Chapter 97: The Timeline World Erased

The pale eyes stared at Kaelith.

They did not blink. They did not move.

Yet the hatred coming from them was so intense that even the air inside the underground prison seemed to grow heavier.

Rin stood beside Kaelith, confused. Sol was somewhere nearby, invisible as usual.

Lucien remained against the stone wall, still restrained by the ancient chains. Nobody spoke.

Then the eyes whispered.

"You."

Kaelith’s expression hardened.

"Me?"

"Yes. You."

The voice carried pure hatred.

"You always ruin everything."

Kaelith’s magic immediately gathered around his hand. Dark energy twisted around his fingers, illuminating the prison.

But the pale eyes didn’t retreat. Instead, they seemed to glare at him even more intensely.

"Go ahead."

Kaelith narrowed his eyes.

"What are you?"

"The one who remembers."

Rin looked at the eyes.

"Remembers what?"

The entity ignored him. Its attention remained fixed on Kaelith.

"You promised him."

Kaelith frowned.

"I don’t know what you’re talking about."

"Of course you don’t."

There was something almost cruel in the way the voice laughed.

"World made sure of that."

Kaelith’s magic flickered.

"World?"

Sol’s invisible voice suddenly came from behind Rin.

"Okay... that sounds important."

Rin turned toward where Sol’s voice had come from.

"Sol, stay close."

"I am close."

"You’re always close."

"I’m literally beside you."

Rin sighed. The pale eyes continued.

"You don’t remember because the timeline was erased."

Kaelith stared at them.

"What timeline?"

"The one where you betrayed Rin."

Silence. Rin slowly looked at Kaelith. Kaelith looked back at him.

"I don’t remember that , stop this."

The eyes laughed.

"You shouldn’t."

Kaelith’s expression remained confused. There was no hidden recognition.

No secret memory. No sudden realization. He genuinely had no idea what the creature was talking about. The eyes seemed to hate him even more because of that.

"You don’t even remember what you did to him."

Kaelith’s magic became stronger.

"If you’re trying to make me believe something, you’re wasting your time."

"Believe me?"

The voice trembled with anger.

"I don’t need you to believe me."

The pale eyes moved toward Rin.

"I watched it happen."

Rin’s expression changed.

"You watched what?"

The entity finally answered him.

"Everything."

The word echoed through the prison.

"I watched you trust him."

Rin’s eyes widened.

"I watched you love him."

Kaelith froze. Rin’s face became warm with embarrassment and confusion, but the entity continued before either of them could react.

"And I watched him destroy that trust."

Kaelith shook his head.

"I wouldn’t do that."

The eyes immediately answered.

"You did."

"I don’t remember."

"Because World erased it."

Kaelith stared at the darkness.

"Why would World erase a timeline because of me?"

The entity became silent. Then it looked directly at Rin.

"Not because of him."

Rin swallowed.

"Then why?"

The pale eyes slowly brightened.

"Because of you."

Rin pointed at himself.

"Me?"

Sol’s voice became quieter.

"What does Rin have to do with World?"

The entity answered without looking at him.

"Rin is the mistake World can never completely erase."

The prison suddenly became colder. Rin felt a strange pressure in his chest.

"What does that mean?"

"Every time World creates a new timeline, your soul returns."

Rin stared.

"Why?"

"Because your soul does not belong to the timeline."

Kaelith’s eyes widened slightly. Lucien looked toward Rin. The entity continued.

"That is why you always return."

Rin’s voice was barely a whisper.

"And that’s why World erases me?"

"Yes."

The answer was immediate.

"World cannot allow you to remain when you begin remembering."

Rin shook his head.

"But I don’t remember my past lives."

"Not consciously."

The pale eyes narrowed.

"Your soul remembers."

Kaelith looked at Rin.

The entity continued.

"Every life begins with you forgetting. Every life ends when something inside you starts awakening. And every time that happens..."

The darkness around the eyes seemed to tremble.

"...World erases you."

Rin felt a chill run down his spine.

"So this has happened before?"

"More times than you could count."

