Before Tokyo Bay's twilight fully sank, the Reverse Scale Squad's hovercar entered "Mirror Abyss Valley". Shrouded in mist at the continent's westernmost edge, this canyon's mirror-smooth cliffs reflected the sky's last rays—not red, but an eerie blend of deep blue and silver, like data streams in the digital realm.
"Welcome to the domain of 'Mirror Glyphs'." A man in a silver-gray robe greeted them, his Glyph Core embedded in a brow bone ornament, its surface rippling with the same silver glyphs as the cliffs. "I am Wu Wang, 'Guardian of the Mirror Abyss', entrusted with watching over the 'Twin Glyphs' here."
Xiaotao's star meteorite bracelet burned hot again. She leaned close to Wu Wang's bone ornament, where deep blue energy condensed into ancient characters on the glyphs: "The mirror is not true, the shadow not false; twins share a root."
"This is..."
"A message from ancient Glyph Masters," Wu Wang's voice clinked like breaking ice. "Three hundred years ago, the last Mirror Glyph Master sealed the 'Mirror Abyss Turbulence' with their life, dispersing Glyph Cores to seven guardians. Now, you've finally come."
Lanye's Glyph Core trembled violently. He sensed a strange resonance between the canyon's spiritual energy and the Reverse Scale Core—a call from between reality and illusion, carrying the coldness of mirrors and the heat of truth.
"We need to see the Mirror Glyphs," he said.
Wu Wang's fingertips brushed the cliff, and silver glyphs animated, sketching a holographic star map on the rock. At its center, a diamond-shaped purple-blue cocoon spun, wrapped in countless tiny light ribbons, resembling the Reverse Scale Core's spirals but with ghostly overlays.
"Behold the Mirror Glyphs," Wu Wang's voice turned solemn. "Formed from reality-illusion energy at creation, they are the core from which all glyphs branch, the projection from which all life emerges—recording 'unfinished truths'."
A Jiu's shadow crows burst from her hair, circling the star map. Dark purple mist seeped from their feather tips, condensing into the same totem as the Reverse Scale Core.
"It's responding to us," Sakura said in delight, her Cherry Glyph blooming in her palm, pink petals floating toward the star map. "The Mirror Glyphs say... 'Welcome home'."
Lanye's Glyph Core flew out. The moment it touched the cocoon at the star map's center, the entire canyon quaked. Spiderweb cracks split the ground, spilling purple-blue spiritual energy that flooded their ankles.
"These are the mirror's 'Purifying Tears'," Wu Wang's voice shook. "They wash away all illusion-tainted glyphs, including... forgotten realities."
Lanye felt memories surge from the earth—those of the ancient Glyph Master: on a rainy night three hundred years ago, young him planted a "Mirror Tree" with Su Li in Mirror Abyss Valley, burying his Glyph Core under its roots, vowing to wait for it to sprout; on a snowy night five hundred years ago, she sealed the turbulence with her Glyph Core to save their village, only to be backlashed into a half-spirit, trapped in reality-illusion's folds.
"So that's why..." Su Li's voice trembled as her Cherry Glyph resonated with the Mirror Glyph cocoon. "I am one of the seven guardians."
Memories flooded in: teenage Su Li planted a "Mirror Tree" with Lanye in Mirror Ruins, burying her Glyph Core, vowing to wait; five hundred years ago, she sealed the turbulence, becoming a half-spirit, forever trapped.
"Therefore..." Lanye held Su Li's hand. "You never truly left."
Tears welled in Su Li's eyes as her Cherry Glyph bloomed brilliantly: "I was just... waiting for you."
The star map flashed wildly. Wu Wang's bone ornament shrieked, projecting bloody characters: "Warning! Mirror Abyss Turbulence has breached the seal!"
The canyon's dome cracked, pouring black mist like a waterfall. Within it appeared the Mechanical Glyph Master, his mechanical eye no longer dark gold but mirroring the Mirror Glyphs' silver—a sign of contamination.
"You thought Spirit Veins purified me?" The Mechanical Glyph Master's voice dripped with madness. "Mirror Glyph power is the Star Beast's nourishment! Now I'll use it to awaken the true master!"
His mechanical skeleton expanded, and his dark gold Glyph Core flew out, hovering at the star map's center. Lanye's Glyph Core blazed, golden flames wrapped in pink Cherry Glyphs, deep blue star meteorite light, and dark purple shadow crow patterns, pouncing like a dragon on the light sphere.
