—Annex 7, Gaia Academy, Atlantis Magic School. Minutes later—
A jarring tremor shook the glass under Rinoa's palm, a frigid wave rippling through it, as if the very essence of the air had shifted. The glyphs she had labored to stabilize began to throb wildly, their once harmonious forms twisting into a tangled mess. A surge of blackish-blue luminescence burst forth from the artifact, skimming across her fingers like a horde of frenzied insects, each flicker a stinging reminder of the raw power contained within.
"No, no—stay with me, please don't—!" Rinoa's voice quaked, her heart pounding as panic gripped her throat like iron chains. She clutched the artifact more fiercely, her thoughts racing alongside the glyphs, driven by an instinctive urge to tame the chaos.
Amidst the erratic lights, other voices began to swell—a tumult of memories invading her mind, each one more desperate than the last. It was not merely Elise this time, but a multitude of lost souls, their cries drowning in a sea of confusion and fury.
Voice (Elbert, shattered): "I did this… for her… No peace. Never… forgive me—" His tone was laced with regret, reverberating in Rinoa's mind like a mournful melody, each word a jagged fragment of sorrow.
Another voice, deeper, ravenous: "The name… the soul… feed me, remember me…" The words dripped with a sinister yearning, clawing at the very edges of her sanity.
A jolt of agony shot through Rinoa's mind, her vision swirling as her surroundings contorted into a nightmarish scene. Shadows thickened around the periphery of her sight, creeping ever closer. "Let go of me!" she gasped, her voice choked with desperation, but the device remained an unyielding vise, its magical resonance binding her wrist to the ominous crystal.
In that crucial moment, the door burst open with a violent force. Dean Vaelion and Professor Sera rushed in, wands drawn, their eyes aflame with alarm.
"Rinoa Alfrenzo!" Dean Vaelion's voice echoed through the chamber, a commanding mixture of authority and trepidation. "Step away from that artifact—NOW!" His face was thunderous, the weight of his duties pressing heavily upon him.
"I can't—It won't—let me go—" Rinoa's voice trembled, tears threatening to spill as she wrestled against the invisible chains that held her in thrall. The overwhelming magic coiling around her felt like a sentient entity, feeding ravenously off her fear, a hungry echo in her mind.
"She's overloading the echo field!" Professor Sera cried out, urgency lacing her tone as she strained to maintain control over the surging chaos. "Vaelion, seal the room!" Her gaze darted around, searching for any sign of impending danger, her fingers twitching at her side, poised to contain the volatile energy crackling in the air.
The Dean traced a radiant sigil in the air, his movements swift and sure. The light curled like tendrils of smoke, coalescing into a shimmering barrier that loomed ominously around them. "This should keep the feedback contained," he murmured, a somber intensity etched across his features. Yet, to their dismay, the barrier only muted the psychic echoes, failing to tame the artifact's incessant thrum. The cacophony enveloped them—a symphony of sorrow swirling from Elise, the heavy burden of Elbert's remorse, and something else, lurking in the peripheries, ancient and chilling, a nameless terror that slithered beneath their consciousness.
Dark Echo (voice low and predatory): "Names… doors… open. Feed the hunger. Daughter of memory, grant me entrance—"
The darkness felt as though it seeped into Rinoa's very soul, her vision dimming as she struggled against the overwhelming tide of fear. She squeezed her eyes shut for a heartbeat, but when she opened them, the academy had vanished. Instead, she found herself surrounded by gravestones in a soggy, rain-drenched cemetery, the heavy scent of wet earth filling her lungs. There, shrouded in shadows, was Elbert, kneeling beside Elise's grave, his shoulders trembling with muted sobs. Above them, spectral figures swirled, their forms twisted and distorted, caught in the web of their own remorse and fury.
"Elbert…" Rinoa whispered, her voice choked with emotion, her heart racing as if it might escape her chest. "Your echo... it's far too powerful! You must—"
Rinoa, suaranya bergetar dan matanya membelalak penuh kepanikan, mengucapkan, "Dean—Profesor—aku mohon maaf. Aku kira aku bisa membantu—aku tidak bermaksud segala ini terjadi!"
