Chapter 25

Hoku's knees and wrists throbbed with pain, having struck an invisible surface that felt far smoother beneath his hands than the dust-coated path from which he had been forcibly pushed.

"Look at that! Hoku saved himself for once, better thank Abel for that cool trick," Li spoke tauntingly.

Hoku cracked a glare at Li, who gazed back with an unapologetic expression.

His actions pursued as he swept his arm in a sharp motion, signaling for those behind him to move ahead.

No one uttered a word as they walked past him. Abel was the only one to stop, offering his hand as he returned to his side.

Hoku, however, felt less shaken by the empty chasm that nearly consumed him and more astonished by the sight before him.

As their feet hit what should've been empty air, he heard the faintest sound—like a ripple across still water.

Then, suddenly, a surge of gold light began spreading out beneath them, slowly forging a trail, in a way that resembled glistening, wet paint bleeding onto a blank canvas.

It poured forward, revealing a path, as if the structure itself was waking up with each step they took.

However, it wasn't smooth; it was uneven, shifting in places like it was being painted in real-time.

Hoku took a deep breath and pushed himself off the ground, noting the same peculiar gold left an imprint on the places his limbs had touched.

As he stood, he slowly lifted his chin to follow the group, but his gaze kept drifting downward, unable to shake his disbelief towards this event.

The emptiness developed beneath him as well, spreading out like a path that defied reason, and drawing his brows into a deep furrow revealing his faint bewilderment.

"Abel, did you do this?" Hoku asked as he caught up to Abel, who walked the furthest behind.

He smiled, keeping his eyes forward as he corresponded his steps with a quick enough pace to maintain a certain distance behind his sister.

"As much as I would love to declare that I was the one who saved you, I am not responsible for this golden path appearing. That is you."

Hoku's bottom lip twitched before his both parted and he spoke.

"Me? How? I didn't do anything."

Hoku frowned in puzzlement.

"I've indirectly granted you authority over my consciousness, a long time ago. Though I don't remember it, because the memory was likely wiped from a barrier. It is the only explanation for why a path suddenly appeared and that it is gold instead of white."

"White…" Hoku mumbled to himself, recognizing that other than this fanning sea of gold, anything else within his line of sight was indeed either white or pitch black.

Abel hummed then added, "Each one abstains from a dominant color on the inside. Mine is black and white, and based on your alteration I would assume yours would have gold."

'Gold? Why gold? That color doesn't suit me at all,' Hoku thought to himself, a corner of his mouth arching in distaste.

"Then, why did Li push me? Was he aware of—"

"Yes, Li probably knew beforehand. He has a bad habit of acting for others when he needs something from them. He doesn't like asking for favors." Abel scratched the back of his head, evidently weary of speaking about Li who even ambled along the front.

Hoku nodded, a discernable expression displaying his thoughts gradually appearing on his face.

'The man seems to collect these negative habits. I don't even understand what I've done to make him 'loathe' me.'

The two exchanged no further remarks. As they fell closer to the center there was more space that seemed to open up.

Eventually, the path ceased at the entrance of a random vast corridor.

The exterior was minted into an arch much grander than the initial one that even had thin gaps in between the thick pillars supporting it.

As Hoku looked down the corridor, he caught a fleeting glimpse of a pristine staircase.

It spurred memories of the one he had only been able to explore from beneath in the manor, despite their stark differences in structure and size.

Suddenly, the elevated echoes of their footsteps faded, and Li, who hadn't suggested a break, turned to look behind him.

Mars raised his index finger, signaling for a moment of pause before they ventured further.

Mars let out a gentle breath before speaking. "Be cautious; this is the entrance to a frame designed to stabilize the invasion of others. Abel's connection to his elixir prevents internal interference since it links directly to his soul. This means that any damage to his astrapie will be countered by his elixir, no matter the means."

"Is this true for all elixirs?" Hoku asked, leaning slightly toward Mars.

"Yes, but only once they have attained sufficient rejuvenation," Juno interjected, taking Mars' place.

"Oh. Then what exactly is this 'frame'? If it's harmful, why is it connected to Abel?"

"It doesn't pose a threat unless we interfere directly. It merely serves to stabilize his astrapie, turning the doorway to his actual astrapie into a singular moment in time—essentially pausing a single timeframe instead of allowing it to repeat," Juno explained, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear as she bowed her head slightly.

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"Huh? But you said this was his astrapie…" Hoku said, arching an eyebrow in confusion.

"This is what it appears to be. The real one is right above us." Juno pulled back slightly and pointed to the structures overhead, which Hoku had initially mistaken for some sort of projected map.

Hoku looked up, his tongue barely subduing a hysterical laugh.

Mars then gestured toward the corridor ahead. "That staircase will take us up there so we can exit through the only available route."

"Wonderful lesson!" Li exclaimed, clapping his hands together with enough force to create a resounding echo.

Mars chuckled, stepping forward. "I thought you decided to go ahead."

"If I could do that, I would have reached our original destination and departed long ago."

"Surely you would have even met the creator," Mars replied, his smile becoming more relaxed.

"Surely," Li murmured.

"Then shall we continue?"

Hoku swallowed hard, feeling a pang of regret for not having the authority to guide their next steps.

Hoku followed the rest, a weary weight settling in his chest.

As he stepped into the brightly lit corridor, a sudden searing heat flared against his skin, causing him to jump back and yelp.

Panic streamed through him as he instinctively reached for the compass tucked inside his robe.

He yanked it free, letting the fabric sag away from his skin, as he wished to quell the burning sensation.

Fleur stepped back, and Hoku discovered the concern etched on her face.

"What's wrong?" she asked, drawing even closer.

