World of Archania

ight against any Monarch-level threat but here I am, feeling threatened by a kid.

I don know why but someone extremely powerful was looking over this kid. Maybe thats why this kid was still alive despite being injured to such an extent. Maybe, this was the same power that brought him to this world.

I don know why but my heart told me to help him as I looked at his broken soul and… memories.

”I just want to help him, ” I said to that mysterious voice in hope that it will listen to me, and it did.

”F-Fine. ” I heard that voice again, but I also felt a sense of worry and reluctance in that voice.

At the time, this kid opened his eyes. Then I told him about his condition but looks like he was still unaware. So, I told him about his memories.

In end, I decided to show him a fragment of his memories…true memories. I could only do that much to help him. I think he deserves to know the truth.

***

”D-Darkness! I hate…darkness. I thought I looked at the pitch-black surroundings. I felt like losing myself in this darkness. I felt like millions of insects crawling all over my body. I felt a weird and creepy sensation in my body when I looked at my surroundings. Suddenly a light shone in front of me. I went in the direction of light with cautious steps. My heart was beating crazily. Finally, as I neared the light source, I saw a door in front of me. I approached the door and opened it with a reluctant expression.

I just want to leave this darkness. I thought and entered the door.

Bright sunlight washed all over my body and surroundings full of greenery entered my eyes.

Finally, I am out of that darkness I thought and looked at my surroundings.

”T-This place…I have seen this place…but why can I remember? ” I was standing in a garden full of flowers and trees. I felt a weird connection with this place.

I walked around the garden and suddenly heard a voice a few distances away. I followed the voice and reached a specific area of the garden.

I felt a deep connection with this area.

I saw a little kid sitting in a wheelchair. That kid was none other than…me? He looked exactly like me when I was a little kid around his age.

”Mother, w-why are you leaving me? ” the kid said with an expressionless face. But it couldn hide the pain behind those words.

A woman kneeled in front of the kid. I felt like I know this woman. For some reason, I can see her face. Her face was covered by fog.

She kissed the kid on his forehead and spoke,

”Im sorry my little Raizel. But the mother has to leave your side, now. But I promise…that I will come to meet you soon. ” she said with tears in her eyes.

”Meet me soon? Father said the same words to me but…he never came. ” the kid said but his face showed no expression at all.

His mother stood up. She again looked at the kid and caressed him.

”Raizel, your father and I, both loved you, but we cannot stay by your side. We don want to risk your life. We are doing this to protect you from them. ” she said and stood up but suddenly she looked in my direction and said something and the next moment, something forcefully pulled me out, and when I opened my eyes…reality.

”F-Fuck! Huff…huff…W-What was that? Was that kid…me? ”

”Huh? looks like you had a bad dream, kid. ” suddenly a cheerful voice entered my ears.

”Look at me, the handsome Kijima. I never had any nightmares because I am too handsome. So, you should also become more handsome to stop these nightmares ”

”I cried in the end. ”

I said these words to Kijima, as I recalled the kid sitting in the wheelchair. His face remained unchanged during the entire conversation, but he was…sad. Before getting pulled out of that memory, I saw him. Tears dropped from those expressionless hazel-blue eyes.

”Why do I feel like this? Why do I feel…sad and broken? Why? WHY!!! ” I screamed as tears started to drop from my eyes. I don know why but felt immense pain and sadness within me and what I felt back in those memories was just a fragment of that sadness. But soon, I found myself calming down. I felt a soothing and warm embrace over my body, and I felt no different from before. Even though I remembered the memory fragment I saw and felt a void inside me, but my mind was calm.

”Don worry kid. I can do much to help you retrieve your memories completely but once you become powerful enough, you will be able to look through your true memories. ”

”I D-Don want to see those…memories. They are…sad. I feel like my entire existence was a lie. I can feel it, like an empty shell that can collapse at any moment. I don want those memories. I don care even if that was what I truly was or if my memories are altered. ” I said as I was scared to become the same sad and broken kid that I saw in my memories.

Kijima looked at me through his intimidating Oni mask.

”Existence of a person without knowing his true self will always take him to the path of regrets, kid. I hope you will take the right path instead of the path of regrets, ” he said handing me another Oni mask that appeared on his palm out of nowhere along with a book and a ring.