The air around us was changing—damp and thick, like the ruins were holding in sadness that hadn't dried yet. Our footsteps echoed down the narrow corridor, the only path spiraling into the heart of this place.
Every carving on the wall, every faintly glowing symbol, felt like an eye watching us—not with malice, but quietly… waiting. Waiting for someone to come re-read an old, forgotten story.
I scanned my surroundings, trying to understand what my body knew, even if my mind couldn't quite catch up.
"...'The mountain weeps… where the sun sets,'" I murmured, repeating the message I'd translated from the earlier inscription.
Lyss walked beside me, mostly quiet, but I caught her glancing over—something was bothering her. Not suspicion… more like fear of speaking it out loud.
"Lyss..." I said quietly.
She turned toward me.
"Yeah?"
"Why didn't you just tell me straight up that I might've… been one of the Seal Keepers?"
She paused. Her steps faltered.
"...Because I was afraid you'd run away." Her voice was quiet, steady.
"If I'd been too honest from the start... you might've left me. I've seen so many break when they find out who they were."
I exhaled. Part of me wanted to be annoyed—about being lied to. But another part knew: she did it to keep me grounded.
"You know, Lyss," I kept walking beside her."I don't know who I am yet… but if I was part of this world before… that means I was part of the problem, right?"
She nodded softly.
"And now… you might be part of the answer."
I stopped walking.
She turned fast.
"What!?"
"I don't understand everything," I said, meeting her gaze, "but if you stay by my side… I won't be afraid to move forward."
Lyss's cheeks flushed. This time she didn't joke it off.
She just smiled—gently. And for the next few steps, we walked together in silence… the gap between us feeling less like strangers.
We came upon an open chamber—a natural tunnel formed from collapsed stone. In the center stood a massive wall. But it wasn't just any wall.
It was dark grey, etched with lines like dried tear stains—like the rock itself had cried. Beneath it, shallow water pooled, reflecting the crystals glowing high above in the cavern ceiling.
"The Weeping Wall," Lyss whispered.
"One of the Seven Sacred Places. Each seal had its own memory keeper."
I moved closer. Something pulled me in—not physically, but emotionally. It felt like held-back grief waiting to be released here.
My hand touched the wall.
And everything went black.
I stood in a vast field, a low orange sun hanging on the horizon. Before me was a little girl—silver-white hair, blue eyes, wearing a simple dress, her hands stained with blood.
"I failed…" she whispered.
Past me knelt down, hugging her tight.
"You didn't fail, Lysandra," I said—my voice, but deeper, more weighted.
"You were only too human to be a god."
"I was supposed to protect you… but you died. Because of me..."
I rubbed her hair.
"And I came back, so I could keep my promise."
She wept in my arms. But what stabbed the most…
Was when she said:
"I wanted you to live, not return. But I was selfish… I just wanted you by my side."
I jerked back into my own body. My breath hitched.
"Reian!" Lyss cut in, panic in her voice, shaking my shoulders.
I looked into her eyes—just like the little girl in the memory.
Small… Lost… Loving something she didn't fully understand.
"Lyss…" I whispered.
"You… before… you were…"
She bit her lip.
"That's a memory you shouldn't have seen yet, Reian."
"But I saw it, Lyss…"
We stared at each other. Behind us, the wall kept dripping water, like it was mourning with us.
"…Why didn't you tell me I died…?" I asked.
She bowed her head.
"Because… I wanted you to live."
I looked at her. And this time, I got it. There was something between us bigger than logic or history or this dying world.
Something that maybe existed before the promise was ever made.
I reached out, brushing her cheek.
"If you wanted me to live… don't carry everything alone, Lyss."
She closed her eyes. One tear fell—maybe from sorrow, relief, or… longing finding its way home.
For a moment, the world didn't feel like it was dying.
Just two souls reconnecting.
And maybe… this was the first time I truly understood what 'believing without understanding' meant.
The air around the wall was still damp. But now, it felt warmer. Maybe it was just an illusion—until I felt Lyss beside me. Quiet. Calm. But her cheek was still cool under my fingertip.