Tatapan Dean Vaelion mengeras saat ia memandangnya, matanya menyala dengan campuran kekecewaan dan urgensi. "Kau telah merusak necrotech Gamma, Rinoa! Apakah kau benar-benar mengerti apa yang telah kau lepaskan? Kekuatan yang kau mainkan—" Suaranya meninggi, tajam dan tak terbendung. "Mereka bisa merobek segala yang kita ketahui!"
Rinoa, terjebak dalam genggaman aneh seolah terhipnotis, merasakan gema Elise mengalir di lengan kanannya seperti arus hantu. "Dia masih di sini—terperangkap dalam limbo yang mengerikan ini—dia mendambakan kebebasan, tapi rasa lapar itu… tak tertahankan," ia terengah, matanya lebar dan penuh kecemasan.
Gema Elbert, suaranya bergetar menandakan keputusasaan, berucap, "Maafkan aku, Rinoa! Aku terlalu lemah... Aku tidak pernah berniat semuanya terjadi seperti ini! Lepaskan dia!" Kata-katanya menggantung di udara, berat oleh penyesalan.
Gema Gelap, urgensi terdesak dalam nada, menambahkan, "Kau bisa membebaskanku, Rinoa. Hanya dengan sebuah kata… sebuah nama… dan darah…" Suara yang tergaung dalam pikirannya menyusup dengan nada menggoda, menjanjikan pembebasan namun menyimpan rasa ngeri di dalamnya.
Profesor Sera melangkah lebih dekat, alisnya berkerut penuh kekhawatiran. "Ada resonansi sekunder," ia memperingatkan, suaranya tajam seperti pecahan kaca. "Sesuatu yang kuno—kutukan Vlad—matikan semua ini sekarang juga, sebelum ia menelan kita semua!"
Dean Vaelion, his expression clouded with concern, interjected sharply. "It's too late. She's already entwined with whatever nightmare this is. We must extract her before it spirals out of control!" He tightened his fists, a surge of tension coursing through his body as he braced for the inevitable.
Sera moved with determination, her hands skillfully tracing a mnemonic extraction glyph, each fluid motion imbued with intent. "Rinoa! You must hear me. The device is drawing strength from your spiral," she urged, her voice tinged with urgency. "You must shatter the cycle—compel it to collapse, or risk losing more than mere memories!" Her tone heightened with desperation, each word echoing the weight of the looming doom.
Rinoa's voice wavered, sounding both near and far, trapped between two realms. "The hunger… it consumes all that it encounters. Elise's soul... Elbert's guilt. I can feel it clawing at my very essence, trying to erase my name. I can't—hold on—any longer!" Her breaths came in ragged bursts, quaking with fear and sheer desperation.
Dark Echo (whispering, almost tenderly): "Release yourself, Rinoa. Embrace the liberation from your anguish. I shall remember on your behalf. Forever." The words wrapped around her like a sinister caress, tempting her to surrender.
With a scream that reverberated through the chamber, Rinoa unleashed her raw power, her hand arcing with crackling blue light. Glyphs spun wildly in the air, their forms distorted by the chaos—then shattered like fragile glass. The necrotech device groaned ominously and split with a thunderous crack, releasing a thick miasma that enveloped the room in a chilling fog.
"Back—now!" Dean Vaelion commanded, his voice strained as he slammed a sealing sigil onto the artifact, each word laced with urgency and dread, as if the very forces of the universe trembled at his call.
Professor Sera, her instincts aflame with alarm, yanked Rinoa back just in time, breaking her tenuous contact with the malevolent device. The world around them spun chaotically, shadows howling in Rinoa's ears, a cacophony of despair… then silence wrapped around them like a darkened shroud.
Rinoa crumpled onto the cold stone floor, breaths escaping her in shallow gasps as she clutched her head, struggling to piece together the splintered fragments of her fractured mind. The air hung heavy with tension, swirling like the fog that enveloped the chamber. For a fleeting moment, the entire world halted, suffocated by the weight of unspoken fears. Casting her gaze at the shattered artifact now lying at her feet, a silvery fluid began to seep onto the polished surface, shimmering ominously in the dim light.
Vaelion's visage had taken on a ghostly pallor, his complexion faded as the dread seeped deep into his essence. Even with his typical commanding aura, an undercurrent of panic simmered just beneath the surface, barely concealed as he turned to Rinoa. His voice emerged steady, yet a tremor of fear threaded through his words. "You have no inkling of the chaos you nearly unleashed, Alfrenzo. This is no mere trinket; it is a portal to realms far beyond our comprehension."
