Memory of Heaven:Romance Written By Fate Through Beyond Infinity Time-Chapter 391 The First Step in the Spiral — Rui and the Zeta Shadows

Chapter 391 - 391 The First Step in the Spiral — Rui and the Zeta Shadows

A grayish-purple sky hung above The Misty Crossing Village, as if it represented a feeling that could not be expressed in words. A thin fog enveloped the stone paths, and the copper lanterns hanging from the suspension bridge swayed gently in the cool mountain breeze. Rui stood at the northern edge of the village, her back facing the red-roofed houses that gradually faded into the distance and time.

Amidst the rustling wind, mysterious whispers could be heard, as if the secrets of the universe were being revealed. Each droplet of dew clinging to the leaves sparkled like tiny stars, adding depth to the magical atmosphere that surrounded this village. A mix of anxiety and hope enveloped Rui, as inseparable as the blanket of fog itself.

In her hand, she clenched her mother's heirloom—a black spiral-shaped stone, no larger than a fist, yet it felt as heavy as the world. She knew that the object was not just a protective talisman. There was a sound that always whispered from it, entwined with her heartbeat and the flow of her blood. The name of that sound had been sealed in her heart for a long time.

Qayin.

"I am not you," Rui whispered softly, almost inaudibly, her voice mixing with the echo of her own blood. The two resonated in harmony, like two notes complementing one another in an unseen symphony. Here, where reality and imagination entwined, more than mere words could be grasped.

Yet from within him, a heavy, resonant voice replied:

"But I am your final possibility."

Rui stepped forward. The sounds of wet earth and crushed leaves underfoot became the music guiding her journey. The Village of Misty Crossing gradually faded from view, swallowed by folds of fog like a past that clung on yet could not endure. A gentle cold wind whispered, carrying the scents of earth and dew, creating a sensation as if the spirits of her ancestors were guiding her along the narrow path framed by towering trees. Each step felt deeper, as if penetrating layers of unexpected time.

She did not look back.

The steps led her deeper into the Forest of Souls, a place where ancient sorcerers buried their memories to prevent them from being exploited by enemies. Legend has it that every tree here is a growing memory, with roots reaching towards the sky, and leaves that speak a language only understood by those who have lost everything. The soft music of the rustling leaves seemed to evoke the memories of the sorcerers, whispering faint murmurs that begged to be heard, stirring feelings of longing and nostalgia within Rui.

As Rui walked through the arching pathways of trees resembling ancient gates, she heard her name called out by a child's voice... then an old man's voice... then a crying woman. All of it stemmed from her own shadows. She quickened her pace.

"Qayin... did you cause this?"

"No. This is a place where the past refuses to die. Even without me, you would hear it."

A long-engrained wound in her chest—a remnant of an exorcism—throbbed violently. Her Spiral artifact flickered faintly, and from the corner of her eye, Rui caught sight of black petals falling from the branches of the trees. The thin moonlight illuminated the damp ground, casting shadows that danced as if her very soul were trapped between reality and dreams.

A long-engrained wound in his chest—a remnant of an exorcism—throbbed violently. His Spiral artifact flickered faintly, and from the corner of his eye, Rui caught sight of black petals falling from the branches of the trees. The thin moonlight illuminated the damp ground, casting shadows that danced as if his very soul were trapped between reality and dreams.

He would faint if he didn't hear the sound of footsteps approaching from ahead.

Three figures stood shrouded in fog.

The first, clad in a robe made of layered fabric from ages past, had a face concealed behind a cracked glass mask: Nashara of Threads.

The wind whispered softly, carrying the scent of aged wood and unfamiliar herbs, as though time itself vibrated in their presence.

The second was an old man with one eye, wielding a gnarled staff that glowed like the pulse of time: Vornan Hyr.

The third, a young woman with hair as white as the moon and eyes covered in blue cloth, held an ancient poetry book made of bronze: Selavienne, the Eternal Poet.

With every breath, Rui felt the world around her tremble, like a heartbeat echoing through forgotten fragments of history.

"The Anomaly from Zeta has arrived," Nashara stated expressionlessly.

"The Vessel of Qayin," Vornan continued, "and the bearer of the spiral stone. He does not yet know his path, but it has been waiting since the first world."

With each word spoken, Rui felt the weight of the past pressing down on her shoulders, intertwining with an inescapable fate that dragged her into a vortex of history filled with sacrifices and choices demanding consequences.

"What... who are you?" Rui asked, her hands trembling.

"Guardians of the timelines and possibilities from the world of Zeta," Selavienne replied. Her voice was like an unfinished poem. "We stand in the place where the seeds of the Spiral were first sown, before the world learned to forget."

A rumble from the sky seemed to respond to Selavienne's words, merging the essence of magic with the tense silence of the night. Rui wanted to say something, but the voice within him took the lead:

"I know them. They once opposed me at the end of the fourth world. They failed."

Rui staggered, as if affected by the weight of memories pressing upon him. Nashara's presence exuded a calm and mysterious aura, as if he were a bridge between this world and the next. But Nashara stepped closer and touched the spiral stone in Rui's hand.

"Your path is not yet open. But that place has been calling you. Follow us."

