Shard resonance subsided, yet Mira's left hand remained gently warm. Upon leaving the Celestial Grove and stepping onto the path along the Silphis River, the evening air wrapped around her cheeks with a cool touch. A different scent from the forest—grass and mud mingled together. The sound of the river's flow reached her ears in a leisurely rhythm. Solis walked ahead. His long silver hair swayed in the evening breeze. His pace was slow, and Mira found herself naturally matching it without conscious effort. It was clear he hadn't fully recovered. But she already knew that asking "Are you alright?" would only yield "No problem." So she stopped asking. Instead, she walked beside him and gazed absently at the river's surface turning orange in the fading light. "Learn the basics first." Solis spoke abruptly. "[serious]Lumen Shot. Compress lumen into the shape of a small bullet and fire it. If you could manipulate light with Lumen Veil last night, it's just a matter of changing the form." "Huh? We're doing this now?" "[serious]You can do it while walking. Hold out your hand." Mira extended her right hand. Solis stopped and lowered his gaze to her palm. His hand—with fingers slightly cold—gently pressed against hers. That coldness again, she thought. Like stone. Yet strangely, it wasn't unpleasant. "[serious]Gather the lumen in your hand. Don't spread it out—concentrate it into a single point. It's the opposite of the sensation you had when spreading light with Veil." Mira tried. The sensation of "concentrating" light. With Veil, it had felt like pushing light outward, so this time she drew it inward— "[excited]Ah." A small particle of light appeared on her palm. About the size of a pea. White, trembling with energy. "[serious]...Fire it." Mira selected a tree trunk along the river with her eyes and thrust her hand forward. The light particle—with a sharp *pyu* sound—cut through the air and struck the trunk, scattering white light. "[excited]I hit it!! I did it!" Mira couldn't help but jump. She was surprised herself. It was so easy. "[serious]...You're making too much noise." Solis sighed. But when he started walking again, the corner of his mouth—just barely, just for an instant—softened. Mira didn't miss it. "[surprised]Did you just smile?" Solis turned his gaze forward. "[serious]You imagined it." "You definitely smiled." "[serious]Let's keep walking." Mira chuckled and followed after Solis. The air between them was slightly softer than when they'd met at the sanctuary in the previous episode. It was such a small thing, yet Mira felt oddly happy about it. --- As they continued practicing while walking, Solis suddenly changed his tone. His voice became slightly heavier than before. "[serious]There's something I must tell you." Mira stopped creating light particles. "[serious]The price of lumen magic. Have you heard about it in class?" "...Something about memories fading if you use it too much?" "[serious]It's not just fading. Memories accompanied by emotion—the more precious the memory feels, the more it gradually becomes hazy. Light usage has almost no effect. But if you continuously cast powerful magic, the edges of memories blur. They don't disappear, but...you stop being able to recall them." Mira listened silently. She'd heard about it in class. But back then, it felt like someone else's problem. Now it was different. Light was coming from her own hands. This was about magic she would use. "[scared]...My parents' faces." "Huh?" Solis turned around. "[scared]I barely have any memories of my parents anymore. We separated when I was young. If I use a lot of magic...the few memories I have left will disappear too?" Solis didn't delay his answer. "[serious]It's possible." Something cold formed deep in Mira's chest. "[angry]...You're telling me to fight anyway?" Her voice grew rough. She could hear it herself. But she couldn't hold it back. Solis gazed silently at the river's flow. For a while, only the sound of water existed between them. Eventually, Solis spoke quietly. "[serious]That's precisely why—fight before you forget what you want to protect." Just those words. Mira couldn't respond. It wasn't encouragement or explanation. It carried the weight of words he'd told himself countless times. Words born from his own conviction. If Solis had been fighting for hundreds of years. How many memories had he— She stopped herself from thinking further. She felt it was better not to ask now. Mira walked in silence, head down. No words of protest came. But she couldn't accept it either. The words simply fell into her chest and sank quietly. The reeds along the river swayed in the wind. The water's surface glittered, catching the light of dusk. She thought it was beautiful. A landscape she wanted to see before it disappeared. --- After walking upstream along the Silphis River for about half a day, a low stone gate structure appeared between the trees. The Shrine of Moonlight—an ancient ruin built near the source of the Silphis River. The stone was darkened, thick moss clinging to it. The patterns carved into the gate's arch were weathered beyond recognition. But what caught the eye most was the black-purple haze drifting from it. The haze floated, thinly enveloping the entire shrine. Something moved atop the stone steps of the entrance. Crepsula Beasts. Creatures corrupted by the Void. Their black-purple eyes gleamed. One, two, three—several visible near the entrance. There would be more deeper inside. "[serious]I'll set up a barrier. You go forward and purify them." Solis spoke in a low voice. "[scared]...All by myself?" "[serious]One at a time. Don't rush." Solis turned his palm toward the shrine. Pale light spread, and a thin membrane-like barrier enveloped Mira and Solis. A lumen barrier—it would protect them from the Crepsula's claws and charges for a short time. But Solis's face was slightly contorted. The