And yet again, I wake up—in the filthiest part of the city, the southern slums, surrounded by hollow-eyed drifters, players with shattered dreams, aimlessly lingering like forgotten specters. But somehow, unlike them, my memories are intact. I don't feel confusion, nor panic. My mind is calm; my heart beats steadily. It's as if... as if I'm standing at the very peak of the game itself. Everything seems sharper, more precise. There's no fear, no disgust, nothing at all. I'm here, merely an observer.

"Stop daydreaming," a voice snaps, cutting through my thoughts. It's a girl, a bit older than me, standing close by, waving her hand in front of my face as if I were blind.

"Yes, I can see you," I reply, meeting her gaze. But in that instant, reality hits me. I'm in the neglected, forgotten part of the cybercity, where they sent me to be erased, stripped of all memories. And yet, here I am—whole, aware. And so is she. Despite the bruises, the torn bandages, and her clothes barely holding together, she seems fine. Meanwhile, I'm shirtless, with only pants clinging to me. Oddly, I feel stronger, as if this isn't even my body from my world—my abs are faintly defined, my muscles more pronounced.

"How is it that you still remember everything?" I ask her, curious but cautious.

She raises an eyebrow. "Didn't I just explain that to you?" she retorts.

I blinked. "Guess my mind's still a little hazy. Could you... explain it once more?"

She hesitates, then sighs. "Alright, for the third time—it's because of my rune, Mindseer. It erased the false memories and revealed the truth hidden within. That's why I remember."

I understood her words, but they carried a strange weight, as if I were only half-aware of what she meant. What did she mean by "third time"? And how could she say she'd already explained this? To my senses, I'd just regained consciousness, yet I was somehow standing here, speaking, as if I'd been here all along.

"Hello?" she pressed, a look of irritation crossing her face. "I asked you a question. Are you going to answer me or not?"

But again, her question seemed unfamiliar, as if her words were meant for someone else entirely. Was she speaking to me, or someone I didn't even know existed? My forehead began to sweat despite the biting cold that clung to the shadowed streets.

"Uh… I don't remember what you asked. Could you… repeat that?" I forced the words out, uncertain of what was happening. Her expression turned darker, laced with suspicion.

"How do you still have your memories? How is that possible? The Sable Order wouldn't have let you walk away with any memories intact, much less unchanged. And if they did alter your memories, how can you still remember me? My name?" She was genuinely annoyed now, her frustration barely masked by her confusion.

I had no idea what she was talking about. After the moment they'd taken my rune, everything was a blur. Her name? I didn't even know her name, let alone why she thought I should. Part of me wanted to confess everything—to tell her whoever she'd been talking to wasn't me, not really. But then again, something in her demeanor hinted that she'd been working with me, that she needed me to be someone she knew. Would she still help me if she thought I was someone else?

I took a deep breath. "Look, I… I can't remember anything that happened up until now. My rune—it was taken by the Order. I have a…" I stopped, hand instinctively clutching at my chest. But the gaping wound, the blood, the raw edges of torn flesh—all of it was gone. I stared down, bewildered. "I swear… it was there."

She watched me carefully, her eyes narrowing. She looked at me as though I'd lost my mind.

"Are you in your right mind? You're talking and acting differently, just like when we first met." Her tone softened, doubt creeping in. "Wait… did they mess with your mind? Did they do something to you?"

"I'm fine," I said, trying to sound convincing, though even I didn't believe it. "It's just… I'm not entirely myself right now. I need a minute—just a couple of minutes, that's all."

She looked less concerned about me and more about the consequences. "Fine," she sighed. "But we don't have much time. We need to reach your friends."

Friends? The word felt foreign.

Her irritation flared. "The trio you mentioned—Kael and the others. You said they hold the key to bringing down the Order, and that you need to be there for it to happen."

I felt cold sweat trickling down my back. When had any of this happened? "Right," I said, playing along as best I could, struggling to mask my confusion.

She eyed me suspiciously, then added, "I'll give you a minute. Get your head straight and find some clothes—or at least more bandages. We have a job to do." With that, she turned and slipped into the streets, leaving me alone.

I took in a shaky breath, clutching my head. My thoughts felt like shattered glass, sharp edges cutting through any attempt at clarity. Destroy the Sable Order? A key? Kael? None of it made sense, yet it sounded as though it should.

Somehow, I'd been plunged into someone else's reality—one I could barely comprehend. I'd been made into someone else.

