The road ahead narrowed into a glowing bridge suspended over an endless void. There was no land—only ash swirling below and a pale aurora shimmering above. The silence here wasn't peaceful. It was sacred.
A voice rang out. Not from a speaker, not from the system—from existence itself.
> "You approach the Fourth Flame. Only those who remember what they've lost may sing it back to life."
---
[ Flame Site Detected – The Choir of Ash and Light ]
> Tier: 4 – Memory Resonance World
World Modifier: "Sound Becomes Truth"
Rule: Speech and emotion influence physical reality
Objective: Restore the lost hymn and protect the voices that remember
---
Lian stared at the glowing path. "We've never seen a world like this before."
Jayce gave a mock shiver. "If a single musical zombie jumps out singing opera, I'm leaving."
Elric, more solemn, touched the air. "This was once Solgrave's cultural center. Entire cities sang together to protect each other."
Demist muttered, "Then let's hope we're still in tune."
---
Entering the Choir Zone
As they stepped forward, memories began to float beside them—visible. Actual echoes of lives long gone:
A mother singing to her child.
Soldiers marching while humming to keep their fear at bay.
Lovers whispering lullabies.
The system flickered.
> [ Alert: Soul Resonance Detected – Emotional Armor Activated ]
Each party member gains +10% Resistance to Memory-based Attacks
Passive: Words spoken here shape physical reality, based on truth, grief, or song.
---
Enemy Encounter: Ash-Tongued Choir
A group of humanoid shades stood blocking the bridge. Their mouths glowed, eyes vacant, voices monotone:
> "Who are you to walk through the song of the dead?"
They attacked—but not with fists or weapons. They sang.
The bridge cracked. Lian felt the cycle's wheels tremble, his vision distorting as if pulled into a dream where he failed every rescue. The cycle slowed.
Jayce clenched his ears. "It's like being heckled by your failures!"
Elric shouted back—not words, but a single note. Pure. Hopeful. It clashed with the enemy's melody.
Jayce stood and howled a ridiculous line:
> "I once mistook shampoo for milk and poured it in my cereal! Beat that memory!"
The enemy faltered—confused by joy-laced absurdity.
Lian stood up, gripping his handlebars tighter.
> "I carry people because I couldn't save my parents. But I'll carry a world if I have to."
His voice cracked—but the ash around him ignited with light.
Demist added in a low growl, "The only song I need is the clash of steel. But for this... I'll listen."
He swung, timed to the pulse of Elric's melody, slicing through the Ash-Tongued Choir.
---
Boss Battle: Echo of Solgrave's Voice
The bridge's end revealed a woman in white robes, eyes closed. Floating. Broken.
Her voice had once protected the world.
Now it tore it apart.
> "I was forgotten. Now I forget you."
Her abilities:
Ash Pulse – Removes buffs and replaces them with silence debuffs.
Memory Dissonance – Forces players to relive their worst moment.
Solo Lament – Each turn, increases AoE damage unless interrupted by harmony.
Lian collapsed as he saw himself failing to pull a child from a collapsing building.
Jayce relived bombing a comedy tour that ended his career.
Elric… heard his own laughter—fake, hollow, a shield he never dropped.
Demist was alone again in a battlefield of bones.
But then Elric sang. Just a single line:
> "Even broken chords can build a symphony."
The party rallied. Jayce added humor to melody. Demist stomped to the rhythm. Lian screamed his truth—
> "I won't lose again!"
Their chorus burned brighter than despair.
Elric struck the final note—literally, slamming his staff into the center of her heart.
She smiled as she vanished into the light.
---
[ Fourth Flame Rekindled – Solgrave's Heart: 33% Awakened ]
> Rewards:
Party members now immune to memory-loop attacks
Sound-based talents enhanced
New skill unlocked: Voice of Continuity
Once per day, the team may harmonize to nullify a single system-wide world effect for 10 seconds
---
As the bridge solidified beneath them and the stars pulsed above, Lian spoke quietly:
> "We're not just travelers anymore. We're the last verse of this world."
Elric nodded. "Then let's make it worth singing."
---