Cataclysm grips the wilds. A destructive force—likely the Lich clans' war—shatters the Primordial Continent. Fuxi's tribe, untouched, thrives amid chaos.
A thunderous crack splits the sky. Buzhou Mountain, sky's pillar, collapses. A widening rift threatens all life.
"The sky's torn!" the tribe gasps.
"We must act, or all perishes," Fuxi tells Nuwa.
"To Buzhou Mountain," Zhou Yan urges.
The clan treks, witnessing doom: aura fades, ancient beasts lie dead, volcanoes spew, floods rage, forests burn. At the mountain's base, still towering despite ruin, Fuxi and Nuwa fret. "The crack grows—we need a fix, fast."
Zhou Yan spots colorful stones. "Gather these—refine them."
Nuwa nods. "Multicolored divine stones—world-shapers. They might seal the sky."
"Everyone, collect them!" Zhou Yan calls. The clan scrambles, trusting blindly. Zhou Yan knows their power.
Piles amassed, he shouts, "Azure Dragon, White Tiger, Vermilion Bird, Xuanwu—come!"
A phoenix cry pierces; Vermilion Bird blazes. Dragon's roar heralds Azure Dragon's descent. White Tiger bounds in; Xuanwu glides on water. Shrunk to meters, they gather.
"Vermilion Bird, refine the stones with divine fire!" Zhou Yan orders.
Nodding, it spews flames. The others form a protective ring, channeling energy. The stones meld into a radiant glow.
"To the sky," Zhou Yan says.
"I'll go," Nuwa volunteers.
"Only you can," Zhou Yan agrees.
"Escort her," he tells the beasts. They soar, Nuwa atop Azure Dragon, toward the rift. Turbulent skies resist; airflow batters. Nuwa signals the beasts to hold. Alone, she transforms into light, wrapping the glow, and dives into the crack.
"Nuwa!" Fuxi cries, reaching helplessly.
"Goodbye, my people, my love," she whispers. Brilliance erupts, sealing the rift. The sky heals—but Nuwa's gone.
Tears stain the tribe. Nvdi sobs, collapsing into Zhou Yan's arms. "Sister Nuwa!"
Zhou Yan weeps too, despite knowing her fate. Nuwa, ever kind, felt like kin.
Heaven shifts. Nuwa's soul shimmers above, divine light restoring the scarred wilds. Rivers realign, fires die, earth mends—save Buzhou Mountain, forever fallen.
"She's a saint!" Fuxi exclaims.
"But lost to me," he adds, voice heavy.
Nuwa vanishes, her deeds eternal. The four beasts, blessed, become sacred guardians. Zhou Yan glimpses a multicolored light settle on a distant peak. He smiles, clutching a lone divine stone—Buzhou's last.
"Will Nuwa return?" Nvdi asks, eyes pleading.
"She lives in us," Zhou Yan says softly.
"Don't leave me too," she begs, gripping his hand.
He freezes, torn. Is this trial just illusion? Can he vow to stay? Silence is his answer.
Back at the tribe, Fuxi rallies, leading with vigor. Aura's scarce post-war, slowing cultivation, but Fuxi's wisdom soars. Without Zhou Yan, he perfects arts, astonishing even him. Zhou Yan's scroll nears completion—one step shy.
Fuxi, fate's chosen, shines regardless.
Months pass. Fuxi calls Zhou Yan and Nvdi to carve Nuwa's saga on tortoise shells—her sky-mending, their aid, the beasts' ascent. As the final glyph forms, Zhou Yan's scroll blazes, enveloping him.
[Trial Prompt: "Inheritance complete."]
Reluctance grips him. He faces Fuxi and Nvdi.
"You're leaving," Fuxi says, calm, knowing.
"Brother Fuxi, I…" Zhou Yan falters.
"No need," Fuxi smiles, fatherly. "You've shaped these days."
"Brother Fuxi," Nvdi sobs, "will he vanish like Nuwa?"
"I'm not of this time," Zhou Yan chokes. "Nvdi, forget me."
Her tears cut deep—her chatter, her nighttime cuddles, her spark. Too many memories.
"No!" she wails. "I won't lose you!"
Fuxi speaks, cryptic. "Illusion or truth? Fate bridged you here—its thread won't snap easily."
"You mean we'll meet again? This isn't a dream?" Zhou Yan gasps, light intensifying.
"Carry humanity's flame," Fuxi urges. "We'll cross paths."
Light swallows Zhou Yan. He reappears on the temple's bridge, trial done.