Shadows do not scream when they attack. They scream when they remember.
The crystal chamber shook as the Echo's voice rose—Areum's, but not her. A corrupted memory warped by time, pain, and the dungeon's residual grief.
Dark tendrils slithered from the walls like veins seeking a pulse. The floor cracked open in jagged lines, revealing a black abyss beneath. The temperature dropped further—bone-deep, soul-deep.
"Form up!" Suho snapped, eyes locked on the hostile echo of his sister.
Caldran raised his sword, planting himself beside Suho like a sentinel. Gravekin flanked the rear. The wyvern hissed, wings stretching wide, ready to fight.
Mirae was frozen. Her eyes were on Areum's flickering form, voice trembling.
"That… that's her? That's the memory?"
"No," Suho said quietly, stepping forward. "It's her pain."
The echo of Areum shrieked.
"You're not him! You left me! YOU LEFT ME!"
And the shadows surged.
The Battle of the Shattered Hall
Twelve shadow forms erupted from the walls—each shaped like broken children with distorted faces and hollow eyes. Echoes of fear. Of loneliness.
"Class-A spectral types!" Mirae called, summoning her staff. "They'll latch onto your thoughts!"
Hojin grunted as one of the smaller shades darted at him. "Already doing it—damn thing's whispering my regrets!"
The creature lunged.
Before it reached him, a spear of bone pierced its chest. One of the Gravekin stepped in front, silent and efficient. The creature screeched and burst into violet mist.
Suho scanned the battlefield, mind racing.
[New Threat Identified: Echo Fragment – Areum, Phase 1]
HP: 35,000 / ???
Status: Unstable | Split-State Echo | Bound to Tomb Core
"Don't kill her," Suho muttered. "Not completely. I need to anchor the memory—purify it."
"What does that mean?!" Minho yelled, smashing his shield into two approaching wraiths.
"It means I need to reach her before her pain consumes her completely."
Shadows of the Dormitory
The corrupted Areum raised her arms.
The shadows shifted—and suddenly the battlefield changed.
They were no longer in a crystal hall.
Instead, the space warped around them—twisting into an eerie recreation of Areum's dorm room, covered in ash and cracks, with bloodied walls and ghostly books suspended midair.
"What the hell—!?" Mirae shouted.
[Phase Shift: Memory Domain Activated]
Restrictions: Skills beyond Tier 2 disabled | Necromantic Aura Amplified
Condition: Defeat the Anchors of Guilt (3 Remaining)
Three red-glowing objects materialized in the air:
– A stuffed rabbit soaked in phantom tears.
– A flickering tablet screen showing a missed call from "Oppa."
– A calendar, days marked in red Xs.
Suho's heart clenched. He recognized them all.
"She… kept waiting," he whispered.
One of the shadows dove at him—but he didn't raise his hand. He let it strike.
Pain blossomed in his side.
"Suho!" Mirae screamed.
But the system responded differently:
[Pain Threshold Reached – Memory Bind Stabilization +2%]
He staggered but smiled faintly. "It's not about fighting back. It's about… remembering with her."
He turned to the rabbit.
"Caldran. Destroy the tablet. Gravekin—hit the calendar. I'll take the rabbit."
Anchors of Guilt
Caldran roared and slashed through the holographic tablet. The sound of shattering glass echoed like a cry.
Gravekin's hammer crushed the calendar. A cascade of burned-out days drifted like ash.
Suho approached the rabbit slowly, each step dragging.
He knelt and lifted it gently.
"I'm sorry," he said.
He gripped it tighter—and then set it ablaze with his necrotic flame, not to destroy, but to cleanse.
The entire space shuddered.
[Anchor Destroyed. Emotional Sync: 67%]
[Memory Domain Collapse Imminent]
The dorm room shattered like glass. They were back in the crystal hall.
Phase Two: Broken Bonds
The corrupted Areum was on her knees now, holding her head.
"Why… didn't you come?"
Suho stepped forward. "I was too late. But I never stopped trying."
Her eyes glowed crimson. "Liar!"
She screamed—and her form morphed again.
Now she was no longer a girl. She was armored, like a spectral knight, wielding a blade made from fractured memory.
[Echo Fragment: Areum – Final Defense Phase Initiated]
HP: 10,000 / ???
Ability: Shardblade – Regret Severance
Passive: Mirror of Blame – Reflects emotional damage onto targets
Mirae stepped forward. "Let us help you—!"
Areum slashed.
The blade didn't hit Mirae—it reflected her self-doubt.
Mirae gasped and fell to her knees, trembling. "I… I wasn't strong enough…"
Suho grabbed Mirae's hand. "Don't let it twist you."
He turned to Areum. "If you hate me… if you blame me—then cut me."
Areum hesitated.
"I'll take it all. Just let me reach you."
She charged, shrieking.
And Suho didn't move.
The blade slashed—
—but stopped a hair's breadth from his neck.
The echo flickered.
And cried.
Reclaiming the Soul
The blade dissolved. Areum collapsed, ghostly tears streaming down her cheeks.
"I waited… every day… Oppa…"
"I know. I'm sorry."
Suho stepped forward and hugged the flickering form.
The system responded.
[Emotional Resonance Achieved]
[Soul Fragment Stabilized – Kim Areum, Core State Recovered]
[Memory Bind Successful: Class-1 Unique Undead Obtained]
Name: Kim Areum – Soul Echo (Stabilized Form)]
Trait: Memory Weaver | Ability: Emotional Mirror – Strengthens Allies When Suho is Resolved]
A warm light wrapped around them both.
Then the crystal pulsed—and the rest of the chamber crumbled into silence.
After the Echo
Minutes passed.
The chamber was quiet again. Suho stood at the center, holding a glowing orb—the stabilized fragment of his sister.
"She's… resting now," he said.
Mirae, wiping her tears, smiled softly. "She's beautiful."
Minho let out a breath. "That was way heavier than I expected."
Hojin just nodded. "That wasn't a gate. That was a heart."
Suho turned to his undead army.
"We're done here. But the road's just starting."
Because now he had Areum's voice again.
And she had whispered something before fading.
"Sector 19… Oppa. That's where they took me."
Suho looked up.
His next destination was already waiting.
To Be Continued...