Prologue
As the sun was setting over the coastal town of Wilham, Scott Reiner quickly made his way down the neighborhood street that led to his home. Work that day had been long and tedious, so he was anxious to spend time with his family. He knew it wouldn’t exactly be relaxing, but he nevertheless always smiled at the thought of his recently born baby boy. Eric was barely a year old and, whenever he got off work, he would spend most of his time taking care of the child so his wife could rest, but despite the long and busy days, he knew it was all worth it. He was a family man, and ever since he began dating the odd girl from another world, he had envisioned and desired this cozy family life with her. It was exactly what he had dreamed of, and that dream had come to pass. He had married Abigail, they had a child, and life was good. The work they put into caring for their son was worth everything. And yet, there was always a shadow hanging over that ideal life of his. Each and every day, he knew he could lose it all at the drop of a hat and he would be powerless to stop it.
Scott tightened his lips and swallowed at the thought of the people from the other world that could ruin everything if they ever found out that Abi was there. When he first asked Abi to marry him, she had told him that she would, but only under the condition that he understood the risks. Not only could she be taken from him or even killed, but he could be condemned to a fate that was worse than death.
Abi spoke of erasure as the worst possible outcome and she had told him all about it. He knew that the Ijirians could take a life and send them to another plane of reality, wiping any trace of their existence away. Everybody who ever knew them would forget about them, and reality would correct itself to make the world consistent. If he were erased, Abi would forget him, but even worse was that if she were erased, then the woman he loved would be gone and he wouldn’t even know it. Even their son was at a high risk of being wiped away due to his very existence being against the laws of Ijiria. He was a boy born of a nonmagical blood and a magical blood—a hybrid between two types of people that the Ijirians determined should never interact. For the time being, nobody from Ijiria knew where Abi was save the two who she trusted more than anybody else.
But if they ever found her, all would be lost.
I can’t let that happen. I know I can’t, but these people are beyond me. I’m worthless when compared to them. I’ve seen them in action. I’ve seen what they can do. If they decided to get rid of me, then they could.
Scott clutched his briefcase tighter in his grasp as he rounded a corner and saw their home just up ahead. The relief he felt every time he returned was intense, and he picked up his pace as he moved up the driveway and toward the front door before unlocking it and stepping inside.
Yeah, I’m powerless…which is why I need to do everything in my power to overcome their might. I don’t want to lose this family. More than anything…I can’t lose it.
“I’m home, Abi,” he called out as he slid his shoes off and placed them by the front door.
Then, when he looked up, he found his wife standing just down the hall with that smile of hers that was still as enchanting as the first time he had seen it. She had a small build, but the power she possessed was obvious in the way she held herself, and especially based on the look in her blue eyes. When he first met her, she always wore a ring of flowers around her head like a crown, but in recent days, she had started tying her brown hair up in a ponytail and leaving it at that. She looked tired, but happy.
“Keep it down a bit,” she said with a teasing smile. “I just got Eric to fall asleep, you know? He’s been so fussy all day and I don’t need you waking him up.”
Scott chuckled, stepping forward to embrace her. “Of course. I’m sorry, honey.”
“Well, I’ll forgive you, I suppose,” she replied. “But only if you promise to stay home tomorrow. It’s a Saturday, you know? You need to relax every once in a while.”
He felt a stab of guilt in his chest. He knew he had been spending more time working on his project than he should have been, but he feared that if he didn’t get a breakthrough soon then all of his effort would go to waste. Yet, he also knew that he couldn’t keep going out on the weekends. Between work and his project, he wasn’t home that often and he didn’t want to lose any of the precious time that he knew could very well be limited.
“I-I know,” he muttered. “Don’t worry, Abi, I’ll be home tomorrow. It’s just…I get worried, you know? If I don’t finish, then what’s the point?”
She tightened her hug and reached up to run her fingers through his dark hair. “It’s okay. If they find me, I’m sure I’ll have a heads-up. The Ijirians aren’t just going to show up out of nowhere.”
“But even if we get a heads-up, what are we going to do if—?”
