Episode 16: The Road Beneath Drowned Stars

The sun rose gently across the horizon, painting the ruins of Elaria in muted gold. Morning mist curled low across the trees, dew shimmering like fragments of glass.

Two figures walked side by side along the forest path—cloaks swaying, weapons at their sides, steps unhurried but deliberate.

For the first time in days, Akira's chest didn't feel weighed down by pain. The warmth of the Second Flame still lingered faintly inside him, like a pulse that wasn't his yet somehow was.

Beside him, Jin kept his hands buried in his coat pockets, his gaze fixed forward.

[Objective Active: Reach Norvahel – The Drowned City Beneath the Stars]

[Travel Estimate: 4 Days | Terrain: Forest → Marshland → Coastal Wastes]

Akira let the glowing interface vanish from his vision, exhaling. "Four days, huh? That's if we don't run into trouble."

Jin smirked faintly. "In this world, trouble's more reliable than the sunrise."

Akira gave a dry laugh. "That's comforting."

They walked in silence for a while, the sound of leaves crunching beneath their boots the only rhythm between them.

Finally, Akira glanced sideways. "So… Norvahel. What's there?"

Jin's eyes flickered briefly, unreadable. "The drowned city was once the capital of an empire that tried to rewrite the laws of the system. The ocean swallowed it whole centuries ago. But ruins don't stay buried forever. Especially not the kind that gods feared."

Akira's grip tightened around his katana's hilt. "And you think we'll find answers there."

"I don't think," Jin said, his tone quieter. "I know."

---

[Half a Day Later – Edge of the Mire]

The forest thinned, giving way to the start of a sprawling wetland. Murky waters stretched outward, veined with black roots that rose like skeletal fingers. Insects buzzed in clouds, and the stench of decay hung heavy in the air.

Akira wrinkled his nose. "Smells like something crawled in here to die and decided to make it home."

Jin scanned the horizon, his eyes sharp. "Stay sharp. The mire is crawling with Wraithborn."

Akira frowned. "Never heard of them."

"You will."

Almost on cue, the surface of the swamp rippled. A pale hand clawed upward from the water, followed by a twisted figure dragging itself free. Skin translucent, eyes hollow, mouth opening in a soundless scream.

Then another. And another.

Within moments, half a dozen Wraithborn lurched toward them—bodies dripping with swamp water, movements jerky but fast.

Akira slid his katana free with a hiss of steel. "Guess the welcoming party's here."

Jin pulled free a short blade that shimmered faintly with ember-light. "Don't let them touch you. They drain more than blood."

The first Wraithborn lunged. Akira pivoted sharply, blade flashing in a clean arc. The creature's head separated, dissolving into black mist before it hit the ground.

But two more surged in immediately, claws raking the air.

Jin's blade ignited faintly, fire flaring along its edge as he slashed in a cross-pattern. The air sizzled, the Wraithborn shrieking before collapsing into ash.

For several seconds, the swamp was nothing but flashes of steel and the hiss of burning vapor.

Akira's breath came fast as he spun and struck again, his katana carving through a lunging figure. "These things don't quit—!"

"Then don't give them the chance," Jin snapped, his movements sharp, efficient.

The last Wraithborn lunged at Akira's blind spot—only to be cut down by Jin in a streak of fire.

The mire went still again. Only the stench of decay and ash remained.

Akira lowered his blade slowly, panting. "They weren't tough… but there's something about them that feels wrong. Like they weren't alive to begin with."

"They weren't," Jin said flatly, flicking his blade clean before sliding it back. "Wraithborn are memories given shape. This swamp feeds on regrets, on lingering fear. That's why you'll never see the same face twice."

Akira's gaze darkened, and he instinctively looked back at the mire. His reflection wavered faintly in the water's surface—distorted, almost… wrong.

"...Then let's keep moving before it decides to show us something we don't want to see."

---

[Nightfall – Marshland Encampment]

A fire flickered low within a small barrier they had set, shadows dancing against the mist.

Akira sat sharpening his katana, the scrape of steel against stone steady and rhythmic. Across from him, Jin sat in silence, gaze fixed on the flame.

"You've been quiet," Akira said finally, not looking up.

Jin didn't answer immediately. "The Second Flame… it reacted differently in the fight today."

Akira paused. "Differently how?"

"It reached for you," Jin murmured. "When that last Wraithborn closed in, the flame wanted to protect you—without me calling it."

Akira looked up, brows knitting. "…You think it's because of this 'Twin Flames' bond?"

"Not think," Jin replied. His gaze finally met Akira's, the firelight reflecting faintly in his eyes. "I know."

For a moment, silence stretched between them—heavy, but not unwelcome.

Akira smirked faintly, trying to lighten it. "So what, we're stuck with a magical flame that ships us as partners now?"

Jin snorted softly, shaking his head. "Don't flatter yourself."

But the corner of his mouth twitched—just slightly.

---

[System Log – Night Synchronization Active]

Shared Vision Available.

Cross-Trigger Counter (Passive) Online.

Flame Sync Protocol: Progress 6%

---

That night, as Akira drifted into sleep, faint sparks flickered at the edge of his dreams—embers that pulsed in time with his heartbeat. For the first time since arriving in this broken world, his dreams weren't filled with blood or silence.

Instead, he saw stars reflected across a drowned horizon… and a city beneath the waves, waiting.

---

[Next Morning – The Marshland Stretch]

The mist was thicker, the air colder. As they pressed forward, distant echoes drifted through the swamp—voices half-familiar, laughter, cries, whispers.

Akira tensed. "…Do you hear that?"

Jin didn't slow. "Ignore it. The mire digs into your memories, trying to drown you in them."

But Akira froze. One voice cut sharper than the rest—clear, distinct.

"Akira…"

His chest tightened. That voice—impossible.

Jin turned sharply, eyes narrowing. "Don't."

Akira's gaze swept across the swamp waters. For just a moment, he saw her—standing ankle-deep in the mire. A figure from his past. Her face soft, her smile warm, the one he thought he'd never see again.

His grip on the katana faltered. "…That's—"

The figure tilted her head, eyes empty, smile stretching into something wrong.

The water around her rippled—dozens of hands rising from the depths.

Jin's voice cut like steel. "It's not real. MOVE!"

The swamp erupted.

---

[To Be Continued...]

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