Chapter 438: BURDEN

The long caravan of wagons and sand-striders wound its way south through the high mountain passes of Kovura.

Cool pine breezes swept down from the jagged granite peaks, rustling the bronze-tipped banners of the southern guard escorting the convoy.

Riding at the head of the vanguard, General Zafaru and Master Sandshade Koru kept a vigilant watch over the winding road, their seasoned scouts fanning across the rocky ridges.

Behind them, colossal titan serpent Zaira slithered smoothly along the wider canyon bed, her massive obsidian scales parted to carry the heavy baggage and extra medical supplies.

Near the center of the column rolled the main hospital wagon, where Bukata lay propped up against soft wool blankets, chewing on a piece of dried venison.

"If you hit one more rut, Maita, I swear I will heave my heavy shield right at your head," Bukata grumbled, wincing as the wagon bounced violently over a stone.

Maita didn't even look back from the driver's bench, snapping the reins with an irritated scowl. "Shut up and lie down, Bukata. If you keep whining, I will unhitch your wagon and let the draft beasts drag you through the mud."

"Stop snapping at each other before I knock both your heads together," Kaka growled, marching alongside the wagon with his twin battleaxes resting over his broad shoulders. "If those southern scouts look at our baggage funny one more time, I am going to crack their ribs."

"That makes exactly forty-two threats of physical violence since sunrise, Kaka," Kiuga chimed in cheerfully, flipping through his notebook without missing a step. "We are War College officers now, yet at this rate, they will have to build a reinforced holding cell just to house your explosive temper."

"Say another word about my temper, Kiuga, and you will be the one flying into that ravine," Kaka snarled, baring his teeth as his heavy fist gripped his axe hilt. "We are only stopping by the old academy so Sagiri can use the Endless Pool and Bukata doesn't rot on a wagon."

"Wait, are there birds in that ravine?" Ulekai asked innocently, peering over the cliff edge with a completely clueless face. "I thought we were looking for mountain goats."

Zolinka buried his face in his hands, groaning at Ulekai's sheer airheadedness while Maita cursed under his breath.

A few paces behind the noisy wagon walked Sagiri, flanked quietly by Lira and Kiana.

He wore a dark traveler's tunic, his collar loosened against the mild afternoon heat.

Across his neck, jawline, and wrists, the ink-black markings on his skin were shifting with restless, erratic motion, squirming like living serpents beneath his flesh.

Every time the mountain wind blew, the dark runes flared with an intense crimson and silver pulse, leaking faint wisps of dark steam that vanished into the air.

The five primordial relics fused inside his blood were humming in chaotic dissonance, pulling at his spirit channels like heavy iron anchors.

Sagiri kept his right hand tucked inside his sleeve, discreetly suppressing the sharp, burning spasms that rippled across his collarbones with every breath.

"The markings on your throat are moving faster today, Sagiri," Kiana whispered softly, her dust-rose eyes tracking the dark lines with keen Sekana awareness.

"It is nothing," Sagiri replied in a low voice, offering a faint, reassuring smile. "The relics are only reacting to the northern altitude."

Kiana shook her head gently, her silver-veined aura sensing the deep void turbulence within him. "It is not the altitude, Keeper. The Archive inside you is weeping."

Sagiri remained silent, his jaw tightening slightly as he felt the undeniable truth in her words.

Ever since the destruction of Glacial Lanka, the Living Memory had become heavy and unstable, flooded with the collective agony of thousands of fallen souls.

By sunset, the caravan halted in a sheltered clearing surrounded by ancient mountain pines to make camp for the night.

The southern warriors quickly dug shallow fire pits, roasting fresh river fish while the Sandshades established a silent perimeter among the high branches.

Squad 25 gathered around their own campfire, sharing flatbread and warm broth while Kiuga continued his non-stop tactical lectures and Kaka threatened to throw soup in his face.

Lira sat close beside Sagiri on a folded blanket, carefully slicing dried sweet roots into two wooden bowls.

She leaned in, handing him a bowl, her misty grey eyes dropping to the dark runes coiling around his exposed wrist.

"Your skin is burning hot again," Lira said softly, her fingers gently brushing over the black markings on his hand.

A faint shiver ran through Sagiri's arm at her touch, the soothing coolness of her cellular resonance momentarily calming the fiery ache beneath his skin.

"I am fine, Lira," Sagiri murmured, his voice softening as he looked into her concerned eyes. "You do not have to worry about me so much."

"How can I not worry?" Lira replied, her voice dropping to a tender whisper as a soft pink blush rose on her cheeks. "You always carry everything alone, Sagiri. Even when you are burning inside, you pretend you feel nothing."

Sagiri looked at her, touched by the raw sincerity in her voice, and gently closed his fingers over hers. "I promise I will rest once we reach Galka."

Lira smiled faintly, leaning her shoulder lightly against his arm as they watched Kaka and Maita argue over the last piece of roasted fish by the fire.

Late into the night, after the camp had fallen into quiet slumber, the serene silence of the forest gave way to a terrifying nightmare.

Sagiri sat cross-legged near the edge of the clearing, attempting to meditate and stabilize the wild energy of the Five Relics.

Suddenly, a blinding flash of pitch-black light erupted within his mind, tearing his consciousness away from the physical world.

His vision was violently pulled into the vast, infinite depths of the Archive—a bottomless hexagonal void swirling with millions of shattered memories.

Around him rose the horrific phantoms of ancient massacres from a thousand years ago: burning libraries, collapsing dynasties, and seas of blood spanning forgotten centuries.

He saw the screams of the first N'folu tribes, the slaughter of the Sekana clan, and the endless wails of children trapped in iron cages throughout history.

The colossal weight of a thousand generations of human suffering crashed into Sagiri's soul like an unstoppable tidal wave, suffocating his mortal mind.

'We remember every tear... every drop of spilled blood...' a chorus of ten thousand ancient voices roared inside his head. 'Humanity creates only ruin! Why preserve a world that chooses only death?!'

Sagiri gasped for air, his physical body jolting violently in the real world as he fell forward onto the damp pine needles.

The ink-black markings across his jaw, neck, chest, and arms exploded with searing, blinding light, turning molten red as they burned through his shirt.

Uncontrollable black spatial sparks crackled around his fingertips, slicing through the pine branches above him like invisible razor blades.

Sagiri bit his lower lip until it bled, forcing his hands into the dirt as he fought desperately to contain the leaking Archive trauma.

'Hold on,' Sagiri told himself through clenched teeth, his whole frame trembling with agony. 'I cannot lose control here. Not near the camp. Not near them.'

He drew upon the cold, soothing essence of the Silver Mask, weaving a silver void barrier around his heart to forcefully push the ancient trauma back into the vault.

Slowly, after what felt like an eternity of torment, the screaming phantoms receded into the dark depths of his soul.

The molten heat on his skin gradually cooled, the dark markings settling back into quiet, slithering lines across his neck and jaw.

Sagiri collapsed onto his side in the dirt, breathing hard as cold sweat soaked his dark hair and clothes.

Looking up at the quiet stars through the pine branches, Sagiri felt a heavy, cold realization settle into his chest.

The ancient seal of the Living Memory was cracking under the weight of millennia, and time was running out faster than he had ever feared.