Chapter Title: "The Seal of Echo – A Bond Beyond Time"
The moon had risen high over the mirrored valley. Itsuke stood silently beneath the sky, gazing down at Liora as she slept—finally at peace, her breathing steady, the Null Flame dormant within her palms.
She had trained for three days without rest, learning to channel her annihilating flame under the guidance of the Mirror Beast. But no matter how calm she seemed… Itsuke knew the truth:
Her soul power was too unstable. The flame didn't just respond to emotion — it responded to existence itself.
If she ever lost control near a city, a town, or another child…
Even a moment of hesitation could erase life.
He couldn't risk that.
Itsuke stepped into a hidden chamber within the mirrored pavilion and activated a spatial anchor using remnants of his divine knowledge. A vortex opened in the center of the room.
And from it stepped… his clone.
Identical in appearance, but subtly different in aura — calmer, colder. The version of him that still retained a portion of logical god-energy and system override access.
The clone blinked. "You called, master?"
"She needs a seal," Itsuke said. "One that won't suppress her power, but will regulate it — like a limiter built into her soul veins."
The clone nodded slowly. "A God-Tier Seal requires a soul blueprint. She's too young and unstable for divine synchronization…"
"That's why you'll use my mirror pathway," Itsuke interrupted. "Bind the seal using the Echo Law — from the time when I still held my God of Time and Space identity."
The clone's eyes widened. "That seal would synchronize her flame to your heartbeat. If you die… the seal will vanish."
Itsuke looked away, silent for a long moment.
"Then I'll just have to live, won't I?"
[Seal Creation Begins – Mirror Echo Lock]
Liora awoke in the circle of mirror runes, calm but confused. "What is this?"
Itsuke knelt beside her. "A gift. And a bond. This seal won't chain you — it will guide your power through me."
She looked hesitant. "Will it hurt?"
"Only for a moment. But when it's done, you'll never need to be afraid of losing control again."
She nodded.
The clone raised both hands. A circle of silver sigils spun above Liora, then collapsed downward like a soft rain of glowing runes. The Mirror Beast behind Itsuke glowed, its reflection overlapping with Liora's flame…
And then — the seal carved itself into existence.
A silver crest formed on Liora's back: a mirror-framed flame with a single line of script across it — "Echoes Guide What Cannot Be Held."
[System Update]
[Soul Seal Established: Mirror Echo Lock (Grade: Divine Override Variant)]
– Anchor Point: Itsuke Kurogane's Life Force
– Seal Function: Flame Instability Regulation, Spatial Feedback Control, Combat Adaptation Buffer
– Drawback: If user's anchor dies, soul will fall into raw annihilation state]
Seal Success Rate: 100% (Mirror Pathway Fully Compatible)]
Liora opened her eyes slowly — and for the first time, the flame danced playfully in her palm, like a pet no longer frightened of its master.
"It's… warm now."
Itsuke smiled faintly. "That warmth is called trust."