Chapter 56: The Echo in Her Flame
The wind carried the smell of cut wood and morning bread as Isaac and Lira passed through the outer markets of Karlune's Rest. Stalls bustled with early trade—potions, cloth, and roasted meat on skewers—but Isaac wasn't paying attention to the food.
He kept glancing at Lira.
She was quiet today. Not unreadably silent like she'd once been, but tightly wound. Her hands fidgeted against her staff. Her eyes kept flicking toward shadows, alley corners, even birds overhead.
"You feel it too?" he asked.
She nodded. "It started last night. A kind of pressure. Like someone's trying to speak through my thoughts, but I can't hear the words."
Isaac stopped beside a well and leaned closer. "Dreams?"
"No," she said. "Waking."
Inside the guildhall, they barely had time to sit before a runner called their names. A short, sharp-eyed woman in scaled leather approached, handing them a sealed scroll.
"Special assignment," she said. "Officially still C-Rank, but pushed through fast by the shrinekeepers."
Lira opened it. Her eyes widened slightly.
[Mission: Chapel Flame Disruption – C-Rank, Re-Evaluating]Requesting Party: Inner Circle of Veiled ShrineLocation: Derelict Flame Shrine – foothills, west ridgeSummary:Old ceremonial flame has re-ignited unnaturally. No worshippers remain.Local spirits uneasy. Minor illusions and whispering effects reported.Clerics declined to approach.Requesting calm investigation. Purge if hostile.Reward: 40 silver + 1 Favor Mark (Veiled Shrine)
Isaac raised a brow. "A shrine mission?"
"Sounds like your department," Lira muttered.
He gave her a lopsided grin. "Only if it catches fire."
The foothills west of Karlune were steep but not treacherous. By midday, they arrived at the site—an old stone shrine carved into a ridge wall. Its doors were cracked open, and the faded symbol above them had once depicted twin flames, now barely visible.
Inside, the air shimmered faintly.
Not from heat.
From presence.
Lira hesitated at the threshold. "It's like it's waiting."
"Then let's not keep it waiting," Isaac said, and stepped through.
The interior was circular—ritual grooves spiraling outward from a long-dead brazier at the center. Ash clung to the walls. Prayer carvings lined the floor.
And in the heart of it all, a small flame danced.
Flickering pale blue.
It should not have been burning.
Isaac stepped forward, but the moment he crossed the outer ring, the System responded.
[System Notice: Residual Divine Flame Detected]Classification: Dormant Relic Memory – Not Spiral]Status: Passive – Observation Mode Recommended
Before he could say anything, Lira gasped.
She stumbled forward, clutching her chest. The staff clattered to the ground. Her body trembled—not with pain, but with recognition.
And then it happened.
The flame flared—not outward, but inward.
Straight into her.
A pulse of light raced through her chest. Her hair lifted. Her eyes glazed white for a second.
And the System answered.
[Warning: Sealed Stat Reaction Detected][Soul Affinity Signature Match: 42%][Unlock Sequence Initiated – Echo Memory Phase I]
Lira's body relaxed all at once. She collapsed to her knees.
Isaac was at her side in a flash.
"Lira?!"
She blinked, dazed. "I… heard it again. That name. The same one."
She looked up at him.
"Do you know what 'Elaraiya' means?"
Isaac shook his head.
"It was my name," she whispered, "but not mine. Like I wore it once. Or someone wore it through me."
Isaac swallowed hard.
Then the System flashed again.
[Seluriel's Grace – Passive Reaction: 22%][Linked Soul Signature Strengthening][Flame recognizes Echo. Awakening path aligned.]
Lira slowly reached for her staff. She looked pale but clear-eyed now. Stronger.
"Let's report it," she said. "But not everything."
Isaac nodded. "Agreed."
They both looked back once at the flame.
It had vanished.
As they walked down the trail, neither said a word for a long time.
But inside both of them, something was moving.
Not dark.
Not Spiral.
But old.
And waking.