The Gate of Eternity Curse of Heaven

THE CITY OF DAWN

Four months later 

Zhao Lingyun stood on the roof of a tall tower in the City of Dawn, gazing at the scenery that had changed drastically in the past four months. The city once known as the center of celestial realm civilization now looked like a mixture of two worlds-classic light realm buildings stood side by side with new structures influenced by shadow realm aesthetics.

Even the sky had changed. The red clouds that once covered the sky had now faded away, replaced by a new phenomenon-gradations of color from bright blue to dark purple that changed throughout the day, creating a sight never seen before.

“Enjoying the view, little brother?” Lin Fengtian's voice came from behind. During these four months, the two brothers' relationship had grown closer, complementing each other in their mission of guiding the transition between the two realms.

“I still can't believe how fast things have changed.” Zhao Lingyun replied, making room for his brother to stand beside him. “Four months ago, the idea of a fusion between the realms of light and shadow sounded like an impossible heresy. Now, look down there-people from both realms coexist, sharing knowledge and skills.”

Lin Fengtian smiled faintly, his heterochrome eyes sweeping the cityscape. “This transition is not as easy as it seems, little brother. Outside of fusion zones like this City of Dawn, there is still a lot of resistance. Many still cling to the old ideology of realm 'purity'.”

“I know,” Zhao Lingyun sighed. “The Sky Academy is still the base of conservatives who resist change. Zhang Qingxuan and his followers are still trying to convince people that the opening of the Gate of Eternity is a big mistake that will bring destruction.”

“Speaking of Zhang Qingxuan,” Lin Fengtian frowned, ”I heard rumors that he's gathering an army-traditional cultivators who resist change. They call themselves the 'Guardians of Purity'.”

Zhao Lingyun nodded. “Wei Xuan also told me the same thing yesterday. But he also said something that bothered me...”

“What was it?”

“He said that Zhang Qingxuan's movement wasn't just ordinary conservative resistance. There was something... unnatural... in the way they moved. It was as if they were being moved by a greater force.”

Lin Fengtian was silent for a moment, processing this information. “You know, my brother, all this time we've been focusing on the impact of the opening of the Eternity Gate on the physical realm-environmental, social, political changes. But what about the spiritual dimension? What if there are ancient entities awakened by this change in energy flow?”

Zhao Lingyun felt a strange vibration in his blood-something that always happened when he approached a hidden truth. “You mean... there's something more than just an ideological dispute behind Zhang Qingxuan's resistance?”

“Exactly. Look at history, Zhao Lingyun. Whenever there's a major change in the structure of the realm, ancient forces that were previously dormant always emerge. Entities that existed since the beginning of the realm's formation, who might have their own agenda.”

Their conversation was interrupted when a white dove with golden eyes flew towards them, carrying a small scroll at its feet. Lin Fengtian took the scroll, reading it quickly before his face hardened.

“What does it say?” asked Zhao Lingyun, sensing the change in his brother's mood.

“A message from Wei Xuan. He wrote that he found something in the basement of the Sky Academy-a secret room containing ancient artifacts. And among those artifacts, there was a map showing the locations of some sort of... 'energy centers'... scattered throughout both realms.”

“Energy centers?”

“Yes. According to the map, there are seven key points scattered across both realms-places where the concentration of light and shadow energy is extremely high. And if those seven points are connected, they form a formation...”

“What formation?” Zhao Lingyun was getting more and more curious.

“The Seven Stars Formation-an ancient formation that was supposedly used by the founders of the realm to first separate light and shadow.” Lin Fengtian folded the scroll back up. “And more worryingly, Wei Xuan wrote that three of the seven points have now 'activated' again, emitting increasingly powerful energy since the Gate of Eternity was opened.”

Zhao Lingyun was silent, trying to digest this information. “If this formation was used to separate realms... is it possible that it's now being reactivated for the same purpose? To undo what we've done?”

“Or maybe...” Lin Fengtian looked up at the graded sky, “for something more extreme. What if the goal is not just to re-separate light and shadow, but to destroy one of them completely?”

A heavy silence enveloped the two, before Lin Fengtian continued in a lower voice. “Wei Xuan also wrote that he saw Zhang Qingxuan enter that secret room several times, always in the middle of the night. And every time he came out, the mist in his eyes seemed more... dark.”

“We should investigate this,” Zhao Lingyun decided. “If there really is a plan to reactivate the Seven Star Formation, we have to stop it before it's too late.”

Lin Fengtian nodded in agreement. “But we can't directly confront Zhang Qingxuan. He still has a lot of influence in the Celestial Academy. We need a strategy.”

“What if we start by visiting one of the points in that formation? Study what exactly happened there?” suggested Zhao Lingyun.

“Good idea. According to Wei Xuan's map, the closest point to the City of Dawn is Mirror Lake-a place that is said to be the site of the first battle in the Great War.”

The decision was made. The next day, the two brothers would set off for Mirror Lake, beginning their journey to uncover the secrets behind the mysterious activation of the Seven Star Formation. Little did they know that this journey would lead them to startling discoveries that would change their understanding of the history of the realm forever.

The journey to Mirror Lake took three days. Zhao Lingyun and Lin Fengtian chose to take the route less traveled by, avoiding the main roads that were now filled with the patrols of the 'Purity Guard' led by Zhang Qingxuan.

“Look over there,” Lin Fengtian pointed into the distance, where the surface of the water sparkling in the sunlight was visible between the trees. “That's Mirror Lake.”