The system hadn't calmed down, in fact, it was getting worse.
[ALERT: ROYAL SCRYING SIGNAL ACTIVE]
[SCAN INTENSITY: INCREASING]
[TRACE: 63.2% COMPLETE]
[RECOMMENDATION: FLEE IMMEDIATELY]
"Okay, not to alarm you," Kaito said, staring at the flickering interface, "but we might have about thirty seconds before something very magical and probably very pissed off finds this place."
Lyria was already moving.
She strapped her armor on piece by piece quickly. Her sword went into its holding with a click like thunder.
"You're not leaving me behind, right?" he asked, grabbing what little gear he had (which wasn nothing, mostly just his clothes, bandages and sarcasm).
"You're bonded to me now," Lyria said. "They'll trace your magic, too."
"So, am a fugitive now too.."
"Cool.. cool, sexy and now very terrifying. Got it, Let's run."
[GLITCH EVENT: BOND SIGNAL STABILIZATION FAILED]
[ERROR: SYSTEM CLOAKING FAILED — DESIRE CORE VISIBLE]
[OVERRIDE IN PROGRESS…]
[OVERRIDE COMPLETE: ENGAGING GLITCH-CLOAK]
Kaito's vision flashed white.
And suddenly… he vanished. Sort of..
[TEMPORARY STATUS: UNTRACEABLE]
[DURATION: 90 Seconds]
"What the hell?" he whispered.
Lyria turned and blinked. "I can't feel you."
"Yeah, that makes two of us."
She stepped toward him, reaching out. Her fingers passed right through his arm like he was smoke.
"I... I can't feel the bond," she said, voice tight.
"I think the system's hiding me, like… glitch camouflage."
"That's not normal," she whispered. "You shouldn't be able to do that."
Kaito raised an eyebrow. "You're the one who turned into a fire goddess yesterday, I'm playing catch up."
She didn't laugh this time, her face was paler.
"This means the system isn't just syncing with me, It's protecting you."
Kaito blinked. "Is that… good or bad?"
"I don't know," she said. "But whatever it means, you're not just my bonded anymore."
She said it like she didn't know whether to be scared or impressed.
[TRACE PAUSED — SIGNAL LOST]
[SENTRY REDEPLOYED TO LAST LOCATION: BLACK FLAME OUTPOST RUINS]
Kaito exhaled. The red glow faded from the air around them.
[DANGER TEMPORARILY AVERTED]
"Well that's a comforting phrase," he muttered.
Lyria turned away, buckling her gloves.
"Whoever's watching," she said, "they won't stop."
"And we don't know when they'll try again?" Kaito added.
She nodded once.
Then the system chimed again.
[NEW LOCATION DISCOVERED: EMOTION FRAGMENT ZONE DETECTED]
[DUNGEON CLASS: PERSONAL]
[TITLE: ASH MEMORY – THE UNFORGIVEN]
They both turned to the edge of the trees beyond the chapel, something glowed out there like smoke curling through sunlight.
Lyria didn't speak.
Kaito looked at her.
"That yours?"
She nodded quietly, both angry and Guilty.
She'd had never entered it before really.
Lyria looked toward the glowing memory zone, then back at him.
"If we're gonna survive this world," She said, "we're gonna have to stop running from it."
"I don't think I'm ready for any of that."
"Neither am I. Let's go anyway."
The forest was too quiet, and not in the peaceful way.
Like even the wind didn't want to follow them.
Lyria walked ahead, silent. Her armor clinked softly with every step but other than that, she made no sound. Okay, maybe the sword on her back did a little too.
Kaito followed, maybe twenty feet behind. He didn't say anything either.
But he could feel it.
Something was wrong with the world ahead.
[ZONE TYPE: FRAGMENT – PERSONAL TRAUMA]
[BOUND SIGNATURE: LYRIA – BLACK FLAME]
[DUNGEON NAME: ASH MEMORY – THE UNFORGIVEN]
[SYNC TRIGGERED: EMOTIONAL FIELD STABILITY DROPPING…]
It looked like an old battlefield but burned out, charred trees, melted armor half buried in the dirt. Ash falling from the sky even though there was no fire.
A giant spire stood in the center, cracked and bleeding red light.
"This is where it happened," Lyria said.
Her voice was barely above a whisper.
"Where you burned them?" Kaito asked.
"No," she said. "Where they betrayed me."
Kaito stopped walking.
"He made me do it"
Lyria kept going.
"He told me I was his," she said. "That because of the bond, I had to obey, that I didn't have a choice and when I said no…"
She reached out and touched one of the burnt helmets in the dirt.
"he tried to take control anyway."
Kaito's system blinked again.
[SYNC UPDATE: MEMORY SPILL DETECTED]
[SYSTEM CREATING DUNGEON NODE FROM BOUND GUILT]
[WARNING: MONSTERS WILL REFLECT EMOTIONAL STATES]
[BOSS STATUS: ACTIVE – NAME: The Flame Puppeteer]
"Lyria…"
"I thought I was saving myself," she said. "But I wasn't. I just killed them all."
Kaito stepped up beside her.
"You didn't kill them," he said. "You just broke the chain."
She didn't respond.
[SYNC COMPLETE: FRAGMENT OPENED]
[NEW SKILL AVAILABLE: Trauma Link – Flame Transfer Lv.1]
[Shared Skill: When target experiences guilt, you gain +25% Defense]
Okay that's… oddly specific. Kaito thought and mildly depressing.
Then a sudden boom echoed through the field.
Something rose from the center spire.
A massive figure. Human shaped but made of stone like armor with black smoke hovering around it. Chains hung from its arms burning hot, a helmet shaped like a crown sat twisted on its head.
[BOSS IDENTIFIED: THE FLAME PUPPETEER – Echo of Bond Corruption]
[WARNING: BOND INVERSION FIELD DETECTED, ALL HEALING REDIRECTED TO ENEMY]
In short, it was a very terrifying sight.
"Well that's a dick move," Kaito murmured.
The thing let out a deep roar, it felt mechanical, and then it charged.
Lyria didn't hesitate, she moved like lightning, sword drawn, flame igniting around her again.
Kaito was skeptical, then ran after her.
"Welcome to your first real fight," the system whispered.
Let's see if your trauma hurts more than hers.
"That's not encouraging, at all."