I took a deep breath, steadying myself. The cold gnawed at me, but my mind spun with a thousand questions, each one more desperate than the last. If I could reach Kael and Zara, there might be a way out of this. I remembered Kael saying they'd be out shopping, probably in the northern part of the city. But there was no certainty. The northeast quadrant was home to the wealthiest—top players, high-ranking officials, people with resources far beyond my reach. The northwest, though, was more feasible. That was where the common folk gathered, merchants, and regular citizens who kept the city running.

Still, a part of me felt betrayed, and I couldn't shake it. If Kael had given me that cloak, knowingly handing me something that would put me in this much danger, what else was he hiding? And if I couldn't trust him, where did that leave me with Zara? She'd been with us since the beginning, yet now, with the events unraveling, I felt a sharp doubt twist inside me. I had no way to know if anyone was truly on my side. Only one thing was clear: I was on my own, alone in the southern district's filthy streets, haunted by shadows and second-guesses.

I leaned against the wall, the minutes stretching into an endless silence as I wrestled with the dark possibilities. Each thought became graver, spiraling deeper. Escape, betrayal, survival—they collided in my mind, forming a singular, hopeless idea. What if I just… ended it? It would be so simple. A quick release from this cruel game, this twisted cycle of memory and erasure. But a faint ember of resistance flared within me, stopping the thought in its tracks. No—something kept me anchored, something that whispered I had more to do, even if it was unclear what or why.

A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

The idea lingered, a suspicion more than a certainty. Was something guiding me? Another presence within me, nudging me down a path I couldn't yet see? I didn't know. But as strange as it sounded, that thought alone was enough to steady me.

I was still lost in this haze when the woman returned, snapping me back to reality. She'd rewrapped her bandages, though they were loose and stained, and she carried a worn brown coat. She didn't look at me as she tossed it over. "Here. You'll need it," she said flatly, but there was a glint of something beneath her words—like she was testing me.

Only then did I realize how numb I'd grown to the cold. I pulled the coat on, the rough fabric scratching against my skin, but the warmth sank in almost immediately. I could feel her gaze on me, a sharp assessment, as if she was scanning me for fractures or signs of weakness. "I hope you're actually in your right mind this time," she muttered, her tone half-concerned, half-skeptical.

I forced a grin. "You bet," I replied, though I wasn't sure if she believed me.

She paused, watching me for a moment longer, then nodded. "Good. Then let's get moving—to the northeastern part of the city."

I stilled, feeling an icy dread curl around my spine. The northeast. Of course it would be there, the most dangerous, most visible place—the one region swarming with the city's elite, a place someone like me would have no hope of passing through unnoticed. It was where the rules changed, where I'd be scrutinized at every corner, yet it was also my only way forward. I forced myself to swallow the unease and managed a strained smile, the weight of it pressing against my chest.

"Let's go," I said, as if I had any choice in the matter.

She smiled, though it was more of a reflex than genuine amusement. "So how do we get there?" I asked, trying to keep the frustration out of my voice, but it wasn't easy. The northern side was a hell of a distance away, and every step I took felt like dragging my body through mud. There was no way I could walk that far—not like this.

She froze, blinking as if I had just spoken in a language she didn't quite understand. "Huh?"

Of course. Of course. We had no plan. No idea. The city stretched endlessly in front of us, and I was no closer to figuring out how we were going to make it through. The weight of the unknown pressed in, the unfamiliar streets and unfamiliar rules. How could we even begin to figure this out?

"Shouldn't you know?" She asked.

"How the fuck should I know? This is my first time coming here."

We both sat in silence, leaning against a flickering light pole, its faint buzz breaking through the stillness around us. Between us, a puddle had gathered from some unknown source, reflecting the dull glow of the light overhead. I watched the water ripple as I absently traced patterns across its surface with my fingers, trying to let the motion help me think. But it was pointless—my mind was blank, every idea slipping through my fingers as quickly as the water beneath them.

Her smile had vanished, and now, she seemed far less sure of herself. In the smoky bar earlier, she'd seemed untouchable, a mature woman with an edge. Now, here, stranded in the heart of this decayed city, she looked different. Less like someone who had everything under control, and more like…well, someone as lost as me. Maybe my supposed familiarity with her name was enough to throw her off her game—or maybe it was something else. Whatever the case, I got the feeling there was a grudge brewing beneath her calm exterior, and I'd bet my last ounce of patience that it was directed at the Order.

