The dim chamber pulsated with echoes of memory, as the spirit tags wrapped around the silver-haired woman glowed ominously. Rei stood at the head of the seal array, arms crossed, his gaze unreadable. Noira stood at his right, her energy now calmer—settled—but deeper than before. Mireille observed with professional detachment, her maid uniform pristine despite the flickering embers that occasionally lit the ritual circle.
"Name?" Rei asked.
"She was never given one," Mireille said. "She was sealed before a spirit identity could manifest. She was a spirit in flux—half-complete, extremely volatile."
Noira stepped closer. "So she never chose who she wanted to be."
"Exactly."
Rei motioned for them to begin.
[System Directive: Initiate Spirit Awakening Protocol — Target: Unnamed Spirit Core.]
The circle lit up. The woman's eyes snapped open, glowing crimson. A wave of pressure exploded outward, slamming into the walls and warping the very dimension they stood in.
Chains of restraint cracked.
Rei stepped into the circle.
"Easy," he said, voice like still water. "You're not alone anymore."
The woman growled, fangs exposed. "Where… am I?"
"In the forge. You're being reborn."
"I don't want to be reborn!"
"You already are."
She thrashed, spiritual energy bleeding from every pore, painting the floor in streaks of flame and frost. Her aura was chaos incarnate—fire and ice, storm and stillness. Rei stood firm.
"I won't bind you," he said, lowering himself to one knee. "But I will give you a name. If you accept it, then stand. If not, vanish."
She froze.
"A name…?"
"Eirenne," he said.
Time itself seemed to hesitate.
She stopped struggling. The chains snapped, not from force, but from acceptance.
[Spirit Identity Acknowledged: Eirenne. Aspect: Chaos Harmony. Classification: Original Spirit — Tier Alpha.]
The woman collapsed into Rei's arms. Her hair shifted from silver to a pale violet. Her eyes softened.
"I… remember dancing in the rain."
Rei smiled faintly. "Then we'll teach you to dance again."
Three days passed.
Eirenne, now clothed in a black-and-silver uniform tailored by Mireille, walked the grounds of the hidden base in silence. She spoke little. Watched everything. Her powers were still erratic, but the System had begun compiling compatibility data.
Rei stood in the observation chamber.
"Noira's synchronization has stabilized," Mireille reported. "Eirenne is next."
"She doesn't trust us yet."
"She doesn't trust herself. But she will."
The door opened. A tall figure entered—Laeva.
"You're building your arsenal," she said. "But the world doesn't sleep. We've detected movement from the Fallen."
"Location?" Rei asked.
"La Galleria. Italy."
Noira raised an eyebrow. "That's a museum."
"A front," Laeva replied. "They're searching for a relic known as the Crimson Vault."
Rei's eyes narrowed. "They're looking for weapons."
"Not just any weapons," Laeva said. "Lost fragments of the First Spirit."
Noira and Eirenne both stiffened.
"If they get their hands on that…"
"They won't," Rei said. "Prepare for deployment."
La Galleria stood silent under moonlight, its glass dome reflecting the silver stars. Inside, dark forces gathered. Figures in obsidian armor moved through the museum halls—Fallen agents armed with corrupted spirit tech.
Rei, Noira, and Eirenne stood atop a neighboring rooftop. Mireille remained in the van, monitoring from afar.
"Stealth or breach?" Noira asked.
Rei smiled. "We knock."
They jumped.
The roof shattered on impact. Alarms blared, but were instantly silenced by a pulse of Rei's spirit wave. Fallen soldiers drew weapons.
Rei's eyes flared.
[Combat Mode: Open. Spirit Limiters Released. Synchronization with Noira: 62%. Eirenne: 34%. Mireille: Passive Override Linked.]
Noira moved first, her spear igniting in a spiral of obsidian fire. She danced through the enemy ranks, cutting down targets with precision. Eirenne followed, her hands crackling with opposing elements. Ice and flame exploded in tandem, creating corridors of devastation.
Rei walked calmly.
A large figure emerged—eight feet tall, a hybrid of machine and fallen angel. It roared and swung a hammer of pulsating red energy.
Rei caught it with his bare hand.
The hammer froze. Cracks spiderwebbed across its surface. Rei looked up, eyes burning.
"Crimson Vault fragment identified," Karasu's voice echoed in his mind. "Contained within the hammer's core."
Rei didn't hesitate. He twisted. The hammer shattered. The shockwave blew out windows and sent several Fallen agents tumbling backward.
He grabbed the fragment—a glowing red shard—and pocketed it.
Suddenly, a scream. Noira was down, a spear of dark light lodged in her thigh. Eirenne responded instantly, erecting a wall of frost between her and the attacker.
Rei blurred.
He appeared beside the culprit—a hooded woman with black wings and a cruel smile.
"Azariel," Rei muttered. "High-ranking Fallen."
She smirked. "We've been watching you, Spirit Binder."
"Keep watching."
He raised his hand. Flames spiraled upward.
[New Technique Accessed: Vermillion Banishment — Level 1.]
A column of fire engulfed Azariel. Her screams echoed as she vanished into spirit ash.
Noira stood, limping slightly. "She'll be back."
"I know," Rei said. "And next time, so will we."
Back at the base, Rei placed the fragment in a containment vault.
Mireille approached. "You know what this is, don't you?"
"Yes," Rei said. "A piece of the First Flame."
"And when you gather them all?"
"I rewrite the system."