The world was breaking.
Every time Rai's blade met Asha's, the air shattered into waves of energy that ripped the forest apart. The white trees splintered, turning to ash midair, while the very ground screamed beneath their feet.
Asha moved like a ghost, her long silver hair cutting through the crimson light as she weaved spells with one hand and wielded a blade of pure mana with the other. Each strike was deliberate, precise—beautiful in its intent to kill.
"You've grown strong, Rai," she said, her tone oddly gentle as her mask caught the glint of burning light. "But strength without understanding is still weakness."
Rai dodged, sparks flying as his sword carved through a pillar of roots. "Understanding won't bring them back."
"No," Asha whispered, "but denial won't set them free either."
Her spell flared. Dozens of spectral chains burst from the ground, glowing with runes that matched the seal on Rai's wrist. They wrapped around his limbs before he could react, locking him in place. The chains pulsed with golden light—his own vow, turned against him.
Asha stepped closer, her porcelain mask reflecting his struggling form. "Tell me, Rai. Do you even remember why the Eclipse was created?"
He growled, forcing the flames around his sword to expand, but the chains held firm. "To end the Endless War. To seal the gods that devoured our world."
She tilted her head. "Half-truths. You sealed them, yes… but do you recall what you used as the key?"
Rai's breath caught. His body froze—not from the chains, but from the sudden rush of memory.
A field of corpses. His comrades kneeling in formation, chanting the final vow. Lyra's voice was trembling as she stepped forward.
"Rai… if we must die to end this, let us die for you."
Then—the eclipse. The red sun is devouring the blue. The world is breaking apart.
"No…" Rai whispered. His voice cracked. "No, I didn't—"
Asha raised her hand, and the air trembled. The Heart of the Forgotten behind her began to beat faster, illuminating the truth she spoke.
"You used their souls to bind the seal, Rai. Every knight, every vow—it was their lives that became the lock. The Eclipse didn't destroy them… you did."
The words cut through him like a blade. The chains around his arms glowed brighter, feeding on his despair.
Rai screamed, forcing his energy outward. Flames erupted from his body, burning through the bindings. His sword blazed brighter than ever before, its steel singing with pain and fury.
"You think I don't know guilt!?" he shouted, lunging forward. "I've lived every day hearing their voices!"
Their blades met, sending shockwaves that turned the air to glass.
Asha smiled beneath her cracking mask. "Then let it consume you."
She vanished, reappearing behind him in a blur. Her blade sliced through his cloak, grazing his ribs. Blood sprayed into the air. Rai turned, countering with a desperate swing that struck her across the chest. The impact shattered half of her porcelain mask, revealing the face beneath.
Rai froze.
It was Lyra.
Her hair, her eyes, the same faint scar across her lip.
"Lyra…?" he breathed. "No—it can't be—"
Her expression was both pained and cold. "The girl you knew is gone. When you used the Eclipse, I was the first soul bound to it. The others followed willingly."
Rai's heart twisted. "You—You were the key!?"
"Yes," she whispered, tears mixing with blood. "And because of that, I became the Keeper. The seal's will, its conscience. Every soul trapped inside me."
He stepped back, shaking his head. "Then why fight me? Why keep this cursed labyrinth alive!?"
"Because if you free it carelessly," Lyra said, her voice breaking, "you'll break the balance that holds the gods at bay. You'll destroy what's left of the world."
The truth hit him harder than any blade.
He fell to his knees. "So I'm damned either way…"
Lyra—Asha—looked down at him, tears glowing faintly as they fell and turned into light. "No. You're not damned. You're needed. Finish what you began, Rai. But do it right this time."
The world around them began to fade, the forest collapsing into light. Lyra's form flickered, her mask disintegrating completely as her body turned to ash.
"The Third Key is yours," she whispered. "The Key of Memory."
Rai reached for her, but his hand passed through empty air. The last thing she said before vanishing into dust echoed through the endless silence:
"When the seventh gate opens, I'll be waiting where our vow was broken."
And then she was gone.
Rai stood alone amidst a silent field of white ash. The mark on his wrist glowed with three symbols now—Resolve, Truth, and Memory—each burning brighter than before.
But as he looked up at the blood-red sky, a shadow began to form—a colossal silhouette watching him from beyond the veil. A god stirring in its slumber.
The air vibrated with the whisper of ancient fury.
"The Vowbound rises again… and so shall we."
Rai tightened his grip on his sword. His resolve hardened.
"Then let them rise," he muttered. "Because this time… I'll be ready."