This was a new kind of darkness; it was more intense than what it had previously been.
Hollow revenants slowly faded into walls, leaving behind only the low humming sound of ancient magic.
A winding stairwell led to Gate 4; its walls were inscribed with faint shining symbols similar to that which hung in the air but never actually appeared before the gates.
It was ancient in feel; it pulsed with energy as though it were a living thing-breathing in time with their hearts.
[SYSTEM ALERT: Gate 4 Detected - Lover's Eclipse Entry Condition: Confront the deepest bond of the party; Choice - life or love. Warning: True vulnerability required; repercussions unknown.]
Yumi paused at the base of the stairs. She felt something flutter in her heart. The description rang like an ominous whisper in her head. Life or love? What could that mean?
"We have to face together whatever it is we have put ourselves into," Alistair murmured, voice low. "Whatever the trial will be... we will face it as one."
"I can't even guess what that would mean," Lyra muttered, breathing sharply, "but I'd rather face the unknown than sit back in a world of nothing."
Ren looked into Yumi's eyes. They needed no words.
They had already said so many things in moments like these without needing to say them again.
Then they walked on together.
______________________________________________________________________________________________
Inside Gate 4 – The Lover's Eclipse
A massive hall unfolded before them, with an undulating starry sky above. A mirror of gigantic proportions rested in the center, framed in the silver vine, which had never succumbed to the ravages of time's decay. What it showed was not quite them, but two figures standing in front of the mirror: Ren and Yumi.
'But in that reflection, they were not so.'
They were young—like back when they first met. Ren reached out for Yumi in the reflection, and his hand was shaking.
"Will you... stay with me? Even if we forget?"
Yumi's heart skipped a beat. She wanted to touch the mirror, to reach through the glass, but she wasn't sure whether she could. She remembered this day.
She had been scared. Scared of falling too deep, scared of giving herself so much to love. What if she forgot it all? What if he disappeared like the past, faded like a dream?
"I'll stay. Even if it means starting over."
And just like that, it was gone.
The mirror shattered.
The pieces cascaded down like rain, showing not only the reflection but also the actual forms of Ren and Yumi—older, marked, worn with the passing of time but still standing together.
And that was the point they understood.
Choice Unlocked – Life or Love:
Once fragile, their bond now scintillating. Remember all—or forget and go on.
Yumi felt it, a sharp pain right in her heart as if something were being taken away from her—was it a memory? Was it a truth? The very foundation upon which their love had stood for so long was being shaken. Would they even keep it—everything they ever learned, felt, and lived through—upon their shoulders forever?
Would they disregard it, take a step forward, and at that point begin to search again for one another somewhere in the future?
Ren, still by her side, murmured:
"We have already made the choice for this life. All of it, even that which we cannot remember."
At that point, heavy yet filled with a sense of rightness, Yumi knew.
There would be no choice to make. There would only be them.
They had already chosen love.
_________________________________________________________________________________________
[System Feedback]
Lover's Eclipse Completed.
[Perk Rewards: Eternal Flame - A bond so deep that not even death can sever it. The shared pain now becomes the source of their shared strength.]
[Charge of Emotion +15%- Love Rejuvenated.]
[Dual Skill Earned: The Eclipse Bind - It enables Yumi and Ren to share HP, mana, and damage reduction for eternity.]
___________________________________________________________________________________________
As the mirror was shattered, the room underwent a transformation. The vines receded, revealing a doorway leading into the inner parts of the palace.
Yumi, tears forming in her eyes—tears she hadn't shed for years, took Ren's hand.
"Let's go. We have much to remember."
The Null King would not stop them. Not at this time.
They were ready.