I. The Birth of a Memory
The Council ship floated above the northern clouds, shrouded in perpetual mist.
Inside, the silence was absolute. Liria sat before a circular window, observing the reflection of her face in the glass.
She was perfect. Too perfect.
Her skin, white as the moon. Her eyes, a deep gray, seemed to absorb the light. But behind that perfection there was something that tormented her: the emptiness in her mind.
She remembered nothing. Not a name, not a childhood, not a past.
Only the echo of a voice. Soft. Distant. Masculine.
"There is no Eden without shadow… nor shadow without light."
Every time that phrase echoed, his body trembled.
He knew that voice didn't belong to Tobias, nor to the Council. It came from a more ancient place.
Liria closed her eyes, and for an instant, she saw it: a golden city covered in black roots, and in its center, a man with a fiery gaze.
" Who are you?" she whispered into the void.
II. Tobias Kroll
Tobias watched Liria from across the laboratory as the Council's technicians calibrated her energy levels.
He considered her a masterpiece. A symbol of his future victory. A creation of his brother, reworked by his own hands.
However, there was something about her that unsettled him.
Too much silence. Too much calm.
— Liria —he said, approaching—, tell me what you see when you look towards the horizon.
She slowly turned her head.
"I see... a boundary." "Between what and what?" "Between who I am... and who I pretend to be."
Tobias frowned.
"You're deviating from the protocol." "Or maybe... I'm starting to remember," she whispered, without taking her eyes off the window.
Tobias's metal arm clicked softly.
"Nothing to remember. You're new. A clean start. No mistakes." Liria looked him straight in the eye. "And you, Tobias? Were you born clean too?"
For the first time in years, the general didn't know what to say.
III. Echoes of the Tree
That same night, while the Council slept, Liria left her capsule and walked down the main corridor.
The air vibrated with a dense energy. The ship was connected to an artificial replica of the Tree, a synthetic version created by Aldrich's scientists. Its roots, metallic and cold, pulsed with blue light.
Liria placed her hand on one of them.
Instantly, a current ran through her body. Images. Voices. Fragments.
She saw the ancient Edenfall, the fire of the north, Draven falling… And then,
Akihiko 's face , his hand reaching out to her.
— "Fear not what you are, but what you forget to be."
She fell to her knees, tears streaming down her face for reasons she didn't understand.
The metal beneath her fingers began to crack. The synthetic roots of the Tree reacted to her presence, emitting an uncontrolled pulse.
The alarms went off.
Tobias and the technicians rushed in.
"Shut down the core!" one of them shouted. "It's draining energy from the Tree!"
Tobias watched in horror.
The Tree's power shouldn't resonate within her. It wasn't possible. And yet, Liria was absorbing fragments of the pure energy flow… exactly as Akihiko did.
IV. The Secret of His Blood
Hours later, when the alarms subsided, Tobias entered the room alone.
Liria was unconscious, floating in a containment capsule. Her skin glowed faintly, with veins of golden light running along her arms.
Aldrich appeared behind him, without making a sound.
"You knew, didn't you?" he said coldly. "That she had more than just your brother's DNA."
Tobias didn't respond.
Aldrich activated a monitor, displaying the genetic results.— Energy sequence matched 67% with… Akihiko Sora.
Tobias turned away, incredulous.
"That's impossible. He left no descendants, no biological trace whatsoever." "I'm not talking about descendants, Tobias. I'm talking about resonance. When your brother fell in the north, some of Eden's energy flow was captured by satellite. That energy was the basis for creating it."
Aldrich stared at him.
"Liria is not your weapon. She is the echo of balance. An imperfect replica of the Guardian."
Tobias clenched his fists, filled with anger.
"Then I'll perfect it."
V. Akihiko – The Invisible Pulse
That same night, in Edenfall, Akihiko opened his eyes abruptly.
A pulse had pierced him. It wasn't hostile, but it was familiar. The Tree vibrated in sync.
Kaede watched him rise from his spiritual bed.
"What's wrong?" Akihiko gazed at the horizon, his voice low, almost a whisper. "Someone... has touched the Tree. But not from here." "From outside?" "No. From an imitation."
The core ignited with a faint glow.
Tiny particles of energy began to float around it, forming the silhouette of a woman. Not complete, not tangible… only a spiritual projection.
Kaede saw her and took a step back.
"Who... is it?"
Akihiko stood motionless.
In the image, the gray-eyed woman gazed at him sadly. — "Why do you remember me… if you never saw me?"
The glow faded, leaving Akihiko with absolute certainty:
that presence held part of his power. And part of his destiny.
VI. The Aldrich Plan
Meanwhile, at headquarters, Aldrich reviewed the logs.
"The connection has been established." Eris Nocturne smiled, holding a chalice of silvery liquid. "So she already sensed it. He must have too. The bond is complete."
"Exactly," Aldrich agreed. "
But there's a problem: the emotional connection wasn't part of the plan." "Are you afraid Liria will develop a will of her own?" Eris asked. "I'm not afraid of that. I'm afraid she'll remember that she wasn't born... but was recreated ."
He turned to the window.
"If that happens, it won't be a weapon anymore. It will be a reflection. And a reflection can become a god."
VII. Shadows and Destinies
Edenfall began to tremble.
Akihiko, in the center of the Sanctuary, felt the vibration intensify. The Tree spoke to him in a deep, almost paternal voice.
"Your reflection has opened its eyes."
Akihiko gritted his teeth.
"So history repeats itself."
Kaede watched him.
"What are you going to do?" He turned, his cloak billowing in the sanctuary wind. "I'll go after her. Before the Council makes her another victim of Eden."
VIII. The Seed of Rebellion
On the Council ship, Liria awoke in her capsule.
Tobias was asleep in his seat, exhausted. She watched him for a few seconds… and then placed her hand on the windowpane.
The stars were reflected in his eyes.
" Akihiko…" he whispered.
" If you exist, tell me who I am."
A tear fell, and upon touching the metallic floor, it became a tiny golden spark.
That spark traveled through the ship like an invisible current, merging with the electrical system. And the Tree of Edenfall felt it.
Deep in the city, Akihiko opened his eyes at the same time.
Eden had just answered.
🕯️ End of Chapter 291
The mystery of Liria Kroll is partially revealed: she was created with energetic DNA derived from the same flow that gave rise to Akihiko's power.
She is an imperfect reflection of balance, half human, half echo of Eden.
Tobias plans to use her as a weapon against Edenfall, but Aldrich and Eris see her as a risk that could disrupt even their own plans.
Liria, meanwhile, begins to feel an inexplicable connection with Akihiko… a spiritual bond that transcends time and matter.
And when they both perceive it at the same instant, the Tree awakens again.
The cycle has begun once more.