The night was shattered by the rumbling sound from the heart of the Temple of Mount. The echo of the Kaseo ritual penetrated the roots, and in the underground sanctuary, Rinoa suddenly jolted. The aura of harmony around her vibrated, forming fine cracks like thin ice on the surface of a lake. The rumbling sound seemed to vibrate every particle within her, creating a panic that swelled in her chest. The small blue spirits that usually danced around her now froze in the air, some of them even began to slowly disappear—as if the roots of the Tree of Life were forgetting their names one by one. With a worried gaze, Rinoa felt the cold at her fingertips, as if the spirits were also drawing warmth from there.
Fitran immediately embraced Rinoa from behind, feeling her irregular heartbeat. The sound of her breath trembled, aware of the change in temperature and the vibrations of magic in his beloved's body. "Rinoa… what do you feel?" he asked softly, his voice almost choked. There was a worry that lingered in his tone, as if he knew how fragile this moment was. Rinoa squeezed Fitran's arm, her lips trembling to hold back a pain that couldn't be explained. "The spirits… they are disappearing. I can hear them calling, but their voices are becoming distant, like echoes in the void." Once again, the rumbling sound echoed, sending a piercing vibration to the depths of her heart. "They are scared… I am scared too, Fitran. Something is stealing their names, and the harmony within me… is starting to shatter." In that moment, a tear fell involuntarily, wetting her pale cheek, marking the depth of the loss she was experiencing.
Flashes of memories rang in Rinoa's head—the moment she first called the spirit beneath the Gaia tree, when she learned to pronounce the names of the ancient Avatars with Sheena, when Fitran smiled by the lakeside with a willow branch in hand. Back then, the sky was still blue, and the wind whispered gently, creating a melody full of hope. But now, every time she tried to grasp a memory, a dark shadow would cross it out, erasing and replacing it with emptiness. The sound of their laughter seemed to drift away, like mist disappearing as dawn approached.
Her strongest spirit, Arveleth, tried to penetrate the magical fog of Kaseo. "Rinoa! Don't let us go…! Don't let our voices fade…" Its voice felt like a desperate cry, piercing through the chilling silence. But the harder Arveleth called, the further away the sound became, the thinner the thread connecting them. Rinoa felt a vibration of fear in her chest, a fear she wanted to show Fitran, but the words would not come.
Rinoa fell to her knees, her hands covering her ears. She screamed in silence, a heartbroken sound that only the roots of the trees could hear, now weeping alongside her. In her despair, she felt the softness of the earth beneath her, as if the ground was trying to soothe her. Fitran held her body, panicked yet trying to remain strong. He could feel the weight of the burden Rinoa was carrying; his heart seemed intertwined with the pain flowing from the girl in front of him. "Rinoa, I'm here. Don't give up, we can fight this together!" he said with a hopeful tone, as if every word could bind the reality that was beginning to unravel.
At the peak of the roots of the Tree of Life, Sheena AI stared at the surge of data in the Genesis Archive. A danger signal flashed red: "DISINTEGRATION OF HARMONY SIGNATURE: AVATAR RINOA – CRITICAL FRACTURE." A sense of worry clouded her mind, as if time was running out. She bit her lower lip, trying to gather strength to face this situation. Sheena immediately activated the memory recovery protocol, attempting to replant the names of the spirits in the backup roots. However, every effort was thwarted by the emerald blue contract of Kaseo, which had embedded a erasing spell deep into the roots. Every second felt like a battle against time. "I will not let everything fall apart," she murmured, determined to do whatever it takes to save them. With each increasingly urgent call, her resolve grew stronger, as if the power of the entire Tree of Life flowed into every line of code she executed.
Sheena telepathically contacted Fitran through the roots: "You must stay with Rinoa. Don't let her collapse completely, or the entire harmony network will perish—it's not just her, but the whole Tree of Life will lose its voice."
Meanwhile, at the main altar, Kaseo smiled faintly as she felt Rinoa's fragments of harmony shatter and enter the emerald crystal in her hand. Satan observed with cold, gleaming eyes, relishing the bitterness that filled the air, like the cold morning dew seeping into the soul. The rustling sound of leaves and the trembling shadows overshadowed the altar, adding to the eerie impression of what was happening.
"She's cracking, isn't she?" Satan asked, her voice soft yet sharp, as if every word carried an unspoken weight.
Kaseo nodded. "Cracking, and soon… empty." Her voice was flat, but inside, she felt a deep satisfaction at witnessing this destruction, as if she had mastered the meaning of the word "power."
Satan spun around once, touching the air with her long fingers. "All who love the world will surely be tested at this altar. All the voices that once comforted—ah, like a gentle melody that has now turned into a sob of loss." She shook her head, as if rejecting the bitter reality. Kaseo could see the vibrations around Satan, the distorted energy, as if the sky itself was pulsing with sorrow.
