—Sublevel 7, Archives Annex, Gaia Academy—
Year 12118, Era Elyndris
A solitary magelight hovered above Rinoa's desk, casting a silver-blue glow that danced on the obsidian seal of the containment case. Outside, the corridor was wrapped in silence; the rest of the faculty tower had yielded to darkness. Here, surrounded by walls filled with memory crystals and dust-covered tomes, she felt the Spiral's allure cut through her like never before.
Taking a steadying breath, her heart pounded in her chest as she leaned closer to the glass enclosure. "What secrets do you hold?" Rinoa murmured softly, her voice almost swallowed by the stillness. The silent relic seemed to resonate with her uncertainty. "Is it really worth the danger?"
Her gaze lingered on the last necrotech fragment—its edges inscribed with Gamma glyphs and marked by ancient bloodlines—she hesitated. "No one will understand," she whispered, her words barely escaping her lips. "Not even you." Rinoa glanced around, as if some figure lingered just outside the shadows. "Yet I must know. If memory is merely a tapestry... can it truly be repaired? Can Elise—or anyone—be rescued, not as a mere puppet, but as their true selves?"
Her hands trembled as she searched for her field notes, the weight of her choice pressing down on her. "Tonight must not be a futile endeavor," she declared, her voice gradually gaining strength. As she flipped through the fragile pages, the rustle of parchment shattered the stillness like whispers echoing through an empty hall. "These sketches…" she started, furrowing her brow in concentration. "The necrotech array, the comparisons to Vlad's viral vectors—where has this path led me? I find myself accused of probing too deeply into the abyss."
"And yet, here you stand," she murmured to herself, a surge of feverish energy igniting her spirit. "You seek forbidden knowledge, Rinoa. But are you truly ready to pay the price?" She inhaled sharply, challenging the very air around her to respond. "If I can break the cycle…"
Her fingers glided over the spiraling script she had painstakingly transcribed from the forbidden Gamma treatises. "Could this ancient technique genuinely bear fruit? What if I could separate memory from obsession?" Rinoa's thoughts spiraled, a storm of hope tangled with dread. "The Gamma doctrine asserts that the soul is merely a collection of echoes. Atlantean theory suggests that memory is a spiraled resonance, anchored by true names. But if one were to shatter the cycle of trauma—if one could change the memory before it is transferred…"
"Could I save her?" The question hung in the air, vibrating with fragile hope. A chill crept up her spine, but she pushed it aside, determined in her mission. "I must try." Rinoa's determination solidified like winter ice. "For Elise. For every soul caught in this tangled web."
With her heart burning with this new determination, she began her preparations, her voice ringing out with an urgency that pierced the stillness. "This time, I will not waver. I simply cannot."
Rinoa took a deep breath, her voice firm yet strained as she recalled Gamma's sacred teachings. "To detach memory from its fixation…" She faced the silence, her confidence steady, "the doctrine of Gamma states that the soul is made only of resonant echoes. But what of the ancient Atlantean theory? Memory entwines itself in a spiral of resonance, firmly anchored by the names of truth." A heavy silence enveloped her as she steeled her spirit. "But consider this—if we could shatter the cycle of suffering, if we dare to reshape the memory before it is transferred…"
A shiver raced down her spine. Burdened by her thoughts, she murmured, "I must see this through." With a swift motion of her stylus, the observation circle sprang to life with a melodic hum. "Reveal yourself to me." The artifact pulsed with a foreboding energy, ominous yet inviting, as if it recognized her intent.
Then, a voice broke through the unsettling silence—a memory's echo, sharp and clear against the somber backdrop. "Why... is it so dark... where is Elbert...?" The words tumbled out, heavy with sorrow and static. Rinoa's heart quickened; it was Elise's voice, distorted by a painful desperation.
Elise (memory echo): "Did you... uncover the truth?"
Rinoa stood frozen, a wave of dread crashing over her like a storm. "Elise?" she called, her voice trembling as it faltered. "I…I have yet to uncover it. But perhaps I still can. I must understand what happened to you." Her fists clenched tightly, fighting against the constricting ache in her throat. "I am so deeply sorry for what they have done to you. All I wish is to free you from this fate… if there is but a fragment left to save."
With a trembling hand, she pressed it against the device, her eyes closing as if she sought solace in the encroaching darkness. "Just let me in…" she murmured, reaching out for the delicate resonance. A flood of visions surged within her—Elise, radiant and brimming with life, laughing amid the blooming gardens, weeping in the chaos of a storm, extending her hand to Elbert in the lab, eternally searching. "Hold on," Rinoa whispered, fighting against the overwhelming tide of raw emotion. "Please."
