Chapter 114: No Solution, No Choice

Darkness.

Dillan couldn’t feel the floor.

Couldn’t feel his body.

Couldn’t hear the others.

He floated inside an endless black space.

Then...

Tap.

Something touched his shoulder.

Dillan opened his eyes.

Aurelia stood in front of him.

"...Aurelia?"

She looked frightened.

"Don’t move."

Dillan frowned.

"Where are we?"

"I don’t know."

He looked around.

Nothing.

No walls.

No sky.

No ground.

Just darkness.

Then Aurelia whispered:

"We’re inside your memory."

Dillan’s expression hardened.

"No."

Aurelia shook her head.

"Not exactly."

She pointed downward.

A faint white line appeared beneath their feet.

"This is the boundary between your memory and something else."

Dillan stared.

"What something else?"

A voice answered.

"Me."

Aurelia immediately turned.

Dillan followed her gaze.

A figure stood in the distance.

Not the man beneath the tree.

Not Celia.

Not Alina.

A completely different person.

A young woman.

Long dark hair.

Pale skin.

Calm eyes.

She looked almost ordinary.

That somehow made her more terrifying.

Dillan stared.

"...Who are you?"

She smiled.

"You’ve asked that question many times."

"Answer it."

"I can’t."

Dillan’s eyes narrowed.

"Why?"

"Because you haven’t remembered enough to understand the answer."

He clenched his fist.

"Everyone keeps saying that."

The woman smiled.

"I know."

The First System

A strange notification appeared.

Not the System Dillan was accustomed to.

The letters were white.

Almost transparent.

[ORIGINAL SYSTEM PROTOCOL DETECTED.]

[CURRENT SYSTEM: DERIVATIVE.]

[MEMORY ACCESS: RESTRICTED.]

Dillan stared.

"...Derivative?"

The woman nodded.

"Your current System isn’t the first."

Dillan’s expression changed.

"Then what is this?"

"The first version."

Aurelia stepped forward.

"What happened to it?"

The woman looked at her.

"It was destroyed."

Dillan frowned.

"By who?"

The woman looked back at him.

"By you."

Silence.

Dillan’s eyes widened.

"I destroyed the System?"

"No."

She smiled.

"You destroyed the original protocol."

Dillan didn’t understand.

"Why?"

"Because it gave you a choice."

His expression darkened.

"And I didn’t want it?"

"No."

The woman shook her head.

"You wanted something else."

The Creation

The darkness around them began changing.

Dillan saw the oak tree.

The rain.

Young Dillan.

Sasha.

Aurelia.

Alina.

The shadow.

But this time...

there was something different.

A glowing structure hovered above the ground.

A strange collection of symbols.

It wasn’t alive.

It wasn’t a creature.

It wasn’t a weapon.

It looked like a core.

Dillan stared.

"What is that?"

The woman answered:

"The first thing you created."

Dillan’s breathing stopped.

"The Malformation?"

"No."

She shook her head.

"That came later."

"Then what?"

The core pulsed.

Once.

Twice.

Dillan felt his chest respond.

The woman whispered:

"A rule."

Dillan stared.

"A rule?"

"You created a rule that reality couldn’t ignore."

Aurelia’s eyes widened.

"What rule?"

The woman looked at Dillan.

"Nobody disappears without leaving something behind."

Dillan went silent.

The core pulsed again.

And Alina appeared inside it.

Alive.

Sleeping.

Protected.

Dillan whispered:

"...That’s how she survived."

"Yes."

The Cost

Dillan watched his younger self.

He looked exhausted.

His eyes were red from crying.

Sasha stood beside him.

Aurelia held his hand.

Alina remained inside the core.

Young Dillan whispered:

"I saved her."

The woman shook her head.

"No."

Dillan looked at her.

"What?"

"You preserved her."

She pointed toward Alina.

"But preservation isn’t life."

Dillan’s expression changed.

"What happened to her?"

The woman didn’t answer.

Dillan’s eyes widened.

"...What happened?"

The core cracked.

Alina’s body disappeared.

Young Dillan screamed.

The First Choice began collapsing.

The woman continued:

"Your creation could preserve her existence."

She looked toward Dillan.

"But it couldn’t restore her life."

Dillan’s voice became quiet.

"So I made the Oneiric Malformation."

"Yes."

"To bring her back."

"Yes."

"And it failed."

The woman nodded.

"Not completely."

Dillan stared at her.

"What does that mean?"

The woman smiled.

"It brought back more than Alina."

The Five

Five silhouettes appeared.

One.

Two.

Three.

Four.

Five.

Dillan stared.

"...The girls."

The woman nodded.

"Your creation needed emotional anchors."

"Why?"

"Because Alina’s existence was unstable."

Dillan looked at the five silhouettes.

"So they became anchors."

"Yes."

"Why them?"

The woman smiled.

"Because you chose them."

Dillan froze.

"I chose them?"

"Not consciously."

She stepped closer.

"Your creation searched for people capable of forming the strongest emotional bonds with you."

Dillan’s expression became uneasy.

"And Sasha?"