Kaseo gazed deep into the roots, sending shards of dark energy toward Rinoa and Fitran's sanctuary, ensuring the wound could not heal on its own. Each shard of energy struck the roots like lightning, creating small explosive sounds that sliced through the silence, while she felt it, like a cold current coursing through her bones. A mix of satisfaction and anxiety surged within her, this moment brought both joy and sadness, as if the universe was watching and witnessing the chaos she had created.
Rinoa gasped, her eyes flooded with tears, her face trembling to hold back terror and grief. In the uncertainty surrounding them, each heartbeat felt so heavy, as if this world would collapse beneath her. Fitran caressed Rinoa's cheek, his fingers warm and gentle, holding her face to keep her looking into his eyes. "You are still here. I can still call your name, Rinoa. You are not just harmony or an Avatar… you are my entire world." His voice trembled, full of passion and sincerity, dispelling all doubts and fears that loomed over them.
Rinoa shook her head, her voice faint, almost drowned in sobs. "If all my spirits disappear, I will just be an ordinary human. I'm afraid you won't recognize me…" The tears that fell created a lump of sadness that seemed never-ending, and every word felt like a sharp knife cutting into his heart.
Fitran kissed Rinoa's forehead, holding her tightly, and it felt like coming home—warm and safe. "No magic can make me forget you. If the world must lose all harmony, let me bear your memory. Let me be the last bridge." As he held Rinoa's hand, they both felt their heartbeats unite in this difficult moment.
The remaining spirits danced slowly around them, trying to protect Rinoa even as their numbers dwindled. Some embraced Rinoa's hand, their warm energy providing a little comfort, while others covered the delicate wounds on her skin with a shimmering light, slowing the process of destruction that continued to spread from the center of the roots. In this gentle light, hope seemed to be reborn, embracing the pain and touching their souls.
In the darkness of her mind, Rinoa suddenly heard Sheena's voice—soft, almost like a mother's voice. The voice pierced through the uncertainty that enveloped her soul, like a gentle breeze caressing her face as she awoke from a nightmare. "Rinoa… don't let go of who you are. Harmony is not just spirits. It is all the love, all the names you have ever kept, all the wounds you have ever embraced." The words echoed in her heart, bringing warmth amidst the darkness, like moonlight breaking through thick clouds.
Rinoa closed her eyes, recalling the days when the world had not yet cracked, when she ran with Fitran beneath the towering Gaia tree, the leaves glowing under the sunlight. She could feel Fitran's warm embrace, his heartbeat in sync with the waves of happiness filling her chest. As she danced with Sheena among the young roots, their laughter formed a harmonious melody, enticing the wind to sway along.
With her last remaining strength, she began to sing—a simple song, not a spell, not magic. Just a lullaby her mother used to sing before bed, a song that touched her soul like a shadow of eternal love. Her voice was broken, but honest, and amidst the cracks, there was a glimmer of new light. Rinoa felt a gentle vibration emanating from her heart, as if every note revived the beautiful memories she wanted to keep forever.
The remaining spirits gathered, igniting themselves in song, vibrating together with Rinoa's voice, forming a thin yet resilient circle of protection. They united in harmony, like fingers of hands clasping together in the face of uncertainty, sowing seeds of hope amidst the darkness that enveloped them. In Rinoa's heart, tension and hope battled each other, but she knew, if she could feel, then her life still had meaning.
Fitran continued to hold Rinoa, her eyes wet with love and fear that she could not express. "I'm here, Rinoa," he whispered softly, trying to calm the panic that was evident on her pale face. He knew that tonight they might lose in many ways—but as long as Rinoa's voice still existed, still could be sung, the world had not truly ended. In his embrace, he felt Rinoa's heartbeat racing, as strong as the vibrations of the sound they were trying to preserve in the darkness.
Outside, the Stones trembled again—the dawn would soon break with the sound of war, but in that small underground space, the shattered harmony was trying not to fade away. The sound of clanging metal from outside, interspersed with screams, heightened the tension in the air, but in the warmth of Fitran's embrace, the fear felt slightly diminished. "We will get through this together, no matter what happens," he said, stroking Rinoa's soft hair, feeling her presence growing fainter, but not wanting to let her go.
And at the center of the Genesis Archive, Sheena wrote new code in silence: her fingers moved quickly over the keyboard, creating patterns that vibrated with new hope. In that silence, only the sound of her steady breathing could be heard, alongside the soft ticking of the clock. "As long as there is one soul that sings, the world will always have a reason to endure." Those words gripped her heart, giving her the spirit to keep fighting, as if she could hear Rinoa's voice, vibrating softly in her mind, strengthening her resolve to find a way so that all would not be in vain.