CH 13 :ᕙ[ White Crost betrayal ]ᕗ
The moment my fingers brushed the glowing white essence, the world around me shattered like fragile glass. I wasn't falling—no—it was more like I was being ripped through space itself, carried on a current of time so ancient it hummed in my bones.
> [ You have activated: White Coastal Memory Essence ]
[ Entering Memory Realm… ]
[ Timeframe: 400,000 Years Ago ]
[ Region: Crost Island – "Blessed Paradise of the Demons" ]
A rush of golden light engulfed me. Then silence. A gentle wind touched my skin. For the first time in what felt like forever, I heard laughter—warm, genuine laughter. When my eyes adjusted, I stood not on a battlefield, but on soft white sand beneath a brilliant azure sky.
Palm trees swayed lazily in the breeze. Mana particles floated like tiny fireflies, glistening in every color imaginable. The sea shimmered under the sunlight. Demons—young, old, families—lived openly here, freely. No weapons, no guards. Just joy.
"Impossible..." I whispered, my voice hollow in my throat. "This... is Crost?"
> [ Alert: You are within a recorded essence of collective memory. No interactions allowed. Observational only. ]
I watched a group of children with small horns and shimmering auras race across a beach, laughing. Their parents waved from shaded huts built into mana-infused coral. No System screens. No fighting. No blood.
It was… paradise.
I stepped forward and the vision shifted, like the world blinked. I now stood at the center of a grand square. There, a monumental tree pulsed with radiant mana—its roots twined into every corner of the island, blessing its people.
A voice echoed in the air—female, clear, ancient.
> "We, the Children of Crost, vow to live in harmony, under the blessings of the Mana Tree. We protect. We do not conquer."
It was the Vow of Crost. A sacred chant passed from generation to generation. I felt its power linger in the very air, light and soothing.
Then the vision warped.
Thunder cracked. The sky turned black. The peaceful breeze became a storming howl.
> [ Memory Shift Initiated: The Beginning of the Betrayal ]
A new scene unfolded—this time, the people gathered at the gates of the island. Bloodied, broken warriors cloaked in divine gold—Worshippers—stood outside, begging for refuge.
"Our war has devastated us," one of them cried. "Let us heal… grant us your sanctuary, and in return, we shall protect you from the chaos that follows."
The Elders of Crost hesitated. Yet, as I watched, their kindness prevailed. They opened the gates. The worshippers fell to their knees and wept with thanks.
I felt my throat tighten. I already knew this wouldn't end well.
Time leapt again. Weeks? Months? The island grew tense. The once-smiling citizens whispered fears. The worshippers grew stronger, suspiciously so. They walked freely, took what they wanted, and ignored the Vow.
And then the final blow came.
The invasion.
They didn't protect Crost. They burned it.
Children's screams echoed as buildings crumbled. The Mana Tree wept mana tears, its leaves falling in agony. Elders were impaled by the same warriors they once sheltered. Even as the people begged, hands clasped, the worshippers struck without mercy.
> "You should have never trusted gods."
A Worshipper said that—calmly—before obliterating a shrine with divine fire.
The ground split open. The skies turned blood-red. Demonic souls wailed, twisting in the carnage. I could hardly breathe. Rage surged through my veins like fire.
> [ Warning: Emotional Instability Detected. Maintaining Memory Synchronization… ]
I saw it all—every massacre, every betrayal, every broken vow. This paradise became a tomb.
Only souls remained now. Wandering, lost, cursed to relive their death endlessly.
And me—stuck here—watching it.
As the vision trembled, I dropped to one knee, gripping my Void Sword's hilt with white-knuckled fury.
"They didn't deserve this…" I whispered. "I swear… if I ever face those so-called gods…"
The memory realm began to flicker, the first part ending.
> [ Memory Segment: One of Four Completed. ]
[ Next Segment Unlocked: "The Last Sentinel of Crost" ]
I stood alone in the aftermath of the past. The golden light returned, swirling around me.
But I wasn't the same. Not anymore.
Because now I carried the rage of an entire forgotten people.
And their ghosts weren't silent.
> [ Synchronization Complete. ]
[ Memory Realm Adjusted – Location: Crost Island, Inner Sanctum. ]
[ Timeframe: Moments After the Fall. ]
The golden glow vanished, and I found myself standing amidst scorched ruins and broken dreams.
White sand, once warm and radiant, was now painted with soot and ashes. The Mana Tree, the heart of this island, stood in the distance—its bark cracked, its glow dim. The very air felt hollow. Grieving.
I walked forward in silence. Nothing stirred. Not the wind. Not the trees. Not the stars above.
Then I heard it—a faint hum. A whisper laced in sorrow.
My gaze followed the sound until I reached the shattered steps of a great temple, half-submerged in dark water. In front of it, a lone figure knelt—armor cracked, wings torn, sword impaled in the ground before her.