We stayed silent for a long while—side by side, leaning against that crying wall. Maybe for the first time, I understood why stones could weep.
It's not water.
It's memory.
And that memory pours out in its purest form: regret.
"Reian..." Lyss's voice broke the silence. Soft. Almost a whisper—as if afraid to disturb our fragile peace.
"When you remember everything one day… and maybe you end up hating me… what then?"
I turned slightly. She stared at the floor. Her shoulders quivered. Her hand trembled on her lap.
I didn't answer right away. Instead, I placed my hand over hers—a gentle hold, enough to make her look up.
"If I remember it all and hate you," I spoke softly,"I'll fight to forget it."
Her eyes widened—surprised.
"I'd rather not know… than lose my reason to stay by your side."
She blinked at me once, then looked down. This time, not out of fear—maybe embarrassment… or something softer.
"…Stop saying things like that, Reian."
"Why?"
"Because… I might actually fall in love."
I chuckled quietly.
"Isn't that already happening?"
She glared—playfully annoyed, but unmistakably red.
"Humph… Annoying Seal Keeper."
We laughed again. Not loud. But enough to make the wall—once heavy with sorrow—feel like a witness to two foolish humans trying to understand each other in a world that might not give them time.
But our laughter didn't last.
The ceiling of the ruins cracked—not a rumble, but a long, sharp snap. Then... silence. Real silence. Even the water stopped dripping.
Lyss jolted upright. Her body stiffened. I stood too, drawing my sword.
"Do you hear that?" I asked quickly.
"Not just hearing," Lyss whispered."I... feel it."
From the corridor we came through, faint footsteps emerged. But… not ordinary footsteps. Not a Shadow Fragment like before. These were heavy. Certain. Like something—or someone—who knows exactly where they're going.
I stepped forward, standing protectively in front of Lyss. Sword raised halfway.
"Not a shadow?" I asked.
Lyss shook her head.
"No. This is… worse."
A sound followed the footsteps—not footfalls. Rattling chains… metal scraping. Like something burning yet never extinguishing.
From the darkness, a figure stepped forward—tall, gaunt, exuding an unnatural aura. Not like any creature in this world. His face was hidden behind a helmet-mask, draped in tattered black cloth that fluttered despite the still air. Behind him… a broken iron staff, dripping what looked like dried black blood.
I caught my breath.
"An old friend, maybe?" I muttered, tone stiff.
Lyss didn't answer. She edged back a step—pale as death.
"He shouldn't have awoken this early," she said.
I glanced at her.
"You know who he is?"
Lyss swallowed. Didn't answer.
The figure raised his head. His eyes—or the void beneath the mask—locked on me.
For a moment, time stopped.
Then… came his voice. Quiet. But it cut deep.
"The Keeper has awakened… must be destroyed before the seal is restored."
Immediately, the ground trembled.
I took two steps back.
"Okay. Now I get why this is worse."
Lyss raised her staff.
"He's… one of the Suppressors."
"Suppressor?"
"A man-made being. Created to stop the Seal Keepers from reincarnating. They only awaken when the primary seal senses the restoration threat..."
"So, you mean…"
"He's appeared because you… started opening the path again."
My heart hammered. Because my powers have returned… because my memories are coming back… death is hunting me again.
"So... we fight?"
Lyss looked at me—uncertain.
"Not now. We can't win... not yet."
I nodded slowly. I hate running. But I'd hate dying before knowing the truth more.
"Then... a graceful escape?"
"Graceful how, Reian?"
I took her hand. Again. But this time without hesitation.
She looked surprised.
"Trust me," I said.
"I'm not ready to die. Especially not before I find out why you cried when I died before."
Her face flushed yet again. But she squeezed my hand tight.
"You Annoying Seal Keeper giving people heart attacks."
We ran.
Behind us, the Weeping Wall trembled again—but not over past pain.
It trembled with the threat of a future that had begun to knock.
Our footsteps echoed in the narrowing corridor. My breath was heavy—not from exhaustion, but from the weight of what we left behind. Something called a "Suppressor."
Just existing... it was enough to drown the whole chamber in dread.
