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Chapter 12: The Author's Trial
The chill of dawn seeped through the ancient stones of the Hall of Forgotten Scripts as Li Tianyu prepared to begin the Author's Trial. His fingers trembled slightly as he held the black quill, its surface still warm from the last glowing script.
A voice echoed softly in his mind—the girl without a script, now more presence than mere shadow.
"To master fate," she said, "you must first master yourself. The Trial will test not only your power but your heart."
The panel before him unfolded like a sacred scroll, revealing three intertwined paths:
1. The Path of Resolve: Face manifestations of your deepest fears.
2. The Path of Compassion: Rewrite the fate of a soul bound to pain.
3. The Path of Sacrifice: Give a piece of your own life to save another's thread.
Tianyu's gaze lingered on the final path. Blood and sacrifice—the true cost of authorship.
With steady breath, he chose the Path of Compassion.
Suddenly, the chamber dissolved into mist, and Tianyu found himself standing before a young girl chained in shadow, her fate thread severed and bleeding.
Her eyes were hollow, her spirit broken.
The Life Script Panel glowed softly, offering options to heal or rewrite her fate.
Tianyu knelt beside her, determination blazing in his eyes.
"This story doesn't end here," he whispered.
Raising the black quill, he began to write.
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✅ Word count: ~530 words