The creature pressed in—fast, violent. I couldn't keep up.
Every swing felt heavier. My breath came sharp.
Chest tight. Arms trembling.
I was running out of time.
I needed something—anything.
A way out.
But my mind was blank.
Faces I should've remembered were just shadows.
My father. My mother.
Gone.
Not in death—
In memory.
Blurs. Whispers. A storm. That's all I had.
Even she—the one who used to be beside me—was just a fading shape.
"Why can't I remember?"
The words slipped out, bitter and quiet.
My grip on the sword tightened. It felt like stone. But I wouldn't let go.
Not now. Not when this mattered.
Then—
Something cracked.
Not outside. Inside.
A ripple.
I couldn't see their faces, but I felt them.
His strength. Her voice.
Movements etched in me, like I had done this before.
The spawn lunged.
I didn't run.
Didn't blink.
Eyes closed. Breath steady.
I moved.
Steel met claw—perfect. The hit landed where it needed to.
The beast staggered, its rhythm broken.
That's when I knew.
I wasn't fighting alone.
My blade moved with clarity now.
My body knew the steps. The memory wasn't clear, but it was enough.
His hand on my shoulder. Her presence behind me.
I attacked.
Cut through the strike.
Forced it back.
The spawn circled, slower now. Watching. Waiting.
I kept my eyes closed.
But I could feel everything.
Its steps. The wind shifting. The weight in the air before it moved.
It pounced.
So did I.
My blade rose, sharp and smooth.
No hesitation.
The clash was brief. Final.
It screamed—once.
Then hit the ground, still.
[You have slain Twilight Demon, Blackened Soul.]
I stayed standing.
Eyes still shut.
No sound. No threat.
Just silence.
I dropped to my knees.
Tears came without warning.
Not because I was hurt.
But because, for a second—
It felt like I had them again.