Chapter 59: Name of the Flame
The following day passed quietly.
Too quietly.
No new missions. No sudden calls from the chapel or guild staff. Even the usual glances—suspicious or curious—seemed to fade when Lira passed.
It was as if the town itself had chosen to look away.
But Isaac could still feel it. The weight.
It pressed against them like the moment before lightning strikes.
By late afternoon, they sat on the edge of the northern fields, just outside Karlune's gates, watching the tall grass ripple in the wind. Lira sat with her legs tucked beneath her, staring at her hands.
"They don't shake anymore," she said.
Isaac glanced over. "That's good."
"I didn't train that blast yesterday," she continued. "It wasn't instinct. It was like... I remembered something I never learned."
She opened her status again, lips tight.
[STATUS – Lira]
Level: 18Race: Human (Altered-Bloodline)Class: NoneAffiliation: None
HP: 120 / 120MP: 138 / 138Strength: 13Agility: 15Endurance: 12Intelligence: 23Willpower: 14Charisma: 8Luck: ???Soul Resonance: ??? (Stabilizing...)
[Skill: Echobrand – Rank A]A brand of memory given shape through soul-linked flame.When triggered by emotion or threat, releases a chain-lightning wave infused with forgotten names.Has a chance to burn targets with spectral fire that weakens magical resistances.Current State: Semi-StableActivation Method: Unconscious – awaiting full synchronization.
Lira's eyes lingered on the skill name.
"Echobrand," she whispered.
"It's not just a weapon," Isaac said. "It's a fragment of what was taken from you."
She looked at him.
"What if I'm not who I think I am?"
Isaac reached for a nearby stem of dry grass and broke it cleanly in half.
"You still bleed. You still care. You still protect people."
He let the stalk fall.
"Who you were doesn't erase who you are."
A gust of wind shifted, and both of them turned—instinct pulling their eyes toward a cloaked figure walking the ridge above.
A man. Hooded. Staff over his back. No visible threat signs.
But Isaac's flame pulsed softly inside him.
Lira blinked.
"I recognize him."
"From where?"
She hesitated. "Not this life."
They rose and returned to the guild cautiously, but the man was gone by the time they reached the entrance.
Inside, a low murmur passed between a pair of off-duty guards. Isaac caught a fragment:
"...someone saw a cloaked one watching the Veiled Chapel last night. Just standing. Didn't move."
"You think it's Spiral?"
"Not sure. But it felt like... something old."
That night, back in their dorm room, Lira sat cross-legged beneath the window, staff across her lap.
She closed her eyes.
This time, there was no vision.
No voice.
Just a flicker of blue fire burning in the back of her thoughts.
A flame with a shape.
And within it, a sigil she'd never studied but somehow recognized:
A name.
Not "Elaraiya."Not Lira.
Something between the two.
A bridge.
[System Notice: Soul Resonance Sync – 63%][Echobrand Skill Threshold: Stabilizing – Cooldown Set to 30 seconds][Sealed Stat Visibility: Pending – Estimated full access at 100% resonance]
Lira opened her eyes.
"I'm remembering more than just names," she whispered.
Isaac looked up from across the room.
"What else?"
She met his gaze.
"How to fight like I never forgot."