Chapter 61: CH 61

After entering the castle of memories, I see a wide space that looks like a white art gallery.

White floor, white walls, white ceiling…

There are frames dotting the walls, and inside them, people’s memories are shown.

This has become something like another dimension.

It’s much more spacious than it looked from the outside, and even the air clearly feels different.

(The floor, the walls, the ceiling… Is it all memory pages?)

This entire castle looks like an instant death trap that will suck my memories if I touch it.

Even just walking a few steps seems like it would lead to some memory loss.

In a way, it’s just like a dungeon.

Once you’re in, it eats away memories until you’re left wandering around until you die.

But I have a plan.

“‘Time, stop’.”

I stop the time of the floor, and walk forward.

I can’t hang around here for too long.

(If I turn into a demon king… I should still be able to restore Memoria and everyone’s memories back to normal.)

Turning into a demon king means transforming temporarily into what I was in the future.

Doing it on the surface could risk destroying the town with the after-effects of the transformation, so I can’t do it carelessly… But it should be fine up here in the castle.

And with the power of a demon king, I should be able to undo Memoria’s demon king transformation, and return the stolen memories to their rightful owners.

(…But this is my trump card.)

Going by the last time I transformed, I should be able to maintain it for a few minutes, but any more than that, and I won’t be able to control that power and I’ll risk being stuck in that form.

Also, I can’t do it many times in a row, and the recoil of transforming into a demon king will leave me weakened for a few days.

(Meaning it’s risky for me to suddenly turn into a demon king here…)

It would be easy to destroy the entire castle of memories, but undoing someone else’s demon king transformation is pretty difficult. I need to blast that person with magic at close range.

And so, I have to find Memoria first.

If I transform now, I’ll run out of time while looking for her, and my weakened body will lose all its memories here.

(…At any rate, all I can do now is move forward.)

And so I do, until the hallway ends.

(…Doors?)

There are two doors.

No, they look more like door-sized leather book covers buried on the wall.

Words are foil stamped with gold on the doors, like they’re book titles.

They are ‘Heaven’ and ‘Hell’.

(Is it telling me to pick between heaven-like memories and hell-like memories?)

Is this like a dungeon trial?

Heaven or hell…

(…It’s pretty obvious what I’ll pick.)

I put my hand on the ‘Hell’ door without hesitating.

I’m used to pain, but I’m not used to pleasure.

Also, pleasure is what leads people to ruin. Pain you just have to bear, but pleasure is addictive and hard to escape from.

“…”

I open the ‘Hell’ door, and a bright light assaults my eyes.

I have to close them as I’m engulfed in this world of white light.

When I open my eyes, it’s not the white space that’s in front of me anymore.

“…Eh?”

It’s a field of flowers on a hill, painted by the evening glow.

The wind makes petals fly, and it caresses my face.

It feels realistic, and not at all like a dream or an illusion.

I move my eyes, and see Almana below the hill.

And next to me is…

“What’s wrong, Chrom?”

El.

I’ve seen all this recently.

(…Is it…)

I look at the clock tower, and see it’s exactly six in the afternoon.

The bell of the clock tower rings loudly.

The spring breeze gently envelops us and swirls, making flower petals dance in the air.

It’s like a page taken out of any regular peaceful day.

There’s no mistaking it, and it’s unforgettable.

(…I see.)

This is a world created by my memories.

That means that what happens next is…

“Kya!?”

Suddenly, the ground shakes violently, like it’s exploding.

The tremor sends petals flying everywhere, and little birds scramble to get away.

And then…

Thousands of monsters appear, charging towards Almana.

“…T-the town… At this rate…”

It’s like the end of the world.

El is frozen in place, before she seemingly snaps out of it and raises her voice.

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“I-I have to go save everyone…!”

El runs forward alone.

I try to grab her, but I’m too late.

She looks smaller and smaller as she gets further away from me.

And then, in this twilight world painted in red…

Those squirming black shadows engulf that small girl, and the entire town.

I couldn’t fight.

I saw it… The demon king.

My knees are shaking so much I can’t stand up, and my hands are trembling so much I can’t hold a sword.

Petals dance and fall like sparks in this burning town.

The Moonhart residence filled with memories is trampled, and the clock tower, the symbol of this town, is set ablaze as it slowly collapses.

A special power doesn’t awaken in me like the heroes I admired in the stories I read.

All I can do is stand and watch from the field of flowers on the hill.

“…Ahh… Nku…”

I’m nauseous and press my mouth as I feel like I’m about to throw up.

I break out in a cold sweat. I can’t control my breathing. I feel dizzy. I feel like I’m going crazy.

It hurts. It’s scary. I want to run away…

(…Ah, I see…)

Is this the trial?

I’ve had nightmares about this many times, but this feels a lot more real.

I’m not just made to watch that again.

That despair, that sadness, that pain… I’m being made to experience all that again.

Even emotions I forgot. Everything.

Not only that… There’s nothing I can do.

I can’t change them from here, and I can’t run away from them.

It’s a memory based attack.

(This is… Harsher than I expected.)

This attack causes more damage the worse someone’s past is.

It’s really awful for me.

“…”

Eventually, the world is filled with a white light again, and the scenery in front of me changes like a page of a book being turned.

What appears next is a burning town.

Flames fall from the sky like cherry blossoms.

Everything these beautiful petals touch gets enveloped in an undying fire, until they turn to ash.

I’m in the middle of this beautiful hell.

I stab a demon king’s chest with my sword.

“…Labrys.”

My childhood friend who I promised I would save… And I killed.

Labrys’ body heat slowly disappearing in my arms, the smell of blood that almost makes me throw up, the feeling of piercing her chest… It’s all vividly recreated.

Hot air burns my throat, and I cough blood.

An intense pain runs through my entire body like it’s being burned.

And then…

“…What are you doing?”

I turn around, and see the phoenix flag of the Scarlet chivalric order fluttering.

These knights fought for humanity in the future, after the fall of the Kingdom of Historia.

Their leader, Lizbell, walks forward staggeringly and with a shocked look on her face.

Her eyes are fixated on Labrys, who is lying in a pool of blood… And my sword that’s dripping blood.

“How dare you! My big sister Labrys!”

Lizbell, who would one day become a hero of mankind, points her spear with the phoenix flag attached at me.

“I’ll kill you! With my own hands you… Monster!”

The knights protecting mankind point their weapons at me.

(…Why?)

I just wanted to protect everyone.

And yet, people’s eyes only show fear and hatred when they look at me.

(Ah…)

I look at my reflection in the pool of blood.

Is it because I took in more demon king cells before the battle started?

My appearance is already starting to change.

This is… My first memory from when I started to become an enemy of mankind.

And then, the memory pages turn again…

“…Eh?”

What appears next is a memory I don’t know.

(…Is this my memory?)

I can’t remember.

Ruins of a town, where white pages fall quietly like snow.

In the middle of this town, a girl with white wings holds her knees and cries.

I know who she is.

White Paper Angel Memoria.

My memories with her that I forgot are right in front of me.

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