The winds shifted once more as Rei Kazenari and his companions left the lands touched by divine judgment. Their next destination lay far beneath the earth—in a sanctum known only in whispers: the Ash Garden.
Not a place of growth, but of memory.
Karasu murmured from the core of Rei's spirit, "The Ash Garden is not bound to soil or stone. It exists in resonance, where decisions calcify into foundations. The Seventh Fragment slumbers there."
The descent was treacherous.
Through collapsed catacombs, ancient pathways bearing forgotten crests, and tunnels warped by residual spirit energy. The deeper they traveled, the less time obeyed its rules.
At the threshold of the Garden, Eirenne clutched her blade tightly. "This place is... grieving."
Noira nodded. "Like the world mourned here. And never stopped."
Mireille stepped ahead, hand raised as her pact ring shimmered. "It's not just a burial ground. It's a covenant zone. One built on betrayal."
Rei placed his hand on the stone gate, and it opened without resistance.
---
The Ash Garden was vast.
Fields of white ash stretched endlessly beneath a starless dome. Giant statues—cracked, weeping, or kneeling—marked the resting places of ancient spirit hosts. Names were carved not in language, but in memory.
> [Spirit Recognition Sequence Initiated.]
> [Echo Traces: 17 Confirmed.]
Karasu spoke again. "Each host here failed. Some by choice. Some by force. They were not honored... but contained."
They approached the central altar, where a single statue stood untouched.
It was of a girl.
Young, with wide, innocent eyes. Her arms were outstretched, as if protecting something unseen.
> [Spirit Core Detected — Status: Dormant. Resonance Reading: Undefined. Initiate Link?]
"Yes," Rei whispered.
The moment he touched the statue, the world changed.
---
A memory.
A garden of color. Laughter in the wind. A village surrounded by gentle magic.
And then… war.
The girl's voice rang across the vision. "I didn't want to fight. But I had to."
Rei saw her wield the spirit gift not to destroy—but to shield. She held off gods and devils alike with shields of starlight, refusing to let hatred in.
Then, a betrayal.
Her allies turned. Her village burned. And she, wounded and bleeding, sealed herself into the memory.
To sleep.
Until someone could believe in peace again.
---
Rei opened his eyes.
The statue had crumbled. In its place, stood a girl in flowing white, hair like mist and eyes the color of mourning sunrise.
"I am Lysara," she said. "The Spirit of Shelter. The Shield of the Fallen. Do you intend to carry war again?"
Rei bowed. "I intend to carry choice."
She gazed at him.
Then nodded.
> [Spirit Pact Complete — Lysara Joined. Resonance Level: 48%. Fragment VII Acquired.]
Noira stepped forward. "That's seven."
Mireille sighed, her voice low. "Then the Circle is close."
Eirenne glanced skyward. "And so is the price."
---
But before they could leave, the Garden shifted.
Black petals began to fall.
From the altar emerged a figure cloaked in writhing chains.
"Rei Kazenari," it rasped, voice like rust and silk. "You've gathered too much. The balance must be preserved."
Karasu hissed, "A Fragment Sentinel—corrupted by system breach. This isn't a guardian. It's a regulator gone rogue."
The battle erupted.
The Sentinel moved like wind poisoned with hatred. It lashed out with blades of soul-bound iron, tearing at their defenses.
Lysara raised a dome of shimmering energy. "Protect the pact!"
Noira vanished into shadow, striking from blind angles.
Mireille invoked binding light, slowing the creature.
Rei met its blade head-on.
Each strike echoed with thunderous pressure. Rei's resonance flickered dangerously, pushed to its limit.
Until—
A surge of unity. The fragments sang not separately, but in harmony.
Rei's flame turned azure. His eyes glowed like dual stars. And he struck, not to kill, but to release.
The Sentinel crumbled.
Chains dissolved.
And from within, a soul emerged. A young boy—no older than fifteen—whose eyes shone with peace.
"I was the Tenth," he said. "They sealed me here to reset the system. But you… you changed the rules."
He smiled.
And vanished.
> [Fragment System Update: Variable Protocol Unlocked. Access to Spirit Core Archives — GRANTED.]
---
They emerged from the Ash Garden beneath a twilight sky, the stars distant, but watching.
Mireille leaned on Rei, her body bruised. "We're not the same people who entered."
"No," he said. "We're stronger."
Eirenne walked ahead. "The Circle approaches. So do the Kings."
Noira glanced back. "Then let them find us ready."
And from above, high above, a ripple crossed the heavens—as if something beyond even gods… had started to listen.