I. The Silence that Resounds
The echo of the battle still reverberated through the ruins of Edenfall. The shadows that had shrouded the city were beginning to fade, but the weight of what had just transpired lingered in the air. The obsidian flower that Akihiko had crafted from Karyū's fall continued to pulse with a strange energy, as if it were the very heart of the Tree itself.
Akihiko, standing amidst the ruins of what had once been a bustling commercial district, felt the emptiness within him expand. The energy the fragment granted him wasn't just consuming him; it was transforming him. Was this the price of power? The wind sweeping through the ruins seemed to carry a question Akihiko wasn't ready to answer.
Beside her, Kaede watched the flower with an expression that wavered between fascination and fear. The city was breathing with an unnatural rhythm.
"This isn't just the Tree, Akihiko. It's much deeper than that. Something is awakening within Edenfall." His voice was low, but the weight of each word was palpable.
Akihiko nodded without looking at her, lost in his own thoughts. Each step he took seemed to echo louder. The Fruit Fragment was taking control, and the worst part was that he knew he couldn't stop it for much longer.
But before he could say anything, a whisper cut through the air.
"The Echo has not ceased. The Ninth Seal is but a shadow of the end."
II. The Call of Darkness
The voice came from behind them, carried by the wind. A figure emerged from the shadows, as if it had been waiting for them in the gloom all along. It wasn't one of the Seven Deadly Ones , but the presence it emanated was all the more unsettling. The figure was draped in a flowing black silk cloak, as if it were an extension of the darkness itself.
Akihiko raised the katana, but Kaede stopped him with a gesture.
—He's not an enemy. He's more than that.
The figure raised its head, revealing silver eyes that reflected the same empty echo that Akihiko had felt inside.
" Who are you?" Akihiko asked, his voice harsh, though his pulse throbbed with an anxiety he could not contain.
The figure smiled, a somber gesture that did not manage to illuminate its features.
—I am Ishtara , the Echo of the Tree . I have been here since before the founding of Edenfall. And now, the time has come for the Tree to decide its fate.
Akihiko frowned.
—Has the Tree already decided? And what does all this have to do with Edenfall?
Ishtara approached slowly, as if her walk were a dance of shadows.
"The Tree is not just a tree, Akihiko. It is a network of memories . Every being, every life that has walked this world is imprinted on its roots. Edenfall is merely a reflection of its expansion. The Ninth Seal is only a catalyst. The final echo of the cycle."
Kaede, unable to remain silent any longer, intervened.
—And what is the purpose of all this? Why have you come now?
Ishtara looked at her, her silver eyes twinkling with an enigmatic gleam.
"I have come to warn you. The end of the cycle is not merely the awakening of the Tree. It is the reconstruction of the world as we know it. The Ninth Seal will not close the cycle. It will only open the portal to what comes next: the Tenth Core ."
III. The Last Portal
Akihiko heard those words like a distant echo, as if they came from a place outside of reality itself.
" The Tenth Core?" he asked, though his voice was already trembling, feeling the words slipping from his control.
—Yes. The Tenth Core is the beginning and the end . When it awakens, the Tree will decide what to do with all that it has consumed. You will no longer be a mere vessel. You will be an extension of its will.
Akihiko couldn't process it. His mind was already at its limit, his body exhausted from the internal struggle with the fragment, and now this… the Tenth Core. The beginning of the end.
Ishtara extended a hand toward the obsidian flower, her gesture elegant but laden with an invisible threat.
"The cycle must end, Akihiko. But you cannot do it alone. The Tree has chosen you, but not for your destruction. The power you possess is only part of the sacrifice you must make. If you do not know how to seal it, all that remains will be devoured by the Tree's roots ."
Akihiko closed his eyes. Power… only power…
" What should I do?" she asked, her voice strained by the pressure she felt in her chest.
Ishtara smiled, but it wasn't a smile of consolation. It was a smile that could only come from someone who had seen the cycle more times than any human being could bear.
"You must join him . Only then will the Tree allow you to complete the cycle. But that requires more than you are willing to give. The Tenth Core will not be the end, Akihiko. It will only be the beginning of a new existence."
IV. The Decision of Blood
Ishtara's figure vanished like a shadow, leaving Akihiko and Kaede in a profound silence. The city continued to breathe, but the echo of the Tenth Core already hung in the air, like an unanswered promise.
Akihiko stared at the obsidian flower, still throbbing with an unfamiliar energy. Something inside him twisted.
What should he do?
The city was on the brink of collapse , and he held the key to its fate. But what was the price of that key? What would be left of him when it was all over?
Kaede, seeing the whirlwind in Akihiko's eyes, walked towards him, placing a hand on his shoulder.
—You'll do fine, Akihiko. Just remember that power doesn't define who you are.
V. The Last Hour
A heart-rending scream echoed from afar, far from Edenfall , from deep within the city where darkness was already beginning to creep in.
The Tenth Core was calling.
And with it, the end of everything .