Chapter 16: The Ascension Gate, and the Queen Who Forgot Her Name

Reincarnated as a Background Character — Boss Fell in Love With Me

Chapter 16: The Ascension Gate, and the Queen Who Forgot Her Name

The road came to a decisive halt at the frontier where the world ceased its elaborate charade, a facade of reality that had long since faded away.

Here, there were no signs to guide the wayfarer; no sentinels to shield or ward off intruders. The sky, a haunting void, offered no comfort or clarity. Instead, a rugged valley lay exposed, a gash carved ruthlessly into the very essence of the earth, eternally shrouded in a twilight that felt as though time itself had forgotten to move forward. The ground underfoot bore the texture of black glass, smooth yet treacherous, reflecting a myriad of unformed memories. The air hung heavy and thin, saturated with echoes of the past, each breath a reminder of what once was.

At the core of this desolation loomed the Ascension Gate.

A decayed cathedral, a monument to ashen remnants and flickering flames, stood before Raze. Its ethereal spires floated precariously in the gloom, seemingly suspended between realms. The stars that once twinkled above were now bound by chains, their light extinguished in the overwhelming silence that enveloped the place—a silence so profound it resonated like a divine entity fighting to contain its own despair.

Raze stood transfixed, his gaze locked on the monumental structure.

[Ascension Gate Identified — Realm Access Key Verified]

[Phase III Trial: "Echo of the Flame" — Begins on Entry]

Danger Level: Existential.

Recommended: No.

Then, Velzeria stepped forward, breaking the spell of stillness.

She didn't hesitate.

There were no words, no whispered thoughts flitting through her mind. There was no tremor of fear, no sign of doubt. With a resolute determination, she strode confidently through the Gate.

Without thinking, Raze followed suit.

And in that instant, everything transformed.

Inside the Gate, what should have been 'inside' morphed into something altogether different, a vast dreamscape unfolding like the pages of a forgotten story.

It was a palace constructed from fleeting moments, adrift in a swirling sea of colorless flames. With each step Raze took, the echoes reverberated through realms he had never glimpsed: grand throne rooms succumbing to decay, cities engulfed in relentless infernos, prayers uttered in desperate breaths, only to be swallowed by the void of silence.

At the very center of this surreal existence stood Velzeria.

Yet, something about her appearance felt… askew.

She bore no wings to signify her ethereal strength.

No regal crown to reflect her status.

No tether binding her to this existence.

Just a girl, pale and young, with eyes wide open to the world, filled with an unending blend of sorrow, fury, and fragmented memories.

"Vel?" Raze's voice slipped out, uncertain and tentative.

She turned to face him.

But this was not the Velzeria he knew, not truly.

Or rather—this was the unfettered Velzeria, stripped of her titles, her responsibility, before the weight of the Court and her ascension to Empress of Ash bore down upon her.

"…Who are you?" Raze breathed, the words barely escaping his lips.

Her eyes blinked slowly, and with an expression that sank deep into the pit of his stomach, she replied in a near-whisper, "I forgot."

[Phase III Trial – Initiated]

Objective: Recover the Self She Lost.

Condition: If she forgets you… the tether dies.

The dream-like version of Velzeria turned away from him, stepping deeper into a haunting field populated by burning thrones.

Each throne bore a version of her.

Some were smiling in triumph. Others screamed in agony. Some ruled with a fierce grip, while others lay defeated, consumed by flame.

None of them were whole, truly.

Raze surged forward, desperation fueling each stride.

"Velzeria! You know me!" he called out, his voice tinged with urgency.

She halted briefly.

Casting a glance over her shoulder.

In that horrifying moment, the light in her eyes flickered, revealing an abyssal emptiness.

Not hatred. Not affection.

Just a void.

He pursued her through the maelstrom of recollections.

A battlefield sprawled before him, where she had quelled a rebellion with merely a flick of her wrist.

A towering library, filled with scrolls that ignited unheeded.

A young child, her small hands grappling with a crown that overwhelmed her fragile head.

With every step, a fragment of her essence waned.

And with each footfall, he clung to their shared stories, knitting the lost pieces of her memory back into the fabric of her being.

[Soul Sync: 99%]

[Memory Anchor Detected – Raze has become a tethered locus.]

With an unwavering conviction, Raze shouted into the swirling flames that licked at his consciousness:

"You once told me to never let you become her. But you already did."

"You said I was altering your essence. Let me!"

"Not as your servant. Not as your soul-bound. Stand by me as your equal."

She froze in place, and the fire dimmed as if the universe itself paused to consider his plea.

Then, gently, her lips began to move once more.

"I remember…"

In that fleeting moment, her form shimmered, the guise of the child dissolving into the air. Wings returned, majestic and fierce. The fragmented crown settled firmly into place upon her brow. Her presence, once again fully realized.

But she was not merely the Empress of Ash.

She stood before him simply as Velzeria.

Unadorned. Authentic.

She stepped toward him, and in her eyes, he saw the glow of recognition. Her voice resonated with newfound steadiness.

"Thank you."

Raze blinked in confusion, "For what?"

"For reminding me… I have a name that transcends any title."

[Trial Complete – Ascension Gate Deactivated]

[New Pact Trait Unlocked: "Namekeeper"]

Effect: So long as Raze remembers her, Velzeria cannot be erased — neither by gods, nor by the very fabric of destiny itself.

Back in the waking world, everything felt altered, as if reality itself had been seasoned with the essence of their shared experience, and the stars above shimmered with an unfamiliar light.

Raze could not articulate the change, but he instinctively knew they were different now.

Velzeria gazed upwards, awash in the glow of distant constellations, then shifted her attention downward, inspecting her hands as if verifying her own existence.

"I thought I lost myself in the fire," she murmured, vulnerability creeping into her voice.

"You didn't," he reassured her earnestly. "I followed you into the flames, searching until I found you again."

When she reached for his hand this time, there was no formality—no intricate ceremony or unspoken obligation.

It was an offering of trust, pure and unwavering, binding their fates in a way deeper than mere words could express.

To be continued...