The pain doesn't come from remembering. It comes from realizing you still remember, and that no amount of time was ever enough to erase what you lost.

* * *

At Leon's command, the ring on his right hand started to glow. Mana, specifically Ice Mana inside the eighth floor, fluctuated to the point it became visible to Eula's eyes.

She halted her thoughts for the time being and recalled the familiarity of this scene.

Leon had just called Rumi…

Rumi…?

Rumi…

She had heard that name many times before, as a child, or when her elder sister was alive.

Frost from the surroundings began to crystallize, forming into a humanoid shape.

In a matter of seconds, she appeared out of thin air. Black hair streaked with strands of black and white, frosty white pupils, and a snow white sleeveless dress that refined her breathtaking curves.

"…"

For a moment, Eula forgot how to breathe.

Rumi blinked her frosty eyes and turned to Leon first, then to Eula. She smiled, as instructed by Leon earlier, and bowed by lifting the hem of her dress.

"Hello… I am Rumi," she said, using her voice this time. "Nice to meet you."

"Rumi…" Eula stuttered, staring at her. The same look, the same eyes, and that same expression.

It was Rumi. The spirit bond of her elder sister, Charlotte.

Eula thought she had perished along with her, but now…

"How? How is this possible?" she tried to ask herself.

Leon answered, "After Charlotte died, she had Rumi cover your consciousness. But when your father tried using memory manipulation on you, Rumi used herself as a shield to protect your memories."

Leon explained how the memory manipulation was powerful enough to affect even a True Spirit, and how Rumi lost her memories in the process.

"That's what happened," Eula muttered, repeating Leon's words.

She had been confused all these years as to why her father's memory manipulation hadn't worked on her.

But after so many years, she finally found the answer.

Eula once again glanced at Rumi. "You don't remember anything?"

Rumi nodded. "All of my memories of you, my old bond Charlotte, and everything else were given to me by my new bond."

Eula felt her chest tighten.

She remembered Rumi as someone who was protective of Charlotte. She cared for her, and she abided by all of her words.

She was what made Charlotte special. Their bond was respected, and it was mutual.

Now that Eula learned that, even till the end her sister had protected her, the ache in her chest deepened.

Her breathing unevened slightly.

Leon noticed it immediately, even though she tried her best not to cry.

Eula lowered her face, and brought both her hands towards her face.

"Haah…" She took a deep breath. Leon saw fighting the urge.

It was a rare sight.

How much had she shed tears all on her own?

Leon wondered about that.

He somehow understood this. He didn't know if it was the same feeling he had when he saw Lumina's corpse, but still…

It looked the same.

Frustration. Grief. Anger. Regret.

All of it mixed together. That was how she felt right now.

Leon looked at her awkwardly. He didn't expect to witness this today.

She wasn't crying or anything, yet her struggle to keep the tears in, was the most awkward thing to watch than if she had.

Eula Lunovar, the person who she was now, had never shed tears in front of others. Not even Rinna.

"Haa… I didn't expect this." She said, raising her head, and leaning her body to the couch. She raised one of her arms, and placed it over her eyes, covering it.

Leon saw her sleeve linger near her eyes for a moment longer than necessary.

Eula continued in the same position.

"I somehow knew this…" she said. "...that my sister might be the reason I still remember."

"It is still cruel though. At some point, I wished I would forget what I saw that night… and at some point… I just wished to never wake up at all."

Silence fell between them.

Eula ruffled her hair, and looked at Leon. Her eyes were red at the corners, but it was dry.

"Thank you, Leon." She said, smiling bitterly, "truly, I mean it."

"I didn't do anything." Leon said, "she once belonged to your sister, so reuniting you with her is logical."

Leon paused and then added.

"If even one of you remembers, then it was never lost. What you shared still exists."

Eula gave her the same bitter smile.

Rumi was standing there, observing Eula, and Leon with curious gaze.

From Leon's memory, she understood what future Eula Lunovar would have. And how badly Leon was trying to prevent it from happening. Rumi didn't know what her older self would feel about this situation. But right now…

She felt nothing towards her.

Eula looked at Rumi again. Her expression had already settled.

"It's good to see you again, Rumi," she said, her tone respectful, and almost gentle.

Rumi blinked, then nodded once.

For a brief moment, Eula simply looked at her. Then, as if recalling something from far away, she asked casually,

"…Are chocolates still your favorite?"

"Hm?" Rumi tilted her head slightly.

That reaction alone was enough.

Eula did not look saddened by it. Instead, a faint smile appeared on her lips. She reached toward the tea table beside her and picked up a small tray holding neatly cut chocolate cubes.

