"To find out who you really are, sometimes you need to forget the person you used to be."
—Codex Fragment: Soul Layer VI
Facing the Truth
Beneath a war-torn sky, in a secretive temple under what used to be the ancient city of Sylaen, Leonhart stood alone before the Core of Reversion. Mio and the rest had done their part, clearing out the surrounding area. This moment was his and his alone.
The Core throbbed with memories that weren't his. Well, not yet, at least.
He pressed his palm against the obsidian pedestal, and a glyph lit up. Suddenly, the world around him started to spin.
The system chimed in:
[Soul Verification Initiated.][Memory Lock: Broken. Initiating Full Recall. Hold steady, Leonhart Edevane.]
His vision shattered into countless beams of light.
Remembering the War
Leonhart hadn't always been the quiet strategist or the hesitant hero. In an earlier life—before he was reshaped as a Codeheart class—he was Commander Kairos Leonhart Edevane, the general of the Last Flame Order, one of the first to stand against the Architect directly.
He recalled standing at the edge of Skyfall with friends who had vanished in this new cycle of the world. He remembered choosing to sacrifice himself to seal away the Source Node—the very origin of the Architect's power.
He had faced death once, engulfed in sacred code, choosing to erase himself so the world could postpone its doom.
But instead of truly dying, he had been pieced back together.
The Architect had turned him into a template.
A failsafe.
A tool.
Until now.
System Check: Activated
[Full Memory Recovery: Complete.][Original Command Line: Reactivated.][System Title Unlocked: VOLATILE SHARE]
Suddenly, the glyphs on Leonhart's skin began to glow.
This glow was different—not the chilling pulse of the Architect's code.
No, this was a wild flame, raw and fluid—something between code and soul.
A shimmering interface appeared before him:
Class Change: Codeheart → Volatile Share
Effect 1: Soul Echo
Allows Leonhart to channel echoes from past lives into his current fighting style. He can switch between Flame, Void, and Memory-based attacks on the fly.
Effect 2: Volatile Share
Leonhart can share 10% of his current stats and resistances with up to four nearby allies for ten minutes. The effectiveness increases with emotional ties and loyalty.
Effect 3: Absolute Divergence
In battles against system-level threats or core-class foes, his base stats jump by 50%.
Passive: Defiant Spark
He can't have his memories rewritten. His soul remains intact, and he gains insight into hidden codes during dialogue and combat.
Awakening
Leonhart opened his eyes.
He was still in the temple, but everything felt lighter and sharper now. The code that had restrained him before now reacted as if it were an extension of his own body.
Stepping outside, he saw Mio waiting for him.
She glanced at him and then blinked. You feel... different.
I remembered everything, he replied. I wasn't supposed to survive the last war. I was meant to become the Architect's shield.
Then why are you still here?
Leonhart gazed up at the fragmented sky.
Because I broke free. I'm not done fighting yet.
The Flame of Unity
The following day, they reached a blockade at Hollowpoint Cradle—a fortress now overwhelmed by hybrid enforcers under the system's control.
The Memoryless fighters, as tough as they were, began to falter. Aether mages fell to the ground. Arcanists were visibly struggling. The pressure from the code was too intense.
Then Leonhart stepped forward.
[Volatile Share Activated.]
Light burst from his chest, flowing along sigil lines to connect with his allies.
One by one, they revived.
Their exhaustion vanished.
Their spells flared brighter.
Weapons struck with renewed precision.
Even shattered shields repaired themselves mid-battle.
I don't know what you did, Mio murmured through their mental link, but they're calling you something different now.
What do they call me?
They're calling you the Heartfire. The one who shares his spark.
Battle at Hollowpoint Cradle
With their new boosts and Leonhart's enhanced stats thanks to the Absolute Divergence effect, the tide of battle shifted quickly.
He slipped through walls of enemy code barriers, slicing them apart with dazzling, unrestrained flames.
Even the enforcer captain, who had once been a holy templar turned corrupt by the Architect, struggled to keep pace with him.
You're... not part of the system, it gasped. You're outside it.
Leonhart nodded. Exactly.
His weapon, no longer confined to one form, morphed into a blazing code lance.
He drove it into the templar's chest, causing an explosion of sparks.
Victory.
Reflecting on the Battle
After the battle, the rebel camp settled into a calm atmosphere.
Leonhart found a spot near the fire and stared into the flames.
Mio joined him. You've changed.
We all have, he responded. I've finally stopped pretending to be what they wanted me to be.
So what's next for you, Heartfire?
He smiled. Now, we gather everyone. We spread flame, memory, and truth. Then we'll reclaim the sky.
They sat together in silence.
And above them, stars began to twinkle back into sight for the first time in ages.