The spiral staircase of light crackled with quiet pulses, leading Noct and his team upward with every step. No monsters. No traps. Only the low, rhythmic hum of ancient mechanisms stirring after centuries of slumber.
Mia's hand hovered near her blade. "I don't like it. It's too quiet."
"After everything we've faced down there," Ellen muttered, eyes scanning each platform above them, "peace feels more like a trick than a gift."
But Noct was silent.
Each step closer to the surface made his pulse slow… then race. His body still ached from Time Gradient, but something deeper tugged at him. Not pain.
Memory.
> The wind hit them first.
Crisp, cold, and real—not stale aether or labyrinth-filtered air, but sky-born breath. Then light, natural and warm, struck his skin. Not the glow of relics or magical constructs, but the honest burn of sunlight.
They stepped through the final arch.
And for the first time in over a year… they saw the sky.
Noct fell to his knees, stunned.
A field of clouded grey and soft gold stretched endlessly above. Wind rushed over mountains in the distance. Grass, ragged and frostbitten from being so close to the cursed zone, still fluttered.
They had emerged on the side of a sheer ridge—miles from any known exit.
Mia collapsed beside him, laughing breathlessly. "We made it."
Ellen didn't speak. She dropped to one knee and pressed her palm into the dirt—earth.
Alive. Untouched.
> [SYSTEM ERROR: Data collection sent and reestablishment of lost data.]
[Signal Reestablishing... Standby...]
Noct blinked. The system's UI returned—flickering—but it was working again.
Then a cold tone rang out inside his interface:
> [WARNING: You are now in proximity to a Forbidden Item.]
[Item: ??? Stored in Subspace Fold | Analysis Incomplete]
[RECOMMENDATION: Do Not Use | Risk of System Instability: Critical]
He glanced at the storage layer—where the item retrieved from the secret teleport chamber lay dormant. Still unreadable. Still wrong.
Mia noticed his expression. "Something up?"
Noct shook his head. "Just the system catching up."
But the truth pressed heavy in his thoughts. Whatever that item was… even the System couldn't classify it.
And it was his.
> Elsewhere – Hidden Surveillance Tower | Southern Ridge Perimeter
A drone blinked awake. Its lens zoomed in, focusing on the figure stepping from an ancient exit long thought sealed by history and time.
> "[Reintegration Subject Located.]"
"[Tagging: Noct Valen – Status: Presumed Deceased.]"
A hand tapped the side of the monitor.
"Alive…" a voice whispered. Female. Uncertain.
And then amused.
"Let's see what the Coalition does with a ghost."
> City of Damera – Academy District
Vern sat behind his desk, reviewing records while Selene stood nearby, silent and tense.
"She was never the type to lose her temper," Vern said suddenly, placing a file on the desk. "But after that battle with Kaedra… you've changed."
Selene's lips pressed into a line. "I had to. Noct died because I wasn't strong enough."
There was a long pause.
And then Vern said quietly, "You might want to sit down."
The wall monitor pinged.
> [Incoming Coalition Broadcast: Subject Reintegration Alert]
[Subject ID: Noct Valen – Confirmed Alive | Location: Eastern Ridge]
Selene's heart stopped. Her legs gave out.
"Noct."
> Back at the Ridge
The team set up a temporary shelter using salvaged labyrinth gear and aether insulation tarp. The air here was stable, but they knew it wouldn't last—emergency beacons had likely triggered by now.
"Coalition patrols will be here soon," Ellen said, keeping her voice low. "We need to decide what we say."
Mia leaned back, arms behind her head. "We tell the truth."
Noct stood at the edge of the cliff, looking down at the sprawling world far below.
"No," he said softly. "We tell them just enough."
Mia raised an eyebrow. "Why?"
He glanced down at his gauntlet— glancing at the glint of the red ring.
"Because not all truths should be known yet."
A gust of wind passed. It carried with it the scent of fire from distant ruins, the sound of a city that had moved on without them…
…and the echo of a name he hadn't yet remembered.
"Eira…"