A thin mist still lingered in the cursed forest.
Eiren stood in the center of the glow from the Moon Compass, his eyes trembling. Faint visions of the past began to appear around him — the ancient forest shrouded in a curse, the Queen of the Moon, and the battles that plunged the woods into darkness.
"I… I can see it," he whispered, his eyes flickering. "I can see everything that happened in the past…"
Lyra looked at him, her voice shaking.
"What you are about to see… may break your heart."
The silver light spun around Eiren, the bells beneath the altar ringing again and again.
He felt the Queen's pain, love, and loss each time a shadow reflected into him.
> "I… I had to choose…" he whispered.
"Between her and the world… I understand now why I was called back."
The wind picked up. The past became clearer — Eiren saw himself as a young man bound by the curse, and the Queen sacrificing her life to protect the forest.
Lyra reached out, gently grasping his arm.
"Eiren… don't get lost in the past and forget what matters most right now."
Eiren turned to her, resolute.
> "I… will learn every memory… and use it to finally end the curse."
The full moon shone above the treetops, silver light from the Moon Compass spiraling outward.
The power of past and present intertwined.
> Tonight… his journey through the past had truly begun.