“Scott. It’s okay,” she said in a soothing voice. “You can work all you want on Sunday. Just stay here tomorrow. You’ve had a long week.”
She was right in that work had been far more stressful than normal in recent days, and he was growing rather fatigued. He supposed it wouldn’t hurt to spend the following day with his family, and so, he decided to put his research off until Sunday, like she suggested.
“Okay, I promise,” he whispered as he broke the hug off, wanting to look directly into her eyes as he spoke. “I’ll stay home. Just…make sure I have another sample of your blood before Sunday.”
Abi nodded firmly. “Alright, then. I’ll give you more blood, but not until tomorrow night. I don’t want you getting tempted again, you hear me?”
“Loud and clear, honey,” he assured her.
“Perfect. In that case, go say hi to Eric. We can start making dinner once you've settled down.”
Being shooed off down the hall, Scott made his way over to the family room, immediately crossing to the other side where a white cradle was set beside the couch. He made sure to walk lightly, not wanting to wake the baby within, and when he looked inside, he smiled as even a second of gazing at the boy managed to quell all of the anxiety that had been tormenting him that day. His son was laying there, sound asleep. It was such a peaceful sight that he couldn’t help but reach down and gently caress Eric’s chubby little face, feeling how soft his skin was. Words couldn’t describe how much he loved Eric. Every time he looked at him, he felt the overwhelming need to be there for him and protect him. He represented everything Scott had wanted in his life and the thought of Ijiria taking him away was painful. If he lost Eric, he wouldn’t know what to do with himself.
And that’s why I can’t give up. No matter how many times I fail, I have to keep pressing forward. There’s an answer somewhere. I just need to find it. Nothing is invincible. I have to remember that.
Not wanting to risk waking him up, Scott turned and left the room, heading back down the hall and toward the master bedroom so he could get out of his suit and tie and into something more relaxing. He changed into a tank top and some shorts then made his way into the kitchen where Abi had already gotten the ingredients for dinner out and had moved on to cutting the vegetables. Despite being able to use magic to speed up the process, she always insisted on doing things as if she didn’t have any. It was her way of rejecting that world in favor of this one. There was a time when he teased her for it, but he realized now just how much she wanted to put her past behind her. He knew she never really fit in with that world, and because of her decision to stay in Wilham, they had become her enemies despite having never wronged her. So she abandoned magic, only using it when she didn’t have any other choice.
“So, is it tacos tonight?” he asked.
She glanced back at him and smiled. “Yup. So if you wouldn’t mind getting the beans and the chicken cooking, that would be great.”
“On it!”
He immediately got to work and together, the two of them prepared their dinner for the evening. This was how they always did it. He would come home from work and they would make their meal together, talking about their days as they did so. When they finished preparing the tacos, they checked once more on Eric, then sat down at the dining room table and continued to chat. It was like that every day, but it was a routine he never grew tired of. It was just one more aspect of his life that he didn’t want to lose. And once again, as they talked, his thoughts shifted to his project—his one attempt at preserving this life forever.
“Hey, Abi,” he began softly as he finished the last bite of his meal.
There was something on his mind that he had been meaning to ask about—something that he had been considering in the recent days. She had told him almost everything she knew about that other world and about the threat that it posed for them, but there was one thing they had never really touched on, and after the many days of research he had been conducting, it only just occurred to him that there might be a failsafe he could potentially take advantage of.
She must have noticed his expression turn more tense as she replied with a touch of concern in her voice. “Yes? What is it?”
He cleared his throat and replied. “I promise this will be the only time I bring my research up until Sunday, but there was something I’ve been meaning to ask you… It’s about the erased realm.”
She had touched on it before, saying that it was the place that the erased victims were sent to after being removed from reality. She had told him that it was almost like a prison—a place that nobody could escape from due to its very nature. The world worked against the victims, creating a place that they didn’t even know they should escape from. There was no breaking free. Anybody sent there was never returned.
“What about it?” she replied hesitantly. “What else do you want to know?”
He shrugged. “Well…you’ve told me quite a bit as far as what happens in this world when somebody is erased…and you’ve said that people within that world can’t break free, but you’ve never told me what that realm is like. If I were to be sent there, what would I experience?”
