Chapter 115: The Preservation Core

Dillan closed his eyes.

The moment he did...

everything disappeared.

The house.

The voices.

The floor beneath his feet.

Even the sensation of breathing.

Then the System appeared.

[PRESERVATION CORE ENTRY: INITIATED.]

[HOST CONSCIOUSNESS: TRANSFERRING.]

[MEMORY SEPARATION: COMPLETE.]

[REALITY ANCHOR: DISCONNECTED.]

Dillan opened his eyes.

He was standing inside a vast white space.

No walls.

No ceiling.

No floor.

Only endless white.

"...So this is the Preservation Core?"

His voice echoed.

Then came another voice.

"Not exactly."

Dillan turned.

Sasha stood behind him.

She looked younger.

Not physically.

Emotionally.

Her expression was peaceful.

Dillan stared.

"...You look different."

Sasha smiled.

"This is the part of me you remember."

He frowned.

"What does that mean?"

"The part that remained intact."

She walked toward him.

"The rest is scattered."

Dillan looked around.

"Where?"

Sasha pointed into the distance.

Hundreds of doors appeared.

Each one was different.

A bedroom.

A classroom.

A forest.

A hospital.

A playground.

A kitchen.

A train station.

Dillan stared.

"Those are memories?"

Sasha nodded.

"Mine."

"All of them?"

"No."

She looked at him.

"Some are yours."

Dillan’s expression changed.

"Why?"

"Because we were together."

The First Door

One door slowly opened.

A warm light spilled out.

Dillan stepped toward it.

Sasha grabbed his hand.

"Don’t."

He stopped.

"Why?"

"That’s the memory I don’t want you to see."

Dillan looked at her.

"Why?"

"Because it’s the reason I chose you."

His expression softened.

"...Then I need to see it."

Sasha shook her head.

"You don’t."

"I do."

"You’ll hate me."

"I won’t."

"You might."

Dillan looked directly into her eyes.

"Sasha."

She stopped.

"I’ve already seen the worst parts."

He squeezed her hand.

"Let me see the truth."

Sasha slowly released him.

"...Okay."

The Memory

The door opened.

Dillan stepped inside.

He was young again.

Maybe seven years old.

He was sitting alone beneath the oak tree.

Crying.

Sasha approached him.

"Dillan?"

He wiped his eyes.

"Go away."

Sasha sat beside him.

"Why?"

"Because I’m going to leave."

She looked confused.

"Where?"

"I don’t know."

He looked down.

"My parents said we’re moving."

Sasha froze.

"When?"

"Tomorrow."

She stared at him.

"You can’t."

Dillan began crying again.

"I don’t want to go."

Sasha hugged him.

"It’s okay."

"No."

"I’ll find you."

"You won’t."

"I will."

"You can’t."

"I will!"

Her voice cracked.

"I’ll find you no matter where you go."

Dillan looked at her.

"Promise?"

Sasha nodded.

"I promise."

The memory changed.

Years passed.

Dillan returned.

But Sasha wasn’t there.

He searched everywhere.

Nothing.

Then...

he found her beneath the oak.

She was crying.

Dillan ran toward her.

"Sasha!"

She hugged him.

"I thought you forgot me."

Dillan smiled.

"I could never forget you."

The memory froze.

Dillan stared.

"...This is it?"

Sasha nodded.

"This was the beginning."

"The beginning of what?"

Her expression became sad.

"The reason I couldn’t let you disappear."

The Real Memory

The scene changed again.

Sasha was older.

Dillan was unconscious beneath the oak.

Alina stood nearby.

Aurelia was crying.

The preservation core hovered above them.

Sasha looked at Dillan.

She whispered:

"He promised he’d never forget me."

Alina stared at her.

"He forgot."

Sasha shook her head.

"No."

She touched Dillan’s face.

"He didn’t forget."

She smiled through her tears.

"Someone took it from him."

Dillan watched silently.

Sasha turned toward the darkness.

"Give it back."

A voice answered:

"You cannot restore what has already been consumed."

Sasha’s eyes hardened.

"Then I’ll give him something else."

"What?"

Sasha looked at Dillan.

"Myself."

The voice became colder.

"That will destroy you."

"I don’t care."

"You will lose your identity."

"I don’t care."

"You will become part of his dream."

Sasha smiled.

"Then I’ll meet him there."

The memory shattered.

Present Inside the Core

Dillan stared at Sasha.

"You knew."

"Yes."

"You knew you’d disappear."

"Yes."

"You knew you’d become part of the Malformation."

"Yes."

Dillan’s voice became strained.

"Why didn’t you tell me?"

Sasha looked down.

"Because if you knew..."

She smiled faintly.

"...you would’ve tried to save me."

"Of course I would’ve."

"And that’s exactly why."

Dillan went silent.

Sasha stepped closer.

"You’ve always tried to save everyone."

She touched his chest.

"Even when they didn’t ask."

Dillan looked at her hand.