The woman looked at her silhouette.

"Sasha was the strongest."

Aurelia whispered:

"That’s why the Malformation connected to her."

"Yes."

Dillan clenched his fists.

"But it didn’t create her love."

"No."

The woman looked at him.

"It amplified what was already there."

The Voice

A deep crack echoed through the darkness.

The woman looked upward.

"We don’t have much time."

Dillan stepped toward her.

"Wait."

She stopped.

"Tell me your name."

She smiled.

"You’re not ready."

Dillan’s eyes narrowed.

"Of course."

"But I’ll give you something."

She reached toward his chest.

Dillan instinctively stepped back.

"What?"

"Your next memory."

Her fingers touched the air.

The darkness shattered.

A single sentence appeared.

THE FIRST CHOICE WAS MADE TO SAVE ALINA.

THE SECOND CHOICE WAS MADE TO SAVE DILLAN.

Dillan stared.

"...Second choice?"

The woman smiled.

"That’s the memory you erased."

The entire space began collapsing.

Aurelia grabbed Dillan’s arm.

"We have to go!"

Dillan looked at the woman.

"Who made the second choice?"

She smiled.

"Sasha."

Dillan’s eyes widened.

The darkness consumed everything.

Reality

Dillan’s eyes snapped open.

He was lying on the old bedroom floor.

Sasha was kneeling beside him.

"Dillan!"

He stared at her.

She was crying.

Aurelia stood behind her.

Celia was nowhere to be seen.

Alina stood at the doorway.

Everyone was silent.

Dillan slowly sat up.

He looked at Sasha.

"...You made a choice."

Sasha froze.

Her tears stopped.

"What?"

Dillan’s voice was quiet.

"The second choice."

Sasha’s expression collapsed.

"Dillan..."

"You chose something after I made the First Choice."

She looked away.

He stood.

"What did you choose?"

Sasha couldn’t answer.

Dillan stepped closer.

"What did you choose?"

Her lips trembled.

Finally...

she whispered:

"You."

Dillan froze.

Sasha looked directly into his eyes.

"I chose you."

Then the System appeared.

[PRIMARY MEMORY RESTORATION: 52.8%.]

[SECOND CHOICE: DETECTED.]

[SUBJECT: SASHA.]

[CONSEQUENCE: PERMANENT.]

And beneath it...

a final message.

[WARNING.]

[THE SECOND CHOICE IS THE REASON SASHA DISAPPEARED.]

Dillan’s eyes widened.

Sasha smiled through her tears.

"...Now you know."

The words remained suspended before Dillan’s eyes.

[THE SECOND CHOICE IS THE REASON SASHA DISAPPEARED.]

Dillan stared at Sasha.

She was standing only a few steps away.

Her face was wet with tears.

But she wasn’t crying anymore.

She looked exhausted.

As though she’d been carrying the same secret for years.

Dillan’s voice was barely audible.

"...What did you choose?"

Sasha looked down.

"You."

"I heard that."

"I know."

"Then explain."

Sasha closed her eyes.

"I chose to save you."

Dillan frowned.

"From what?"

She didn’t answer.

"Sasha."

Her hands trembled.

"From yourself."

Silence.

The Night After the First Choice

Sasha slowly began explaining.

"After you created the preservation core..."

Her voice became quieter.

"...you collapsed."

Dillan listened.

"You couldn’t remember us anymore."

Aurelia lowered her head.

Sasha continued.

"You couldn’t remember Alina."

Dillan’s expression tightened.

"You couldn’t even remember your own name."

He froze.

"What?"

"You looked at me and asked who I was."

Dillan’s chest tightened.

Sasha smiled sadly.

"That was the first time I realized how much you’d lost."

She touched her chest.

"And I couldn’t accept it."

Dillan stared at her.

"So what did you do?"

Sasha looked directly at him.

"I made a choice."

The Second Choice

The memory appeared.

Young Sasha stood beneath the oak tree.

Dillan lay unconscious on the ground.

Aurelia was crying beside him.

Alina was nowhere to be seen.

The preservation core floated above the earth.

Cracked.

Unstable.

A voice came from the darkness.

"The boy cannot survive."

Young Sasha looked toward Dillan.

"No."

"His memories are collapsing."

"No."

"His identity is disappearing."

Sasha grabbed Dillan’s hand.

"Then fix him."

The voice answered:

"There is a price."

Sasha’s eyes hardened.

"I’ll pay it."

Aurelia immediately shouted:

"Sasha, don’t!"

Sasha looked at her.

"He’s dying."

"You don’t know what it’ll do!"

"I don’t care."

The voice spoke again.

"Choose."

Sasha stared at Dillan.

Then whispered:

"Take my place."

Aurelia’s face went white.

"No!"

The darkness surged.

Sasha screamed.

The preservation core opened.

Black energy wrapped around her.

Dillan’s memories began returning.

His heartbeat stabilized.

His breathing returned.

But Sasha...

began disappearing.

Her body became translucent.

Aurelia grabbed her.

"Sasha!"

Sasha smiled.

"It’s okay."

"No!"

"I saved him."

