Chapter 98: When World Arrived

The warning remained suspended in front of Rin.

[WORLD INTERFERENCE DETECTED.]

Then—

The System disappeared. No explanation. No countdown. Nothing.

The underground prison fell completely silent. Kaelith stood in front of Rin, one hand raised.

Dark magic surrounded his body in slow-moving waves, reacting instinctively to the presence of something far more powerful than any ordinary enemy.

Sol was silent. Lucien watched the darkness above them.

And the pale eyes... They were no longer mocking. They were watching the ceiling.

"It is here."

A deep tremor passed through the castle. Dust fell from the ceiling.

Rin looked up.

"What is?"

The eyes answered in a whisper.

"World."

Another tremor. This time, the chains around Lucien shook. Kaelith’s expression became cold.

"Where?"

The entity didn’t answer. Instead, every light in the prison went out. Rin couldn’t see anything.

Then he heard footsteps.

One. Two. Three. Slow. Calm. Coming from somewhere beyond the darkness.

Rin instinctively reached toward Kaelith. Kaelith noticed immediately.

His magic expanded around Rin, forming a protective barrier.

"Stay behind me."

Rin nodded.

Sol’s voice came from somewhere near them.

"I don’t like this."

"You don’t like anything dangerous," Rin whispered.

"That is because I have excellent survival instincts."

Lucien gave a quiet laugh.

"Still the same."

Sol went silent. Rin looked toward him.

"You know Sol?"

"Of course."

Lucien smiled faintly.

"He’s impossible to forget."

"Hey."

For a moment, the tension broke. Then the footsteps stopped. Everyone froze.

The pale eyes stared into the darkness.

"Do not look at it."

Rin frowned.

"At what?"

"Whatever happens..."

The voice became urgent.

"...do not look at World directly."

Kaelith glanced toward the eyes.

"Why?"

"Because World doesn’t have a face."

Silence.

"What does that mean?" Rin asked.

The answer came softly.

"It uses memories."

Rin’s heart dropped. A figure appeared at the end of the corridor. At first, it looked like a person.

Tall. Motionless. Wrapped in darkness. But the longer Rin looked at it, the more wrong it seemed.

Its appearance changed every second.

A stranger. A child. An old man. A woman. Kaelith. Rin. Then nobody. Rin immediately looked away.

The pale eyes spoke again.

"Good."

Kaelith remained staring. His magic intensified.

"You don’t control what I look at."

"I don’t."

The eyes narrowed.

"But World does."

The figure moved closer. The stone beneath its feet didn’t crack. It didn’t make a sound.

It simply appeared closer. Kaelith raised his hand. A massive sphere of dark magic formed above his palm.

"Stay back."

The figure stopped.

Then—

It spoke. Not with one voice. With many.

"Kaelith."

Kaelith’s eyes narrowed.

"Who are you?"

The figure tilted its head.

"You already know."

"No."

"You always say that."

Kaelith’s expression changed. Rin looked at him. Kaelith shook his head.

"I don’t remember."

The figure answered:

"I know."

The pale eyes suddenly flashed with anger.

"Don’t listen to it."

World ignored them. Its attention moved toward Rin.

"Rin."

Rin’s body stiffened.

"How do you know my name?"

"I have erased it many times."

Rin’s blood ran cold. Kaelith immediately stepped in front of him.

"You will not touch him."

World looked at Kaelith.

"You said that before."

Kaelith’s magic exploded. The entire prison shook. A wave of darkness rushed toward World. But the figure didn’t move.

The magic stopped a few feet away. Then disappeared. Kaelith stared. Sol became serious.

"That wasn’t resistance."

Rin looked at him.

"What was it?"

"World didn’t block the magic."

Sol’s voice lowered.

"It erased it."

The pale eyes spoke.

"Exactly."

Kaelith clenched his fist. He cast another spell. Then another. And another.

Different forms of magic filled the chamber, striking toward World from every direction. Every spell disappeared before reaching it.

Not blocked. Not destroyed. Simply removed.

As though those attacks had never existed. Rin stared in disbelief.

"How are we supposed to fight something like that?"

The pale eyes answered:

"You aren’t."

Kaelith looked toward them.

"Then what do we do?"

The eyes turned toward Rin.

"Remember."

Rin’s eyes widened.

"Remember what?"

"The truth."

World suddenly moved. It appeared directly in front of Rin. Kaelith reacted instantly.

A massive barrier of magic formed between them. World touched the barrier. The magic vanished.

Kaelith’s eyes widened. World reached forward. Rin felt something pull at his soul.

Not his body. His memories. Images began disappearing.

His childhood. Earth. His family. The first moment he woke inside this world.

Kieve. The Golden Lily. Kaelith. Sol. Lucien. Everything began fading.

"No!"

Kaelith grabbed Rin’s hand.

"Rin!"

Rin looked at him.

"I can’t remember..."

Kaelith’s eyes widened.

"Look at me."

Rin tried. But World continued pulling. The pale eyes screamed.

"RIN!"

The voice shook the entire prison.

"REMEMBER THE FEELING!"

Rin closed his eyes.

"What feeling?"

"The feeling you had before World erased you."

Rin’s breathing became shaky. He tried to search through his memories.

Fear. Pain. Confusion.

Then—

Warmth. A hand. Someone holding his hand. Someone crying. Someone calling his name.

Kaelith. But the memory wasn’t from this life. Rin opened his eyes.

"I..."

The pale eyes stared at him.

"You remember."

"No."

Rin shook his head.

"Not clearly."

"That is enough."

World suddenly stopped. Its countless voices disappeared. For the first time, it seemed uncertain. Kaelith looked at Rin.

"What did you see?"

Rin stared at him.

"I saw you."

Kaelith froze.

"Me?"

"Yes."

Rin touched his chest.

"You were holding my hand."

Kaelith said nothing.

"I was crying."

The pale eyes whispered:

"And you were leaving."

Rin’s eyes widened.

"Leaving where?"

The entity didn’t answer. World moved again. This time, the pale eyes screamed.

"NOW!"

Sol immediately understood. Wind exploded through the prison. Lucien’s chains shattered. Kaelith grabbed Rin.

And the four of them were pulled backward by Sol’s magic. The pale eyes remained behind. World turned toward them.

The entity whispered one final thing.

"Run."

Kaelith didn’t hesitate. He pulled Rin into the darkness. Sol followed. Lucien ran beside them.

Behind them, World remained motionless.

Then the pale eyes began to laugh. Not from happiness. From desperation.

Because they had finally discovered something World had failed to erase.

A memory. One single memory. And that was enough.

"You forgot the timeline..."

The pale eyes narrowed.

"...but you remembered him."

Far behind them, World spoke.

"Rin."

Rin stopped. Kaelith immediately turned. But Rin didn’t look back. World’s voice followed them through the darkness.

"The next time you remember..."

A pause.

"...you will remember why you were erased."