"Here," she said, sliding the tray forward. "Have a seat and try some."

Rumi's gaze shifted to the chocolates. Then to Leon.

Leon was watching the exchange silently. When their eyes met, he gave a small nod.

Rumi sat down on the couch opposite Eula, her posture was elegant. She picked up one of the chocolate cubes and took a small bite.

"Mmm."

Her eyes lit up instantly. There was a faint, unnatural shimmer in them, as if something inside her had been stirred awake.

She chewed slowly. Then reached for another.

And then another.

Leon stared.

'Wow… this is new.'

This was not in the game. So, Leon didn't know what a character who made only a few appearances liked or disliked.

Eula let out a quiet giggle.

"Hehe… I knew you'd like it," she said, watching her fondly. "I brought plenty. I'll pack some for you later."

Rumi nodded earnestly, already reaching for another piece.

Eula exhaled softly and leaned back, then glanced toward Leon. She caught him staring in her direction.

"What?" she asked. "You want some chocolate too?"

Leon rested his chin on his hand.

"Not that," he replied lazily. Then he stretched his arms and yawned. "I'm just surprised. I thought you'd be bawling your eyes out by now."

"Heh."

Eula sneered at him.

"As if. If I ever did that," she said coolly, "just know the person in front of you is probably a doppelganger."

"Yeah, yeah."

As the seconds passed, Leon's gaze drifted to the book Eula had placed on the table earlier. It had no visible title. Or rather, the title page was hidden beneath a custom-made cover.

He reached out and picked it up.

"Mind if I see—"

Before he could even bring it closer, Eula grabbed his wrist.

"No."

That was all she said.

Leon immediately let go and placed the book back on the table.

"Alright… it's just a book," he muttered.

Eula's eyes narrowed slightly.

"Keep talking," she said flatly. "And I'll assume you're imagining something filthy."

Leon chuckled. "I was just going to say maybe it's romance."

Her glare sharpened.

"…Out."

"Okay, okay."

She turned away first.

"Anyways," Eula continued, changing the subject with practiced ease, "I heard something interesting today. About you."

Leon blinked. "About me?"

"Yes," she said, a faint smirk appeared on her face. "Someone mentioned you were asking Alice some questions. And that you even pulled Cyan Miller aside as well."

She let the words hang.

Leon already knew. Actually, he had wanted her to know.

That was why he had let Alice see the projection. Why he had chosen a third-year classroom. Why he had not bothered hiding it.

With the Twilight Order's eyes scattered across Eclipse, news would reach her eventually.

"So," Eula asked directly, her gaze locking onto his.

"What do you want to do in Evana City?"

There was no point for Leon to play dumb here. As a core member of Twilight Order himself he knew how her information reaches her.

If Eula was asking him this directly, then she had already pieced most of it together on her own.

He met her gaze without hesitation and answered.

"The Astral Spectrum."

Eula's brows lifted slightly.

She did not interrupt him, and just waited for him to finish.

"I want to have it," Leon continued.

For a moment, Eula did not respond.

She stared at him, trying to tell whether he was joking, or if he was saying something sacrilegious without realizing it.

But she could tell.

There was no humor behind his eyes.

"…You want to have the Astral Spectrum?" she asked slowly.

"Yes," Leon replied with a smile.

There was a reason the citizens of Evana City had been able to make use of Astral Matter, even though the Astral Spectrum existed far above the Human Domain. And there was a reason why, in the current era, humans were still allowed access to something like the Library of Astral Tale.

Unlike the Spirit Spectrum., and unlike the Upper World.

The Astral Spectrum had no ruler.

It was unruled. Like an empty throne laying around from the dawn of reality unclaimed.

Leon knew this.

And he also knew how to claim it.

In the game 'Rebirth of the Fivefold Calamities,' this truth had only been revealed much later.

And when it was, the community had gone insane. No one had ever found a way to do it.

In the end, it had been brushed off as nothing more than a prank by the developers. They said, maybe it was just a trick meant to make players waste their resources chasing something impossible.

But it was not a prank.

It was entirely possible.

And if Leon succeeded.

If he truly claimed the Astral Spectrum…

Then even the Calamities would no longer be something he needed to look out for.

But as a developer himself, Leon knew how absurdly difficult it was to reach that path.

There were countless conditions that had to be met. Conditions so specific, so unnatural, that no normal progression could ever satisfy them.

The only reason no player had reached it until now was simple.

Those requirements were never meant to be achievable.

And if anyone ever learned what they were, they would only ask one thing.

What the fuck were the developers smoking when they designed this?

.

.

[A/N: Sorry for the delays, I am getting ill easily these days..."

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