The ancient stone doors of the Temple creaked open. A blinding light parted as Jin Shang stepped out, looking unchanged from the outside, but within him, three mythical DNA samples now coursed through his essence. The moment his foot touched the ground of the Lunar World again, the energy around him subtly shifted. The wind seemed to whisper in reverence.
As Jin approached the castle gates, he was greeted with a sea of familiar faces.
"HE'S BACK!" shouted Nyreth, flailing his arms like a child seeing candy.
Nyreth chuckled. "Took you long enough, Jin. Let me guess—you had to outwit a sentient statue, fight reality-warping monsters, and then be told 'don't tell anyone'?"
"…Yeah. Actually. Exactly that," Jin muttered, deadpan.
"Wait—what?" Nyreth blinked.
Before Jin could say more, Aurelion stepped forward. "You must come with me. The time has arrived."
They walked through the glowing fields of the Lunar World, past the Moonlit Garden, until they reached the River of Celestial Purity. The sacred waters flowed silently under silver moons, and there, floating calmly in the center, was a man's body—tall, muscular, glowing faintly, but eerily faceless. His skin shimmered like divine marble. Blue hair floated around him like a sun halo.
"The Divine Vessel," Aurelion announced. "Forged at the edge of the Soul Realm, a place where souls wander beyond death. Not in heaven. Not in hell. It exists within the heart of the Lunar World—hidden in the space between dreams and time itself. This body is pure, untainted by fate. It is yours now, Jin Shang. It awaits your soul."
Jin narrowed his eyes. "Okay, but… can someone please give this guy a towel or something? The man's just floating there in all his glory!"
Everyone stayed silent.
Even Aurelion coughed awkwardly. "The purity of the vessel requires it to be untouched by cloth or material. Besides, it's only natural form—"
"Brother in moonlight," Jin muttered, rubbing his temples. "Put it away."
As Aurelion walked off, Jin approached the floating body.
He placed his palm over its chest. Slowly, he let the three DNA samples merge into the body.
—The first DNA fused. Bones cracked and shifted. Muscles expanded. Power surged. A strange hum echoed across the land.
—The second DNA entered. Veins lit up like constellations. The body began to absorb surrounding mana like a black hole.
—The third DNA... made the river ripple. A distant scream echoed from the Soul Realm itself. Something ancient had awakened within.
The body twitched. Then, silence.
Jin nodded to himself and lay beside the vessel on a raised obsidian slab. The ancient Lunar Rituals began. Silver fire circled them, forming celestial glyphs in the air. Prayers echoed in a forgotten tongue.
And then... everything faded.
Jin found himself falling—not physically, but within his consciousness. He drifted through a galaxy, infinite and surreal. All around him spun fractured dimensions, twisting like glass threads, bleeding stardust.
"What… is this place?" he whispered.
Suddenly, a symbol emerged from the void. A strange, stylized sigil, resembling a door with spiraling patterns, hovered in the void before him. It pulsed with ancient light, older than gods.
Without hesitation, Jin reached forward.
The moment he touched it—
—a blinding eruption of light consumed him.
His body glowed. His soul vibrated. All the DNA within him reacted at once.
He heard a voice—not the statue's, not a god's—but his own, from the future.
"You are now what they feared.
You are what they tried to contain.
You are the Owner. The Gate (Echo of the Door)."
And then, silence again.
Back in the real world—
Two blue eyes snapped open.
A roar shook the clouds above. The Vessel, now Jin Shang reborn, ascended into the sky, glowing like a fallen star returned to its throne. His new form was divine. A beautiful monster.
But he was still—very, very naked.
"…OH GODS PUT SOME CLOTHES ON!" Selira screamed, her face turning crimson as she shielded her eyes.
Velka peeked through her fingers and turned away instantly, her ears flushed red.
Even stoic Nyreth smirked and said, "Jin, I always knew you were confident… but this is a bit much."
Jin blinked, looked down, and immediately shouted, "SON OF A—!"
He flew back to the ground in a flash, hastily grabbing a ceremonial cloth and wrapping it around himself like a panicked toga student. "I JUST GOT REBORN! CUT ME SOME SLACK!"
Orion clapped. "Now that's how you make an entrance."
Kaelis nodded solemnly. "A godly entrance. And a godly… um… everything, apparently."
Jin glared at them. "Say one more word and I'm launching you both into orbit."
Nyreth stepped forward. "All jokes aside… you look amazing, Jin. More than that… you feel different."
Jin looked at his hands, his aura shimmering faintly around him. He could feel it—his strength, reflexes, speed, and senses had reached a level monarchs could only imagine. His mind sharpened. His body… felt limitless.
"I feel like I could tear apart True Outer Space with my bare hands," Jin said quietly, a smile forming.
Aurelion nodded. "Yes. You can."
The group stood in silence, knowing that whatever came next… Worlds would tremble.
And above them, far away, hidden in a collapsing pocket of reality, the remnants of the Temple faded. The statue of the goddess, now gone, had kept her promise.
And Jin would keep his