stepping toward her past self. "I want to understand. Learn. Not destroy. If you're willing."
Fire flickered and died from the General's hand.
"You're different," she murmured. "Softer. But not weaker."
A slow nod. "Very well. We fight together, then. Not as enemies. As echoes."
The Vault lights flickered again.
From behind them, a new voice crackled through the speaker.
"I see the pieces have met. Good. Let's see how well they burn together."
Mr. Zhen. Watching.
Mo Chen cursed. "He's still inside the system."
The General clenched her fists. "Then let's give him a war."