The storm broke at midnight.
Rain lashed against the Kaelthorn estate, the droplets hissing as they struck the living steel walls. Kael stood on the battlements, his blade humming faintly in the dark. The city of Aerath sprawled below, its floating lanterns flickering like dying stars.
Somewhere out there, the massive Voidspawn waited.
[COMBAT XP +5% – VIGILANCE ACTIVATED]
[RESONANCE XP AVAILABLE: CONFRONT FEAR TO UNLOCK]
“You’re brooding again,” Ryuko said, her voice cutting through the storm. She leaned against the parapet, her crimson hair plastered to her face. “It’s annoying.”
Kael didn’t respond. His hand went to the lotus hairpin tucked into his belt—a fragile relic of a life he could barely remember.
“You’re thinking about her,” Ryuko said, her tone softer now. “The girl from your past.”
“Her name was Emily,” Kael said, though the words felt hollow. “But I… I can’t remember her face. Or her voice.”
Ryuko’s whip crackled faintly, the coiled light reflecting in her eyes. “Memories are a weakness. The sooner you let them go, the stronger you’ll be.”
Kael turned to her, his silver eyes glowing faintly. “And what about you? Do you ever think about Ren?”
Her expression hardened. “Don’t.”
Before he could respond, a scream shattered the night.
They found it in the forest—a Voidspawn unlike any they’d seen before. Its form shifted and writhed, shadows coalescing into a familiar shape.
Emily.
She stood amidst the trees, her hair a dark cascade against the storm. Her lotus hairpin gleamed faintly, and her eyes—fractured, glowing—locked onto Kael’s.
“Alex,” she whispered, her voice a haunting melody. “You left me.”
Kael’s breath caught. “Emily?”
Ryuko grabbed his arm, her grip like iron. “It’s not her. It’s a Voidspawn. Don’t fall for it.”
But Kael couldn’t look away. The creature—Emily’s Echo—stepped closer, her hand outstretched.
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“You promised to protect me,” she said, her voice breaking. “But you failed.”
[RESONANCE XP +20% – MEMORY TRIGGER: EMILY’S VOICE]
[WARNING: MEMORY BANK CRITICAL – EMILY’S FACE AT 0%]
“Kael, snap out of it!” Ryuko’s whip snapped, the coiled light slicing through the air. But the Voidspawn dodged, its form shifting like smoke.
“You’re not real,” Kael said, though his voice trembled.
Emily’s Echo smiled—a bitter, broken thing. “Aren’t I? You made me this way. Your regrets. Your guilt. I’m the part of you that can’t let go.”
The forest seemed to close in around them, the trees twisting into grotesque shapes. Kael’s blade hummed faintly, but his grip faltered.
“You could have saved me,” Emily’s Echo said, stepping closer. “But you chose to die instead. And now… you’re nothing but steel and shadows.”
[SYSTEM OVERRIDE: SOULGUARD STANCE ACTIVATED]
Kael’s body moved on its own, the blade flashing as it cut through the Voidspawn’s form. But the creature didn’t shatter. It laughed—a sound like glass breaking.
“You can’t kill me, Alex. I’m part of you.”
Ryuko lunged, her whip crackling with electricity. “Enough of this!”
The Voidspawn turned, its form shifting into a mirror of Ryuko’s brother, Ren.
“You failed me too,” it hissed, its voice a perfect mimicry of Ren’s. “You sacrificed me for power. And for what?”
Ryuko froze, her whip faltering.
Kael seized the moment. “Ryuko, don’t listen to it!”
But it was too late. The Voidspawn’s claws slashed through the air, striking Ryuko’s chest. She stumbled, blood staining her tunic.
“Ryuko!” Kael caught her, his blade flashing as he deflected another strike.
The Voidspawn laughed, its form shifting back into Emily. “You can’t save them, Alex. You can’t even save yourself.”
Kael’s mind raced. The system flickered, its text glowing crimson:
[SOULGUARD STANCE – UPGRADE AVAILABLE: SACRIFICE MEMORY TO ACTIVATE]
He hesitated. The last remnants of Emily’s memory—her voice, her smile—were all he had left. But if he didn’t act, Ryuko would die.
“Do it,” Ryuko whispered, her voice weak. “Don’t… don’t be like me.”
Kael’s grip tightened on his blade. “I’m sorry, Emily.”
He activated the upgrade.
[MEMORY PURGED: EMILY’S VOICE – 0% REMAINING]
[SOULGUARD STANCE – UPGRADED]
The Voidspawn screamed as Kael’s blade cut through its core. Its form shattered, the shadows dissolving into the storm.
Ryuko lay on the forest floor, her breathing shallow. Kael knelt beside her, his blade still humming faintly.
“You’re an idiot,” she said, though her voice lacked its usual bite. “You could’ve died.”
“So could you,” Kael replied.
She laughed, though it turned into a cough. “Guess we’re even.”
Kael helped her to her feet, his mind still reeling. The memory of Emily’s voice was gone, erased by the system. But the ache remained—a hollow space where she used to be.
“You’re stronger than you think,” Ryuko said, her tone uncharacteristically soft. “But strength… it comes at a cost.”
Kael nodded, his gaze drifting to the lotus hairpin in his hand. It was all he had left of Emily—a fragile thing, already crumbling.
“I won’t forget,” he whispered, though he wasn’t sure if he was lying to himself or the Arbiter.
In the distance, the massive Voidspawn stirred. Its eyes glowed with a familiar light, and for a moment, Kael thought he saw Emily’s face reflected in them.
The storm was coming. And Kael would be ready.