Chapter 40: The Trial of Ember Hearts
Ash clung to everything inside the Vale—the trees, the sky, even the air they breathed. It coated Jin's lips like the taste of regret, sharp and dry. But he pressed forward, Mei and Yue flanking him on either side, their bodies close enough that he could feel the tension in their every movement.
The terrain shifted with each step. Trees twisted like screaming statues. Pools of molten gold reflected not faces but emotions—Jin saw longing, fear, lust, and pain ripple in the liquid as they passed. This place wasn't bound by logic; it was governed by feeling, and it had begun to **respond** to them.
"Careful," Yue murmured. "The Vale doesn't just echo you. It **magnifies** what's inside."
Jin swallowed hard. Mei took his hand, and he clutched hers tightly.
A narrow stone bridge loomed ahead, stretching across a river of liquid flame. At its midpoint stood a statue of Caien, serene and beautiful, her arms open in invitation.
As they stepped onto the bridge, a voice sang from nowhere and everywhere:
**"To pass, surrender your truths. Show your hearts. Burn for what you desire."**
Suddenly, time fractured.
Jin found himself alone on the bridge. Mei and Yue were gone. The Vale had separated them, forcing them into their own trials.
---
**Jin's Trial**
The statue of Caien turned to flesh. She stepped toward him, naked save for golden chains that looped around her wrists and thighs. Her eyes shimmered with sorrow and seduction.
"You crave power," she whispered, touching his chest. "But you crave love more. Do you dare admit which matters more?"
Jin tried to speak, but her touch flooded him with heat. Visions of Mei's kisses, Yue's moans, the feeling of their bodies entangled with his—they danced before him, made real by the Vale's will.
Caien pressed closer, her breath hot against his neck. "What will you sacrifice?"
He clenched his fists. "I won't lose them."
Flames surged.
His brand flared with golden fire, and Caien smiled—and **shattered** into sparks.
---
**Mei's Trial**
Mei stood in a mirror hall where every reflection showed a different version of herself:
Alone. Forgotten. Betrayed. Obsessed.
Then—**Happy.**
In one mirror, Jin held her like she was his only world. In another, he kissed Yue. In yet another, he disappeared into shadow.
"Which one is real?" a voice whispered.
Mei turned. A reflection stepped out of the mirror—a perfect version of herself, flawless, cold, unfeeling.
"You can't protect him from Yue," it said. "From Caien. From the pull of darkness. If you want to stay, you'll have to **submit**."
Mei bit her lip. "Then I will. For him. For us."
The mirror shattered. Fire did not consume her. It **crowned** her.
---
**Yue's Trial**
Yue wandered a meadow filled with floating lanterns. Each one contained a memory—of music, of pain, of Jin's hands on her hips, of Mei's jealous glares.
A girl appeared: herself as a child, untouched by trauma, holding a broken flute.
"If you love him, you'll lose him," the child whispered.
Yue knelt. "I don't want to own him. I just want to **belong** somewhere."
The child smiled. "Then go back. And fight."
The lanterns rose, forming wings around Yue—and carried her back to the bridge.
---
**Reunion**
The trio reappeared at the statue's base, hearts racing, eyes wide.
Jin reached for them.
Mei kissed him first, slow and hungry.
Yue took his hand next, pressing it to her heart.
Above them, the statue wept fire. The bridge pulsed.
**They had passed.**
Ahead lay a temple carved into the mountain—its doors now glowing open.
Inside, the true Caien waited.
Not as a memory.
But as a woman who still burned.
---