A demon woman. Tall. Regal. A bleeding aura of divine mana and ancient power cloaked her like a dying star.
She didn't turn around, but somehow… she knew I was here.
"Child… of the future." Her voice echoed across space and time. "You stand upon Crost's last heartbeat."
> [ Alert: You are viewing the Echo of the Last Sentinel – Serapha of the Sea Flame. ]
[ Memory Interface Initiated. Observation Only. ]
Her long silver hair whipped in the broken wind. Crimson eyes, not unlike mine, glowed dimly.
"I was too late," she whispered. "Too slow to stop them… too blind to question the so-called gods." Her fingers clenched the hilt of her buried blade.
I stepped closer, though I knew she couldn't see me. "You tried to protect them. You fought."
She raised her head. "And still failed. I… failed them all."
The ground trembled. Her head turned toward the darkened skies. Above us, I saw them again—golden armored silhouettes of worshippers soaring through a rip in the heavens. And then… they sealed it. The last portal.
The exit from the realm. Gone.
"I swore an oath to guard this island until its last ember. And now…" She pulled her sword free, its edges flickering with dying fire. "There is only one thing I can offer."
She raised her hand toward the cracked Mana Tree. A beam of white-gold light shot from her chest—her very soul—and vanished into the tree's core.
> [ WARNING: Final Soul-Binding Detected. ]
[ White Coastal Memory Essence – Infusion Mark II Initiated. ]
"I give myself to the next bearer… to the one who sees, hears, and mourns. If you carry this memory, then you must carry our rage too."
Suddenly, the temple cracked. The earth groaned. Mana surged through the roots of the tree, lighting the ruined island like a dying phoenix. The sentinel collapsed, vanishing into sparks of silver light.
> [ You have obtained: Memory Flame of Serapha – The Last Sentinel ]
[ Stat Boost (Memory Sync): +50 MP | +10 Resistance | +20 Mental Fortitude ]
[ Skill Fragment Registered: "Sea Flame Aegis" – LOCKED until synchronization reaches 100% ]
I dropped to my knees as her essence entered me—fiery and mournful. Her despair, her power, her vow… it all carved itself into my soul.
Tears burned at the edge of my eyes.
"I won't let you be forgotten," I whispered to the ruins.
> [ Memory Sequence Two Complete. Two Remaining. ]
[ Upcoming Memory: The Fall of the Mana Tree ]
The sky above split once more.
But this time… I stood taller. The whispers of Crost—their anger, their hope—were starting to shape me.
And I wasn't done yet.
> [ Memory Realm – Sequence 2 Initiated. ]
[ Timeframe: Moments Before the Fall of the Mana Tree. ]
[ You are now experiencing: The Collapse of the Core Blessing. ]
The world reformed around me like shattered glass being mended by divine hands. When my feet touched the earth again, I was standing at the heart of the island—where the Mana Tree once towered over all, brilliant and breathing.
Now… it was withering.
Its glowing bark dimmed with each pulse. Crimson sap, not unlike blood, dripped down its roots and soaked the soil. The sky was a canvas of unnatural gold, flashing with sigils and warships. I felt it deep in my bones—the end was coming.
Demons screamed in the distance.
Mothers pulled their mana-blessed children into hiding. Elders chanted protective wards, their voices shaking. The peaceful island I had seen in fragments… was collapsing under betrayal.
"Protect the core!" shouted a voice—firm, commanding.
I turned to see a group of warriors rallying beneath the Tree. One of them—a man cloaked in obsidian armor with markings of white runes—stood tall with a twin-blade staff crackling with pure mana.
> [ Identified: Arvan, Guardian of the Core Blessing. ]
[ Role: Last Defender of the Mana Tree. ]
He stood before the tree, arms outstretched, as tendrils of mana flowed from his chest into the roots.
"No matter what they promised," Arvan growled, "we should never have trusted the worshippers!"
His words weren't just frustration—they were agony.
The sky split open as golden portals descended. Worshippers in celestial armor rained down like judgment itself. But this was no war—it was a slaughter.
I couldn't look away.
The demons fought with courage, using their blessings to push back the attackers. But the enemy was too coordinated… too ruthless.
Arvan raised his hand and slammed his staff into the ground, sending a shockwave of protective energy across the battlefield.
"Fall back to the inner ring! Defend the heart at all costs!"
Then I heard it: a scream, pure and high-pitched. A child. A little girl running back toward the Tree, separated from her family. Her tiny hands reached for her father, who was already wounded, crawling.
Arvan didn't hesitate.
He surged forward, intercepting a bolt of divine fire before it could hit the child. The blast ripped through his armor—his right arm burned to bone. Still, he grabbed her and threw her behind him.
"Run!" he roared, and with his last breath of mana, he raised a wall of silver fire to guard her escape.