Rinoa (internal): Is this what the necrotech protects? Not just knowledge, but every wound, every flicker of hope, all unfiltered and achingly real?
Taking a steadying breath, she focused her thoughts. "I do not seek to exploit you," she asserted with conviction, her voice ringing with earnest determination. "I wish to capture your essence, not to erase it. I promise—memory mapping only; no transfer will take place." As she looked at the glowing glyph beneath her palm, she felt it soothe the stormy feedback swirling around her.
The echo began to fade, leaving behind a profound silence thick with unexpressed emotions. "Elise," Rinoa called softly, "if you can hear my voice…"
"Do not falter, Rinoa. You have the strength to see this through," she whispered to herself, inhaling deeply to steady her trembling hands. A swirl of vibrant energy gathered at her fingertips, the spiral affinity pulsing in time with her heartbeat. "I do not seek to control you, but to recall what has been lost. Only memory mapping—no transference."
A soft azure glyph began to glow beneath her palm, casting an ethereal light that calmed the chaotic feedback surrounding her. "Stay with me, Elise," she pleaded gently, her voice barely more than a whisper, reaching into the vast emptiness of forgotten memories.
As the echo faded, a heavy silence enveloped her. For a brief moment, it felt as if time itself had halted, the air thick with a heavy anticipation.
"Elise, if your spirit lingers—what is it that you wish for?" Rinoa called out, urgency threading her tone.
A dense silence descended, the stillness almost suffocating, before the memory flickered back to life. Elise's voice pierced the quiet, soft as a whisper yet laden with a depth that made Rinoa's heart ache.
Elise: "I do not wish to be a mere shadow. I do not wish to be consumed by hunger. I… desired to truly live…"
Rinoa's gaze shimmered with unshed tears as she took in Elise's words, a storm of emotions roiling inside her. "Then I will do everything in my power," she vowed, her voice firm and unwavering. "I promise I will find a way for memories to heal instead of hurt. Even if it costs me expulsion—or something far worse."
She inhaled deeply, her hands shaking as she murmured into her notes. "Field log, day 162: The resonance test has revealed that the mnemonic imprint lingers within the necrotech for up to twelve years after death, yet its clarity diminishes over time. Emotional distress creates feedback loops—overloading the circuit must be strictly avoided." Rinoa spoke with growing conviction. "By synchronizing spiral glyphs, we may ease pain responses and perhaps gently restore memories. It is wise to pursue only non-invasive methods in our research."
At that moment, footsteps echoed ominously in the hallway, breaking her concentration like shards of glass splintering in the stillness. Panic surged through her veins as she quickly concealed the device and her notes beneath a false panel, her heart pounding like a relentless drum in her chest.
A shadow flitted beneath the door, the unmistakable outline of a magus on patrol, their presence as imposing as a storm gathering on the horizon. Rinoa's breath caught in her throat, and her pulse quickened, an erratic beat of dread.
"Lights are on in Annex 7? At this hour?" a muffled voice called from outside, suspicion cloaking their words like a heavy fog.
"It's nothing," Rinoa replied, her voice barely a whisper, fragile as fine glass. "Just—study hours. The Queen has requested a detailed report by dawn's light."
She felt their piercing gaze press down upon her, a coil of dread tightening in her stomach as she prepared for their next move. The footsteps faded into the distance, but even as a hint of relief washed over her, her hands trembled from the lingering adrenaline. She reached for the cold surface of the necrotech device, resting her forehead against it as if it could offer solace. "You are not alone," she whispered, her voice quaking with emotion. "I remember you. I will remember for us both."
In the stillness of the darkened chamber, where the forbidden device pulsed faintly like a distant heartbeat, Rinoa allowed herself a brief moment of fragile hope.
As the footsteps faded completely, her hands shook as she grasped the necrotech. "Can you hear me?" Rinoa asked softly, pressing her forehead against the cold glass, the weight of isolation settling heavily on her chest. "You are not alone. I remember you. I shall remember for us both." She caressed the surface gently, as if trying to coax a response from the lifeless device. "I will not allow them to erase you again."
In the hushed shadows, with the forbidden device humming quietly in the background, Rinoa took a moment steeped in both hope and dread. "What if the council discovers this?" she wondered, her heart racing at the thought of possible consequences. "They would not hesitate to destroy it." She could nearly hear their chilling voices mock her. "Rinoa, you foolish girl, playing with forces you cannot understand!" Yet, if she were to succeed… "Perhaps the cycle of loss could finally be broken," she murmured, a spark of determination igniting within her. "I must try."