Rui followed them to a quiet clearing, where ancient stones formed a circle—ruins of the Kuil Ardha-Khazir, where the guardians of the Spiral once stored the foundational first paths that traverse dimensions. The air was filled with shimmering magical foam as the moonlight touched it, creating an illusion of movement around the seven-layered spiral altar that stood in the center.

"Touch this altar with your artifact," Vornan said, his voice flowing softly like a song in the night wind.

"I don't know what will happen," Rui whispered, her heart pounding with anxiety and hope.

Rui stepped forward, placing her spiral artifact at the center of the altar... As the touch flowed, the entire essence of existence felt as if it were vibrating, as if the altar had a soul of its own.

...and the world collapsed.

Not literally, but in an instant, the surroundings turned to gray. The sky was upside down, as if all laws of nature had been broken. The ground became glass, reflecting a faint light that caused shadows to wriggle amidst the folds of time. Time reversed, no longer adhering to the course it was meant to follow.

And Rui stood in the midst of a burning city, trapped in a dark memory. The black sky seemed betrayed by the stars that once shone brightly. Blood flowed like a river, staining the earth that was once fertile, and screams filled the air, cutting through the calm like thunder on a stormy night.

High above, on a towering black spire, a figure stood, its silhouette haunting against the darkened sky. Its long, deep black hair seemed to absorb all the surrounding light, and its vacant eyes mirrored the emptiness itself, as if able to peer deep into the souls of the oppressed. It raised its hand and spoke:

"Love is never enough. Therefore, I bury the whole world," she thought with despair.

Rui fell to her knees, the vibration of her voice echoing in her ears. She knew... the woman was herself, a reflection of all the pain and faded hopes.

Or he would become himself if he didn't avoid this dark path.

A shard of mirror fell from the sky, revealing his face smeared with blood, mingled with the pain of betrayal. But the eyes were not Rui's; they belonged to Qayin, filled with an indescribable despair.

Those were Qayin's eyes.

Rui woke up gasping for breath, blood streaming from her nose and eyes, as if its flow signified the bitterness she had held back. The ground around her was wet with the shadows that kept fading, adding to the impression that she had crossed the boundaries of the real world.

Selavienne wiped the blood from Rui's cheek, like a mother would tend to a wounded child.

"What did you see?" Nashara asked.

"I... burned the world. Because I was betrayed. Because I... loved too much."

Vornan nodded. "That is the deepest shadow of your soul. But it does not have to be your destiny."

Rui stared at his spiral heirloom. Now there was a fine crack on its surface. But from that gap, a faint light flowed. The light trembled gently, as if it had a life of its own, inviting Rui to dive deeper into the hidden mysteries of that nearly shattered treasure.

"Does this mean I—"

"—am ready to step forward," Nashara interrupted.

They gave him protective clothing made from the threads of time and a short staff crafted from the wood of the Zeta world— a staff that could only be wielded by those who carried two realities in their blood. In the soft glow, the threads trembled as if dancing to the rhythm of his heartbeat, while the wooden staff felt cool against Rui's palm, as if whispering the long-buried tales hidden within it.

"The Spiral Path will take you to the place where Qayin was born... and to the place where she was meant to die," Vornan said. His voice flowed like an incantation, filling the air around them with a magical vibration that, though tense, also offered hope; as if inviting Rui to retrace the long-forgotten footprints of destiny, confronting the shadows of her past.

"And if I fail?"

Rui nodded slowly. "I will walk, even if the ripples of your curse," Selavienne replied. "Even those who do not know magic will be scorched by your blood's trail." Her voice was firm, resonating in the silence like a reminder of the heavy burden of responsibility he bore, while cold dew began to ignite, burning away the doubts that had once restrained her. She felt resolve coursing through her veins, preparing her for the steps that would lead her to face any possibility, including unforeseen consequences.

Rui nodded slowly. "I will walk, even if the path breaks my legs," she said with newfound determination. In her heart, courage began to ignite, burning away the doubts that had once restrained her. She felt resolve coursing through her veins, preparing her for the steps that would lead her to face any possibility, including unforeseen consequences.

"True words," Nashara said, turning to him. "But don't forget... the Spiral is not just a path of destruction. It can also be a path of rebirth." As its depths were revealed, a soft magical light seemed to shine from within her eyes, unveiling another side of the Spiral that was more dazzling, like a flower that failed to bloom, waiting for the perfect moment to come back to life.

They disappeared one by one, like shadows fulfilling their destiny. Each vanishing figure gradually led Rui's soul into a profound silence, a place where chaos and tranquility collided, creating space for new thoughts and reflections.

Rui walked toward the north, toward the edge of the dimensions. A gentle breeze whispered, unveiling the scent of damp earth and the aroma of a hopeful sky, guiding her steps into the unknown, promising an adventure greater than herself. freēwēbηovel.c૦m

The spiral artifact in her hand now pulsed softly. Each heartbeat marked the passage of time, as if reminding Rui that she was not just a traveler, but a part of a vast tapestry connecting all realities around her.

And from within himself, Qayin's voice whispered, not with malice, but with curiosity:

"Do you really want to know who I am... or do you want to know if you can become me?" The question hung in the air, seemingly inviting Rui to delve into the darkness within herself, to listen to every buried doubt, and to discover who she truly was amid the clamor of a turbulent world.

Rui did not answer.

He simply walked.

Traversing the Spiral.

Toward a destiny yet to be written.