The world lurched.

  Yuuto’s vision blurred, his body feeling as if it were being yanked through space itself. The sensation of falling, twisting, pulling—it was almost unbearable.

  Then, with a violent jolt, he nded on his back.

  The air rushed from his lungs, and his body ached from the wounds he had sustained in the fight. He was drenched in sweat, his breathing ragged.

  He had escaped.

  But he felt no relief.

  ---

  [Hidden Refuge – Safe Zone Activated]

  The moment the system notification fshed before his eyes, he felt a warm, golden light wash over him. The pain in his body dulled, his wounds slowly closing.

  "You absolute idiot!"

  Celia’s voice rang in his head, sharp and angry.

  Yuuto groaned, forcing himself to sit up.

  "Celia, not now."

  "Not now? Not now?! Do you even understand what just happened, dumbass? You almost got yourself KILLED!"

  Yuuto ran a hand through his sweat-drenched hair, his heartbeat finally slowing down.

  "But I didn’t." He exhaled. "So that means I did something right."

  "Something right?! You faced a goddamn fragment of an ancient entity! You were lucky it was still sealed, or your ass would be dust!"

  Her voice was louder than usual, filled with a mixture of frustration… and something else.

  Yuuto frowned, wiping blood from the corner of his lips. "You were scared."

  Celia froze.

  For a moment, she didn’t say anything.

  Then, after a brief silence, she scoffed.

  "Scared? Me? Ha! As if. I was just annoyed that my host is a reckless moron who doesn't listen to my advice."

  But Yuuto wasn’t buying it.

  For the first time since he was summoned into this world, Celia had sounded… genuinely afraid.

  ---

  [The Cursed Connection]

  Yuuto exhaled, his back leaning against the cool stone wall of the cavern. He gnced around. The pce Celia had teleported him to was a dimly lit cave, its walls covered in faintly glowing runes.

  A hidden refuge, the system had called it.

  "Alright," Yuuto muttered, finally looking at the glowing figure beside him. "Talk."

  Celia crossed her arms. "About what?"

  "You know exactly what," he said sharply. "That thing… it knew you. It called you the 'Cursed One.' What the hell was it talking about?"

  Celia's expression shifted.

  Her usual mocking smirk faded, repced by something more serious.

  More guarded.

  "Drop it, Yuuto."

  "No."

  Celia sighed dramatically, floating beside him. "Tsk. You’re persistent."

  "And you're hiding something." Yuuto narrowed his eyes. "How did you die, Celia? How did you end up like… this?"

  Her gaze darkened.

  For the first time, Celia didn’t have a comeback.

  ---

  [A Past Shrouded in Shadows]

  The silence stretched between them.

  Then, finally, she spoke.

  "I was betrayed."

  Yuuto stiffened.

  Her voice was low. Cold. It cked her usual sarcasm—no teasing, no insults. Just raw, bitter truth.

  "I was once… a warrior. A protector of this world," Celia said quietly, her eyes fixed on the flickering rune-light. "I had power. Strength. I fought against the very creatures you now face."

  Yuuto’s fingers tightened around his knees. "Then what happened?"

  Celia’s lips curled into a bitter smile.

  "I trusted the wrong people."

  The air around them chilled.

  "The gods I swore to protect turned against me," she whispered. "They called me dangerous. A threat. My power was… unnatural, they said. It defied the bance of this world."

  Yuuto’s breath caught.

  "And so… they sealed me away. Killed my body. And left me to rot in nothingness."

  A tense silence followed her words.

  Yuuto didn’t know what to say.

  What the hell was he supposed to say to that?

  She had been a warrior—someone strong, someone who fought for this world.

  And yet, she was betrayed. Cast aside. Killed.

  And now, she was a system.

  His system.

  "...That thing we fought," Yuuto finally said. "It recognized you. Called you ‘Cursed One.’ What does that mean?"

  Celia’s golden eyes dimmed.

  "It means that whatever happened to me… whatever the gods did…" she paused, her voice barely above a whisper, "it was never truly erased."

  Yuuto clenched his fists. "So the gods lied."

  Celia let out a humorless chuckle.

  "When do they ever tell the truth?"

  ---

  [A War Yet to Come]

  Yuuto felt something shift within him.

  He had assumed Celia was just… some AI-like being—a sarcastic system with a twisted sense of humor.

  But she was real.

  She had lived. Fought. Died.

  And now, she was trapped in this form, bound to him for reasons he still didn’t understand.

  He looked at her. Really looked at her.

  For the first time, he saw more than just an annoying system.

  He saw someone who had suffered. Someone who had lost everything.

  "...Celia."

  She turned to him, her usual smirk returning, though it didn’t quite reach her eyes. "What, getting soft on me now?"

  Yuuto exhaled.

  "We’ll find the truth. Together."

  Celia stiffened.

  For a moment, she just stared at him, her expression unreadable.

  Then, with a scoff, she floated away. "Tch. Don’t get ahead of yourself, Yuuto. You’re still a dumbass."

  But even as she mocked him, there was something different in her tone.

  Something almost… grateful.

  ---

  [System Alert – New Quest Unlocked]

  Quest: The Forgotten One’s Warning

  ?Discover the truth about Celia’s past.

  ?Unravel the secrets behind the gods’ betrayal.

  ?Prepare for the war that is yet to come.

  Reward: ???

  Yuuto’s grip tightened on his sword.

  This world wasn’t just about monsters.

  It wasn’t just about survival.

  Something bigger was happening—something connected to Celia, to the gods, to his very presence in this world.

  And now, he was right in the middle of it.

  "...Let’s get stronger."

  Celia smirked. "Now you’re talking."

  The war was coming.

  And Yuuto was done running.

  ---

  [End of Chapter 12]