Veyra stared in frozen horror, her lips trembling as she watched the golden-eyed Wraith raise its blade.
Even through the distortions of time and energy, she knew that face. Not from dreams. Not from stories.
From her childhood.
"Father…" she whispered again, voice shaking.
But the Wraith no longer recognized her. It was a puppet now—memory hollowed, soul bound by the Source's cruel preservation.
Alex stepped between them, gripping his blue-lit spear. His feet sank slightly into the glowing stone beneath him, the energy reacting to his rising tension.
"Veyra," he said firmly, "step back."
"No!" she yelled, fire suddenly surging in her palms. "That's my father! I won't lose him again!"
The Wraith—Lioren—charged. His golden blade screamed through the air like a sorrowful hymn.
Alex barely blocked the strike, his arms jolting from the force. The collision echoed like thunder through the cavern, cracks spidering across the floor.
Lioren moved differently than the other Wraiths. More precise. More human. Fragments of who he used to be still flickered behind his golden eyes.
System Notification:
Echo Imprint Detected – Lioren, Former Guardian of Memory
Stability: 9%
Warning: Emotional resonance may trigger memory bleed.
"What the hell does that mean?" Alex muttered, narrowly dodging a second slash.
"It means," Veyra said, her voice distant, "his core is unstable. And if I don't reach him soon… he'll collapse completely."
A surge of fire roared from her hands as she rushed forward, trying to hold back the other Wraiths circling behind them.
Kairo and Eira burst into the cavern just in time.
"Looks like we found the party," Kairo said, immediately summoning a lightning strike from his dual blades.
Eira loosed an arrow that struck one of the Wraiths square in the chest. It staggered, but didn't fall. "These things don't die," she hissed.
"No," Veyra shouted, "but they can be freed! If we hit their core with Alex's aura—his blue Source—it can disrupt the binding!"
Alex's eyes narrowed as he danced around Lioren's relentless attacks. The blue energy within him pulsed like a heartbeat, syncing to something deeper. Older.
"You're still in there," Alex said between clashes. "I know you can hear her."
Lioren slashed again—but this time, he hesitated.
Just for a second.
Alex saw it.
"Veyra, talk to him! Say something only he'd remember!"
Veyra's eyes welled up. She trembled, then shouted:
"You used to tell me stars are the dreams of Guardians! You said, even if you vanish… you'd still be watching!"
The Wraith's blade stopped midair.
It wavered.
Then screamed.
A terrible, hollow sound that shook the cavern.
Light cracked across Lioren's form—fractures of gold peeling away like broken armor.
Alex raised his spear, infused with the full power of his blue aura.
"Forgive me," he whispered—and drove it into Lioren's core.
A flash of light.
Silence.
The Wraith's body dissolved into a soft burst of golden embers, floating gently toward Veyra. For just a moment, one last memory flickered in her mind:
Her father, smiling, standing beneath a starlit sky. Whispering: "You are my light, Veyra. Never let the world take that from you."
She fell to her knees.
The other Wraiths shrieked—then vanished, as if tethered to Lioren's presence.
Aftermath
The group stood in the aftermath of the battle, breathing hard.
Kairo leaned against a pillar. "That was… intense."
Eira wiped her forehead. "And heartbreaking."
Veyra didn't speak. She just clutched her father's pendant, the only thing left behind. Tears rolled silently down her cheeks.
Alex placed a hand on her shoulder. "He was still in there. You brought him back, even for a moment."
She nodded slowly. "Thank you… for not killing him like the others."
"I didn't save him," Alex said quietly. "You did."
Suddenly, the cavern pulsed.
A low hum filled the space, and a new crystal emerged from the center—a glowing Memory Core.
System Notification:
Memory Core Unlocked – Lioren's Last Echo
New Lore Fragment Acquired: "The Guardian Rebellion"
Map Updated: Hidden Archive – 'Tomb of the Forgotten' Unlocked
Veyra's eyes widened. "That's his memory. His truth."
Alex grabbed the core. "Then we follow it."
Far Away… In a Hidden Throne Room
Kael stood in the shadows of a shattered temple—his eyes locked on a floating mirror-like relic.
He watched as Lioren's Wraith form disintegrated.
A single drop of blood trickled from his palm, though no wound was visible.
"So… he found her," Kael murmured.
From the shadows, a voice slithered.
"He grows stronger. Faster than expected."
Kael didn't turn. "Let him. The higher he climbs, the harder he'll fall."
The voice grinned. "And the world?"
Kael clenched his fist. "The world will burn when he learns who he really is."
End of Chapter 33