"Do you think we're actually heading toward the exit?" James asked as he walked beside Ro, both of them trailing behind Po.
"I'd like to know too," Ro said, shrugging. "But he doesn't talk much when he's focused. I guess we'll find out when we get there."
Ro turned his head toward James, a gleam of curiosity in his eyes, and said, "But there's something I want to ask you, Bones."
"You've got memory troubles, right? So what do you plan to do once you're outside?"
Once outside?
Then it finally hit him.
He couldn't just walk out like this.
Not only had he not recovered a single memory since waking up, but his appearance alone would surely cause problems once he reached the outside world.
Was I even human to begin with?
What if I'm just... some kind of parasite that took over a poor guy's body? Even if it was already dead.
Maybe I died? And then what? I just woke up? No... there was something else. There had to be.
Before the light reached him, something else had been there.
Words. Strange words he hadn't understood, yet somehow had been able to read.
A vague image started to form in his mind—hazy, messy, but not entirely lost.
Souls... it had said something about souls, just before he woke.
Swap or merge.
That was it. Before the light, there had been a choice.
A choice he hadn't fully understood, but one that felt important.
There were two names.
The first was simple. Terry.
And then there was another. No first name shown, only a second name from what he remembered.
James... Adler?
James... I don't like it.
But who was it?
I could swap or merge. If I could swap James with Terry, that would mean... I am James. Or was?
The longer he thought about it, the harder it became to hold on.
Each time he felt close to grasping the memory, it slipped away, like smoke through his fingers.
It was as if his own mind was blocking the path, keeping the truth just out of reach.
"I didn't expect a simple question to cloud you like that,"
The voice pulled James back to reality, dragging him out of his spiraling thoughts.
He was still there, walking in a dark hallway alongside two strangers.
Ro... that's right. We were talking.
"I'm sorry," James said, shaking his head slightly. "It's just... I'm trying to piece some things together."
He wasn't entirely sure if admitting that was the right choice.
The more I reveal about my confusion, the more vulnerable I become. Especially after he mentioned knowing when I lie. I'm still not sure if that was a bluff or not.
"You know," Ro continued, "you're not the first undead we've seen here. But you are the first one to actually communicate…"
He paused, though not entirely by choice, as if something unsettled him.
"Not a lot is certain about this place, not even its name. But one thing is sure—it's a prison."
A prison?
James thought back to the cell where he had first woken up. It made sense.
Without warning, Ro slung an arm casually around James's skeletal neck.
"If you're an undead that can talk, maybe you're not so undead after all. Or at least, I hope so. You're one in a million. You're unique!"
"Unique, maybe," James said, giving a dry chuckle. "But one in a million? You're not just making up numbers, are you?"
"It's not that important!" Ro waved the thought away. "What matters is that you might be the missing piece to uncovering the truth behind the undead."
Quite interested in the undead...
What kind of place have I ended up in?
James hesitated, thinking quickly.
I should ask. It's not like I have to pretend I know what he's talking about. I made it clear I lost my memory. I can still ask basic questions without raising suspicion.
"So, about the undead... are there ra—"
James's question was cut off as Po, leading the way, came to an abrupt stop.
A large wooden door blocked the hallway ahead.
"Can't you open it?" Ro asked, glancing at his brother.
"We arrived," Po said simply, his voice even lower and more exhausted than before, enough to catch even Ro by surprise.
"Hey, is everything alright?" Ro rushed to his brother's side, noticing how suddenly drained he seemed.
"Bones! Go through the door, see if there's a place to rest. We are taking a break!"
"Got it," James replied, approaching the wooden door as Ro checked on Po.
"It's not like there's anything dangerous behind it…" he muttered under his 'nose'.
James placed his skeletal palm on the handle and pushed it gently. The door creaked open with a low crack, setting his 'nerves' a little on edge.
He scanned the room beyond. It was spacious, about the size of a large living room, but mostly empty except for several bookshelves lined against the walls.
At the center stood a large blue crystal, matching James in height.
Well, that doesn't look too menacing. Pretty much the big brother of the baby crystal in Po's hands.
Is this why he was leading us here?
James glanced back. Ro was still speaking with his brother, who now looked incredibly weak.
James stepped back toward them.
