The air had gone electric with the emergence of the first Hollow Revenants-armored shadows with jagged weapons like broken promises, their eyes dim embers that used to hold emotions. They traveled in perfect silence, but their presence was deafening.
[SYSTEM ALERT: Elite-Class Enemies Detected: Hollow Revenants]
Special Trait: Emotion Drain (On Hit)
Resistances: Fear, Confusion, Weakness
Weakness: Empathy-Based Damage.
"They're...us," Lyra whispered. "What we could've become."
"Emotionless watchers," Yumi whispered. "Dead in all respects. Efficient. Empty."
The Revenants charged.
________________________________________
Combat Initiated: Party vs. 3x Hollow Revenants
Lyra raised her Echo Barrier, pushing a Revenant back as far as possible, but not without cracking from impact.
Alistair intercepted the second Revenant, steel clashing against old and twisted halberd.
Sparks flew as the clashing attacks raged on, Alistair recalling thoughts of defending Lyra, anger fueling every swing.
[Passive Boost Triggered – Echo Barrier Strengthened by 10% under emotional pressure]
Yumi and Ren moved as one.
She flared forward with Flicker Bloom as a trail of flaming wrath led across the battlefield while Ren activated Iron Pulse, battening Rebukes on his hardened glowing skin.
[Dual Skill: Resonant Guard Activated – Yumi shielded as she attacked]
[Emotion Surge: +3% – Battle Bond]
The Revenants counterattacked.
One stepped into Ren and swung its blade with a blow to its side; at that moment, something was drained from him-not blood, but emotion.
Ren almost stumbled. There was shock etched on his paled face.
[System Warning: Ren's Emotion Dropped to 22% – Emotional Drain in Effect.]
"They're sucking out whatever we regained!" shouted Alistair. "We can't let them touch us!"
Lyra closed her eyes and whispered a memory to her hand—Pulse of Return.
Her magic pulsed outward, holding the party together through threads of shared memories—Mei laughed, Ren called, Alistair's heartbeat, and Lyra's promise.
[New Party Buff: Tether of Self – Temporarily nullifies Emotion Drain if tethered by shared moments.]
Their movements became art.
Yumi set one Revenant on fire from the back. Ren rammed a blade into another Revenant's chest while shouting words he hadn't said in years:
"I'm still trying to love—and I'm fighting for it!"
With every strike, they did not strike just as a warrior.
They lived.
The last Revenant disintegrated into a cloud of black mist and sparkling data.
Silence came back in this time-not an empty silence, but a earned silence.
________________________________________
Post Battling System Bugfix
[Hollow Revenants Defeated – Emotion Boost: +6% across all party members]
[Loot Acquired: Fragmented Core – Null King's Memory]
Status: Corrupted Memory Object (Unstable)
Usage: Unlocks Gate 4
Fragment quaked in Yumi's hands as they caught their breath.
A whisper echoed from it—not quite a voice, but a feeling:
"He once loved. Before he became a king of nothing."
The Null King was not merely an enemy.
He had been, once upon a time, similar to them.
________________________________________
[Current Emotion Levels]
Ren: 28% → 34%
Yumi: 22% → 28%
Alistair: 19% → 25%
Lyra: 17% → 23%
Group Buff: Empathic Resistance (Temporary) – Resists emotion-based attacks for 3 encounters
And they stood there, over the battlefield, hearts heavy but beating stronger.
And somewhere deep in the palace...the new Gate 4 opened.