Memory of Heaven:Romance Written By Fate Through Beyond Infinity Time-Chapter 419 Qayin’s Curse — First Blood, Last Wound

The rift of that dimension did not open with the grandeur it ought to have, resembling a gateway to a lost world.

It tore slowly like the flesh of the world being cut deep by a knife. From within, Joanna and Rui stepped cautiously onto the grounds of Alpha—once known as the center of civilization and the fulcrum of the entire Spiral connecting various dimensions. The sound of their footsteps was absorbed, as if this world soaked up every sound produced. Although there was no scent to remind them of the past, the smell of damp, cold earth seemed to emit a faint signal of something unsaid, a lost sense of nostalgia.

Yet this world... did not welcome them.

The sky was clear but cold. The wind was thin, carrying neither aroma nor memory. It was as if this entire place was questioning:

"Who are you... and why have you come?"

Joanna grasped her hands tightly, sensing the empty pulse around her. No creature greeted her. No will reached out to touch her. Not a single fragment of time or names of the past recognized her. In her mind, memories of laughter from her friends and the scent of flowers in the backyard of her home flickered—things that now felt exceedingly distant. "Are we truly brave enough to face a place that has forgotten us?" she pondered, filled with doubt.

Without warning, a spell in the form of soft blue light surged from Rui's fingertips, forming a luminous circle before them. The light pulsed, emitting a shimmer akin to dew glistening in the dawn. It spread throughout the area, replacing the darkness surrounding them with a mystical hue. However, its effect was not merely visual; the air seemed to become heavier and more coarse, as if burdened with unspoken hopes and fears shared between them.

Joanna beheld the wonder while grappling with a mix of awe and trepidation. "Can this magic help us find our way home?" she pondered within, but a part of her questioned their strength in this forgotten world.

"This place..." she whispered, "...does not recognize us."

Rui walked beside her, her expression tense yet undaunted, even as anxiety swelled within her heart. Reflecting on all the history and memories erased from this world filled her with doubt. "This is our world... before we were born. Before all things chose us, and now it seems as if we are travelers without a trace."

What they did not know was that at this timeline:

Fitran does not yet know

"This place..." she whispered, "...does not recognize us."

Rui walked beside her, her expression tense but unafraid, even as her heart raced, wondering what would come next.

"This is our world... before we were born. Before all things chose us."

What they did not know, is that on this timeline:

Fitran was unaware that Joanna and Rui existed.

Joanna is no one, for Sheena—her mother—has been cast into the Omega dimension, rendering her an orphan in the face of uncertain destiny.

And Rui... is not even born yet.

They are the ghosts walking upon land that has yet to inscribe their names.

In the midst of that silence, Joanna halted, feeling the cold wind blow as if beckoning them back to the past.

"Do you feel it?"

Rui did not respond. Her body trembled slightly, as if there were an unseen weight accumulating upon her shoulders. Her eyes stared into the distance, yet her face... was vacant, harboring unspoken fears.

Joanna turned—only to behold something horrifying; her heart raced as she sensed that presence.

A dark shadow slithered from within Rui's eyes.

But it was no ordinary shadow; it possessed an intimidating darkness.

The shadow was like a line of blood—long, pulsing, and not flowing outward... but within. As that shadow passed, the air around them became heavy and oppressive, enveloping them in a terrifying aura.

Rui fell to her knees, concealing the anguish that constantly assailed her soul.

Her hands covered her face. Her breaths were heavy, as if trapped in a dark corridor. Yet when she spoke, her voice was no longer her own, and there was a strange power behind it.

"Joanna... stay away... I... I cannot contain it..." Her voice now sounded hoarse, as if ensnared in the darkness that absorbed all hope.

A voice within her responded, echoing with dissatisfaction and painful despair.

"Ah... this land... a place that does not recognize me..."

"Good. Then I can be reborn here... again."

Joanna stepped back, on alert, recalling the stories told by her mother about the latent powers that threatened.

"Qayin..."

After the utterance of that name, the air around them ignited with a deep crimson hue, like lava flowing at sunset. That light spiraled, forming a glowing circle around Rui, conjuring a resurgence from her helplessness.

As if levitating, tiny electric blue particles began to dance around them, creating a sharp hissing sound, reminiscent of lightning connecting to the ground. The scene seemed to highlight the dark aura bound to Rui, urging her to fight against the forces that threatened her life and existence.

By centering herself, Joanna felt vibrations resonating through every bone in her body, as if the Alpha world trembled in response to the magic that had just been awakened. The atmosphere surrounding them boiled, sending a prickling sensation through her skin, a feeling of electricity she had never experienced before.

She felt torn between reality and illusion—would she be able to save Rui, or would she be ensnared in these terrifying shadows forever?

Old memories flooded back, of love and loss, filling her mind with questions about the power they now faced. Could they possibly overcome this darkness, or would they drown in the same sorrow?

"That name..." Rui's voice grew heavy, low, almost like bones creaking, "...is a name that has never been written, only shouted."

"For I am the first..."

"...to raise a hand against my own blood."

Qayin, now speaking through Rui's body, rose slowly. A dark aura enveloped the place, making the air feel heavy, as if the whole world held its breath.

Her eyes did not blaze, yet from her form flowed an aura of vengeance older than will itself. Not born of death, but from betrayal against her first love: a brother. Memories of a painful past haunted Rui, bringing her back to the moment when everything shattered—when she was forced to choose between life or death, between love or an endless hatred.

"I am the first murderer of the human world."

