Lin Xiao opened his eyes to find himself standing in an endless vast space, with black and white stars swimming around, dancing like spirits in the darkness. There was no ground beneath him, but he did not fall, as if he was suspended in nothingness.
- "Where… am I?" He muttered in a low voice, but his voice reverberated in space as if it were an echo coming from the depths of the worlds themselves.
Suddenly, energy gathered in front of him, forming seven pillars of light and darkness, just as he had seen in the previous vision. From the center of the pillars, a mysterious entity emerged, its features indefinable, as if light and darkness were wrapping around it in perfect harmony.
- "Welcome, Heir of Balance."
Lin Xiao froze in place. This voice… was not a human voice, but carried the weight of ages and eons.
- "Who are you? And what is this place?" He asked cautiously, ready for any threat.
– "This is the court of balance, where all who seek to carry the power of light and darkness together are tested. No one has ever succeeded in achieving complete balance before you… but that doesn't mean you're qualified yet."
He felt a shiver run through his body.
– "A test? What kind of test?"
The entity didn't answer, but waved its hand, and Lin Xiao found himself surrounded by his past and future bodies—reflections of himself, each one representing a different choice in his life.
One was cloaked in light, his face bright and steady, carrying pure, unblemished strength.
The other was enveloped in darkness, his eyes glowing with a purple flame, reflecting absolute strength without restraint.
– "You must choose, Lin Xiao. Will you take the path of absolute light, or eternal darkness?"
Lin Xiao stared at them, feeling the power of each one pulling him in a different direction. If he chose light, he would gain the purity of strength, but at a price… giving up his feelings, his humanity.
If he chose darkness, he would gain limitless power, but he would lose something even more dangerous… his very soul.
He clenched his fists… No, this couldn't be his only choice!
He raised his head, and stared directly at the entity.
- "I won't choose either!" He said in a steady voice.
The space shook, and the pillars seemed to ignite with tremendous energy.
- "What did you say?" The entity asked in a deep voice.
Lin Xiao smiled confidently.
- "Why should I choose between light and darkness? I've seen what each can do on their own… But I'm not just light, and I'm not just darkness."
He opened his hands, and a unique aura emanated from him… A harmonious blend of the two powers, a power the world had never seen before.
- "I am balance itself."
Suddenly, a vortex of energy shot out, and the pillars began to shake, as if the world itself was collapsing. The mysterious entity stared at him for a long second, and then… smiled.
- "So, you created a new path…"
At that moment, a huge wave of light swept through the place, engulfing darkness and light at the same time.
Then… everything disappeared.