A cold wind spiraled through the chamber as the orb split down its center. Light bled out like liquid moonlight, forming a hovering shape—tall, cloaked in chains, its face veiled in black steel.
Serenya stumbled back. "That's a Soulbreaker… a guardian of forbidden echoes."
Lucien raised his blade. "I thought they were myths."
The figure's voice rang out again—calm, but absolute.
"You trespass upon sanctified remnants. This vault does not belong to the living."
Haruto stepped forward, the Nullblade humming in his grasp. "I didn't choose to come here. The world dragged me in."
The Soulbreaker tilted its head.
"That blade is not yours. It was never meant to be wielded again."
"Then tell me why it answers to me," Haruto said. "Why it reacts to this place. To these names."
The chains around the figure tightened, writhing like serpents. Its voice grew sharper.
"Because it is seeking a vessel. And you are already breaking."
The air grew heavy—thick with dread. The orb's light dimmed, and the walls around them trembled as names began to vanish from the stone one by one.
Serenya gasped. "It's erasing them."
Lucien growled. "Trying to wipe the truth before we can uncover it."
Haruto raised the Nullblade.
The Soulbreaker moved—fast, almost instant. Its chain lashed out, wrapped in shadowfire, aiming straight for Haruto's chest.
Steel met steel.
The Nullblade deflected the strike, but the force sent Haruto sliding back.
Lucien and Serenya joined the fray. Ice and fire collided with cursed metal, echoing through the vault like thunder. The Soulbreaker fought without anger—like a machine executing an ancient law. It was cold. Perfect. Ruthless.
Haruto gritted his teeth. "You said the blade seeks a vessel. Then listen to it!"
He thrust the Nullblade into the cracked orb.
A shockwave exploded outward. The Soulbreaker screamed—not in pain, but like a ritual being shattered mid-prayer. The chains recoiled. The glow of the chamber flared—
And then, silence.
The figure dissolved into motes of ash. The chains clattered to the floor.
The orb, now dark, slowly sank into the pedestal.
Lucien stood, breathing hard. "What… just happened?"
Serenya whispered, "Haruto bound the chamber to himself. The echoes won't attack us now."
Haruto's vision blurred for a moment. In the silence, he heard one final whisper—this time from deep within the blade itself:
"You've taken the first step. But even memories can kill."