"The room is clear," he said, though his eyes remained fixed on Po. Something felt strangely wrong—like Po's strength, or maybe even his very life, was slowly slipping away.
"Alright, Bones! Take the torch," Ro said, handing it to James as he helped his brother stand. Together, they took slow steps into the room.
Taking the lead, James stepped into the room once again.
It was dark, save for the soft, pulsing light of the crystal at the center.
Exhausted wall torches decorated the bookshelves around the room.
James moved carefully, lighting the torches one by one.
But to his confusion, most of them seemed fresh, as if the flames had only just gone out.
Odd for a place that otherwise looked abandoned.
And there was something else.
The bookshelves, the wood... everything looked new.
The shelves were polished, the grain of the wood still vibrant.
How was that possible?
James turned to glance at the brothers.
Ro was helping Po sit carefully against the wall.
James was about to step closer when something caught him off guard.
A faint, foggy blue light flickered behind him.
Turning back sharply, James's eyes locked onto it.
A floating, translucent blue window hovered in the air.
"It's you... the damned blue square!"
He stared at the window, but before he could read it, Ro's voice cut in.
"Bones! What is that?!" Ro called, quickly leaving his brother to approach James.
"I don't know," James answered, not taking his eyes off the window. "But... I've seen it before."
Ro finally stood beside him, peering at the strange floating screen.
"Well, that's not normal, even for this shithole," Ro muttered, reaching out and brushing his fingers against the surface.
"It's solid. Is it... some kind of shield?"
That's the conclusion you jump to? James thought, bewildered.
"It has text on it," James pointed out.
"Well, I can see that!" Ro said, frowning. "But I can't read it. I thought it was some kind of decoration!"
He can't read it?
New questions flooded James's mind as he focused on the window.
There were several tabs, each labeled differently, and he could read them all.
Wait... that's right. We communicate in the same language. And it's the same as the one on this floating blue thing.
"Ro, can you write something? Anything?" James asked, an idea forming.
"Sure!" Ro said, slinging a small bag off his back.
He rummaged inside with surprising care, searching for something.
He really doesn't question anything, does he?
"There it is!" Ro said proudly, pulling out a pen and a small piece of paper.
He scribbled something quickly, then swung the paper toward James.
"All yours!" he said with a grin.
James took it carefully and stared at the writing.
I don't understand it. What kind of symbols are these?
But we speak the same language... and yet he can't read the writing on the blue window. Why do I know a different script?
His thoughts were interrupted by a sudden cough from Po.
"Hey, you need help?" Ro asked, turning quickly to his brother.
"Bones, figure out whatever you need to figure out. I'll be back in a second. I need to check on him first."
"Sure thing. I'll wait for you," James replied.
Ro stepped away, crouching next to his brother who was sitting against the far wall.
Well, at least now I can focus in peace.
James inspected the floating square again.
It was definitely the same thing he had seen in the dark before waking up, but now it looked far more complex.
Are those... buttons?
There were three of them: Soul Library, SoulMarket, and one simply named Aiden.
Well, if that isn't just creepy.
James started pacing in a small circle, trying to clear his racing thoughts.
But as he moved, the floating square moved with him, following at a steady pace.
Great. So it's tied to me. It didn't seem to follow Ro, but he could still see it...
Fine. I'll just touch one of the buttons.
He pressed his finger against Aiden, the one that seemed the least straightforward.
The blue window flickered and switched to a new screen, displaying:
[Mana collecting: 98%]
Wait, what?
[Mana collecting: 99%]
[Mana gathered, ready to unlock: Core Memory: 1]
It's not getting any easier to understand.
It had been collecting mana?
For what?
The core memory? That sounds important...
[Core Memory: 1]
The text grew larger, almost pulsing, as James's mind started to cloud again.
Wait!
James turned his head toward the brothers, his gaze locking with Ro's just before everything went black.
A heavy pull dragged at his mind, drowning his awareness into darkness.
Can at least something that happens to me be started by me?!
Do I even have free will?
ItFeels like I'm being led by chaos itself.
The creepy part was... it was starting to feel almost familiar.
His own thoughts echoed through the darkness.
Please don't tell me I'm going to wake up in another foreign place again.
A few seconds passed, with silence as the only answer.