“Hard to say,” Abi murmured after a few moments of thought. “It varies quite a bit, and most of what I know came from the little information Album told me. But from my understanding, there are numerous versions of the same realm. If we were both erased, there’s no guarantee we would wind up in the same place. You might be sent to an alternate version of Wilham, while I might find myself in a different version of Ijiria.”
Scott swallowed as he took her words in. So even if we both get erased, we might not be able to be together there, either?
“And as far as what you would experience,” she went on. “It would be the opposite of what people left behind in this realm would experience. While everybody here would have their memories altered to think you never existed, you would have your memories altered to believe that you always existed in that realm. That’s why nobody can escape. Those left here don’t know to rescue you, and you don’t realize you need to be rescued. So, if nobody thinks there’s a problem, nobody is going to try and solve it. Breaking out of the erased realm from within isn’t that hard in concept, but its victims don’t try to escape.”
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“Because they don’t think they’re in a place they need to escape from,” he murmured.
“Exactly,” Abi confirmed. “That’s why it’s so dangerous. So if you were erased, I couldn’t rescue you. I wouldn’t know you exist, nor could you try and come back to me.”
Scott clenched his teeth. “But what if I could? What if I found a way to regain my memories while inside. What then?”
“You wouldn’t,” she whispered with a shake of her head. “The mana of the eraser keeps those memories locked away. There are spells to return memory, but again, if nobody knows they have memories to return, then they aren’t going to cast a spell to bring them back. You would especially be at a disadvantage. You can’t use magic, so even if you knew something was wrong, you couldn’t do anything about it.”
He could see now why Abi was so afraid of erasure. It really did seem like a hopeless case. He had believed that, even if he was erased, then he could fight his way back from the inside, but it sounded like that was impossible even for a magic user, let alone a powerless man like himself.
Then I simply need to revert back to my original plan. I need to prevent myself from being erased in the first place. I just need to keep working at it. There is a way! I know there is!
“Scott,” Abi continued with a more serious tone, looking at him as if she could see right into his thoughts. “I know you’re scared, but don’t let it take you away from the time we have now. Sure…there might come a day when we part ways, and I support your desire to find a way to fight back, but don’t let your fear of losing us stop you from enjoying the time we do have.”
The man nodded, grinning sheepishly. “Y-yeah, I know. Don’t worry, Abi. I’ll still be here for you and Eric. I’m not going anywhere. And I won’t allow you, or me, or him…or anybody that we love… I won’t let them get erased or killed. I’m close…I feel like I’m close.”
“Alright then,” she said. “I believe in you. If anybody can find the answer, it’s you, Scott. And while I don’t understand a lot of what you’re trying to do, I will help you in any way I can. We’ll protect our son…together.”
“Of course,” he responded. “Together.”
***
“That girl…you’re saying he killed her? Nigreos Noctis really is here in Wilham? He’s come back?!”
“He has…and he’s here for me. I made a mistake and toyed with magic when I never truly understood the repercussions. And now, not only have I lost friends that meant the world to me, but nobody even remembers them.”
“And this Rina Davens…? She touched your magic stone and that’s why they wanted to kill her?”
“Yes… Nigreos and Album want us dead and erased. Me…Lilly, Damien, Liz…and anybody else who ever used it. I’ve kept them away for the time being…but it wasn’t enough. Rina’s dead… Rina’s dead…”
“B-but…Eric? Why the fuck would hide this from me?! If that monster…if Nigreos Noctis is here then I deserved to know! He’s the one who took your mother away! And if he’s going after you, too, then—!”
“And what could you possibly do? You don’t have magic. You don’t have any means of fighting them. You’re more powerless than I am, Dad. Telling you…won’t accomplish anything.”
“But I—”
“I’ll handle it… I’ll find some way to stop this. I’ll do everything I can… I’ll kill Nigreos and Album… So just don’t worry about it. Sit here in your cozy house in your cozy chair and watch your damn TV. I’ll fight the Ijirians and…well, if I lose, you’ll never know the difference. It’ll be as if I never existed.”