"Then why did you let me believe you were gone?"

"Because you needed to live."

She paused.

"And because..."

Her eyes became sad.

"...I wanted you to love me without feeling responsible for me."

Dillan couldn’t answer.

The Intruder

A slow clap echoed through the white space.

Clap.

Clap.

Clap.

Dillan immediately turned.

Sasha’s expression changed.

"No..."

Someone stood behind them.

A woman.

Long black hair.

A white dress.

Crimson eyes.

Dillan recognized her immediately.

The woman from the childhood memory.

The second teacher.

She smiled.

"How touching."

Dillan stepped in front of Sasha.

"You."

She tilted her head.

"Me."

Sasha’s voice became cold.

"Leave."

The woman laughed.

"This isn’t your memory anymore."

Dillan stared at her.

"What do you want?"

She looked at him.

"Exactly what I wanted years ago."

"And what is that?"

Her smile widened.

"For Sasha to stop loving you..."

She stepped forward.

"...and start needing you."

Dillan’s eyes narrowed.

"You taught her that."

"Yes."

"Why?"

The woman looked toward Sasha.

"Because love fades."

Then toward Dillan.

"Dependency doesn’t."

Sasha’s eyes turned crimson.

"You’re wrong."

The woman smiled.

"Am I?"

She raised one hand.

The white world began cracking.

Dillan grabbed Sasha’s hand.

"Stay behind me."

Sasha stared at him.

"Dillan..."

"Don’t worry."

The woman laughed.

"You still don’t understand."

The cracks spread across the entire Preservation Core.

CRACK.

CRACK.

CRACK.

Then the System appeared.

[INTRUSION DETECTED.]

[PRESERVATION CORE COMPROMISED.]

[UNKNOWN FEMALE: HOSTILE.]

[SASHA’S FINAL MEMORY: 96% UNLOCKED.]

Dillan stared.

"Only four percent?"

The woman smiled.

"That’s all I need."

She reached toward Sasha.

Dillan stepped forward.

"Don’t touch her."

The woman’s crimson eyes glowed.

"Then protect her."

The entire world shattered.

Dillan fell into darkness.

Sasha’s hand slipped from his.

"Sasha!"

He reached for her.

She screamed:

"DILLAN!"

Their fingers separated.

Then...

a final System message appeared.

[SASHA’S FINAL MEMORY: 100% UNLOCKED.]

[MEMORY CONTENT: CLASSIFIED.]

[REASON: HOST MUST EXPERIENCE IT DIRECTLY.]

Dillan stared into the darkness.

"...What did I just unlock?"

A girl’s voice answered.

Not Sasha.

Not Alina.

Not the mysterious woman.

A voice from his childhood.

"The reason Sasha chose you."

Then another voice whispered directly behind him:

"And the reason she shouldn’t have."

Dillan turned.

His eyes widened.

Because standing behind him...

was young Dillan.

Smiling.

Dillan stared at himself.

Or rather...

at the child standing before him.

Young Dillan.

Seven years old.

Barefoot.

His clothes soaked from the rain.

A small cut ran across his cheek.

Yet he was smiling.

Not the innocent smile Dillan remembered.

This smile was calm.

Almost knowing.

Dillan tightened his fists.

"...You’re not real."

Young Dillan tilted his head.

"That’s what you always say."

"You’re a memory."

"Maybe."

The child took a step closer.

"Or maybe you’re the memory."

Dillan’s eyes narrowed.

"Who are you?"

Young Dillan smiled.

"You."

"I know what you look like."

"Then you know what I am."

"No."

Dillan shook his head.

"You’re something inside the Preservation Core."

The child laughed.

"Close."

He pointed at Dillan’s chest.

"I’m the part of you that made the choice."

Dillan froze.

The Boy’s Memory

The darkness around them began changing.

A small bedroom appeared.

Young Dillan sat on his bed.

Sasha was beside him.

Aurelia stood near the window.

Alina sat on the floor.

They were laughing.

For once...

there was no fear.

No Lock.

No System.

No shadows.

Just four children.

Dillan watched silently.

Young Sasha handed him a small drawing.

"Look!"

Dillan took it.

"What is this?"

"It’s us."

Four children stood beneath the oak tree.

Young Dillan smiled.

"It’s ugly."

Sasha’s face dropped.

"You don’t like it?"

"No."

He smiled.

"It’s perfect."

Sasha smiled again.

Alina laughed.

Aurelia joined them.

The scene felt painfully normal.

Dillan whispered:

"...We were happy."

Young Dillan looked at him.

"Yes."

"Then what happened?"

The child’s smile disappeared.

"Someone came."

The room darkened.

The Stranger

The front door opened.

A shadow entered.

Not the man beneath the tree.

Not Celia.

Someone else.

Dillan couldn’t see their face.

But he could hear their voice.

"Dillan Ruren."

Young Dillan looked up.

"Who are you?"

"Someone who knows what you’re going to become."

