In a chamber of obsidian mirrors floating in a void of nothingness, seven figures watched the strands of magic twist unnaturally.
They felt it. The fracture.
"He cast it…" murmured one, a robed woman with eyes like black suns. "Spell Zero. The forbidden mnemonic."
The tallest, faceless and cloaked in shifting memories, stepped forward. His voice was a chord from a song that had been erased from time:
"The Originis boy has awakened the Pre-Truth. If he casts another, the Binding Shell will crack."
Another figure snarled. "We should've killed him when he was born."
"You couldn't," said the silent one. "You still can't. The Tome chose him. The Echo accepts only Originis blood."
They did not argue. They feared that tome.
But then, one among them began chanting—calling forth Lockchain Protocol: a system-wide spell designed to suppress forbidden memory.
And it failed.
The Glyph shattered mid-air.
The Fragmentwalkers stared.
"The System itself is rejecting our override," said one slowly.
"No," said the leader, now realizing. "It's remembering what we made it forget."
Echo Vault's Awakening
In the hidden citadel of the Echo Vault, alarms ignited in layered tones—each one resonating with a forgotten Thread.
Eluin, now promoted to Tier III-Operative, froze mid-study.
"Protocol Dreamsign... it's real…" she whispered, tears forming. "He found it."
The Council of Echo Vault gathered. All of them had once been considered outcasts. Now they were the only ones who understood what was coming.
"He's no longer a variable," said the Echo Keeper. "He's a catalyst."
Eluin clenched her fists. "Send word to every Shadow Recorder and Chrono Scribe. We move in six days. He'll need protection—and witness."
The Kingdom's Debate
In the royal throne room, the King of Ari's kingdom stood with his generals, advisors, and the patriarchs of the Six Pillars.
A new code sigil had appeared in the air during breakfast—spontaneously, hovering like a dream. Everyone who saw it felt wrong, like their soul had blinked.
"It's a memory signature," said the Vastelune Seer. "One not processed by the System."
The king turned. "What of Ari?"
"He awakened something. Something older than our reality."
Obelmar's Matriarch grunted. "We need to hide him."
"No," replied the Princess, walking in uninvited. "We need to stand with him."
Gasps.
But no one challenged her. Because they all saw the way the air shimmered behind her—Spell Zero's echo had touched her too.
Ari's Recovery and Decision
In Detracta, Ari sat in quiet contemplation. He had barely eaten. The casting of Spell 0 had drained him. But what scared him most wasn't the power.
It was what he saw in that realm.
He saw a future where the world dies, consumed not by chaos, but by stagnation.
A future without memory.
"So they've sealed the truth not to protect the world…" he muttered, "but to ensure no one questions it."
The Detractors met him again.
"There are six more mnemonic spells," said the elder. "But each one will pull you deeper into the Source Layer. You may lose yourself."
"I have to take the risk," Ari replied.
"Then your second training begins at dawn. The path of Temporal Recall Synthesis."
Ari nodded. "Let the world prepare. I'm not finished casting."