Eryx's POV
Something was wrong with the girl.
Not emotionally.
Not mentally.
Existentially.
Eryx stood silently at the edge of the old forest, his dark eyes fixed on the heavy fog moving between ancient trees.
Cold wind passed quietly around him, carrying the scent of wet earth and flowers that should not have existed during this season.
The moment he stepped into the forest—
the atmosphere changed.
The fog thickened unnaturally.
The forest became quieter.
No insects.
No birds.
No movement.
Only silence.
"…interesting."
Most humans avoided this place without understanding why.
Some called it cursed.
Some said people felt watched here.
Others claimed they forgot parts of their memories after entering too deeply.
None of them understood the truth.
This forest remembered things the world itself had erased.
Eryx walked deeper calmly, his footsteps soundless against the earth.
The deeper he went—
the stranger the air became.
Heavy.
Ancient.
Like something sleeping beneath reality itself.
And then—
he stopped.
White flowers covered the clearing ahead.
Soft glowing petals moved gently beneath silver fog.
Unnatural.
Impossible.
Eryx stared at them silently.
"…they still bloom."
That should not have happened.
The Higher Authorities had erased every trace connected to her existence centuries ago.
Nothing should remain.
Not memories.
Not names.
Not even spiritual residue.
And yet—
these flowers still existed.
Meaning one terrifying thing.
The erasure had failed somewhere.
Eryx slowly stepped into the clearing.
The flowers reacted instantly.
Not blooming.
Withdrawing.
The petals tilted away from him like living things avoiding danger.
His eyes narrowed slightly.
"…you reject me even now."
Interesting.
Very interesting.
Eryx crouched slowly near one flower.
The moment his fingers almost touched the petals—
the flower dimmed immediately.
Like it refused contact.
Silence deepened around the clearing.
Then suddenly—
a memory surfaced faintly inside his mind.
Not clear enough to see fully.
Just fragments.
Silver petals falling slowly.
Someone laughing softly.
Darkness becoming calm.
Eryx immediately closed his eyes.
"…annoying."
Even remembering fragments felt difficult.
The erasure still resisted.
That was the power of the Higher Authorities.
They had not simply erased history.
They had erased remembrance itself.
Still—
some things survived.
Feelings.
Instincts.
Places.
And now—
her.
Eryx opened his eyes slowly.
"…Mira."
The name sounded strange in this forest.
Like the world itself paused after hearing it.
The flowers moved softly again.
Not toward him.
Away.
Rejecting him once more.
Eryx stood quietly.
Then he finally understood why.
"…you recognize her soul."
Not Mira specifically.
Something deeper.
Older.
The soul within her.
That explained everything.
Why Azael became attached so quickly.
Why the Soul Eater refused to harm her.
Why Mira remained calm beneath supernatural pressure that should have crushed normal humans instantly.
And most importantly—
why Azael could not read her completely.
Because his soul remembered something his mind had forgotten.
Eryx's expression darkened slightly.
"…this is becoming dangerous."
Very dangerous.
Because Azael was already changing.
Subtly.
Quietly.
But undeniably.
Protectiveness.
Patience.
Emotional restraint.
All impossible once.
And now—
all connected to her.
Eryx looked toward the flowers again.
"…what exactly did Kael do…"
That part disturbed him most.
This no longer felt accidental.
Someone had hidden Mira carefully.
Protected her.
Watched over her existence without Azael noticing.
Only one person would dare something like that.
Kael.
Eryx exhaled slowly.
"…sentimental fool."
Yet even Kael should not have been capable of bypassing the Higher Authorities completely.
Unless—
someone else had helped him.
The thought itself was unsettling.
A faint breeze passed through the clearing.
The flowers suddenly trembled softly.
Eryx's eyes sharpened immediately.
Someone had entered the forest.
A familiar presence.
Ancient.
Overwhelming.
Calm.
"…of course."
The fog deepened instantly.
And then—
Azael stepped through the trees.
Black coat.
Dark eyes.
Expression unreadable as always.
But the moment he entered the clearing—
the flowers bloomed brighter.
Silver light spread quietly across the ground beneath his feet.
Eryx watched carefully.
Azael noticed the reaction immediately.
"…this place."
His voice lowered slightly.
Not fear.
Recognition.
Subconscious recognition.
Interesting.
"You feel it," Eryx said calmly.
Azael's gaze shifted toward him.
"…why are you here."
"Curiosity."
Silence.
The fog moved quietly between them.
Then Azael's eyes returned toward the flowers again.
His expression remained calm—
but the atmosphere around him had subtly changed.
Like something deep inside him had become alert.
"…these flowers are unnatural."
"Yes."
A pause.
"They react to souls."
Azael looked at Eryx silently.
"…explain."
Eryx smiled faintly.
"They reject beings like us."
Us.
Not humans.
Them.
Ancient beings from the same world.
The flowers trembled again softly beneath Azael's presence—
but unlike with Eryx—
they did not dim.
Instead—
they bloomed brighter.
The clearing became quieter.
Silver petals slowly drifted through the fog.
And for the first time—
Azael's expression changed slightly.
Not visibly enough for humans.
But enough for Eryx.
Confusion.
"…why are they not rejecting me…"
Eryx's faint smile disappeared slowly.
"Because they remember you."
Silence.
Heavy silence.
Azael's eyes darkened slightly.
"…remember."
The word sounded unfamiliar coming from him.
Eryx studied him carefully.
"You truly feel nothing when standing here?"
Azael remained silent.
Then finally—
"…something feels incomplete."
The fog around the clearing deepened.
The flowers moved gently again.
And suddenly—
Azael's chest tightened sharply.
A strange emotion hit him instantly.
Not pain.
Not memory.
Absence.
An unbearable absence.
Like standing in a place where someone important should exist—
but didn't.
Azael frowned slightly.
His hand unconsciously tightened at his side.
"…what is this feeling."
Eryx watched him carefully now.
Because this moment mattered.
The seal was weakening faster than expected.
Not enough for memories.
But enough for emotional remnants.
Dangerous.
Very dangerous.
"Interesting," Eryx murmured softly.
Azael's gaze snapped toward him instantly.
"…speak clearly."
Eryx tilted his head slightly.
"You are beginning to remember emotions before memories."
The atmosphere changed immediately.
Darkness spread subtly beneath the trees.
The forest itself became still.
Azael stepped closer.
"What do you know."
Not curiosity.
Authority.
Absolute.
Terrifying.
But Eryx remained calm.
Because this was not the time yet.
If Azael remembered too early—
history could repeat itself.
And Eryx had no desire to witness another catastrophe.
So instead he answered carefully.
"I know that the girl is connected to something even the Higher Authorities failed to erase completely."
The moment he mentioned Mira—
the pressure surrounding Azael deepened instantly.
The flowers trembled violently.
Interesting.
Very interesting.
Eryx smiled faintly.
"There."
Azael's voice lowered dangerously.
"…what."
"That reaction."
Silence.
"You become unstable whenever she is involved."
Azael's expression darkened slightly.
"…watch your words."
Eryx laughed softly.
"You still do not understand."
The fog moved heavily around them now.
The clearing felt ancient.
Forgotten.
Wrong.
And then Eryx finally whispered—
"If the truth returns completely…"
A pause.
"…this world may not survive you a second time."
Silence crashed across the clearing.
Even the wind stopped moving.
But Azael said nothing.
Because deep inside—
for the very first time—
fear had begun taking shape inside the emptiness he could never explain.