The sky over the ruins was quiet. Too quiet.
Harvie stepped onto the cracked stone floor, dust swirling around his boots. Behind him, Edna followed, her fire dim like a candle about to go out. The team had been silent since they left the last dungeon. Something about this place felt wrong—not dangerous, but… heavy.
"This is it," Harvie said. His voice was soft. "The ruins where the next clue is hidden."
They walked deeper into the ruins. Stone pillars bent inward, some broken in half, others burned black. Strange markings covered the walls, glowing faint red like blood soaked into ancient stone.
Edna stopped. She touched a symbol. "This language... it looks like part of the System."
Harvie nodded. He was already pulling up his interface.
> [SYSTEM ACCESSING ANCIENT DATA...] [LINK FOUND: USER ID - UNLAMENTED PROTOTYPE]
His heart sank. "This place belonged to the first person who used Unlamented."
They found a chamber underground. A massive statue stood in the center. It was made of fire-blackened metal. The figure looked like a warrior, but its face was covered in a broken mask.
"Who is that?" Edna whispered.
Harvie stepped closer. Words appeared above the statue.
> [NAME: UNKNOWN] [TITLE: THE BURIED GOD] [STATUS: ERASED]
Edna gasped. Harvie's hand trembled.
Then the truth came.
> [UNLAMENTED SYSTEM SOURCE: BACKUP ENERGY - TIMELINE CORE] [SOURCE: SACRIFICED TIMELINE OF ORIGINAL BEARER]
Harvie fell to his knees.
"Every time I rewound time," he whispered, "I was draining this person's life. Their whole timeline. Their memories. Their existence."
Edna stepped forward and grabbed his arm. "You didn't know."
"But now I do. And I can't stop using it. Not now."
Flames flared behind the statue. A voice echoed inside their heads.
"You steal my breath, thief of time. You wear my scars and call them gifts."
The air turned hot. Pain burned across Harvie's chest. He pulled open his shirt. There, glowing across his ribs, were red symbols like brands.
> [WARNING: GOD-SIGIL TRACE DETECTED. STABILITY DROPPING.]
Harvie stood. He looked at Edna. "I think the Buried God is waking up."
She didn't speak. Instead, she held his hand.
"Then we better be ready," she said.
Together, they walked out of the chamber. But behind them, the statue's mask cracked further.
A soft breath escaped the metal lips.
"Soon."