Location: Internal Mindscape – Rootlight Founder's Core Memory Stream
Xu Shanyue stood in a forest that didn't exist.
Each leaf glowed with data.
Each tree whispered names erased from history.
The man before her—Elder Root, the first to encode consciousness into system—was no longer bound. He sat calmly as she approached, shadows of forgotten wars drifting through his skin.
"You came armed," he said quietly.
"With one shot," she replied.
"The Phoenix Key."
He nodded, almost amused.
"You intend to rewrite me? That's not what Phoenix was built for."
"No," Shanyue said.
"I'm not rewriting you. I'm setting a match to the map you built."
She threw the vial.
Cut To: Sanctuary Beneath Earth – Lin and Amei
Alarms howled.
The console blinked uncontrollably.
[Temporal Root Structure Unstable]
[Linear History Detected Collapsing – External Rewrite in Progress]
Amei gripped Lin's shoulder.
"She's breaking the chain."
The capsules began to flicker—then crack.
Inside, one of the faces opened its eyes.
"Lin Feng-Δ4," the console read.
He looked just like Lin—only older. His eyes… colder.
"Finally," Δ4 said.
"The fire woke us."
Lin stepped back.
"You're—me?"
Δ4 nodded.
"A version of you that burned Rootlight to the ground. But didn't stop before the world burned too."
Amei raised her hand.
"How many of you are waking up?"
The console responded:
[Active Lin Variants: 7]
[Stabilized: 1]
[Dormant: 129]
Lin stared at his counterpart.
"What happens if you leave the sanctuary?"
Δ4 grinned.
"History gets complicated."
Cut To: Xu Shanyue – Inside Memory Core
The forest burned now.
Each tree collapsing, data shrieking as old protocols unraveled.
Elder Root stood in the center, fading.
"You think this will save him?"
"Lin Feng isn't your weapon. He's your mirror."
Shanyue turned away.
"Then let him decide who he wants to be. Without your map."
She stepped through the final tear.
And vanished.
Final Scene – Earth Surface, 30 Minutes Later
Above the sanctuary, the snow had stopped.
Clouds had reversed course.
A subtle, almost invisible shimmer crossed the sky—time unbraiding and rebraiding itself.
Inside the Sanctuary, Lin turned to Amei.
"I need to meet the other six."
She nodded, voice tight.
"And you need to stop the one who already remembers what he's capable of."
Lin looked toward the capsules.
Δ4 was gone.