Chapter 26: Echoes of Yesterday
Ashen stood frozen in the clearing, the air around him heavy and still. The forest seemed to hold its breath, as if even the wind dared not disturb this moment. Moonlight spilled through the trees, casting pale silver light on the ground, illuminating faces he had thought lost forever.
Kai, Lena, Mira… his friends. His family. Comrades from another life. They were smiling, laughing, exactly as he remembered. His chest tightened, and his hands clenched at his sides.
It can't be real. It has to be an illusion, he thought. They're dead. I saw it happen. I felt them leave this world. I can't… I can't touch them.
Kai stepped forward, his grin wide and confident.
"Long time no see, ******," he said, scratching the back of his neck like always. "Where have you been?"
Ashen's throat tightened. He didn't speak. He didn't step forward. He only stood there, rigid, trying to steady his racing heart. Every detail—the tilt of Kai's head, Lena's braids bouncing, Mira's gentle gaze—was perfect. Too perfect.
Lena playfully shoved Kai aside.
"Ignore him, Ash. He's always like that. We were worried." She tilted her head, dark braids swaying, her eyes full of warmth. "Are you okay? You look… kinda different."
Different. That word sliced through him. He had changed. He had no illusions about it.
Mira stepped closer, her voice soft and soothing. "We missed you, ******. Don't feel sad. Stay with us."
No… this isn't them. This isn't real, Ashen thought. But the more he tried to resist, the stronger the illusion pulled at him. His body felt heavy, as if invisible chains were wrapping around his limbs.
"Do not push yourself too hard," Mira's voice whispered, though no sound came from the air around him.
His mind throbbed. His vision blurred. The faces of his past threatened to drown him in nostalgia and longing. He stumbled back, holding the side of his head.
"What do you want from me?" he finally whispered. The words were weak, barely audible, but they were real.
Kai's grin didn't falter. "We want you to stay… with us. Forever."
Ashen felt the danger instantly. The air thickened, pressing against his chest. His breathing became shallow. He could feel the illusion trying to pull him in, to trap him in a life that wasn't his.
I can't. I won't.
"You're not them! You are not them!" Ashen roared.
His Qi erupted, rippling outward in violent waves. The illusion cracked, flickered, and shattered. The smiles disappeared. The laughter died.
He closed his eyes, taking deep, steadying breaths. He could feel his body shaking, but he held onto control. They might be part of the answer… but they are not my truth. I must find my path myself.
"I will not be trapped," he said softly to the empty forest. "I will not give up who I am."
With one final breath, Ashen unleashed the Eclipse Divine Slash, targeting the core of the illusion. The forest shook, the wind screamed through the trees, and when the dust settled, there was nothing left. Just the silver light of the moon, and the ache in his chest.
Tears slid down his cheeks. Not for the illusion, but for the memories. For the people he truly loved, gone forever.
I have made my choice. I cannot live in shadows of the past.
Hours passed as he moved through the forest. Leaves whispered under his boots. Moonlight danced across the rippling surface of the pond he reached. Ashen drank, washed his face, but his heart wouldn't rest. Answers still eluded him.
He sat by the pond, watching the reflection of the moon, thinking of all he had lost, all he had yet to face. His Qi glowed faintly, a pulse of life and determination.
It's time, he whispered.
With a surge of energy, he vanished from the pond, moving through space until he arrived at a small hut. The forest around it was quiet, almost unnatural, with shadows stretching unnaturally under the moon. He stepped forward and reached for the door, pausing as a voice floated out from the darkness.
"Oh… you've really come."
Ashen froze. The voice was familiar and… haunting. It knew him.
He opened the door. The hut was empty.
"Hello?" His voice trembled slightly.
A soft laugh echoed. The air grew colder. Shadows danced unnaturally around him. He turned to see a faint, glowing figure hovering near the pond outside—the ghost. Its form was translucent, shimmering silver, like moonlight caught in mist. Its eyes glowed faintly with an otherworldly light.
"I've been waiting," the ghost said, voice like the rustling of leaves. "You've come far, Ashen. But the journey isn't over."
Ashen's body tensed. He had seen ghosts before, but never like this. Calm, yet powerful. Familiar, yet strange.
"What do you want?" he demanded.
The ghost floated closer, hovering just above the pond's surface. "I am here to guide you. To show you what lies ahead. But first… you must face yourself."
Ashen's reflection rippled in the pond. Then it moved independently, stepping out of the water. His reflection smiled, mocking him.
"You've been tricking yourself all this time," it said. "You cannot run from who you are."
"Show yourself!" Ashen shouted, voice firm despite the fear crawling through him.
The reflection laughed and dove back into the water. Ashen had no choice. He plunged in after it, feeling the cold water surround him, pulling him down into a world where reality and reflection blurred.
Shapes and lights swirled around him until two paths appeared before his eyes:
Left — Power, but a short life.
Right — Kindness, but a long, difficult path.
Ashen froze. His mind raced, his heart a storm of conflicting desires. Power could give him strength, could give him victory over everything he wanted. But kindness… kindness would demand patience, sacrifice, and trust in a world full of lies.
I've seen what power can do. I've seen how corruption spreads, how lies grow. I cannot walk that path blindly.
He exhaled slowly. His choice was clear.
"I choose… truth. Kindness."
The ghost nodded, a faint smile on its spectral face. "Then we begin."
The water around him dissolved, and Ashen emerged beside the pond, back in the forest. The ghost hovered silently, watching him with an approving gaze.
"Before you take the next steps," it said, voice soft but resonant, "you must understand everything—the people, the lies, the truth, and the deception that surrounds you. Only then can you walk your path with certainty."
Ashen straightened his back. The forest wind brushed against his face. Moonlight streamed through the trees. His heart still ached, but now it burned with purpose.
"I will learn everything again," he said. "I will understand. Guide me."
The ghost inclined its head. "Then we start from the beginning. Every answer you find will bring you closer to your path on this life… closer to yourself."
Ashen's chest tightened, but he smiled faintly. He had faced illusions, ghosts, and reflections of his past. He had chosen his path.
And now, nothing—not fear, not deception, not memories—could stop him.
A new journey had begun. A journey into truth, into understanding, into himself.
The choice has been made. There is no turning back.
Ashen stepped forward, his eyes glowing faintly, the ghost following silently behind. The forest stretched before him, dark but alive, full of possibilities.
The first step was taken. The path ahead was unknown.
But this time, Ashen knew one thing for certain: he would face it all, on his own terms.