Phaenora's heart hammered in her chest as an sudden, unexpected green glow cut through the darkness. Her tear-filled eyes widened, her breath catching in her throat as an artifact materialized before her. It was dazzling, its beauty almost hypnotic, like a celestial creation woven from the stars themselves.
"The... Orchestral Vialex?"
The elegant violin, its body shimmering with the glow of the stars, was too perfect, too alien for the world she knew.
But before Phaenora could even process what she was seeing, before she could even understand what was happening, the bow moved.
There was no warning, no time for her to react, just a sudden and swift motion as the bow sliced through the air. It moved with terrifying speed, cutting through the air like a blade, and before she could even blink, the edge of the bow ran through her brain, piercing her skull with a force that made her entire body jerk.
The pain was instant but it was fleeting. It was as if the world had stopped, and then... it ended.
Phaenora's eyes glazed over, her body going limp as she collapsed against the forest floor. Her heart, which had been so full of rage, grief, and helplessness, stilled in her chest, her soul now beyond reach.
In an instant, Phaenora was gone. Her body was left lifeless, her form slumped against Vastarael's before she could even fully comprehend what had just occurred.
The Orchestral Vialex hovered in the air for a moment longer, its faint green glow casting a soft, unnatural light over the tragedy, before it slowly began to fade into the shadows, leaving behind nothing but an emptiness that was more profound than anything Phaenora could have imagined.
Phaenora died.
°°°°°°°
Phaenora's surroundings were distorted, like a dream or an illusion. The gentle breeze tickled her skin and the soft hum of nature surrounded her like a lullaby.
She knew where she was. She knew. This was the picnic, the moment they had shared in what felt like a lifetime ago.
Her fingers instinctively reached for her tongue, remembering the spicy sting of the red potato chips. The memory of the heat on her taste buds, the agony of trying to act unbothered while her face betrayed her, came rushing back. She could almost feel the burn, still faintly lingering.
And there he was.
He was sitting there on the grass, as carefree as she had ever seen him, a small smirk playing on his lips as he tossed another potato chip into his mouth. His golden eyes caught the light in that familiar way, sparkling with mischief and warmth.
"Oh, this is so satisfying," he teased, that familiar playful glint in his voice. "You always act so smug, but look at you now. Totally defeated by a potato chip."
She was too shocked to speak. He had only laughed in that gentle, comforting way of his.
"You'll live," he said casually, tossing another chip into his mouth, though this time much more cautiously. "And don't worry, you're still pretty even when you're crying."
The words echoed in her mind like a sweet melody she hadn't realized she needed.
'Still pretty...'
She remembered it al. The manta ray. The horror of watching him slip away, the weight of the world crashing down on her as she failed, helpless, unable to stop it. Her own death, the final breath she had taken, stolen from her before she could even make sense of it.
Phaenora's heart hammered in her chest as the weight of everything finally sank in.
She clung to him as if she might lose him again. Her arms wrapped around him so tightly as her whole body trembled. Her tears fell, streaking down her face, yet she couldn't stop.
'He's here. He's really here...'
Vastarael was warm in her arms, solid and alive. The guilt, the fear, the overwhelming sorrow that had consumed her, was gone now. It had been replaced by a suffocating wave of relief.so profound that it almost hurt.
But even amidst the relief, the pain was still there. She was shaking, tears soaking his outfit, her breath coming in sharp gasps as she tried to find words that didn't seem to exist anymore.
"I thought I lost you..."
Vastarael blinked in confusion, his golden eyes wide as he carefully lifted his hands to her shoulders, trying to gently pull her back so he could look at her. He saw her tears, the way her body shook, but he didn't understand the full weight of it.
"Hey, hey, what's going on?" He asked, his voice soft but unsure. "Why are you crying so much? Did I do something wrong?"
Phaenora only held him tighter, not trusting herself to speak. All the emotion, all the loss, all the love she had locked away, had finally broken free. She didn't need to explain it; she couldn't. She just needed him. She needed him so much, it felt like she was suffocating in how much she cared.
'I really do love my companion...'
Vastarael's hands came to rest on her back, and despite the confusion clouding his thoughts, his voice softened, his teasing nature gently pushing through.
"I don't know what happened, but hey... you know I'm always with you, right?"
His words, so simple, so sincere, wrapped around her like a lifeline. But it didn't make the ache in her chest disappear. Still, she didn't pull away.
He shifted, tilting his head with that mischievous smirk that she had missed so dearly.
"And... you know... I've always got your back. So... don't cry too much. You're making me look bad. My mother taught me not to make girls cry you know."
