Ghosts of the Past, Flames of the Present

Deep within the factory, in the small kingdom of Ironholm, a figure hooded in black stood in absolute silence, contemplating the twisted machinery surrounding her.

"Ah...♡ fuuh...♡ haaah...♡"

"Gii...♡ Ugi...♡ Ugigi...♡"

"M-More...♡ give me...♡ aaah...♡"

Accompanied only by the brainless babbling of the elves drooling helplessly under the effects of the simulation, the silhouette showed no emotion whatsoever.

"..."

Some time ago, after massacring the monsters that had laid waste to the village and extracting the information pointing to the Demon King as the orchestrator, "Silvia's" journey had continued relentlessly.

"...Horrible."

Until finally, her pursuit led her to the small kingdom of Ironholm on the outermost reaches of the continent, where she spent days discreetly gathering intelligence to pinpoint the exact location of the facility.

(Clang... clang... clang...)

Her heavy, measured metallic footsteps echoed with a chilling cadence as she advanced through the premises.

"Where is it...?"

Along her path through the kingdom, "Silvia" had incinerated every human she encountered with her black flames.

"...I can't find it... Check the back...?"

Utterly disgusted by the atrocity of their actions, it had taken her a mere ten minutes to sweep through and wipe out the entire human population of that small kingdom upon discovering what they had done to the elves.

"...Found it."

And there, walking among the groans of the exploited elves, "Silvia" finally came to a halt before the central core—the complex machinery that managed and maintained the simulations, interconnected with the rest of the visors throughout the factory.

(Tack)

As a result, once standing before it, "Silvia" stared at it with absolute coldness, placing a hand upon it.

"—Can you hear me, sister?"

She then raised a hand beneath her hood toward her ear, adjusting her posture...

"Are you online...?"

Previously, during the fierce battle in the world of Ky'lar, after having successfully sealed the Great Earth Spirit inside an icy gem, Silver's mental state had reached a critical threshold, bordering on complete collapse.

"I've found the central core."

However, at that exact moment, her past memories began to resurface violently, fragmented like distorted echoes and sparks within her mind, causing her a searing pain...

"Can I cut through this thing...?"

Because of that, the trauma, suffocating grief, and sheer despair returned all at once to her consciousness.

(Crrk... clak... grrr...)

As a result, all of this, combined with the emotional influence radiating from her "mother," ultimately pushed her to the brink of losing control over her own mind once more.

"—...Are you sure about that...?"

For her, at that precise point, the entire world had faded into darkness.

"...."

Because of that, the last thing to reach her ears before falling into the shadows was a choked scream amidst the roar of interdimensional explosions, while a desperate voice called out for "Mom."

"—I see... If that's what you recommend, I'll do it."

Following that cataclysmic event in Ky'lar, Silver had awakened abruptly where everything had originally begun for her...

(Tick-clack... tick-clack...)

...She had returned to her world of origin, standing before a remote forest, shrouded in deathly silence.

"..."

However, in the present, the rhythmic sound of metallic gears coming through the comms line drew her back to the moment.

"—I'll be honest with you... I want to go find Mom right this instant..."

Emerging from her deep thoughts for a moment, "Silvia" scanned the vast facility with a cold, indifferent gaze.

"...You're right... I feel like I'm losing myself... like I'm turning into nothing more than a weapon."

At the same time, with her remaining free hand, she reached beneath the folds of her cloak and drew out the icy crystal gem wherein the Great Earth Spirit lay sealed.

"—...However, I can't just turn around and walk away leaving things as they are."

She stared down at it for a few seconds with a completely vacant expression...

"Right now, all I want to do is kill."

...And immediately after, she clenched her fingers tightly into a fist around the frozen gem.

"...But that's not what Mom would want... So..."

In an instant, faint yet menacing grayish flames erupted from her skin, cloaking her hand in fire and shadows.

"I will face my past..."

Opening her palm shortly after, the ice crystal evaporated into an instant burst of vapor.

"And I will overcome it!"

Around her, the very earth began to rumble with a deep, ominous tremor, causing the black cloak covering Silvia's figure to flutter violently against the air current rising from her feet.

(Crackle... fshhhhh...)

Dancing around her, embers and sparks of fire hovered in the air, burning on the verge of boiling over...

"Because what is broken can be repaired!!"

...In the midst of the facility, buried beneath a glacial chill and the horror of the machinery, a flame burned silently, poised to unleash a devastating explosion that would alter the fate of a doomed world...

"...And for that, I ask for your aid... Great Earth Spirit... Eldora-Gideon..."

...Toward a destiny that no one could yet foresee.