The nightmares returned.
But this time, they whispered.
Not of fire. Not of war.
But of a name—one none dared speak aloud:
Ryon woke covered in sweat, the Matriarch's voice still echoing in his mind.
> "Walk the path of fire…"
> System Update: New Soul Detected
Name: Mirela of the Thorns
Status: Cursed Enchantress
Soul State: Corrupted Virgin
Location: Forbidden Garden (South Tower Ruins)
Warning: Contact may result in rapid curse escalation
Ryon rubbed the runes on his chest—glowing slightly. They reacted when the name "Mirela" appeared.
One unlike the others.
Even Lyria hesitated when he mentioned the name.
"You can't be serious," she said. "That place is sealed for a reason."
Ryon nodded. "And what reason is that?"
Lyria looked away. "Because Mirela was the last girl the Matriarch ever feared."
The Forbidden Garden was no garden.
It was a twisted ruin, once a palace courtyard, now overtaken by thorn-covered vines, black trees, and poisoned blooms that pulsed like breathing hearts.
The air shimmered with magic and madness.
But he walked in anyway.
And at the center—by a broken fountain that bled dark water—stood her.
She wore a flowing green-black gown of thorns and petals. Her long silver hair cascaded over one shoulder. Her face was beautiful, haunting, almost ghostly—but her eyes were bound with a blindfold made from thorned silk.
"You finally came," she said.
> System Prompt: Mirela of the Thorns – Virgin Soul Class: Cursed Tier
Initial Compatibility: 99%
Emotion Registered: Longing
Curse Depth: 92% (Critical)
Restoration Path: Share a memory of joy
She stepped closer, feet never touching the ground. Her voice was a whisper inside his mind.
"I've been here… alone… for three hundred years. The vines listen. The flowers sing. But none of them… feel."
Ryon asked, "Why are you cursed?"
"I refused the Matriarch," she said. "Once. And now I'm bound to rot in beauty."
She reached up, gently touching his chest.
"You burn. Like me. But not from the outside. You burn… inside your soul."
> [System Reaction: Soul-Link Surge Detected]
Warning: Sharing a memory will lower personal defenses
Ryon took a breath—and then held out his hand.
"I'll give you something."
"A memory. One that still makes me smile."
Ryon closed his eyes—and remembered.
A warm night in the North. A campfire. His younger brother laughing as they tried to cook stolen apples. The snow falling slow, harmless. For just a moment, the war didn't exist.
And he had been happy.
When he opened his eyes, Mirela was weeping.
Silent tears ran down her cheeks. The vines around her trembled. A few even wilted.
She reached up slowly—and removed the blindfold.
Her eyes were green fire. Not with rage… but life.
> System Update: Mirela Bond Progress: 0% → 11%
Virgin Soul Seal: Partially Broken
Curse Regression: -6%
Time Remaining: 5 Days, 15 Hours
New Ability Unlocked: Thorn Pact – Passive Resistance to Corruption
She cupped his face gently.
"You brought me light," she whispered. "Now let me give you a gift."
She pressed her lips softly to his.
And for a single moment—just one—Ryon felt nothing but peace.
Then the garden trembled.
And the vines began to move.
Mirela's eyes snapped wide. "They're coming."
"The ones who sealed me here."
She shoved him toward the exit, her body rising in a spiral of thorns.
"Go. If they see you, you'll never leave. I'll call for you again… when it's safe."
Ryon ran, the gate closing behind him in a slam of magic and roots.
And as he collapsed outside the ruins, breath heaving, the System echoed gently:
> You have kissed the cursed heart.
You have awakened the fourth flame.