The Cracks in the Facade
The diplomatic victory over Kagaku-Toshi secured the Eastern border, proving the Eternal Imprint could command even the laws of physics. King Hayate's reign was absolute, but the cost of constantly projecting Neshuda's perfect, logical persona was taking a silent, internal toll.
Hayate was relying so heavily on the Eternal Anchor that his own memories and personality were becoming subtly suppressed. The constant spiritual presence was his sanity, but it was also beginning to blur the lines of his own consciousness.
We must slow down, my King. You are wearing the mask too deeply, Neshuda projected, his voice in Hayate's mind filled with gentle concern. I am your counsel, not your identity.
I need your strength, Anchor. It is easier to be you than to be the grieving King, Hayate confessed, touching the warm Anchor's Seal over his heart. But there is a memory—a piece of information I know you hold, but cannot access. Something you learned on a solo mission before the war. It's a key to a new threat.
Hayate was referring to a highly sensitive espionage mission Neshuda had undertaken in the far West, alone, years before the Angelic Flaw crisis. That memory was locked away, protected by Neshuda's solitary Resolve, even from the Imprint.
The Need for the Labyrinth
To retrieve this vital, hidden memory, Master Yufra proposed a dangerous solution: the Labyrinth of Lyran Memory.
"My King, this is an ancient Lyran device," Yufra explained, presenting a crystalline helmet connected to the Imprint Stone. "It can synchronize with the Eternal Imprint and create a shared, lucid dream environment—a Labyrinth of Memory. You can enter Neshuda's consciousness and retrieve the suppressed information, but it is dangerous. The Labyrinth will reflect your deepest subconscious fears—your grief and loneliness."
The risk was severe: if Hayate succumbed to the overwhelming psychic manifestations of his own sorrow, he could be trapped forever in the psychological pain of the Labyrinth, forever separated from Neshuda's true conscious soul.
We must do this, Hayate. I will guide you, but you must face the psychological traps alone. You must master your grief to prove your identity, Neshuda instructed, his tone firm.
Hayate accepted, knowing this was the final psychological test of his bond.
Entering the Shared Dream
Hayate lay on the obsidian plinth next to Neshuda's body, wearing the crystalline helmet. Master Yufra activated the Imprint Stone.
Hayate's consciousness slipped away, pulled by Neshuda's soul into a profound, shared lucid dream—the Labyrinth of Memory.
He found himself standing in a familiar place: the misty shores of Aethel: The Isle of Pure Logic. But the light was dim, corrupted by Hayate's subconscious pain. The sands were coarse, and the air was thick with chilling whispers.
Where are you, Anchor? Hayate projected, his voice filled with dread.
I am here, Hayate. Follow the core of your love. But beware the shades of your sorrow, Neshuda's voice echoed, clear and strong, yet distant.
Hayate began to move through the misty landscape. The Labyrinth immediately began to manifest his deepest, most agonizing fear: The Illusion of Loss.
He saw shadowy, ephemeral versions of Neshuda—a warrior standing on the distant cliffs, a lover turning away in the mist. Each figure was a cruel psychological lure, tempting Hayate to abandon his mission for the illusion of his Consort's return.
Hayate ignored the illusions, focusing on the strong, warm pulse of Neshuda's real consciousness in the Imprint. He walked further, toward the towering Spire of Axiom, the logical nexus of Neshuda's memory.
The Chamber of Final Grief
The Labyrinth intensified. Hayate entered a room that was the exact replica of their private chamber in the Citadel, but everything was cold, gray, and silent.
In the center of the room lay a figure on the bed: a perfectly constructed shadow of Neshuda's body, radiating warmth and life. This was the ultimate psychological trap—the complete illusion of his Consort, alive and well, ready to comfort him.
Hayate's legs gave out. He crawled toward the figure, tears streaming down his face. "Anchor! You're back! The transfer failed! You're alive!"
