chapter 72

Rose stared at the parchment in her hands, the cryptic phrase burning itself into her mind:

"Do not let her fall again."

The words lingered like a ghostly whisper, igniting a flurry of emotions she couldn't quite place. Her fingers traced the edges of the parchment, the rough texture grounding her amidst the whirlwind of thoughts. Who was "her"? Was it someone from Sylus's past—or worse, someone from her own?

She couldn't ignore the faint sense of familiarity tied to those words, like a distant memory she couldn't quite grasp. But before she could think further, the game's soft, haunting music began to swell. The screen shimmered as a notification appeared:

"Chapter 8: Revelations of Eylus has been unlocked."

Her heart skipped. The name struck her immediately—Eylus. It wasn't just a name; it carried weight, depth, and mystery. Rose's fingers hovered over the "Enter" button.

"Eylus..." she whispered to herself, testing the name on her tongue. It felt strange, yet... right. Like a piece of a puzzle she didn't know was missing.

Taking a deep breath, she tapped the screen. The game transitioned seamlessly into the next scene, plunging her into the dimly lit halls of an ancient fortress. Shadows danced along the stone walls as flames flickered in iron sconces. The atmosphere was suffocating, thick with an unspoken tension that wrapped around her like a vice.

Sylus stood at the far end of the room, his back to her. He looked different now—his silhouette sharper, his stance heavier with purpose. The usual sly charm in his demeanor was replaced with an edge of something deeper, darker.

Rose instinctively moved her avatar closer, the sound of her footsteps echoing softly in the eerie silence.

"You're here," Sylus said without turning around. His voice was lower than usual, carrying a weight that made her heart ache.

"Of course," Rose replied, her voice trembling slightly. She hated how vulnerable she sounded, even in the game. "I came to... find you."

Sylus turned then, his crimson eyes locking onto hers with an intensity that sent a shiver down her spine. But it wasn't just the usual intensity she had grown accustomed to—there was something else, something almost... haunted.

"You shouldn't have come," he said, his tone laced with warning.

Rose frowned, stepping closer despite his words. "I don't understand. What's happening here? Who is Eylus?"

At the mention of the name, Sylus visibly stiffened. His gaze darkened, and for a moment, she thought he might not answer.

"Eylus..." he finally said, his voice barely above a whisper. "Eylus is a name I haven't heard in years. A name that should have stayed buried."

Rose's heart pounded in her chest. "But who is he? And why do I feel like... like this name means something to me?"

Sylus's jaw tightened, and he looked away, his hands clenched into fists. "Because it does," he admitted, his voice filled with a strange mix of frustration and regret. "Eylus was who I used to be. Before Onychinus, before... this."

The revelation hit Rose like a tidal wave. Sylus wasn't just some enigmatic leader of a criminal organization. He was something far greater, far more complex.

"What happened to him—to you?" she pressed, her curiosity outweighing her fear.

Sylus hesitated, his eyes flickering with pain. "Eylus was betrayed. By those he trusted most. They shattered him, broke him into pieces, and left him to rot in the shadows of his own creation. When I woke, I was no longer Eylus. I was... this. A fragment of what I once was."

Rose felt her chest tighten at his words. The pain in his voice was palpable, raw. But there was something else—something unspoken.

"And me?" she asked softly, her voice barely audible. "Do I... do I have something to do with this?"

Sylus's gaze snapped back to hers, and for a moment, she thought she saw a flicker of recognition in his crimson eyes. But it was gone as quickly as it came, replaced by a guarded expression.

"I don't know," he admitted, his voice heavy with uncertainty. "But there's something about you, Rose. Something that feels... familiar. Like a memory I can't quite reach."

Rose swallowed hard, her mind racing. The connection between them ran deeper than she had ever imagined, tied to a past neither of them fully understood.

Before she could respond, the ground beneath them began to tremble. The walls of the fortress groaned as if under immense pressure. Sylus's eyes narrowed, and he stepped closer to her, his body tense and alert.

"They've found us," he muttered, his tone sharp and urgent.

"Who?" Rose asked, panic creeping into her voice.

"The Umbrix Circle," Sylus said, his expression grim. "The ones who betrayed Eylus. They won't stop until they finish what they started."

Rose's pulse quickened as the room began to collapse around them. Sylus grabbed her hand, his grip firm and reassuring.

"Stay close," he commanded, his voice steady despite the chaos.

As they fled through the crumbling fortress, Rose couldn't shake the feeling that this was only the beginning. The answers she sought were within reach, but so were the dangers that came with them.

And in the center of it all was Sylus—or Eylus—a man whose past was as fractured as her own heart.