"The—the watch, it burned… me," Hoku stuttered, a stinging feeling still lingering as a remnant of a plausible injury.

Fleur frowned then quickly turned toward Li. "Do you still have that cloth you cut from Hoku's sleeve?"

Li rolled his eyes but didn't waver as he pulled the darkened piece of fabric from where he had tied it at the hilt of his sword.

He handed it to Fleur with a flick of his wrist.

Hoku couldn't help but wonder why Li had kept it, but his thoughts were interrupted as Fleur asked, "Can I grab it from your robe?"

Hoku nodded, still reeling from the heat.

Fleur layered the cloth over her hand, then carefully reached into his robe to extract the compass that was leaning into the fabric.

"That's strange, I can feel subtle heat through the cloth," she said, her brow creasing as she pulled the compass free and produced it in an outstretched palm toward Hoku.

He leaned closer, studying the object intently.

He looked at the compass for quite a while, and his focus sharpened as he tried to make sense of the strange warmth radiating from it.

The silver gleamed under the light, but there was something off about it.

A faint distortion rippled beneath the polished exterior, creating the illusion that the surface was shifting, virtually alive.

Upon squinting his eyes to narrow his perception, the shimmer seemed to pulse subtly, as if responding to an unseen force.

He could feel a prickling sensation at the back of his mind, a nagging awareness that something was very wrong.

The irregularity in the compass's form grew more pronounced, and he couldn't shake the feeling that whatever was happening went far beyond mere heat.

Fleur's fingers trembled slightly as she kept it steady, the fabric of the cloth managing to absorb some heat but not all.

Hoku could see beads of perspiration forming at her temples, mirroring the unease brewing within himself.

"What's going on?" he murmured, his eyes darting between the compass and Fleur's anxious expression.

Hoku rubbed the spot where he had been burned.

"Is it melting?" he asked, a note of alarm creeping into his voice.

"But how? A compass doesn't even use electricity. What could make it malfunction in this way?"

From ahead, Li's voice cut through the tension, a disapproving tsk pulling his eyes from Fleur's palm.

As Hoku looked up to acknowledge him, he saw Li incline his head toward them, his expression unusually serious.

"Well, that doesn't sound good," Li said, his tone remaining flat.

Hoku's gaze dropped back to the compass just in time to see a droplet of silver fall from it, landing with a soft thud on his boot.

A shiver coursed through him.

Then suddenly, the corridor felt as if it were already closing in around them— and a tight knot formed in his stomach as he sensed they were on the verge of something far more perilous than solely a "frame."

The Memoir Chapter 19

The Third Quota

Hey dude, it's been a while since I last heard from you.

I heard you lost a few of your folks, and I hope you're holding up alright.

I don't mean to come off as inconsiderate, but I wanted to ask if you're still planning to check off the last few locations on our list. I put a lot of effort into compiling it, and I know that with us splitting the gains, it's not nearly enough to help you settle your father's hospital debt.

So, here's the deal: if we can hit just one more spot, I'll let you take seventy-five percent of the cash.

However, we might have to navigate some obligations both inside and outside of this place, given that we're still unsure whether their security is simply discreet or genuinely non-existent.

You've likely already guessed the location I'm talking about. It's mentioned in some of the oldest records as one of the last remaining foundations in our century, and it has been continuously funded by numerous reputable businesses that don't even appear as stockholders.

—They're simply showcasing their philanthropy by donating to a façade of a cause.

If we pull this off, you could walk away with a substantial sum, and I could finally escape this miserable foster home.

Please think about it, Hoku. If we can pull this off, we might just get back on our feet—and maybe we won't have to do this anymore.

Just one last time.

Objective 13

We have yet to acquire the pages that follow after this.

It seems the Abundant Creator deliberately concealed them, anticipating our access to the revision after 'Alice' destroyed The Stars of Chaos in the catastrophe inside Ward.

It appears he intended to obscure these pages regardless, for The Memoir was in development long before we laid our hands on it.

Yet, he could not have foreseen that the disruption would occur outside his own design.

I've been studying his newest creation, but I've only gathered that The memoir itself is an enigma.

For instance, it presents a peculiar structure where most of the narrative unfolds in the present tense, while the tone randomly alters within certain passages and reads like a retelling of events that have already happened in great detail.

It's as if the deity who binds time within his own sanctuary wrestles with the very concept of a temporal sequence.

I hesitate to critique a writer's work, as that is not my trade, but I must confess this is among the most perplexing texts I have ever attempted to decipher.

For now, we cannot proceed, as his manipulation of the order renders a break in the narrative.

Until you possess the physical artifact, The Memoir cannot resume its plot (though it is because the 'story' resumes at the point in which you receive a 'Stark white covered book.')

Rest assured, I will foster it as if it were my child until you arrive at the Lune for your furball.

However, you should understand, that this delay means I cannot provide further interference until that moment. Deathpoints will be left in the outcomes of your decision-making.

If arrive in time, you will be intrigued to discover that all your actions have already been chronicled within this Memoir.

I should remark, what a picky protagonist you are! I eagerly await the part when you receive the development you deserve—only then can I truly commend the author who shaped your origin.

I hope my insights have aided the editing process; these passages serve merely as a collection of hints and concepts embedded by the Abundant Creator into The Memoir.

See you in the past, dear friend,

The Editor.

Rule 24

This is a personal request, tell Alice to stop writing those pieces fiction. She has no shame confessing the hobby she has named for herself forging these pointless fantasies.

There aren't any consequences since this is neither a rule nor objective, but we still had a blank patch in the memoir so Fedoor said I could make an attempt at reaching you before you met her in the Recess.

-The Memoir Chapter 15 End-

Objective ? ? ?

Recover the pages that have been pilfered from The Memoir.