> [ Emotional Spike Detected: Memory Resonance Level Increased. ]
[ Synchronization with Crost Memory Essence: 72% ]
The Mana Tree let out a groan like a dying god. Its leaves blackened. Its roots began to collapse inward, drawing in the light.
I fell to my knees.
This wasn't just history. It was pain—millions of voices crying out in betrayal, consumed by the very beings they welcomed with open arms.
> [ Alert: Final Pulse Detected. ]
[ Mana Tree Core Disintegrating. Memory Sequence Ending Soon. ]
Then everything turned white.
The final image I saw was Arvan's body, kneeling… petrified in place, turned to crystallized ash around the roots of the dying Tree.
> [ You have obtained: "Fragment of the Core Blessing" (Incomplete) ]
[ Passive Bonus: +20% Mana Recovery in Sacred Areas ]
[ New Memory Unlocked: "Echo of Arvan – Guardian of Crost" ]
[ Skill Fragment Registered: "Twinflare Judgment" – LOCKED ]
I collapsed to the ethereal ground, gasping. My fingers trembled.
"This… this is the truth buried beneath their legends," I whispered.
These weren't just memories. They were the soul of Crost—and now they lived in me.
I clenched my fist.
"I won't let it die again.".
> [ Final Memory Sequence Initiated. ]
[ Crost Memory Essence: Final Layer Accessed. ]
[ Timeframe: Last Day of the Paradise. Event: The Skyfall Massacre. ]
The realm around me groaned and cracked as if time itself was weeping. The once-vibrant island of White Crost stood in its final moments, and this time… I wasn't just watching.
I was living it.
Rain poured like blades from the sky—thick, red, and heavy with mana. The storm was unnatural, forged from the betrayal of those who had sworn protection. Golden warships circled above like vultures over a corpse, casting long shadows over a broken paradise.
The Mana Tree was gone. Only a scorched, cratered husk remained.
I staggered through the rubble, wearing the echo of one of the island's defenders—my hands bloodstained, a half-shattered blade in my grip. The stench of mana-burnt flesh choked the air.
> [ Synchronization: 94% ]
[ Crost Defender's Echo Fully Integrated – Accessing Lost Combat Skills Temporarily… ]
[ Skill Access Granted: "Soulbind Spear" (Duration: 30 mins) ]
[ Passive Activated: "Endure the End" – Auto-Revive (1x) during memory realm ]
I dashed toward the shrine.
There—behind the last crumbling arch of silver stone—stood a dozen remaining villagers. Children. Wounded. A single elder whispering a prayer that would never be answered.
I heard it then—wings slicing the air.
The Worshipper Elite.
They descended in robes of golden silk and ivory, faces veiled behind mirrored masks. Each one glowed with stolen blessings.
"Please," the elder cried, "we gave you sanctuary—our homes, our mana—we only asked for peace!"
The worshippers raised their spears.
"No witnesses," one said coldly.
Something in me snapped.
I launched forward, summoning the Soulbind Spear. It formed in my hand like ice molded from memory—pale blue, inscribed with demon runes.
I screamed—no words, just rage—and hurled the spear through the first attacker.
A burst of silver energy exploded on contact.
I dodged and weaved, drawing on combat knowledge not mine. My blade sliced through divine enchantments. Their shields cracked. Their formations fell apart.
But there were too many.
Dozens.
Hundreds.
> [ HP Decreasing Rapidly. ]
[ Endure the End Activated – Resurrection Countdown Begins: 60 seconds ]
I hit the ground. My vision blurred. I could barely hear the children crying behind me.
And then… a glow.
Not from me. Not from the attackers.
From the villagers.
Mana poured from their bodies—freely, willingly. Into the earth. Into me.
The shrine behind me cracked open.
A beam of light—raw, unfiltered memory energy—blasted from the ground and into my chest.
> [ Sync Rate Maxed: 100% ]
[ Hidden Legacy Acquired: "Soul of Crost – Guardian of the Last Light" ]
[ Memory Trial Complete. Extracting Reward… ]
Everything turned to white ash.
Time froze.
The memory realm collapsed, folding in on itself like a dying star.
When my eyes opened, I was back.
The sky above me was clear. The Crost island—now lifeless again—felt still… almost reverent.
I stood at the same shrine from the memory, now long eroded. The soil still sang with quiet mana.
> [ You have acquired: White Coastal Blessing – Passive Skill Added ]
[ Skill: "Guardian's Wake" – Temporarily grants mana shield to allies near death ]
[ Memory Quest Complete. All Fragments Collected. ]
I knelt before the shrine.
"To the souls who once smiled here… I'll carry your light. Through the Red Ocean. Through every war. You'll be remembered."
I rose with my sword strapped tight.
And with it… the fire of a forgotten paradise burning in my blood.