Whispergrave breathed.
Not like a forest stirred by wind, but like a slumbering beast. Each step the group took deeper into its heart felt… wrong. Time twisted. The trees leaned in. And the sky — it never moved.
Lira held her sword tightly. "Why does it feel like we're walking in circles?"
Seris murmured a spell under her breath, eyes glowing faintly. "Because we are. This place bends space. Memories become the map. If we want to leave this maze… we have to confront what haunts us."
Kai paused, his gaze locked on a familiar twisted tree. The bark was scorched — not from age, but from flame.
His flame.
"I've been here before," he muttered.
Aurellia turned sharply. "You remember?"
"I burned this path in my fourth life. Trying to flee after failing to save the Thalenwald King. The forest didn't forgive me."
As if answering, the ground rumbled beneath their feet.
From the soil, black mist rose—shadows twisting into shape.
Figures formed.
Ghostly knights in broken armor. Faces half-burned, half-forgotten. Weapons drawn. Eyes empty.
Lira stepped back. "What the hell are they?"
Kai's voice was quiet. "They're me."
The first shade stepped forward, its voice like ash grinding stone. "You promised to protect us. We trusted you, Flamebearer."
Another spoke, clutching its chest. "You let us die for a kingdom that never rose again."
Seris whispered, "They're your regrets…"
Kai's grip tightened around the Eternal Flame. Its crimson edge pulsed, alive with defiance. "I know who you are."
He stepped forward.
"I remember each of you. Alden, Mira, Thalos… You were brave. You gave your lives because I wasn't strong enough. But I carry you still."
The shades paused.
Flickers of light sparked in their hollow eyes — fragments of recognition.
A third shade raised its spear. "Then prove it."
The army rushed forward, spectral steel slicing through the mist.
Kai charged, flame erupting from his blade. He danced through the assault — not slashing wildly, but with precision, grace, and pain. Each blow he struck burned cleanly, releasing the shade with a whisper:
"Thank you."
Lira and Seris stood back, letting him fight.
Aurellia watched silently, her expression unreadable.
One by one, the ghosts faded — until only one remained.
A young woman with flame-red hair and tear-streaked cheeks.
Kai froze.
"…Elia."
The girl's voice trembled. "Why didn't you save me?"
His blade lowered.
"I tried," he whispered. "I tried so hard. But I was too late."
She stepped forward, reaching out with burning fingers — not in anger, but in longing. "Don't forget me."
He nodded, his voice a promise. "Never."
She vanished in a blink of embers.
The air cleared.
The path opened.
And for the first time since entering Whispergrave… the wind moved again.
Aurellia walked up beside him. "You passed."
Kai didn't answer.
He just stared at his hands — one gripping the Eternal Flame, the other trembling with old sorrow.
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