***
The rain was pouring hard and his umbrella wasn’t doing much to protect him against it, yet he didn’t care about the chill or the wetness. None of it mattered to him. All that he cared about was getting to his destination as fast as possible and setting everything into motion. The conversation he had with Eric the previous evening continued to play in his thoughts, bringing his regrets and his failures to the forefront of his mind. Throughout the entire discussion, Eric spoke in the most defeated voice he’d ever heard from his son. Despite swearing to fight against Nigreos Noctis and Album Luz, it sounded as if he’d already given up. He didn’t believe he stood a chance against them, but for the sake of his friends, he wanted to fight.
And his screams… He’s in pain… He’s suffering.
Scott knew that there would never come a day when his son’s shrieking over the body of Rina Davens would leave him. That gut-wrenching sound would torment him for the rest of his life, forcing him to never forget the consequences of his actions. He was a pathetic man. Yet, despite knowing that, he couldn’t bring himself to do what Eric told him to do. With the Ijirians back in Omaruo, he knew he didn’t have any choice but to do something.
Nigreos Noctis… So you’ve come back to Wilham. Was my wife not enough for you? You couldn’t stop yourself from taking my son, too? You killed Abi, and you intend to erase Eric—to make me forget he ever existed! I can’t accept that.
Scott clenched his teeth as he walked up the stairs of an apartment duplex located on the southern side of the city. When he reached the platform, he placed his hand on the railing and glanced down at the street below, wanting to make sure nobody was following him. When he felt secure enough, he continued past the various apartment doors, stopping in front of the one at the end of the row. The man then reached into his pocket and produced the key, anxious to get into the warm interior of the building. Scott stepped inside and glanced around the darkened, one bedroom apartment. The main room was empty of any furniture or decorations. If anybody ever peeked through the window, it would seem as if nobody inhabited it.
He deposited his umbrella by the front door then headed into the bedroom where all of his supplies were kept. When he entered, there was no bed, rather where a bed might have been was a giant workbench with a random assortment of tools and materials. Boxes of different items were stacked around the room in a cluttered mess and the closet was so full of them that the door could no longer slide shut.
Doesn’t look like anybody touched anything. Everything is as it should be.
He moved further into the room, making sure to avoid a spilled box of metal parts that he had purchased from different hardware stores. Once he reached the workbench, he glanced around at the items already laying among the scraps and tools. He first picked up a pair of blue goggles that he had recently finished, though he never had the chance to test whether they worked or not. Beside it was what looked like a shotgun, but it was obvious at a glance that it hadn’t been constructed by a professional. In fact, it wasn’t even done. It was only recently that he had started to build it.
Even after all these years, I haven’t finished. I wasn’t fast enough to save Abi, and if Nigreos and Album have already begun moving against Eric and his friends then I might be truly out of time. He shook his head in frustration. But I have to try. Eric does have magic so maybe he can help me. Maybe if I tell him what I’m up to then…
But as the idealistic thought went through his mind. Scott felt all of his hope leave him.
No…why would Eric ever want to work with me? He’s already told me that he wants me to stay out of this. And what would I even tell him? After all these years… After all of these fucking years…
Ever since Eric was born, Scott Reiner had been doing everything in his power to find a way to defend his family from the strength of the Ijirians. Because of his lack of magic, Abi had always warned him to avoid them if they ever came after her, but being her husband, he knew he wouldn’t be able to abandon her to save himself. He would have rather died than be a coward, but he couldn’t change reality. Ijiria was powerful, so if he wanted to fight them, he needed a way to combat them. All he needed to do was find a way to do that.
But all this effort… All this research…for nothing. It’s been sixteen years and I still don’t have anything to show for it! All this time could be wasted if it doesn’t amount to something, and when Abi needed me most, I wasn’t ready! When Nigreos came for her, I could only stand and watch as he took her away from me! And now…
Eric’s screams returned to him, causing Scott to nearly double over as nausea threatened to overtake him.
