The second day began with rain.
Eren stood for a long time in front of the reinforced display case where he kept his personal relics—magical artifacts long out of use, unique pieces any collector would kill to own.
And among them was the Eye of Sinalis.
A violet crystal, the size of a walnut, set into a hand-forged copper frame. It didn't just scan memories. It unlocked traumas sealed by high-level magic. He'd bought it at an illegal auction five years ago.
He never thought he'd use it.
Until now.
He sighed. Broke the security seal with his wristband, and the crystal floated briefly in the air.
"If this doesn't work on you," he murmured, "nothing will."
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When he entered the Institute, the caretaker looked at him like he couldn't believe he had come back.
"I'm not the type to give up easily," Eren said.
"You don't look like a technician," the man snorted. "You look insane."
Eren didn't answer.
He walked down the hallway. Lira was in the same spot.
He sat across from her and gently placed the crystal on the table. The Eye of Sinalis trembled slightly, then began to spin in the air, releasing a soft purple glow.
"Come on," he whispered. "I know you're in there."
The artifact activated its runes. A translucent projection emerged from the center of the crystal, spreading like threads of light that slowly wrapped around Lira's head.
Eren held his breath.
For ten seconds, nothing happened.
Then something shifted.
Lira's fingers twitched.
Her head tilted slightly, as if sensing something.
Her lips parted—just a fraction.
And then, her voice.
A faint sound. But real.
A murmur... like the babble of a baby.
Eren froze.
The Eye of Sinalis blinked three times.
On his wristband, data began to stream:
Cognitive Recovery: 5%
Current State: Pre-linguistic
Consciousness Level: Primary Infantile
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For a moment, Eren didn't know whether to feel relieved or sick.
Five percent.
It was more than anyone had managed in three years.
But it wasn't enough.
Not even close.
He watched her try to move her lips again. The sound that came out was a mix of half-formed vowel and shallow breath. Like a baby struggling to make its first syllable.
Her hands shifted clumsily in her lap. One finger tapped the surface of the table without rhythm or control. Her eyes were no longer lost in the void, but they weren't seeing him either.
It was as if she had just "woken up"… without knowing what being alive even meant.
Eren leaned back in the chair and covered his face with both hands.
He didn't know what he had expected.
A look? A word? A tear?
Maybe some part of him—a stupid part—had believed the artifact would fix everything. That it would restore her to 100%. That the old Lira would come rushing back.
But the truth was different.
That object had cost him more than he made in a year. He had kept it as a memory, a whim, a relic.
And now, all he had in return was a whisper.
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"Does that thing even work?" the caretaker asked, peeking in with one eyebrow raised.
Eren didn't answer.
He powered down the crystal. The Eye returned to its inert form. Its light faded.
"You want the report?" he said, dryly. "She talks like a one-year-old. Moves like she was just born. But technically, that's progress."
The caretaker clicked his tongue.
"That's already more than anyone else ever got."
Eren stood up.
He put the artifact away. Gently brushed the back of Lira's hand, unsure if she could feel anything at all.
She didn't react.
But she blinked. Once.
And for now, that was the closest they'd ever come to a real connection.
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Over 700 kilometers from the Lucerna Institute, in an underground facility with no name and no official records, a monitor displayed low-resolution images in real time.
Lira.
Sitting in the same chair.
In front of her, a young man.
The Eye of Sinalis hovered above the table, picked up by a hidden sensor in the room.
"Pause it there," ordered a cold voice.
The operator froze the playback. A man in a black uniform leaned over the screen, eyes narrowing.
"What is that?"
"A level-seven scan and recovery artifact. Rare. Expensive. It shouldn't be in civilian hands," another technician replied.
"Name of the guy?"
"Eren Veiss. Field technician at NeuroLink. No criminal record. No political ties. Up until now, low profile."
The man in black said nothing for a few seconds. Then he muttered:
"How much recovery?"
"Five percent. Infant-level."
A heavy silence filled the room.
At last, the commander stepped back from the screen.
"Too much. For someone who wasn't supposed to remember anything."
"Should we intervene?"
"Not yet. But track everything this Eren does from now on. I want to know what he buys, what he touches, who he talks to. And if he returns to Lucerna... I want to know before he does."
The screen went dark.
"Lira Raine must remain dead."
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And while all that was happening, Eren walked out of the Institute without looking back, the Eye powered down in his pocket.
He didn't know he had opened a door.
He didn't know that somewhere, someone had already written his name back onto a list.
He only knew one thing:
He wasn't going to give up.