Episode 47: The Echo of Betrayal

The mist stirred as the chamber groaned.

Shattered stone shifted beneath their boots, the echoes of the Guardian's fall still humming faintly in the air. The stairway ahead unfurled with an ominous rumble, spiraling downward into a fog far darker than any they had faced. This mist wasn't silent. It whispered, low and unceasing.

"…Reina…"

"…Knight, traitor…"

"…blood on your hands…"

Each word seemed to claw at the air, circling the auburn-haired rogue.

Reina stiffened. Her emerald eyes hardened, but the faint tremor in her grip revealed her calm.

Akira noticed. His hand brushed the hilt of his katana, brows furrowing. "Reina, that voice—who was it?"

Her jaw clenched. "No one you need to know."

Kuro's emberlight eyes narrowed. He could see it—the way her shoulders tightened, the way her gaze refused to meet theirs. Elira also noticed, her violet gaze flickering softly toward her.

Elira's voice was quiet but firm. "…If it's calling your name, it matters. The Labyrinth digs into what we fear most. It knows something."

Reina's glare shot to her, sharp enough to cut. But she stayed silent.

The stairway pulsed again, veins of crimson light glowing faintly beneath the stone. Then, without warning, the mist surged upward like a tide, wrapping them all in suffocating black.

[System Alert: Labyrinth Trial Initiated]

[Subject Anchor: Reina Ashthorne]

The world shifted.

---

When the mist cleared, they were no longer together.

Kuro blinked, daggers ready, but the others were gone. Elira, Akira—vanished into the dark. Only Reina stood before him, her rogue armor glowing faintly under the eerie light.

But this wasn't Reina as she was now.

This was Reina as she had been.

Her armor wasn't torn and weathered. It was polished silver, marked with the crest of a noble knight. Her scarf wasn't tattered but clean, hanging proudly around her neck.

And she stood—not alone.

Dozens of knights surrounded her, spectral figures in gleaming armor, their faces twisted into sneers. Their voices rang out in unison, cold and accusing.

"Reina Ashthorne, Knight of the Crown, Betrayer of your oath, Traitor of your bloodline."

Reina's breath hitched. Her blades trembled at her sides. "…No…"

The spectral commander stepped forward, a broad-shouldered knight with a scar across his phantom face. His eyes glowed with judgment.

"You abandoned us. You stained the Ashthorne name. You chose exile over honor."

Reina staggered back. "I didn't… I never betrayed you. I was cast out."

The commander raised his spectral blade. "You failed us. And failure is betrayal."

The other knights raised their weapons, their voices echoing. "Betrayer, Betrayer, Betrayer."

The mist thickened. The voices pounded like drums in Reina's skull.

---

Akira broke through the veil first.

He appeared at Reina's side, katana gleaming, his presence grounding her like a wall against the tide. His sharp eyes swept the phantoms before them. "…So this is your nightmare."

Reina flinched. "You weren't supposed to see this."

Akira tightened his grip on his blade. "Too late. You're not facing it alone."

But the phantoms surged forward as one.

---

Kuro and Elira emerged from the mist a heartbeat later. Their vision wavered as the Labyrinth tried to push them away, but Kuro's Monarch aura burned steady, cutting a path through the fog. Elira's frostfire wrapped around them, protecting them from the identity-distorting whispers.

Kuro's emberlight eyes flicked to Reina, then the army. "So this is it. Her trial."

Elira brushed his arm, her voice soft. "We can't fight it for her. This is hers to face. If we intervene too much, the Labyrinth will twist against her."

Kuro clenched his jaw. "…Then we give her just enough to remember she isn't alone."

---

The spectral knights charged.

Reina moved instinctively, daggers flashing, her body blurring with Shadow Step. She struck through one knight's helm and another across the throat—but each blow only made them multiply. One phantom cut down became two more.

Their chants grew louder. "Betrayer, Traitor, Exile."

