They pitched a camp underneath the jagged edge of some obsidian rock, still vibrating with whispers the trees heard. The light from the defeated creature had left behind a dull ember, faint but warm. Yumi cupped it in her palm.
[SYSTEM NOTICE: Emotional Artifact Acquired – Core of the First Flame]
Passive Effect: Slight warm presence triggers memory recall
Use: Unlocked with Flame Touch
Flame Touch was Yumi's skill of choice.
The moment she did so, the ember pulsed—and so did the pulse in her chest.
A wave of memory blasted in: Ren knelt awkwardly on their first date, presenting a broken rose from a vending machine, calling it "limited edition."
She laughed.
Loudly.
Everyone froze.
[Emotion Surge: +3% – Joy (Yumi)]
[System Reaction: Nearby creatures stirred by emotional ripple]
"What was that?" Ren asked, flat, with the twitch of his brow. He looked at her like something awful were beginning to surface from his subconscious that he could not quite articulate.
"I remembered something," Yumi said. "Just...a stupid moment. But I think it was kind of important."
Alistair and Lyra exchanged glances—still too calm to be considered real emotion but curiosity was now at the edges of their consciousness.
[New Objective: Reignite Memories]
Optional Quest: Rekindle five key emotional memories to unlock [Subclass Awakening].
The forest trembled. Something huge was coming in—a lot heavier than the other one. More prominent and deliberate.
[NEW ENEMY DETECTED: Warden of Ash]
Type: Dungeon Guardian
Behaviour: Emotion-Seeker
Unique Trait: Reflects dominant emotional energy
A hulking figure draped in molten armor emerged from the trees, its form ever shifting to echo their own faces within its chest—expressionless masks flickering in and out of molten iron.
It came faster than they thought.
Lyra instinctively avoided the first strike, followed by Alistair reflexively coming up beside her—their Coupled Instincts bailing them out once more.
Ren and Yumi charged, two against one.
Yumi's Flame Touch blazed to life in her hand as the fireball struck the Warden's knee.
The Warden bellowed.
It counterattacked, slamming Ren against a tree.
[Health Critical – Ren]
[SYSTEM TRIGGER: Fight-or-Flight Reflex]
[Emotion Surge: +2% – Panic (Yumi)]
[Skill Slot Unlocked – Adrenal Bloom]
Lyra let out a scream—not out of fear, but it was a scream born of the cracking inside of her. She remembered him lying in the hospital with tubes up his nose, smiling while she said goodbye "just in case."
Tears streamed down her cheeks.
[Emotion Surge: +4% – Grief Echo]
[System Warning: Emotional output unstable]
Alistair swung a thick tree branch at the Warden's chest: not the best approach, true; but it worked. Again, Yumi jumped in, fire blazing. Ren, barely on his feet, reached out toward the flame and whispered her name.
[Duo Skill Unlocked – Ember Pulse (Yumi + Ren)]
Combined flames erupted from Yumii's palm, incinerating the Warden in an eruption of horrid white fire.
Then silence reigned.
Ash fell from the trees like snow.
They stood, panting, soot-covered and hearts racing—not merely from combat. From something far more.
[Current Emotion Levels]
Ren: 4%
Yumi: 6%
Alistair: 3%
Lyra: 5%
Well, we don't say it aloud.
Yet for the very first time, they felt something returning.
Not just something like memory.
Not quite instinct, really.
This was the beginning of feeling.