strain of maintaining the barrier was taking its toll on his not-yet-recovered body. Time was limited. Mira raised her right hand. She concentrated lumen in her palm. She recalled the sensation from practice. Into a single point, with focus— First shot. It missed. The Crepsula roared. A low, resonant sound. It kicked off the stone steps and charged. (This is bad—) Solis momentarily strengthened the barrier. The Crepsula bounced off the transparent wall, staggering. "[serious]Don't stop moving!" Mira concentrated the light again. Stronger this time, more clearly. Solis's words echoed in her mind. Fight before you forget what you want to protect. "I'll do this!" Second shot. Direct hit. The Crepsula was engulfed in light. For just a moment, it cried out in pain—then the black haze unraveled, and the beast's outline vanished. Mira took a deep breath. Her hands were trembling. But she couldn't stop. Second beast, third beast—as they advanced into the shrine, the number of Crepsula increased. In the dark corridor, black-purple eyes glowed in multitude. The ceiling was low, damp air drifting from the stone walls. Stagnant haze flowed from deeper within. The moment Mira stepped into the innermost chamber, her movements nearly froze. More than ten. Crepsula filled the chamber, writhing. Their claws scraped against the stone floor, and their black-purple eyes all turned toward Mira and Solis at once. Solis let out a low growl. Creating a large barrier to encompass the entire chamber would require considerable power. Sweat glistened on Solis's forehead. "[serious]You purify all of them. I'll maintain the barrier." "[scared]All of them...?" The talk of the price flashed through her mind. Using this much continuously. Her memories would blur. Her parents' faces. They might disappear. She was afraid. But— Mira gritted her teeth. If Solis had fought with such resolve all this time. If she stopped now— "I'll do it." Speaking it aloud was for herself. Light bullets flew across the chamber in succession. One by one. Carefully. Each time she nearly missed, she steadied her breath, concentrated, and fired. Crepsula vanished in light. One, two, five, eight— Her arms grew heavy. Her palms burned. Still, she didn't stop. When the last beast was engulfed in light and vanished, the chamber fell silent. Mira barely managed to keep from collapsing to her knees, bracing herself against the wall. Solis released the barrier. Quietly, but slightly unsteady. "[serious]...You did well." The words were brief, but they were enough for Mira. --- The innermost door was old wood with rusted iron fittings. When Solis pushed it, it opened with a low *kii* sound. Beyond was a small room. A space with only a single stone pedestal—too simple to be called an altar. The torch holders on the walls bore traces of candle wax, but no flames burned. There were no windows. The shard should have been here. But the pedestal's surface was empty. At the center of the stone pedestal was a depression about fifteen centimeters in diameter. Smoothly carved, perfectly round. It was clear something had rested there. Along the depression's edge, faint traces of light powder remained. Lumen residue. Something had been here until very recently. "[surprised]...It was supposed to be here." Her whispered words were absorbed by the stone walls. "[surprised]Someone came before us?" Solis silently examined the depression. His fingertip traced its edge gently. The light powder clung to his finger, then faded. (When. Where did they take it.) Solis's gaze moved from the pedestal to the wall beside it. Mira followed his line of sight. On the wall was a shallowly carved emblem. Carved directly into the stone surface, its edges worn smooth by long ages. The shape was—like six stars arranged together. Similar to a hexagram, but more complex, an ancient symbol. Solis's body went rigid. Just for an instant. For only a moment, Solis's expression froze. His pupils focused on the emblem—then immediately, his face returned to its usual calm. Mira had been watching. "[serious]Solis, what is this emblem?" She asked directly. Solis was silent for a moment. "[cold]...Don't concern yourself with it." He said only that, then turned on his heel. He walked toward the exit. "[angry]Don't concern myself—" "[serious]We need to hurry now. Don't linger here." All that returned was his back. Mira remained standing, looking at the emblem on the wall once more. Six stars. An old, but deliberately carved mark. In the depths of such a ruin, something like this. Solis knew something. That much was certain. But he wouldn't tell her. Mira burned the emblem's shape into her memory. The six stars, more complex than a hexagram. So she wouldn't forget. Someday she'd definitely get him to tell her, she thought, clenching her fist quietly. --- Outside the shrine, the sky had turned to dusk colors. Orange and purple mingled in the sky above, and the Silphis River glowed in the distance. Wind rustled the grass, cool and pleasant against her tired body. Mira took a deep breath. The air outside felt fresh after the damp stone smell of the interior. Solis gazed up at the sky. Then, a voice reached them from afar. A beast's cry. Low, undulating howls. Not just one. Multiple voices overlapped, resonating together. From the direction of the forest—but something was wrong. The timing of the cries was strange. Not scattered. As if answering a single signal, they howled in unison. "[surprised]That's weird, isn't it? Do Crepsula usually howl like that?" Solis narrowed his eyes. "[serious]Crepsula don't naturally form packs." "What do you mean?" "[serious]Someone is controlling them." He said it clearly, in a low voice. Those words fell into the evening air. Someone controlling them. The one who took the shard first. And whoever was commanding the Crepsula. A chill crawled up the back of Mira's neck. It wasn't