Sasha moved closer to Dillan.

"Go away."

The stranger laughed.

"You can’t protect him forever."

Young Dillan stood.

"I can protect myself."

"Can you?"

The stranger pointed toward Alina.

"What about her?"

Alina froze.

The stranger continued.

"What happens when she disappears?"

Young Dillan’s expression changed.

"She won’t."

"Everything disappears."

Young Dillan shook his head.

"No."

"People leave."

"No."

"Memories fade."

"No!"

The stranger smiled.

"Then make something that remains."

Dillan’s eyes widened.

The same words.

The same idea.

The seed of the First Choice.

But this time...

he saw something he’d never seen before.

The stranger placed a small object on the table.

A black crystal.

Young Dillan stared at it.

"What is that?"

"A possibility."

The Real Beginning

Dillan stepped toward the memory.

"You gave me the crystal."

The stranger didn’t answer.

"You taught me about preservation."

Silence.

"You manipulated me."

The figure finally looked at him.

"No."

The voice was calm.

"I showed you what was possible."

Dillan clenched his fists.

"You knew what would happen."

"Yes."

"Then you used me."

"Yes."

Dillan’s anger surged.

"You destroyed my life!"

The figure smiled.

"No."

It pointed toward young Dillan.

"You did."

Dillan froze.

The figure continued:

"I offered you a solution."

"You chose it."

"I offered you preservation."

"You chose it."

"I offered you power."

"You chose it."

Dillan’s breathing became heavy.

The figure leaned closer.

"Every step was yours."

The Second Choice

Young Sasha suddenly appeared.

She was crying.

Young Dillan was lying on the ground.

His memories were disappearing.

The preservation core was collapsing.

Dillan watched.

He already knew what happened.

Sasha sacrificed herself.

But something was different.

The stranger appeared beside her.

"You can save him."

Sasha looked up.

"How?"

"Give yourself to the core."

Aurelia screamed:

"Sasha, don’t!"

The stranger whispered:

"He will live."

Sasha looked at Dillan.

Then she smiled.

"I’ll do it."

Dillan stepped forward.

"Stop!"

Nobody could hear him.

He tried to grab Sasha.

His hand passed through her.

"No!"

Sasha touched young Dillan’s face.

"Don’t forget me."

Then she entered the core.

The light consumed her.

Dillan watched helplessly.

His voice cracked.

"...Sasha."

The child standing beside him whispered:

"Now you understand."

Dillan turned.

"Understand what?"

The boy pointed toward Sasha.

"She didn’t choose you because she was taught to love you."

Dillan froze.

"Then why?"

The boy smiled.

"Because she was afraid you would die."

Silence.

"That’s it?"

"No."

The boy’s expression became darker.

"That’s only the reason she gave herself."

Dillan’s eyes widened.

"What does that mean?"

The child walked closer.

"Her real reason was something else."

The Final Fragment

The System appeared.

[SASHA’S FINAL MEMORY.]

[100% UNLOCKED.]

[ACCESSING CORE TRUTH.]

Dillan stared.

The world went completely black.

Then...

he heard Sasha’s voice.

"I don’t want to save him."

Dillan’s eyes widened.

"What?"

Her voice continued.

"I want him to stay with me."

A heartbeat echoed.

Thump.

"Even if I have to become part of him."

Thump.

"Even if he forgets me."

Thump.

"Even if he hates me."

The darkness began cracking.

"As long as he never leaves."

Dillan’s eyes widened.

The Preservation Core exploded with light.

The System screamed.

[SASHA’S FINAL MEMORY: FULLY RESTORED.]

[EMOTIONAL MOTIVE IDENTIFIED.]

[SASHA’S SECOND CHOICE WAS NOT PURE SELF-SACRIFICE.]

[PRIMARY MOTIVE: ATTACHMENT.]

[SECONDARY MOTIVE: PROTECTION.]

Dillan stared at the words.

"...She wanted to stay with me."

The child beside him smiled.

"Yes."

"Even after death."

"Yes."

Dillan looked toward the darkness.

"And that’s what became the Oneiric Malformation."

The child nodded.

"Partly."

Dillan’s expression hardened.

"Partly?"

The child pointed behind him.

Dillan turned.

The mysterious woman stood there.

But this time...

she wasn’t alone.

Behind her stood Celia.

Behind Celia stood Alina.

Behind Alina stood Aurelia.

And behind all of them...

a sixth silhouette.

Dillan stared.

"...Six?"

The child smiled.

"You thought there were only five?"

The System immediately appeared.

[UNKNOWN RESONANCE DETECTED.]

[ADDITIONAL CONNECTION DISCOVERED.]

[SUBJECT COUNT: 6.]

[WARNING.]

[HOST MEMORY CANNOT CURRENTLY EXPLAIN THE SIXTH CONNECTION.]

Dillan stared at the silhouette.

Then it slowly stepped forward.

A familiar voice whispered:

"You forgot me first."