But if she didn't know a way to the northern side… we were in trouble. I could already feel the tension of time tightening around us. The Order wasn't going to leave us alone, not after everything. And Kael… I didn't even want to think about what would happen to him if he was caught. We didn't have the luxury to sit around.

"Don't you have any cars or trucks? Or some other gadget we could use?" I asked, trying to keep my tone light, though I could feel the impatience creeping in.

I hadn't noticed before, but she was holding a small, sleek vape. She took a long drag and blew out the smoke, a faint look of amusement playing across her face. "Do I look like some rich hooker with an inventory full of cash?" She raised an eyebrow, glancing around at the ruins around us. "We aren't in the Eastern Province here, you know. Cars, bikes—that's a luxury. This side of the city's got nothing but rot and remnants of what used to be, and if there's anything living here, it's either too scared to crawl out, or too far gone to help."

She wasn't wrong. The place was a wasteland, an abandoned carcass where the shadows of forgotten people lingered. The buildings, crumbling as if their very bones had decayed, stood around us like gravestones, and I couldn't shake the feeling that we were being watched. If the Order had eyes here, they could be on us right now. I shoved the thought aside and stood up, dusting myself off.

"Where do you think you're going?" she asked, her voice edged with mild irritation.

"Do you expect me to sit here waiting, while we don't even know if the others are still alive?" I met her gaze, my own frustration flaring up. She didn't reply, just took another drag on her vape, blowing out a slow stream of smoke.

"I'll go look for something," I muttered.

She rolled her eyes, a small smirk playing at the corner of her mouth. "Yeah, because random vehicles are just gonna show up in front of you. That's realistic."

I smirked back. "Well, things usually end up working my way. Don't be surprised if I come back with a bike."

She just shook her head, half-amused, half-resigned. And without waiting for her to respond, I turned and walked off, heading deeper into the desolate maze of rubble and shadows. I'd figure something out—anything that might get us closer to the northern side.

I wandered through the dead streets, tracing paths I didn't know, half-expecting to find some trace of direction that I could follow. The city map was a mystery to me, and every corner I turned was as unfamiliar as the last. Shadows of other players drifted across my path, some slouched against walls, others crawling or just lying motionless on the ground, alive but blank-eyed, as if their minds had long since left them. A hollow sight, but I didn't feel anything for them—was it because I saw them as nothing more than NPCs in this twisted game? I didn't know, and I didn't stop to think about it.

Time dragged as I wandered, every step sinking deeper into the reality that I was going in circles, trapped in a place that had no end. Half an hour must have passed before I finally stopped, my legs giving way as I slumped onto the ground. Exhausted, I sat there, staring up at the sky, which stretched dark and starless above me. There was no guiding light, nothing to suggest a way out.

I closed my eyes, almost amused at the absurdity of it all. What if I just slept here? Maybe I'd wake up in my own bed tomorrow, maybe this was all some feverish nightmare. I let myself smile, just a faint flicker of hope, however foolish.

But then, cutting through the silence, I heard a strange buzz. My eyes snapped open, and I squinted up at the broken streetlight above me. It was flickering, its faint hum drilling into the stillness, each flash like a tick of a relentless clock.

I sighed, shaking my head, ready to stand up again—when something caught my eye. Down the street, half-hidden in the shadows of a narrow alleyway, was a faint, pulsing glow. It was so dim it was almost impossible to see, but it was there, unmistakably. Like the soft rhythm of a heartbeat, calling through the ruins. It was the only thing that looked remotely alive in this desolate city.

I didn't think twice. I bolted toward it, a glimmer of hope blooming in my chest. The glow grew stronger as I neared, guiding me like a beacon through the darkness. I could almost feel my pulse quickening, a strange mixture of relief and desperation propelling me forward. When I reached the end of the alley, there it was—brimming with a steady, otherworldly light against the crumbling wall of a half-collapsed building.

A portal. The same kind that had brought me here.

And this time, it wasn't shrinking. It was holding, like it was waiting for someone. If only this portal could take us north… I didn't waste another second, turning on my heel and sprinting back toward her. I could feel the unbidden grin stretching across my face, my mind racing.

When I finally reached her, she looked up, eyes narrowed. "What? Why do you look so happy?" she said, a smirk crossing her face. "Did you find a broken bike? A poster maybe?"

I laughed, unable to contain it. "Something better," I said, catching my breath. "A portal."

Her eyes widened, and for once, her usual calm was replaced with genuine surprise. "You're serious?"

"As serious as it gets."

Without another word, she got up, a flicker of anticipation lighting her face.