Aurelia cried.

"You’re disappearing!"

Sasha looked toward unconscious Dillan.

"I know."

She smiled.

"That’s enough."

Present

Dillan stared at Sasha.

"You sacrificed yourself."

Sasha nodded.

"Yes."

"To restore my memories?"

"No."

She shook her head.

"To restore you."

Dillan’s expression changed.

"What does that mean?"

Sasha looked toward the floor.

"Your body survived."

She paused.

"But your identity didn’t."

Dillan remembered the woman inside the original memory.

The core.

The rule.

Nobody disappears without leaving something behind.

"...So you became part of the core."

Sasha nodded.

"Yes."

Dillan’s eyes widened.

"That’s why the Malformation could reach you."

"Yes."

"That’s why my dreams kept showing you."

"Yes."

"And that’s why..."

Dillan’s voice became unsteady.

"...you disappeared."

Sasha looked at him.

"Not completely."

The Truth About the Oneiric Malformation

Alina finally spoke.

"The Malformation wasn’t trying to kill Sasha."

Dillan looked toward her.

"It was trying to bring her back."

He froze.

"What?"

Alina stepped closer.

"When Sasha sacrificed herself, her existence became part of the preservation core."

She pointed toward Dillan.

"And because the core was created by you..."

Her voice softened.

"...it became connected to your mind."

Dillan stared.

"The dreams."

"Yes."

"The voices."

"Yes."

"The Oneiric Malformation."

Alina nodded.

"It was attempting to reconstruct Sasha."

Dillan’s eyes widened.

"Then why did it become dangerous?"

Alina looked at Sasha.

Sasha answered herself.

"Because I was incomplete."

Dillan looked at her.

"My memories were scattered."

She touched her chest.

"My emotions were scattered."

Her eyes became sad.

"And eventually..."

She whispered:

"My love became the strongest thing left."

Silence.

Dillan couldn’t speak.

The System

A notification appeared.

[SECOND CHOICE ANALYSIS COMPLETE.]

[SASHA’S EXISTENCE: PARTIALLY PRESERVED.]

[PRESERVATION CORE: ACTIVE.]

[ONEIRIC MALFORMATION: RECONSTRUCTION PROCESS.]

[CURRENT RECONSTRUCTION STATUS: 73%.]

Dillan stared.

"Seventy-three percent?"

Sasha nodded.

"That’s why I could appear in your dreams."

Dillan looked at her.

"And the remaining twenty-seven?"

Sasha’s expression changed.

"I don’t know."

Alina whispered:

"I do."

Everyone looked at her.

She held up the bracelet.

"The remaining part isn’t inside Sasha."

Dillan’s eyes narrowed.

"Where is it?"

Alina looked toward the ceiling.

"Someone took it."

The Third Presence

The house suddenly became cold.

Celia appeared at the end of the hallway.

Her expression was unusually serious.

"Alina."

Alina turned.

"You knew."

Celia nodded.

"Yes."

Dillan looked between them.

"What was taken?"

Celia answered:

"Sasha’s final memory."

Dillan’s expression changed.

"Which memory?"

Celia stared at him.

"The memory of why she chose you."

Sasha’s face went pale.

"I remember."

Celia shook her head.

"You remember loving him."

She looked at Sasha.

"But you don’t remember why."

Sasha froze.

Dillan looked at her.

"...Is that true?"

Sasha’s lips parted.

No words came.

Celia continued.

"Someone removed that memory immediately after the Second Choice."

Dillan clenched his fist.

"Who?"

Celia looked toward the dark hallway.

"The same person who taught Sasha the second lesson."

The mysterious teacher.

Dillan’s eyes hardened.

"So that’s what they’ve been hiding."

Celia nodded.

Then the System appeared.

[MEMORY TRACE AVAILABLE.]

[SASHA: FINAL MEMORY.]

[ACCESS REQUIREMENT: HOST MUST ENTER PRESERVATION CORE.]

Dillan stared.

"How?"

The System answered:

[SLEEP.]

Dillan’s expression dropped.

"...You’re kidding."

[NO.]

Sasha stepped forward.

"Dillan."

He looked at her.

"Don’t."

She smiled sadly.

"You don’t have to do this."

Dillan shook his head.

"Yes, I do."

"Why?"

He looked at her.

"Because you made your choice."

He clenched his fist.

"Now it’s my turn."

Sasha’s eyes widened.

Dillan looked at the System.

"Initiate Preservation Core access."

[REQUEST ACCEPTED.]

[PREPARING DREAM DESCENT.]

[WARNING.]

[HOST WILL NOT BE ABLE TO DISTINGUISH MEMORY FROM REALITY.]

Dillan closed his eyes.

"Then I’ll figure it out."

The System responded:

[PRESERVATION CORE ENTRY: INITIATED.]

[SASHA’S FINAL MEMORY: LOCKED.]

[UNKNOWN INTRUDER: DETECTED.]

Dillan’s eyes snapped open.

"...Someone’s already inside?"

Sasha’s expression became terrified.

"No."

She whispered:

"She’s been waiting there."