Chapter 99: The Memory

The four of them ran through the underground corridor. Kaelith stayed beside Rin, his magic forming a dim barrier around them whenever the walls trembled.

Sol moved ahead, his invisible presence guiding them through the darkness. Lucien followed behind, still weak from centuries of imprisonment but refusing to stop.

Nobody spoke. Not after what World had said.

The next time you remember... you will remember why you were erased.

Rin couldn’t get those words out of his head. Eventually, the corridor opened into a wide chamber.

Sol stopped.

"Wait."

Kaelith immediately halted.

"What?"

"I don’t hear anything."

Rin looked around.

"What do you mean?"

"Exactly what I said."

Sol’s voice became quieter.

"There is no sound."

Kaelith looked toward the entrance. Even the distant battle above had disappeared.

No explosions. No footsteps. No wind. Nothing. Lucien leaned against the wall.

"This place is strange."

Rin slowly looked at his hands.

"I remembered something."

Kaelith turned toward him.

"What?"

Rin hesitated.

"I don’t know if it was a memory."

"Tell me."

"I saw you."

Kaelith waited.

"You were holding my hand."

His expression changed slightly.

"And?"

"I was leaving."

Kaelith’s eyes narrowed.

"Leaving me?"

Rin shook his head.

"I don’t know."

The memory was still incomplete. It felt like trying to hold water in his hands. The harder he tried to remember, the faster it disappeared.

Then Rin felt something. A voice. Not World. Not the pale eyes. Someone else.

A whisper from somewhere inside his own mind.

Don’t let him follow you.

Rin’s breath caught.

"What?"

Kaelith looked at him.

"Rin?"

He didn’t answer. The whisper came again.

If he follows you, World will find you.

Rin stepped backward. Kaelith immediately reached toward him.

"What’s wrong?"

Rin looked at his hand. For some reason, he was suddenly afraid of it. Not because Kaelith had done anything in this life. But because the memory didn’t belong to this life.

"I heard something."

"What?"

"A voice."

Sol became serious.

"What did it say?"

Rin looked at him.

"It told me not to let Kaelith follow me."

Silence. Kaelith’s expression became unreadable. Lucien slowly straightened.

"Why?"

"I don’t know."

Rin closed his eyes. Another fragment appeared. A room. White walls. A window.

Kaelith standing on the other side. Rin was crying. Someone was screaming. Then the image vanished.

Rin opened his eyes.

"Someone was trying to separate us."

Kaelith frowned.

"Who?"

"I don’t know."

The chamber suddenly shook. A thin crack appeared across the floor. Sol immediately moved closer.

"We need to keep moving."

Kaelith nodded. But Rin remained still. The memory was bothering him. Not because it was frightening.

Because something about it felt familiar. He looked toward Lucien.

"You said before that you knew Kaelith."

Lucien nodded.

"Yes."

"Did you ever see him like that?"

Lucien thought for a moment.

"No."

"Did you ever see him lose control because of me?"

Lucien’s expression became complicated.

"Many times."

Kaelith looked at him. Lucien continued.

"But never in the way those eyes described."

Rin looked at Kaelith.

"So you really don’t know."

Kaelith shook his head.

"No."

He didn’t hesitate.

"I have memories of many battles. Many lives. Many losses."

His gaze lowered.

"But not that."

Rin nodded slowly. For some reason, he believed him. Then Sol spoke.

"I think that’s the point."

Everyone looked toward him. Sol continued.

"Kaelith doesn’t remember because the timeline was erased completely."

Lucien frowned.

"But the eyes remember."

"Exactly."

Rin’s eyes narrowed.

"Then why?"

Sol became quiet.

"I don’t know."

That answer scared Rin more than anything else. Because Sol was usually the one who had an answer.

Then—

A sound came from behind them. A soft laugh. Rin turned. The pale eyes were there.

Not attached to a body. Just floating in the darkness. Kaelith immediately raised his hand. Magic gathered around his fingers.

"You followed us."

"No."

The eyes stared at Rin.

"I never left."

Rin felt a chill.

"What do you want?"

"For you to remember."

"Why?"

The eyes remained silent. Then they answered:

"Because someone has to."

Rin stepped forward.

"Tell me what happened."

Kaelith immediately looked at him.

"Rin—"

"No."

Rin didn’t look away from the eyes.

"If you really know everything, tell me."

The eyes became brighter.

"You are not ready."

"I don’t care."

"You should."

"I want the truth."

The eyes stared at him for a long time.

Then—

"You asked Kaelith to kill you."

Everything stopped. Kaelith froze. Lucien’s eyes widened. Even Sol said nothing. Rin couldn’t breathe.

"What?"

The eyes repeated:

"You asked him to kill you."

Kaelith shook his head.

"No."

The eyes turned toward him.

"That is the part you don’t remember."

"I would never—"

"You did."

Kaelith’s magic flickered. Rin stared at him. A memory suddenly flashed through his mind.

Kaelith standing in front of him. His face broken with despair. Rin reaching toward him.

His own voice whispering:

Please.

Then nothing. Rin staggered. Kaelith caught him before he fell.

"Rin!"

Rin grabbed Kaelith’s clothes.

"I remembered..."

"What?"

Rin looked up at him.

"You were crying."

Kaelith went completely still.

"You were holding me."

His breathing became shallow.

"And I..."

Rin’s voice broke.

"I asked you to let me go."

The pale eyes watched them.

"Yes."

Rin shook his head.

"No... that’s not all."

Another memory. A vast white sky. World’s presence. The feeling of being watched.

And Rin standing between Kaelith and something he couldn’t see. Then his own voice:

If I stay, you’ll keep suffering.

Rin’s eyes widened. He understood. Not everything. But enough.

"Kaelith..."

Kaelith looked at him.

"I think..."

Rin swallowed.

"I think I wasn’t erased because I remembered you."

The pale eyes slowly narrowed.

"Continue."

Rin looked toward them.

"I was erased because..."

The chamber became completely silent. A cold wind passed through the room. And somewhere far away, something began to awaken.

Rin whispered:

"Because I remembered what World was doing."

The pale eyes didn’t deny it. Instead, they smiled. For the first time, Rin understood why.

World wasn’t afraid of Rin remembering Kaelith.

World was afraid of Rin remembering the truth.

And before anyone could ask what that truth was, the entire underground castle began to disappear around them.