Normally, she would have retorted with some sharp comment, maybe even a laugh. But not now. Now, there was no sharpness left in her. She didn't want to fight back against the tenderness, the softness in his words. She just buried her face against his chest, breathing him in like he was the only thing that mattered in the world.
For the first time in what felt like an eternity, Phaenora felt her heart finally start to settle, a soft rhythm pulsing through her as she realized the impossible truth.
"He's here. He's alive. He's with me..."
She hiccupped, trying to steady her breathing, but the tears kept coming, falling like a river she couldn't dam. But this time, they weren't tears of fear, or loss, or devastation. These tears were a mix of everything she had ever wanted, of relief, of love, of gratitude. She was so overwhelmed by it all that she could hardly breathe.
Finally, she managed to whisper, barely more than a breath;
"Im so happy... I... I never want to lose you again."
Vastarael's arms tightened around her and for a moment, the world stood still. He didn't understand everything she was feeling, but he could feel her. He could feel the weight of her heart, the intensity of her emotions, and despite the confusion, he simply pulled her closer.
"Hey... you won't. I'm not going anywhere. We've got this, okay?"
For the first time in what felt like forever, Phaenora smiled, a soft, trembling thing that held so much emotion behind it. Her heart was whole again, in this moment, with him. Everything that had hurt before, every loss, every pain, seemed so distant in this warm embrace.
And as she looked up at him, her eyes still red from crying, she could finally say it.
"I... I..."
Her lips couldn't move.
Not because she couldn't say the eight letter sentence that plagued her since she saw him almost dying in her arms.
It was because her gaze landed on the lake.
Phaenora's eyes locked onto the lake, her heart suddenly pounding harder, her breath catching in her throat.
She had been so caught up in the relief of having Vastarael back that she hadn't considered the one thing that could shatter this fragile peace. Something wasn't right. The world felt... wrong.
She looked up at Vastarael, her voice a whisper, barely a breath.
"Veneri... where is the giant pearl at the middle of the lake?"
Vastarael blinked at her, clearly taken aback by the question. His golden eyes widened in confusion.
"What pearl?"
Phaenora's heart skipped a beat as his words hit her with an icy chill.
She could barely breathe, the weight of the realization crashing down on her like a boulder. There was a pearl. She knew it. She had seen it clear as day. The massive, luminous pearl at the center of the lake. It was supposed to be there. She could still remember its glow, the strange aura it radiated, the way it seemed to pulse with some ancient power.
But now, it was gone.
She turned back to the lake, her heart thudding in her chest, the dread creeping into her very bones.
'Where is it?'
She immediately summoned the inventory and to her utter shock, the pearl was still inside it. She could feel its power too.
The memories hit her all at once. The Orchestral Vialex had brought her here, back to the moment before everything had gone wrong. She remembered the manta ray, the giant creature that had poisoned Vastarael. The one that had been in the lake, circling the pearl.
Her stomach churned. The manta ray. It wasn't just some random creature. No, it had been more than that.
It had been a part of something much bigger.
The truth hit her like a wave the second she remembered Peccavi's regression.
How can Peccavi fail twice to save her own people if she already knew what was going to happen? She knew that the god was evil. The Winter Labor turned her into a monster during her first life and during the regression, she killed the Winter Labor
But she lost her city. How?
This was the unanswered question Peccavi never answered her whenever she asked. Now, she understood why Peccavi failed to save her people the second time.
'The manta ray... It's been regressed back in time with me, the same way the Blizzard's Wrath was regressed with Peccavi.'
Her blood ran cold. The realization spread like a poison in her veins, turning her thoughts black. The manta ray wasn't just in the lake... it was part of the plot. It was connected to everything.
Everything was wrong.
Phaenora's legs buckled under her as the horror of it settled in. She stumbled backward, her chest tightening with every passing second. She could feel her heart racing.
She couldn't even bring herself to speak, her mouth dry, her throat constricted with disbelief. It was the worst kind of revelation. The worst kind of trap. The pearl, the manta ray, the lake... they were all part of the reason she had died in the first place. The timeline had been manipulated, twisted, and she had fallen right into it.
The Orchestral Vialex created a second timeline for Phaenora, the same way it did to Peccavi.
And now, the manta ray, the thing that had killed Vastarael, was here, back in time with her. And being a Divine Krepsuna, a Scavenger, it was intelligent enough to understand as well.
Vastarael looked at her, his confusion deepening as he stepped closer.
"Phaenora? What's wrong? What are you talking about?"
Her breath hitched and she looked up at him, her eyes wide with terror.
"Veneri... we've made a mistake. The manta ray, the Krepsunas—"
She froze.
She couldn't speak.