The road descending from the Temple of Serene Ash led us into a valley wrapped in mist.
In the distance, stone towers and wooden rooftops rose like half-awakened ghosts. This was the village of Valenroth, a place that, according to Celine, didn't exist on any recent map.
"If it's not on the map," said Vespera, shaking her backpack, "then it probably has ghosts, curses, or good food."
"Or all of that together," I added.
Liriel walked ahead, hood lowered. "Valenroth was one of the last communities to swear loyalty to Zephyron before the fall. They say he lit an eternal flame here… and that it never went out."
"Eternal flame," I repeated, unenthusiastic. "That never means anything good."
The village seemed intact, yet strangely still. The windows were open, the doors slightly ajar, and the air carried a sweet, almost artificial smell. There were no animal sounds, no wind.
Until a woman's voice echoed from the main square:
"Welcome, travelers!"
A woman in a blue dress approached us, smiling. She was young, her face far too serene.
"I am Emyra, priestess of Valenroth. May the winds bring peace to your steps."
"Peace… would be nice," I muttered. "And maybe a lunch."
She smiled as if she had heard that a thousand times. "We have a tavern. And shelter, if you need it. No visitor leaves Valenroth without rest."
Celine stepped closer, studying the woman. "How long has this village existed?"
Emyra blinked, confused. "Since always. Since the Guardian lit the flame."
"The Guardian," Liriel repeated. "Zephyron."
The priestess only smiled. "He watches over us. He always has."
Elara glanced at me and whispered, "Something's wrong. She talks as if time never passed."
I felt it too. It was as if the air vibrated slowly, as if we were inside a dream that didn't know how to wake up.
The tavern of Valenroth looked normal — wooden benches, the smell of warm bread, muffled laughter. The problem was that no one there seemed to breathe. People talked, drank, moved… but all with movements too precise, too repetitive.
"They're trapped in a loop," Celine said quietly.
"A spell?" I asked.
"No. A collective memory."
Vespera poked one of the patrons — an old man smiling as he raised his mug of beer. "Hey, friend, what day is it today?"
"Harvest day," he answered. "The day the Guardian promised eternal light."
"And when was that?"
"Well, just yesterday."
She stepped back. "Yeah… he's pretty updated."
Liriel stood. "The flame here doesn't burn in the present. It preserves the past."
Celine nodded. "Zephyron must have left something — a greater echo, maybe a fragment of his soul — to protect these people. But the protection became a prison."
"So how do we break it?" I asked.
"By finding the center of the spell. The point where time still flows."
We headed to the center of the village, where there was a large stone fountain. In the middle, a blue torch remained lit, just like the flame I had seen in the temple.
When we approached, the air distorted. The surrounding houses began to change — windows shut on their own, and the sunlight vanished, replaced by a sky of deep gray.
The villagers stopped and looked at us.
"You do not belong to the memory," they said in unison, voices merging.
Elara raised her bow. "They're coming."
There were no screams, no chaos — just movement.
The villagers approached, serene faces, eyes glowing bright blue.
"Don't hurt anyone," Celine ordered. "They're not real."
"Real enough to bite," Vespera grumbled, dodging an old lady wielding a spoon.
Liriel began to cast. Golden symbols lit up around the fountain. "Takumi, the flame is the core! I need you to touch it!"
"Me?!"
"You're the link! Only you can reverse the memory's anchoring!"
I ran to the fountain. The heat was strange — it didn't burn, but it seeped into my bones.
I touched the pedestal. And then, the entire village vanished.
Suddenly, I was somewhere else.
The same valley, but bathed in golden light. People smiled, free, and Zephyron was there — young, wearing white armor, lighting the central torch.
"As long as this flame burns," he said, "Valenroth will never forget the day we were saved."
But there was sadness in his eyes, even as he smiled.
And then, the vision shattered.
The houses burned, people screamed, and the blue flame devoured everything.
Zephyron, kneeling, tried to contain the fire with his bare hands.
"I don't want you to feel pain… remember only the peace!"
The flame obeyed — erasing reality and leaving only the memory of the happy moment.
When I woke up, I was on my knees before the fountain.
The blue flame flickered, weakened.
The people around me began to disappear, one by one, as if dissolving into light.
Emyra was the last. She smiled, gentle.
"Thank you for freeing us. We held the flame for too long."
And then, she vanished.
Silence. Only the wind and the distant sound of leaves.
Elara was the first to approach.
"Did you… free them?"
"I don't know if free is the right word," I replied. "They were memories that wanted to rest."
Liriel touched the edge of the fountain.
"Part of Zephyron's soul was here. Now it's gone."
"Gone where?"
"Maybe… to you."
Celine watched from afar, her face expressionless.
"The flame is changing, Takumi. The bond is growing."
"Great. I can barely handle my own memories, let alone someone else's."
Vespera leaned her arm on me, laughing.
"At least now you've got a premium demon inside your head. That's got to be worth a few coins."
I laughed, but the sound came out weak.
Inside me, I felt something — a calm presence, different from the previous visions.
A faint voice whispered:
"You saw what I tried to protect. Do not repeat my mistake."
I lifted my gaze to the gray sky. The wind blew, and the village torch went out for good.
Valenroth disappeared from the map — perhaps it could finally rest.
At nightfall, we set up camp on the road.
The group's silence was heavy, but not sad — just thoughtful.
Elara stirred the fire.
"Every place we pass shows a side of him. A guardian, a sinner, a tired man."
"And what if, in the end, we find out he doesn't even want to be saved?" I asked.
Liriel answered without taking her eyes off the flames.
"Then maybe our task is simply to understand why."
Celine stood up, looking toward the horizon.
"The next echo is north. A submerged tower called Eidath. But before that… you all need to rest."
Vespera stretched.
"Resting sounds great. I just hope the next village doesn't come with ghosts included."
"No guarantees," I muttered, lying down.
The blue flame glowed softly in the dark, pulsing in rhythm with my heart.
For the first time, I felt that Zephyron wasn't just a memory trying to return —
he was a promise the world refused to fulfill.
And somehow, that promise now burned inside me.