What is this? A moment of self-reflection?!
Now that I think about it... I feel weird.
I feel like I can actually feel again.
Well, that's probably something that only makes sense inside my own head.
But thinking back, when he first woke up, he remembered feeling oddly lighthearted.
Even though waking up to find his body reduced to nothing but bones should have been, at the very least, traumatic.
It's like... my emotions were turned down. Muted.
James sighed, or at least he thought he did.
He wasn't even sure if he could anymore.
And as we kept walking, it felt like something was coming back... like I was slowly regaining my basic feelings.
The fact that it doesn't even feel impossible is crazy...
Damn it! Just where am I?!
His voice echoed even louder this time, but instead of silence, it was met with laughter.
Not mocking.
Not hostile.
Just... amused.
A voice. Feminine, playful.
Hello?
"Oh, come on, tell me!"
The voice filled his mind.
"You can't keep me guessing, Aiden!"
Her voice grew louder inside his head, even though her tone stayed light.
Finally, something broke through the darkness.
Trees? Grass?
What is this...?
His focus sharpened, and he found himself watching a scene unfold.
A girl in a wheelchair being pushed gently by someone.
He wasn't part of it—only a spectator.
"Try to guess, just once," said the man pushing the chair.
A smile crossed his face, though the details remained blurry.
"Fine... you're definitely not an engineer, that's for sure!" the woman teased.
"That's rude. I could be one if I wanted to!"
"Aiden... when asked to build a bridge, your solution was to pump the water away. You are about as far from being an engineer as it gets."
The woman laughed again, carefree.
"Well, at least I figured out early it wasn't the school for me," the man responded, looking away with a chuckle.
"Fine, fine," she said, grinning. "You know what? Let's eat first, then you will do the great reveal!"
James's vision blurred back into nothingness.
Why? Why did I see that?
Who was that?
...
Who am I trying to fool...
It was surely me.
A faint blue glow met his eyes.
The floating blue window stood in the darkness, its surface displaying only a line of text:
"Isn't it strange seeing yourself without a face? Seeing something so precious taken away from you."
Go to hell.
The text changed:
"Aiden... Don't waste your second chance. This time, your end is certain."
Again, the text shifted one final time:
"Memory Base: 1 Unlocked."
Without another word or explanation, the blue window vanished, swallowed by the void.
Come on!... don't leave me here!
I want to know more!
Why am I here?!
Where is my home?!
I need to return home!!
His voice echoed into the empty blackness, growing fainter... until finally, his consciousness faded away once again.
…
A sudden light pierced through the darkness as Aiden opened his eyes.
Not again...
He looked around. He was back in the room, but the lights had burned out once more.
Aiden pulled his skeletal frame upright, glancing around.
I passed out... For how long?
In a shadowed corner of the room, Ro was kneeling over something—or rather, someone.
Ro? What are they doing?
Aiden moved carefully across the room until he reached them.
Ro lifted his head and met Aiden's gaze.
At Ro's feet lay Po, motionless.
"Tell me, Bones," Ro said, his voice cold and stripped of its usual energy, "are you the cause of his death?"
Death... he died?
He was already weak... but what could have killed him so suddenly?
"I didn't do anything," Aiden said quickly. "Tell me—did something happen while I was unconscious?"
Ro's gaze darkened, his expression twisted with something between rage and grief.
"Bones," he said slowly, "I told you. I know when you are lying. Why? Why did you do this?"
"What? I didn't do anything! Like I said, I was jus—"
'BANG!'
The sound shattered the room as Aiden fell backward, a hole tearing through his forehead.
Ro stared at him for only a second before calmly slipping the weapon—a gun—back into his bag.
Did he... shoot me?
How...?
Nothing about Ro's appearance or the world around them had ever suggested such technology.
The place, the clothing, the magic—it all screamed medieval fantasy.
Yet here he was, shot down like it was nothing.
How did Po even die?
And why would I be responsible for it?!
Damn it...
Aiden's mind drifted, struggling to make sense of anything.
The last thing he heard was the crack of the door swinging shut as Ro left the room.
He lay there, staring blankly at the dark ceiling, when a familiar blue window manifested into existence above him.
[Current envelope damaged.]
[New envelope found!]
[Merge or Swap?]