The crystal pulsed in Jiwoon's palm, sending shards of memory crashing into his mind.
He saw Eden again—
Not as the silent stranger from moments ago,
But as the boy who once stood beside him, fists bloodied, smiling beneath a rainstorm.
"Let's change the world together."
That was the oath they made.
But now…
Eden remembered none of it.
—
The vision faded. Jiwoon gasped, stumbling back.
Eden caught him.
"You alright?"
Jiwoon stared up at him, searching. "Why don't you remember?"
Eden didn't answer. He just looked at the crystal.
"This thing… called to me. I thought maybe it would help me remember something I lost."
Jiwoon's fingers curled around it tightly. "You didn't lose it. It was taken from you."
—
Meanwhile…
Elsewhere, inside the system's core…
A figure watched the scene unfold through fractured data threads.
"It begins," the voice muttered.
"When the boy regains what the world tried to erase…"
The screen flickered:
🔸 [Sin Sequence Disruption Detected]
🔸 [Echo Protocol — Stage 2: Ignition]
—
Back at the temple ruins, Vera stepped forward.
"If he's not our enemy… what is he?"
Kaelya answered for her.
"He's a living echo. Someone who shouldn't exist, yet still does."
—
Eden turned toward Jiwoon.
"I don't know what I am to you… but I'm willing to find out."
Jiwoon nodded.
"Then let's walk forward. Even if the past is broken."
And for the first time in days… he smiled.