Yanaki held the re-lit torch high. Its flickering green flame illuminated the dust-covered stone steps. She led the way, with Sylva close behind, its wooden buckler always ready to shield. Elara, with her own gentle aura, brought up the rear.
The staircase wasn't long. It led to a stone cellar that was very sturdily built. The air inside was dry and cool, and an almost absolute silence reigned. No wind, no monsters. Only the silence of time itself.
The place was astonishingly well-preserved. It was like a time capsule. One corner was a storage area, with rotted wooden barrels and tattered sacks containing nothing but a fine layer of dust. Another corner held old farming tools, hung neatly on the wall.
They moved deeper, into a living area. This place had clearly been prepared as a long-term shelter. Three small straw beds were laid out neatly. On a wooden table, three bowls and three wooden spoons were set in place, as if waiting for a family to return for their meal.
A tragic yet warm feeling enveloped Yanaki. This wasn't a crypt for the dead, but a shelter of hope—a hope that had never been realized.
Elara paid no mind to the other objects. She floated aimlessly towards a corner of the room. It was a small play area. Faded wooden blocks, a headless cloth doll, and a few pebbles painted with naive smiling faces. This was Alia's little world.
Elara reached out her ethereal hand, trembling, as if afraid to disturb the toys. A deep nostalgia, a mother's love for her little girl, was transmitted through the covenant so strongly that it made Yanaki's chest ache.
Yanaki's gaze also swept over the area. And she saw it. Half-buried in a thick layer of dust was a rectangular wooden object.
She carefully walked over, knelt down, and gently brushed the dust away with her hands. An exquisitely carved wooden music box was revealed. On its lid was a carving of a willow tree and a dancing girl.
"[Appraisal]."
[Alia's Music Box (Quest Item - D-Rank)]
Description: A music box hand-carved for Alia by her father. The melody inside is the lullaby her mother, Elara, used to sing every night. It contains an incredibly powerful memory of familial love.
Status: Silent. Requires a memory catalyst to activate.
Elara floated to Yanaki's side, staring intently at the music box. She held out her hand, and the silver [Leaf of Memory] in her palm suddenly glowed brilliantly. The silver light from the leaf flowed down, enveloping the music box.
Click.
After centuries of silence, the music box sprang open.
A simple, gentle piano melody, clear yet heartbreakingly sad, began to play. It was a lullaby.
As the first notes played, a memory more vivid than any before flooded Yanaki's mind. She wasn't just "seeing"; she was "feeling." She was Elara. This cellar was shaking violently. Outside were the roars of magic and the screams of people. Elara was holding her little daughter, Alia, tightly. The girl was crying in fear. Elara leaned close to her ear, softly singing this very lullaby, the same melody that was now playing. Her voice trembled, but it was full of love. Her husband, a man named Levin, stood guard at the cellar door, gripping a spear, his gaze fixed resolutely outside. "Everything will be alright," Elara whispered to her daughter, even though she knew it was a lie. The memory ended as a blinding white light of annihilation burst through the crack in the door...
Yanaki staggered back, tears streaming uncontrollably from her eyes. The pain, helplessness, and love in that memory were too real.
The melody ended. The music box slowly closed.
Elara was crying too, her crystal-clear tears falling to the ground and vanishing. But these were tears of release. She remembered everything.
[You have found [Alia's Music Box]. Elara's memories have been fully restored.]
[Side Quest: [The Pieces of Alia] has been COMPLETED!]
[Reward: The Covenant bond with Elara has ascended. Elara has regained her voice and unlocked a new skill.]
[You have received a large amount of EXP. You have reached Level 4!]
Elara turned to look at Yanaki. Her form was now almost solid, only slightly translucent. She smiled, a gentle, grateful smile. For the first time, her voice came from her own lips, clear and warm, no longer fragmented thoughts.
"Thank you... Yanaki."
A new power, a sense of completion, flowed through their bond.
[Familiar: Elara, Guide of Memories]
New Skill: [Serene Lullaby (Lv.1)]: Sings a lullaby of Erathos. Can soothe low-level hostile spirits (level 5 and below), causing them to temporarily return to a neutral state. Can also bring peace to Lost Souls, helping them pass on.
This skill... was incredible. It was a non-lethal, area-of-effect crowd control skill, perfectly suited to Yanaki's style.
Their mission here was complete. Elara had found herself again. Yanaki, now Level 4, felt her party was stronger and more complete than ever before.
Elara looked around the cellar one last time, her eyes full of fondness but no longer of sorrow. She turned to Yanaki, her voice completely steady now.
"It is time. The Whispering Woods await us."
The three of them walked up the stairs together, leaving the peaceful crypt to return to the vast world of Erathos. The path ahead was still long, but now, they were more ready than ever.