The morning sun painted the sky above Florence in shades of blood-orange and honey-gold. Narrow cobblestone streets bustled with unaware lives—tourists, merchants, street performers. Beneath them all, something ancient stirred.
In a quiet courtyard behind the Basilica di Santa Croce, Rei stood with his hands buried in the pockets of his black coat. The Mediterranean breeze did little to cool the pressure around him. The Flame of Amaryllis pulsed softly beneath his chest, syncing with his heartbeat.
The group had arrived only hours earlier, drawn by the newest convergence detected by Mireille's Spirit Tracker. It wasn't just energy—it was music. A melody that only those attuned to Echoes could hear. A requiem trapped between timelines.
Noira stepped beside him. "Still nothing on the surface. Locals say the church crypts were sealed for restoration months ago."
Rei tilted his head. "That's the thing. It's not inside the crypt. It is the crypt."
Karasu's feathers bristled. "This entire structure... is a vessel."
Subterranean Vault — The Ashen Sonata
They breached the underground chamber beneath the church using Rei's spirit fracturing technique. What lay beneath wasn't stone—it was a necrotheum: a song-prison. Instruments lined the walls, all made of bone, and yet none produced sound.
Except one.
A woman stood at the far end, veiled in black lace, playing a violin of silver flame. Each note wept.
Mireille whispered, "That's not a spirit."
Eirenne tensed. "That's a composer."
The woman turned to them, her eyes the color of molten sapphires.
"I am Ilaria. I composed the Forbidden Flame long before mortals gave it form."
Rei stepped forward. "You're an Echo?"
She shook her head. "I am its origin. I was once human. Then muse. Then melody. Now... I am memory."
Karasu hissed. "Chronomnemesis Flag — Level Ω. She's older than the Spirit System."
Ilaria raised her bow. "You carry the Flame of Mercy. But do you have the courage to burn for what you love?"
Suddenly, the chamber shifted.
Resonant Domain: The Composer's Lament
The vault became a stage.
Rei and his companions stood on floating notes, surrounded by violins that bled shadow.
"You must survive the Aria of Undoing," Ilaria intoned. "Play your soul against mine. Or let the melody erase you."
System Prompt:
[Spirit Combat Engaged: Aria of Undoing]
[Combat Medium: Emotional Resonance & Memory Projection]
[Warning: Trauma Echoes may manifest]
Rei raised his hand.
Amaryllis' warmth flowed into his palm, shaping into a burning lyre.
Noira and Mireille sang harmonics of battle, blades resonating with the tune.
Eirenne struck the tempo—her glaive dancing like a conductor's baton.
The aria began.
What followed was not a battle.
It was a symphony of scars.
Each note Ilaria played conjured regrets—scenes from Rei's past: his lonely childhood, the moment of death in his former life, the time he first chose to remain silent instead of saving someone.
But Rei's reply came in chords of healing:
—The laughter of Noira in the rain.
—Mireille's hands wrapped around his own while crafting a soul-fragment.
—Eirenne's promise to never walk behind him, but beside.
—Amaryllis' silent smile in the vault.
With each harmony, the dissonance unraveled.
The stage shattered.
Ilaria fell to her knees, her violin crumbling into dust.
"You played me," she whispered. "Not to win. But to remember."
Rei knelt before her. "All forgotten flames deserve a song."
System Prompt:
[Origin Echo Harmonized — Ilaria, Flame of the Ashen Sonata]
[New Module Acquired: Elegy Ignition — Passive Aura: All allies gain emotion-bound resilience during temporal events.]
Ilaria smiled as she dissolved into notes.
Outside the Basilica
Tourists wandered nearby, oblivious. The team stood under an olive tree in silence.
Karasu flapped once. "We've altered the song of Europe. Again."
Mireille frowned. "The next site is unstable. It shifts locations every four hours. It's... moving."
Rei looked skyward.
"Then let's keep dancing."