Kaelith’s voice was quiet.

"Why?"

The entity looked at him again. For the first time, its hatred became almost unbearable.

"Because of what happens when Rin remembers."

Kaelith frowned.

"What happens?"

The eyes answered:

"You remember him."

Kaelith froze. Rin looked at him. Sol became silent. Lucien’s expression hardened.

The entity continued.

"And when you remember Rin completely, the timeline begins to break."

Kaelith shook his head.

"That makes no sense."

"It does to World."

"Why would my memories matter?"

"Because you are the second half of the problem."

Rin looked confused.

"The second half?"

"Your soul returns."

The eyes shifted toward Kaelith.

"His soul follows."

Kaelith’s expression changed. The entity continued.

"Every timeline brings you together. Every timeline, you find each other. Every timeline, you become important to one another. Demon King, you are Rin curse!"

Rin looked at Kaelith. Neither of them spoke.

"And every time Rin gets close to remembering everything..."

The eyes became brighter.

"...World erases him before the truth can surface."

Lucien finally spoke.

"Then why doesn’t World simply erase Kaelith too?"

The eyes turned toward him.

"Because Kaelith is not the anomaly."

Lucien frowned.

"Then what is Rin?"

The entity’s voice became almost a whisper.

"A soul that survived something that should have been impossible."

Rin felt his heart stop for a second.

"What?"

The entity didn’t explain. Instead, it returned its attention to Kaelith.

"And you..."

Kaelith’s hand tightened.

"You were supposed to be his salvation."

The magical energy around Kaelith disappeared.

"Instead, in one timeline, you became his greatest betrayal."

Kaelith looked genuinely lost.

"I don’t know that timeline."

"I know."

"Then why blame me?"

The pale eyes remained fixed on him.

"Because I remember what you did."

Kaelith stared at the entity.

"And what exactly did I do?"

The answer came slowly.

"You made him trust you completely."

A pause.

"Then you took that trust away."

Another pause.

"You hurt him."

Kaelith didn’t respond.

"You refused to let him leave."

Rin’s expression darkened.

"You convinced him that the world outside you was dangerous."

The entity’s voice shook with hatred.

"And when he finally realized the truth..."

It stopped. Rin whispered:

"What?"

The eyes turned toward him.

For several seconds, there was only silence.

Then—

"You died."

Kaelith’s face went pale. Rin didn’t move. Lucien stared at the entity. Sol said nothing.

The eyes continued.

"And that should have been the end."

"But it wasn’t," Rin whispered.

"No."

The eyes grew brighter.

"Because after your death, World erased the entire timeline."

Kaelith finally spoke.

"Why?"

The entity looked directly at Rin.

"Because you remembered."

Rin frowned.

"I remembered what?"

The pale eyes narrowed.

"Who you really were."

The System suddenly appeared.

[ERROR.]

[MEMORY RECORD UNAVAILABLE.]

[TIMELINE RECORD UNAVAILABLE.]

Rin stared at the message. The eyes whispered:

"World erased everything. He created a God that can take the blame...but World erased"

The darkness around them began to shake.

"The people. The events. The memories. The timeline itself."

Then the entity’s voice became colder.

"But it could not erase me."

Kaelith looked at the eyes.

"You’re the only one who remembers?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

The entity didn’t answer immediately. Instead, it stared at Rin.

"Because I was there when World erased you."

Rin’s breathing stopped.

The eyes slowly narrowed.

"And I saw the reason it was so afraid of you."

The System flickered again.

[WORLD INTERFERENCE DETECTED.]

The pale eyes suddenly widened. For the first time, they looked afraid.

Not of Kaelith. Not of Rin. Of something else. Something approaching.

The entity whispered:

"It knows I’m talking."

Sol’s voice immediately became serious.

"Everyone, get ready."

Kaelith raised his hand. Magic exploded around him. Rin stepped closer to him.

Lucien looked toward the darkness. And the pale eyes gave Rin one final warning.

"When World comes..."

A pause.

"...do not let it erase you again. You are our...GOD and HOPE. Find the true."