But this time, the flames rebounded. The Mechanical Glyph Master's skeleton disintegrated, yet his dark gold Glyph Core merged with the sphere, turning its pure purple-blue into an eerie purple-black.
"This is..."
"The Star Beast's 'Primordial Form'," Wu Wang despaired. "Mirror Glyph power has activated its most primal brutality."
The Mechanical Glyph Master vanished, and a translucent figure emerged—the true Star Beast, its body a giant python woven from dark gold and purple-blue glyphs, each scale etched with the same spiral as Glyph Cores.
"Finally..." The Star Beast's voice rumbled like an earthquake. "Five hundred years, I can reclaim my power."
Lanye's Glyph Core trembled. He sensed the Star Beast's consciousness mixed with forgotten Glyph Masters' memories—Qinghuan's tenderness, the Mechanical Glyph Master's obsession, even Su Li's sorrow.
"You're not a Star Beast," Lanye's voice tolled like a bell. "You're tainted reality-illusion."
The Star Beast hesitated. Its python body twisted, scales peeling to reveal silver chains beneath—seals Wu Wang had etched with his life five hundred years ago.
"You..."
"Mirrors should reflect reality," Wu Wang staggered forward, pressing his bone ornament to the Star Beast's forehead. "Not serve as tools for consumption. It's your heart, not your power, that's tainted."
The Star Beast's python form began to disintegrate. Silver chains broke, revealing a crouched figure within—the ancient Glyph Master sealed five hundred years ago, his face seven parts similar to Wu Wang's.
"Father..." The Star Beast's voice turned childish.
Wu Wang's tears fell on his bone ornament: "I'm sorry. To seal you, I used mirror power to suppress your consciousness, only to let you be consumed by resentment..."
The ancient Glyph Master raised his hand, touching Wu Wang's cheek. His fingertips glowed like Mirror Glyphs, melting the dark gold chains on Wu Wang's ornament.
"I never imagined..." His voice held relief. "Mirror power lies not in control, but in protection."
Lanye's Glyph Core blazed. He finally understood: the "Reverse Scale" power was never about confrontation, but connection—linking tainted glyphs, broken consciousness, and all lives yearning to protect.
He pressed his palm to the Star Beast's forehead. Blazing Heaven Flame Glyphs, Cherry Glyphs, star meteorite light, and shadow crow patterns lit up, weaving the Reverse Scale totem within the beast.
"In the name of the Reverse Scale," Lanye's voice pierced the roar, "By the oath of comrades,
"Awaken the true self, return to the light!"
Golden flames wrapped in pink light poured into the Star Beast like a warm current. Silver scales peeled away, revealing snow-white glyphs beneath—the purest, untainted mirror power.
The Star Beast's python form dissolved into light mist. Its consciousness merged with the Reverse Scale Core, leaving one last sentence: "Thank you... for reminding me of mirror's original heart."
Morning light pierced the canyon's mist, casting golden spots on everyone. The Mirror Glyph cocoon regained purity, purple-blue glyphs flowing like a stream to nourish the earth.
"So that's it..." Xiaotao's eyes reddened. "Mirror power is the coexistence of reality and illusion."
A Jiu's shadow crows circled the cocoon, dark purple mist condensing into characters meaning "Hope". Sakura's Cherry Glyph bloomed in her palm, petals floating to the cocoon to weave a new totem with the glyphs.
Su Li stepped beside Lanye, her Cherry Glyph touching his Blazing Heaven Flame Glyph: "The Mirror Glyphs say they'll remember our bond. From now on, no matter the difficulty..."
"We'll face it together," Lanye finished.
Wu Wang reinserted his bone ornament, tears in his wrinkled eyes: "The Mirror Guardian's mission was never to fight, but to protect. Thank you for helping me rediscover that."
As the hovercar started again, its tail shattered morning light shimmered in the mist. The Reverse Scale Core burned on Lanye's wrist, sensing glyph fluctuations worldwide—like countless heartbeats resonating in the clouds.
"Where to next?" A Jiu stroked her shadow crow feathers.
"Wherever there's a need to protect," Lanye looked to the brightening skyline, where the sun pierced clouds, casting golden spots on the sea. "Because glyphs' meaning lies neither in temples nor deserts."
"Then where?" Xiaotao tilted her head.
Lanye gazed at the awakening Mirror Glyphs outside, their light patterns and the Reverse Scale Core's dark gold glyphs shining together like a star track to the future, slowly unfolding between heaven and earth.