"Hey, hello there."
Elden's voice rang out gently, his calm smile directed straight at me—or at least, at the space I occupied. His gaze was firm, warm, and oddly piercing, despite the fact that he couldn't truly see me.
At this, the woman beside him—a striking figure with flowing red hair and soft eyes—chuckled lightly. "Why are you staring so intensely in that direction while saying that?" she teased. "You don't even know where he is! What if he's behind you and you're just squinting at empty air? That'd be so embarrassing."
Elden let out a faint laugh, shaking his head. "Call it a hunch," he said, his tone soft but certain. "I have a feeling he's right there."
I watched them from my strange, half-present state—my translucent form frozen in time, anchored only by the sword I had touched. My nerves were still on edge, but there was something disarming about the way they spoke, like I was being welcomed by old friends I hadn't met yet.
Elden's expression grew serious, and he continued. "If you're seeing this, then you're likely from a time long after us. A thousand years, to be precise. Or perhaps, I should say… I'm from a thousand years in your past."
My heart pounded in my chest. Despite everything—the pain, the confusion, the surreal cave—I focused intently on his words.
"I'm not sure how much the people of your era remember me," he said. "But my name is Elden. I'm the one who sealed the Demon King… Belial."
'So it's true… He really is Elden.'
"And I," said the red-haired woman with a soft smile, "am Mira. The second strongest human of our era." She gave a small wave and added, "A Time Mage, though that title's a little outdated now."
Time Mage? I had no memory of her. I didn't remember seeing any character by that name in the game. No quests. No mentions. Nothing even resembling her.
"I know," she said, as if reading my thoughts. "You probably don't know me. That's okay. I don't blame you. My name… it wasn't meant to survive the centuries. This was the price I had to pay to get my message across you."
Her voice was laced with quiet sorrow. "But if you're seeing this message, then that means everything went according to plan. And that's enough for me."
Elden's expression mirrored hers—calm, but with a sadness buried deep in his eyes. "We don't have much time," he said. "So I'll be brief. You must have found my sword."
I glanced at the blade behind me.
'This sword… belonged to Elden?'
In the game, the sword was simply listed as the "Sword of Broken Faith"—an item with little to no backstory. I'd assumed it was just a powerful relic from an unnamed warrior, as the game had never elaborated.
But this—this changed everything.
"This sword," Elden said, "is one of three relics I'm leaving behind. Together, they hold pieces of the my strength.
"For your sake," Mira added, "we scattered them across the continent. Gaining too much power all at once can corrupt, and you'll need time to grow before you're ready to bear the burden of all three."
I swallowed hard.
The scale of what they were saying… was immense.
Elden continued, his voice low. "We didn't manage to kill Belial. I only sealed him—barely—and that seal won't last forever. In fact, by the time you're hearing this… he's probably already starting to awaken."
"I fought with everything I had," he said, his hand balling into a fist, "and I still couldn't beat him. If not for Mira… I wouldn't have made it out alive."
Mira nodded quietly beside him. "Belial will return stronger than before," she said. "The fate of the world… of all people… will rest on your shoulders."
I could feel my pulse in my ears. It was too much. Too sudden.
"We know it's overwhelming," Mira said gently, her tone surprisingly kind. "It's okay to feel that way. I'd be worried if you didn't. But listen—this isn't the last time we'll meet."
"You'll see us again," Elden added. "When you find the second relic. Until then, we'll remain here, frozen in this message, waiting for you."
"The sword will serve you well," he said, nodding toward the blade. "Treat it as your own. It carries not just my power… but my will."
There was a pause.
And then Mira took a small step forward, visibly nervous. Her eyes were cast downward, and her hands fidgeted at her side.
"I… I have one more request," she said.
Elden looked at her in surprise, clearly unaware of what she was about to say.
Mira hesitated. Her voice trembled just slightly.
"Please… remember me."
The words were so soft they barely carried through the air.
"I don't care if the world forgets me. I accepted that a long time ago." Her eyes glistened. "But if you can… if you're able… just hold onto my name. Even if only one person remembers, that's enough for me."
Elden reached for her hand, interlocking his fingers with hers in quiet solidarity. The look on his face wasn't just sympathy—it was pain, too. A shared burden.
In that moment, I saw not just legends from a bygone era… but people.
Real people who had sacrificed everything.
And just like that, the world around me began to fade. The blue hue of the cave dimmed. Their forms grew translucent. Their voices, softer.
Until nothing remained but silence.
And darkness.