"I killed my brother, for he was favored by heaven. I loved him. Yet I killed him." Rui's voice, distorted by Qayin's power, echoed as if shaking the stones around them.

"And the world knows not how to name me... thus I was given a name that must not be spoken in any shrine of prayers."

Joanna cast a defensive spell: Lux Regalia: Wall of Light Oaths. A brilliant light surged toward Qayin, conjuring a luminous barrier of gold with patterns that shimmered like stars. Each pulse of light seemed to sing, demonstrating power and protection. However, Qayin slashed through it as if it were mere paper, producing a cascade of sparkling flames and creating a fine dust that swirled through the air.

Within her heart, Joanna felt extraordinary tension—how fear and bravery clashed within her. "There must be a way to save her," she thought, even as the reality before her shattered her hopes.

"Joanna... run," Rui said, momentarily regaining her awareness. Her voice seemed to echo, shattering the tense silence.

"I cannot control this... He knows you are the child of Fitran..."

"Child of the sword bearer of the end... child of light... I seek to defile you."

Qayin within Rui lifted her hand. This hand was no longer Rui's but the bone of history that killed its own brother. Dark power coalesced around that hand, giving rise to a terrifying shadow that made the entire room tremble.

Joanna did not wish to strike Rui, but Qayin attacked first. The winds spiraled fiercely, embodying the anger and suffering trapped within Rui's soul, rendering everything around her unstable.

"Fratricide Curse: Blood Echo Severance"

(Fratricide Curse: Blood Echo Severance)

This magic targets the deepest bonds between souls—assaulting love, sistershood, and all that restrains one from killing those they cherish. The winds began to whisper, carrying the sharp scent of metal from the tension, as if the Alpha world itself sensed the threat that enveloped the entire space. Not far off, the trees withered, their leaves turning black as if holding their breath, perceiving the profound presence of this magic.

Joanna released a cry:

"Michael's Crest: Sanctum of Soul-Bound Flame"

A celestial circle of flames emerged beneath her feet, glowing in hues of aquamarine and radiant crimson, as if it were merging with the soul bound in the transcendent blaze. The fire whirled wildly, forming a spiral that emitted waves of heat, holding back the emotional onslaught of Qayin—yet simultaneously, the flames scorched her as the price to be paid, reminding Joanna of the silhouette of a forgotten past, the moment she first witnessed her true love engulfed in the fire of rage and loss. Her heart whispered, "Is all of this worth it?"

Joanna was bleeding. Yet she did not retreat. She understood that to pull back meant surrendering everything to the darkness. Her hand trembled, stung by the flames and the searing pain that coursed through her. "Rui, hear me..."

"You are not Qayin. You are not a murderer..."

"You are the hope of those who have been rejected."

Rui's voice emerged, faint yet poignant. She recalled the moments when they both joyfully ran among the trees, long before the dark shadow enveloped them.

"Kill me... before I kill you..."

As her words touched the air, light burst forth from the spell that was cast, enveloping Joanna and Rui in a mesmerizing blue mystery. The surroundings trembled, as if the Alpha world were striving to reclaim its balance, yet Joanna understood that it would forever be changed; the droplets of blood and love would never merge as one. She grappled with fear and desire, a hope that was far too burdensome to bear. "What must I do to save you?"

Joanna fought to hold back her tears, striving desperately not to succumb to the sorrow that gnawed at her heart. Her inner voice whispered, "Can I truly live burdened by this?"

"Do you think I can exist after having killed you?"

The next strike from Qayin shattered the ground beneath them, sending fragments of stone soaring into the air. The Alpha realm, which did not recognize their existence, began to rebel. The air felt heavy, as if the entire universe held its breath, awaiting what would transpire next. Reality attempted to thrust them both outward, yet Qayin absorbed the chaos to stabilize his form, his magical energy a deep, shimmering black within the darkness.

"This is perfect..."

"Because the world does not know me... I can live without limits."

Joanna stood at the edge of the broken altar, her legs felt weak yet her heart surged with fervor. She recalled the past when the world was still full of hope and light, when smiles and laughter surrounded her. That memory fortified her.

Her hands dripped with blood, as if each drop was a sacrifice she must pay. But she gazed directly forward, her eyes brimming with resolve.

"Then, I shall make the world recognize you in a way you have never imagined."

Joanna clutched her spiritual heart, feeling the magical energy flow within her.

She invoked the binding incantation:

"Echo of Origin Flame: Recognition of the Forgotten Name"

A light appeared at the edge of the sky, a vibrant purple glowing with a golden shimmer at its fringe, as if creating a bridge between worlds. The light spread, enveloping the entire area around it, creating a striking reflective effect.

A prayer... to refer to Qayin not as a curse, but as a history that must be remembered.

And as the light drew near, Rui's body trembled violently, feeling the waves of energy sweeping around her, transforming the atmosphere in the Alpha world into one of tension and hope.

The entity Qayin screamed:

"Do not pray for me... do not remember me..."

"I AM THE SIN THAT MUST BE FORGOTTEN FOREVER!"

But Joanna said, her heart ablaze with conviction:

"It is precisely for this reason... I shall invoke your name with radiant light."

As those words flowed from her lips, she felt a powerful stream of energy within her, as if every cell in her body was prepared to resist. In a final movement, she directed the light towards Qayin, creating a spiral of vibrant colors that circled and intertwined, depicting the journey of a phoenix rising from the ashes of a severed life.

Each heartbeat resonated with the incantation. Her voice echoed, feeling it flow through the air, giving voice to all that was suppressed.