Sweat slicked Reina's palms. Her breathing quickened. No matter how many she cut, they kept coming. Her blades clanged against their steel, her Shadow Step faltered under their sheer numbers.

Her commander's phantom loomed closer, his sword pressing down against her crossed daggers. His voice thundered.

"You cannot cut away guilt, Ashthorne. You cannot run from failure."

Her knees buckled. The weight of the blade pressed harder. Her emerald eyes shook.

"…Maybe… maybe I am a failure…"

Akira's katana intercepted the phantom blade, sparks flying. His glare burned into her. "Shut up."

Reina froze, staring at him.

"You think failure defines you? Then what the hell have we been fighting for?!" His voice cut through the phantom roars. "You're not a betrayer—you're standing here, bleeding for us. For him. For her. For me."

His words struck harder than steel.

Reina's chest heaved. For a moment, the phantom commander wavered.

But then—his form shifted.

The commander's face twisted, reshaping into another figure. Taller, regal, cloaked in noble finery. His eyes were sharp and cold—Reina's father.

Her dagger slipped. "…Father…"

The phantom of Lord Ashthorne sneered. "Daughter, no daughter of mine walks the path of shadows. You failed your blood. You failed your crown. You are nothing but exile."

Her entire body froze, trembling. "I… I never wanted exile… I wanted to protect…"

His voice thundered. "Weak excuses! You are no Ashthorne. You are no knight."

The phantom army roared louder. "Traitor, Betrayer, Exile."

The Labyrinth trembled, feeding on her despair.

---

Kuro stepped forward. The Monarch's cloak flared, shadows wrapping around his body like wings. His emberlight eyes pierced the fog, his daggers pulsing.

"Enough." His voice rolled like thunder, shaking the chamber.

The phantoms turned, their chant faltering under the sheer force of his will.

"You don't get to decide what she is. She does, not you, not the Labyrinth, not even her blood."

The shadows behind him stirred. Dozens of spectral figures rose—his Shadow Army. They stood between Reina and her phantoms, clashing against the accusations.

Elira moved to Reina's side, her frostfire aura gently wrapping around her trembling shoulders. Her voice was soft and grounding. "Reina, you told me once that chains can be broken. Don't you see? These phantoms are chains. They're not truth. They're the Labyrinth trying to bind you."

Reina's breath shuddered. Her father's phantom loomed larger, blade raised high. Her knees trembled.

Then—Akira's hand closed over hers, steadying her daggers. His voice was low and rough. "…You're not exile. You're my partner. Now fight with me."

Her emerald eyes widened. His gaze burned into hers.

Something inside her snapped.

The tremor left her hands. Her daggers ignited with shadowfire, her aura exploding outward.

Reina roared, surging forward with Akira at her side. Her blades cleaved through the phantom knights, each strike scattering them into shards of glass. The chants faltered. "Betrayer… trai—"

"Silence!" Her voice rang like steel. "I am not your shadow. I am Reina Ashthorne!"

Her daggers plunged into her father's phantom chest. The figure convulsed, cracking apart as frostfire and shadowfire consumed him. His sneer faded into ash.

The phantom army shattered. The chamber fell silent.

---

[System Update: Trial of Betrayal Complete]

[Anchor: Reina Ashthorne Stabilized]

[Bond Synchronization: 72%]

Reina stood panting, her daggers dripping shadowfire. The mist slowly receded.

Akira sheathed his katana, his gaze steady on her. "…You done carrying ghosts?"

She looked at him, lips parting. For once, no sharp retort came. Only a faint, trembling smile. "…For now."

Kuro stepped closer, his Monarch aura fading. He nodded at her, his emberlight eyes calm. "You chose your truth. That's what matters."

Elira's hand brushed Reina's arm, her voice gentle. "You're not exile. You're one of us."

Reina exhaled slowly. "…Thank you."

The stairway ahead pulsed again, the path downward opening.

But this time, no whispers followed. Only silence, a silence that felt earned.

---

[To Be Continued…]

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