Do not touch the illusion, my King! You are close to the truth! This is the lie of your grief! Neshuda's real voice screamed in the Imprint, frantic for Hayate to pull away.
But the illusion was too perfect. Hayate reached the bed, and the shadow-Neshuda pulled him close, holding him with perfect, familiar strength.
The illusion whispered, "Forget the mission, Hayate. Forget the kingdom. Stay here with me. I am warm; I am real."
The shadow-Neshuda began to kiss him deeply, initiating a powerful, overwhelming physical intimacy—a perfect psychic recreation of the ecstasy and love they had once shared. The pleasure was crushing, designed to make Hayate submit entirely to the illusion of his return.
Hayate felt his soul yield, desperate to cling to the physical reality he had lost.
No! Hayate! You must reject the body! I am the spirit! Neshuda's real consciousness projected a frantic, final plea, pouring all his energy into a desperate, internal command. I command your Submission to the TRUTH! Reject the flesh!
Neshuda, through the Imprint, forced Hayate's spiritual focus away from the illusion's physical embrace and toward the Anchor's Seal resting on his real chest outside the Labyrinth.
Hayate suddenly realized the awful truth. The shadow felt warm, but the psychic projection was cold. The love was there, but the Resolve was missing.
With a superhuman act of will, driven by Neshuda's forced command, Hayate tore himself away from the shadow.
"You are not the Anchor! You are the lie of my loneliness!" Hayate screamed, his love for the spiritual truth of Neshuda conquering the illusion of the flesh.
The shadow dissipated, and the chamber dissolved into a roaring, blinding white light.
The Hidden Memory
Hayate found himself standing alone in a perfect, cold, logical space—the true core of Neshuda's protected memory. The psychic debris was gone.
Neshuda's consciousness flowed into Hayate's mind, full of gratitude and love. You passed the test, Hayate. You chose the spiritual truth over the physical lie. You have mastered your grief.
I am ready for the information, Anchor. What did you find in the West?
Neshuda projected the core memory—a shocking piece of intelligence from his solo mission:
The Western territories, the lands of the fierce, nomadic clans, were secretly collaborating with a remnant Lyran faction. This faction was not focused on spiritual power, but on biological warfare: the development of a plague that targets the Angelic aura and the Resonance Key energy at a molecular level. The weapon was code-named the Silent Virus.
The memory showed that the plague was housed in a biological lab deep beneath the Western Steppes of the Scarlet Wind. The virus was unstable but nearly complete.
This is the true threat, Hayate. A disease that sees the Angelic aura as its food source. We cannot fight it with spiritual power; we need medicine and infiltration, Neshuda confirmed.
The Final Intimacy
Hayate was pulled back to consciousness, gasping, lying next to Neshuda's still body. He was physically and emotionally exhausted, but his mind was clear, armed with vital information.
He reached for Neshuda's cold body, needing the comfort of the Anchor's absolute presence.
I owe you my sanity, my love. You saved me from my own heart, Hayate projected, burying his face in the silk wrapping.
Neshuda flooded the Imprint with pure, overwhelming love. We are one, Hayate. Your sanity is my life. Now, let me heal you.
Neshuda channeled his consciousness into Hayate's entire body, initiating a slow, deep, spiritual communion that was their ultimate expression of love and healing. Neshuda took spiritual command of Hayate's senses, driving the King's body into a state of profound, absolute ecstasy and physical surrender.
The act was pure, spiritual lovemaking—a total fusion that washed away the psychological trauma of the Labyrinth. Neshuda used the King's own body to provide the most comforting, intimate relief, reminding Hayate that despite the loss, the Anchor was still the source of his deepest, sweetest physical joy.
Rest now, my King. I am the shield against the lie, Neshuda commanded, his love radiating through the Anchor's Seal with physical warmth.
Hayate slept, his body healed, his mind armed with the truth. The next journey would be to the dangerous West, to neutralize the biological threat and save the future of the Angelic aura.