"…He's not chasing, right?" I asked softly, sneaking a glance behind.
"Just wait. Suppressors don't rush. They appear to mark one thing…" Lyss kept moving fast.
I narrowed my eyes.
"What?"
"That the hunt has begun."
Silence fell again. But this silence wasn't comforting. It was the pause before the doom bell starts ringing. The walls of these ruins felt like they were closing in, squeezing us from every side.
"So... am I permanently a target now?" I asked.
Lyss nodded.
"Since you touched the symbol and reopened your first memory, the world's old defense systems have rebooted. Suppressors are one of them—a primal program to resist change."
I stared at my right hand—the faded glow from the first symbol still faintly sparkling on my skin. Like a living tattoo.
"So why is the system afraid of change?" I murmured almost to myself.
"Because change threatens stability. Because someone prefers this world broken, shattered... so no one can touch the past."
"…Who wants that?" I asked.
Lyss shook her head.
"That's still unknown, Reian."
We reached the end of the corridor—a narrow exit leading just outside the ruins, where a chilling wind whipped across our faces. Under a greyish-purple sky, we sat on flat rock for a moment, letting our racing hearts slow.
"I don't like this," I murmured."Just started walking, and we're already being hunted from the past."
Lyss chuckled softly—but there was no joy in it.
"If I could, I'd want you to never have to run."
I leaned in close, sitting next to her. Our shoulders touched.
"Lyss…"
"I thought… when you woke up, everything would get better. But apparently… this world won't give you peace so easily."
In her eyes: sadness. But also guilt—like she blamed herself for bringing me back.
I scooted closer, sitting right beside her. Our shoulders bumped.
"Don't blame yourself. I had my part too. Whoever I was before, I must've chosen to come back."
"A choice?" Lyss whispered so faintly I could barely hear it.
"Yeah. If the seal only opened because someone wanted it to... it must've been me wanting to return, right?"
She looked at me, her icy blue eyes deeper than before.
"Are you sure… it wasn't me?"
I shook my head.
"Might have been. But if I came back because of you… that's not a bad thing, Lyss."
She began to say something—but then another crack in the stone sounded off in the distance, cutting us off again.
This time it wasn't a Suppressor.
But… something else. Light steps. Quick.
I stood beside Lyss, pulling my sword.
"Ready, Lyss?" I asked.
She nodded and gripped her staff.
From behind a massive stone, a young woman appeared—short, dark-purple hair in uneven strands, wearing a torn black cloak draping off her shoulders. She looked ragged—but her stride was confident.
And her eyes… inhuman.
They gleamed like obsidian—reflecting nothing.
"...Finally, you two are out of your den," she said flatly—like an ice cube dropping on rock.
I raised my sword.
"Friend or foe?"
She let out a soft chuckle.
"Foe? Maybe. Friend? Definitely not."
Lyss moved forward halfway, tense.
"...You…"
"I'm no one anymore, Lysandra Elara. At least, not a Keeper." Her voice was even.
My heart skipped.
"Does that mean…"
Lyss didn't respond—but the look on her face told me: this girl is definitely no ordinary stranger.
"...Call me Neria Aetherveil," the girl continued.
"I was the Fourth Seal Keeper. But now—I prefer 'an observer'… someone who has stopped believing."
I squinted.
"If you're a former Keeper… why show up now?"
Neria's smile was cold.
"I'm here to warn you. Not to help."
"A warning? About what?" Lyss demanded.
Neria crossed her arms.
"The seal you're trying to restore… is part of a much larger circle of destruction. And the Suppressor isn't the only thing coming. There are other entities. Something… you yourself may have helped create."
"Help create…?" I spun my head.
"Wait. Me?"
Neria stared at me.
"You're not just a Keeper, Reian. In the past… you were the linchpin—the key that started the calamity."
Instantly, the air grew heavy.
The earth shook as if startled.
Lyss threw her hand over mine, squeezing it—needing something to hold on to.
And I...
I didn't know what to feel.
But one thing was clear:
If my past holds a terrifying truth… then now is the only time I can set it right.