Rinoa's eyes snapped open, terror radiating from her gaze as she searched the chamber, tormented by the visions that had invaded her mind. "I... I saw them." Her voice quivered, heavy with the weight of her memories. "Elise, Elbert... and there was something else. It craved my name. It nearly…" Her voice faltered, her lips trembling with the burden of unexpressed anguish, struggling to finish the thought.
Professor Sera knelt at her side, urgency woven into the gentleness of her tone. "You are fortunate, Rinoa. Those ensnared by necrotech do not always return." She leaned closer, her gaze unwavering. "Share with us what you felt. Every sensation. We need the entirety of it."
Rinoa's lips quivered as she stifled tears. "Elise—she's a captive of her own creation, not a fiend. Elbert's suffocating guilt binds her to that wretched device. But the necrotech... it predates both of them. There exists something out there—a presence—perhaps Vlad, or something even older. It devours memories, searching for fresh souls, new names, anything to tether it to this realm."
"That's the legacy of Gamma's forbidden science," Vaelion interjected, his voice a chilling whisper thick with unease. "It is not simply a matter of technology or magic; it's a wound in the very fabric of reality. You must promise me, Rinoa, never to touch it again." The weight of his warning loomed heavily in the air, a stark reminder of the peril they all faced.
With tears threatening to spill from her eyes, Rinoa nodded slowly, her heart heavy. "I only wished to heal… to help." Her voice was scarcely more than a murmur, burdened by regret. "But in my pursuit, I came perilously close to losing myself." She cast her gaze downwards, shame flooding through her, as if her very hopes were sullied.
"But you held on. You listened," Sera reassured her, their eyes meeting in a moment of shared understanding that transcended the horrors surrounding them. "That resilience is more than most would muster." The compassion in Sera's tone served as a lifeline amid the all-encompassing despair.
"It is far from over, Rinoa," Vaelion continued, his voice cold yet tinged with a hint of concern. "From this moment forth, you shall work under supervision. No more solitary research. No more secrets between us. Should you conceal anything, rest assured, we shall find out." Each word was a resolute command, a vow to shield her—even if it meant curtailing her freedom.
Rinoa's voice barely rose above a whisper, quaking under the weight of her uncertain fate. "Yes, Dean," she murmured, her gaze fixed on the ground, as if the mere act of compliance might shatter her spirit. The magi, their cloaks swirling like dark clouds, led her from the chamber. With every step, her feet felt as though they were mired in heavy stone, the air thick with unspoken dread.
As they traversed the dim corridors of Gaia Academy, an unsettling quiet surrounded them, oppressive and thick. Behind her, the splintered fragments of the artifact glowed with a ghostly luminescence. They pulsed softly, creating an eerie rhythm that sent shivers of a haunting light cascading across the ancient stone walls. Time stretched like taffy as Rinoa glanced back, her heart racing at the sight.
A voice, barely a murmur amidst the shadows, whispered into the darkness. Its tone, both familiar and chilling, cut through the silence: "I remember you. I will wait." The words lingered in the air, a haunting blend of promise and threat that coiled around her thoughts.
A tremor coursed through Rinoa, and she pressed a trembling hand to her chest, feeling her heart race as she stepped into the corridor's uncertain glow. The taste of memory was sharp and bitter, like ashes, mingling with the metallic tang of fear on her tongue. She struggled to find her breath, fragments of a past that felt achingly both hers and yet so distant flooding her mind.
"Rinoa," one of the magi said, glancing her way, concern etched in his expression, yet laced with an authority that demanded her attention. "You must grasp the weight of the choices before you."
"I believed I could master it," she confessed, her voice trembling as the regret spilled over like ink on parchment. "But... I was mistaken."
Their footsteps reverberated in the dim hallway, an eerie cadence that pulled her further into the heart of the academy, where shadows swirled and interwove tales of hope and despair. Here, the boundaries between magic and madness were indistinct, and the true price of ambition loomed ominously overhead. Rinoa's thoughts spiraled, grappling with the echoes of her own longing intertwined with the delicate thread of her sanity. Her gaze flickered back to the remnants of the artifact, an unsettling realization washing over her—this was far from concluded.