It started the next morning.
Lucius sat alone, staring into the fire.
But the fire stared back.
Every flicker carried a memory that wasn't his—but felt like it.
The warmth of her hand.
The way she said his name like it meant something sacred.
The moment she died whispering something he couldn't hear.
And now…
The girls were starting to feel it too.
---
> [System Alert: Memory Flame Reaching Synchronization Threshold]
Bonded Allies exposed to the Blade of the Last Name may begin absorbing suppressed echoes of Arielle's presence.
Side Effects: Emotional dissonance. Confused memories. Unintentional connection.
Risk Level: Growing.
---
It hit Claire first.
She was just trying to clean Lucius's bandages when she froze.
Her hands trembled.
"I've… seen this before," she whispered.
Lucius looked up. "What?"
Claire blinked. "This wound. You got it once before. I remember… holding you. Crying. Begging you not to fade."
Lucius's breath caught.
"…That didn't happen."
Claire dropped the bandage.
And ran.
---
Later, Lilith found him alone at the cliff edge.
"I keep hearing her voice when I sleep," she said quietly. "Not angry. Not jealous. Just… there."
Lucius turned. "What does she say?"
Lilith met his eyes.
"Thank you… for loving him when I couldn't anymore."
Lucius looked away.
"Then she forgives you."
Lilith stepped closer.
"No," she said. "I don't."
---
Meanwhile, Velda was scribbling formulas at a manic pace.
"This isn't memory magic," she muttered. "This is soul radiation. Her presence isn't passive—it's rewriting neural emotional anchors."
Zara blinked. "English, please."
Velda looked up.
"She's leaving pieces of herself inside us."
Zara cracked her knuckles.
"Tell her to make room. I'm not leaving."
---
> [Bond Alert – Arielle's Echo: Passive Synchronization Reached 35%]
One bonded girl will now experience a false memory with Lucius every 24 hours.
These moments may be real… from lives rewritten, lost, or stolen.
---
That night, it hit Claire again.
She sat by the fire.
And she saw it—
Lucius holding her hand under cherry blossoms.
Calling her Arielle without realizing it.
And she didn't stop him.
---
She wept quietly.
Not because she hated Arielle.
But because she was starting to understand her.
And how it must've felt—
To love someone so deeply,
That even if you died,
You'd still fight to stay in his memory.
---
Lucius didn't speak all day.
But that night, he whispered into the dark:
"…I remember how she looked at me before the world burned."
---