And now…I’m still not ready. I still can’t do a damn fucking thing! I’ve spent so many years…so much of my waking life trying to find the answer, and I still haven't! I’m still worthless!
Feeling anger wash over him, the man grabbed one of the scraps of metal and hurled it across the room, hearing the sound of it slamming into the wall across from him. He then dropped to his knees, still clutching the goggles in his fist.
Ever since Abi was taken, he had been trying to find a way to go after her and get her back. He abandoned everything, even his relationship with his son, in an effort to fix everything, always telling himself that he would make up for it when it was over. He would make up for all the time he lost with Eric by bringing his mother back. Then they could be a family together. Then everything would be okay again.
But that never happened.
One day, four years after his wife left, Ryokumo Caeli arrived in Wilham to bring news of Abi’s death. She was murdered at the hand of Nigreos Noctis, and while Ryokumo kept many of the details to himself, he divulged all that Scott needed to hear. Abi was gone and any hope of putting their family together again was gone. That was the last time he ever saw Ryokumo, and after that, Scott felt himself crumble even further into darkness. He forced himself to focus solely on his research—on making sure that he could defend Eric if the time ever came, or perhaps even go to Ijiria himself and take revenge against the man who murdered his wife.
He left Eric alone, and as the days went on, he kept telling himself he was almost there, but he never was. Every time he thought he had a breakthrough, it turned out to be a failure, and he had to start from scratch once again. Frustration and anger boiled inside of him, and without realizing it, he had turned to alcohol. It made him more unstable, causing him to take his feelings out on his son. He was always snapping at him for stupid things, and as he realized how much he was damaging their relationship, he tried to pull away so as to not hurt him any more.
But that only hurt him more. He lost his mother, and I failed to be his father.
As time passed on, it only became worse. His research failed over and over again, and his life became a blur of drunkenness and hatred for the world that was taking everything from him. He and Eric stopped talking, and before he knew it, his son was in high school, living a life that he wasn’t a part of—that he didn’t believe he deserved to be a part of. Nothing seemed to matter and as Eric grew hostile toward him, he responded with more hostility.
And now, the time to defend him has come, and like with Abi, I can't do anything. He’ll be taken from me, and I’ll forget he ever existed. I don’t have time to prepare to fight Nigreos and Album. There’s nothing I can do. So why bother divulging any of this? Why give Eric hope when there is none? He’ll be erased…sent to a realm that he can’t get out of.
“While everybody here would have their memories altered to think you never existed, you would have your memories altered to believe that you always existed in that realm. That’s why nobody can escape. Those left here don’t know to rescue you, and you don’t realize you need to be rescued. So, if nobody thinks there’s a problem, nobody is going to try and solve it. Breaking out of the erased realm from within isn’t that hard in concept, but its victims don’t try to escape.”
He recalled what Abi had told him about the erased realm and for a moment, he furrowed his brow in thought.
It’s not hard to escape from…but its victims don’t know to try and escape.
It was something he had thought about time and time again. If he could find some way to bypass the memory loss then he could try and find a way to get out of the realm. As it stood, he didn’t know of any method of accomplishing that, but he had been researching ways to go about it. The problem was that all he had to go off of was the information Abi left behind for him. It wasn’t nearly enough since she never knew of a way to get past it either.
But perhaps…if Nigreos and Album are seeking to erase Eric and his friends…then what good am I here? What if…an answer lies within that realm? What if the variable I’m missing is in there?
Scott raised his head, feeling the vestiges of an idea forming in his mind.
Yeah…if we can’t fight them here in Wilham…then maybe we can fight them in the erased realm? I could confront Nigreos and Album myself…get a chance to see if my research has gotten me anywhere, and when I inevitably lose against them, I’ll enter the erased realm…and hope for the best.
It wasn’t a perfect plan. In fact, it was utterly stupid. He would be throwing himself into a world he knew nothing about, and risking the very likely possibility that his memories would never come back.
But what do I have to lose? And perhaps I can even fuck with Nigreos’s head on my way out?
Scott smiled bitterly.
I’ve been a pathetic excuse for a father…but if I can find a way to save my son…then maybe I can at least begin to make it all up to him.