Lanterns of the Living Dead
Fighting in the Crow Market wasn't just dangerous.
It was sacrilege.
Every watcher, merchant, bound soul, and stitched-together priest in the market turned their heads the moment our feet cracked the bloodstained floor.
But no one stopped it.
Because duels were sacred.
Because sometimes the only way to settle death… was to die again.
Lorne Vale didn't attack like a man.
He attacked like absence.
One blink and he was already behind me, his arm a streak of black wind, the spirit of his twin brother sliding through the air like a severed scream.
Maren reacted faster than I could.
She pushed through my spine—
Not taking control… but merging.
For the first time, we weren't two voices.
We were one body.
⚔️ [Soul-Link Activated – Bound Form: Ashveil Dancer]
Trait Gained: Weightless Footfalls – Evade attacks with phantom movement
Passive: +30% reaction speed, +20% parry when near death
Active Ability Unlocked:
✦ Elegy Lure – Leave behind a ghost-image of yourself that explodes with raw memory.
Maren's Status: Co-Pilot (Aggressive Phase)
Corruption: 27%
I twisted left—barely.
Lorne's blade missed my neck by inches, slicing instead through a hanging paper lantern that screamed as it died.
His twin came next, sliding on smoke, clawed and voiceless, his empty mouth gaping open—
But I stepped through him.
Not around. Through.
I left behind a fading image of myself: hollow-eyed, mouth sewn shut—
💥 Elegy Lure: Triggered
The ghost shattered like glass—
Lorne's twin staggered, shrieking, wrapped in a thousand sudden regrets—
A memory storm Maren had chosen:
Maren's first burial.
The feeling of drowning in dirt.
The cold regret of dying without goodbye.
Lorne stumbled.
His twin wept.
I lunged—
Our fists collided.
His shadow cracked my ribs.
My elbow drove into his jaw.
We fell together, grappling like animals, souls tearing at each other—
But my soul was heavier.
Because it wasn't alone.
Maren didn't speak.
She screamed.
She screamed through me.
And in that moment—
I understood something awful.
She liked it.
The fighting. The fear. The feeling of not being helpless anymore.
I pinned Lorne against the bone stall.
His breath was ragged.
Blood in his mouth.
He looked at me with hollow eyes.
"You don't even know what you are," he gasped. "You're not Bound. You're not Reaper. You're something… wrong."
I leaned in.
"I'm what happens when you bury someone alive," I whispered.
[Combat Result: Victory – Lorne Vale Defeated]
Reward Unlocked: Reaper's Memory Fragment
✦ "Sins are heavier than corpses."
Trait Gained: Soul Weight – Your bound soul deals +25% pressure to weaker spirits
Market Status: You have earned recognition. And fear.
The crowd didn't cheer.
They just… parted.
Letting me walk.
One of the Crows descended from the rafters, long and slow, robes dragging like wings made of tar.
It looked down at me, black beak gleaming.
"The bell tolls again. Deeper. Darker."
"You walk the line between what was buried… and what still breathes."
"Beware, Graveborn. The third Returner has arrived."
I turned—
And saw her.
Not a girl.
Not a ghost.
But a mirrored version of me.
Same face. Same eyes.
But older.
Colder.
And holding the memory I gave up in the pit.
She smiled.
"Hello, Kashan."
"You left me down there."
"Now I want everything back."