Episode 17: Shadows That Wear Familiar Faces

The swamp erupted.

Black water surged upward as pale hands clawed their way from the depths—dozens of Wraithborn dragging themselves free, their bodies twisting and convulsing into new forms. Some bore hollow eyes, others wore distorted fragments of faces Akira recognized.

And at the center of it all—her.

Her smile was the same as the day she said goodbye. The same warmth that once pulled him through battles, through nights of blood and silence. Yet here, it was wrong. Hollow. A mask stretched over emptiness.

"Akira…" she whispered again, voice soft as velvet, cold as the mire.

Akira froze. His chest constricted, every instinct torn between reaching forward and pulling away.

Jin's blade flared alive beside him, embers scattering. "It's not her," he barked, sharp and urgent. "That thing is feeding on your memories. If you hesitate, you're already dead!"

But Akira couldn't move. His grip tightened on his katana, arms trembling. "…I know. But…"

The false figure stepped forward, water rippling at her ankles. Dozens of Wraithborn rose around her, their hollow mouths whispering fragments of Akira's past.

"Why did you leave me?"

"You should have saved me."

"Akira… Akira…"

Their voices overlapped, a chorus of regret.

Akira staggered back, the sound tearing into him like blades. His vision blurred. His chest burned—not with pain, but with guilt he thought he had buried.

The false figure lunged.

Jin moved first. His blade ignited in a burst of flame, slashing downward in a clean arc. Fire ripped across the swamp, scattering several Wraithborn into ash. But the figure wearing her face darted aside with inhuman speed, water bending beneath her steps.

"Akira!" Jin's voice cut through the haze. "Wake up—now!"

The system pulsed suddenly, threads of golden light flickering between them.

[Shared Vision Activated]

For an instant, Akira's eyes widened—his blurred vision snapped into clarity, overlapped by Jin's perception. The whispers dulled, the mire lost its grip.

The world sharpened.

Akira drew in a ragged breath. His katana gleamed in his hands, steadied by new strength.

"…I see it now," he muttered.

The false figure lunged again. But this time, Akira moved. His blade slashed in a swift upward arc, cleaving through her form. The illusion shattered like glass, fragments scattering into mist.

The other Wraithborn shrieked, their hollow eyes flashing with borrowed rage.

Akira landed lightly, exhaling hard. "They can't take her from me. Not again."

Jin smirked faintly, embers dancing across his blade. "Good. Then let's burn the rest."

---

[Battle Across the Mire]

The swamp became a battlefield of fire and steel.

Akira darted forward, his strikes sharp and decisive. Each swing cut down a Wraithborn, their forms unraveling into black smoke. But for every one that fell, two more rose.

Jin's movements were precise, each slash of his ember-blade igniting bursts of flame that seared through the swamp. He fought like a storm contained within a single body—controlled, but devastating.

Yet even together, the tide pressed in.

The system pulsed again.

[Cross-Trigger Counter Activated]

A Wraithborn lunged at Akira's back. Instinct screamed—but before he could turn, Jin's flame burst outward, intercepting the strike. At the same moment, Akira's katana slashed in perfect rhythm, severing the creature from the opposite angle.

The two attacks overlapped—steel and flame striking as one. The Wraithborn disintegrated instantly, erased in a flash of synchronized power.

Both men froze for half a second, surprised.

"…Did you feel that?" Akira asked, panting.

Jin's lips curved into a rare smile. "Yeah. Guess the system wasn't lying."

---

The battle raged on, their synergy growing with every strike. Akira's katana flowed into Jin's fire, Jin's counters aligned perfectly with Akira's openings.

Step by step, slash by slash, the Wraithborn were driven back.

Finally, the swamp grew still once more.

Ash drifted on the stagnant air, settling into the black water. The last of the whispers faded into silence.

Akira lowered his blade, chest heaving. Sweat ran down his brow, mixing with swamp mist. "That… was too close."

Jin extinguished the flame from his blade, sliding it back into its sheath. "Close doesn't matter. We're still standing."

Akira managed a weak grin. "Guess the bond's good for more than just awkward campfire conversations."

Jin chuckled dryly. "Don't get used to it."

---

[Later – Mire's Edge]

They stopped at the edge of a broken causeway, remnants of stone rising from the swamp like jagged teeth. Beyond it stretched the path toward the coastal wastes—where Norvahel awaited.

The air was heavier here, the mist glowing faintly with an unnatural light.

Akira crouched, touching the surface of a broken stone. "This used to be a road."

"Once," Jin confirmed. "The old empire built it to reach their drowned capital. The swamp swallowed most of it. What's left leads straight to the coast."

Akira rose, eyes narrowing toward the horizon. "Then we follow it."

But Jin didn't move. His gaze lingered on the mire behind them.

Akira noticed. "What is it?"

Jin's expression darkened. "…The Wraithborn shouldn't have been this strong. Someone—or something—is feeding the mire. Guiding it."

Akira's grip tightened on his katana. "You're saying we weren't just fighting illusions."

"I'm saying someone wanted us to see them," Jin replied quietly. "And if that's true, then Norvahel won't just be waiting for us. It'll be watching."

Silence fell between them, heavier than the mist.

The system flickered again in Akira's vision.

[Flame Sync Protocol: Progress 12%]

He exhaled, steadying his resolve. "Then we'll be ready. Whoever's waiting—whatever's waiting—we'll face it together."

Jin finally glanced at him, the faintest trace of approval in his eyes. "Good answer."

The two turned toward the broken road, their silhouettes framed against the glowing mist.

The drowned city awaited—its secrets stirring beneath the waves, its guardians already watching.

And as they stepped forward, the swamp rippled one last time… a shadow watching from beneath, smiling with teeth that weren't human.

---

[To Be Continued...]

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