"Where… am I?" Adrian muttered, though there was no one around to hear him.

He stood atop a small hill, yet he couldn't feel the ground beneath his feet. His body felt weightless, his mind oddly calm.

Reaching out to a nearby tree, his fingers brushed its bark—at least they should have. But there was no texture, no sensation, as if he were touching smoke rather than something solid.

'Did I die after all?' The last thing he remembered was Ariana and Ruby, tears streaming down their faces, their voices breaking. He had no control over his body then, only the sight of their grief.

And yet, when his eyes fell on Ariana, a strange heat stirred in him. The same happened when he thought of Ruby.

Even in that moment—when they were so worried about him—he felt aroused, unsettled. He couldn't believe himself.

Then, darkness.

And now he was here.

"Where am I?" he asked again, his voice carrying no hope for an answer.

But this time, something replied.

[This is a fragment of your memory, host.]

The system's voice cut through the silence.

Relief flooded Adrian as he called out, "System… am I dead?"

[No, host. Your body is in an optimum state. You simply aren't in control right now.]

Adrian exhaled slowly, absorbing that answer. "Then why am I here?"

[Something has triggered your memories. A locked fragment of your mind has been opened, and now, you are here.]

Adrian frowned. The explanation didn't fully make sense to him.

He turned his eyes to the distance. A city stretched far below, rows of houses packed neatly together. At its corners stood four massive statues, each towering above the walls like silent sentinels.

"What… is that place?" he whispered.

[Why not discover it for yourself, host?]

The system's voice faded, leaving only the soundless expanse around him.

Adrian's brows lifted as he took a cautious step forward—only to find himself, in an instant, standing at the massive gates of the city.

"That's… quite something," he muttered under his breath. It felt as though he'd simply wished to be there, and reality had shifted to oblige.

Before him, guards lined the entrance, checking the papers of incoming travelers. Each wore the same uniform, a polished crest of a Pegasus emblazoned proudly across their chests.

Adrian's eyes widened when one of the soldiers suddenly seized a man by the collar and slammed him onto the ground.

"A sinner! Execution!" the guard barked.

And without a trial, without even a moment's pause, a blade was driven straight through the man's heart.

Adrian's stomach twisted. This… this was madness.

Even the worst of criminals were usually dragged before the palace for judgement.

He glanced at the people around him and saw them bowing their heads, praying fervently with clasped hands—as if such scenes were ordinary.

'Are you sure this is my memory?' Adrian asked inwardly.

The system stayed silent.

That silence alone told him the answer was yes.

Adrian let out a slow sigh and started moving forward.

He noticed that no one could see him, which felt natural.

And since no one saw him, no one stopped him—so he continued to walk.

The town was… unnaturally quiet.

Unlike any other city or town he'd been to, this place felt eerily still, as if even speaking above a whisper might draw punishment.

People moved in rigid, orderly lines. Many kept their hands clasped, eyes closed, walking as though in some endless prayer.

But what struck Adrian most were the children.

Their eyes and ears were covered with black fabric. Their hands bound with ropes, they walked obediently beside their parents.

"What in the seven hells is this?" Adrian muttered, frowning. Children being treated like prisoners.

Yet there was no cruelty in their treatment. No harsh words, no whips—nothing.

It was as if the parents were deliberately suppressing their children, stopping them from simply being children.

Adrian kept moving deeper into the town, his eyes scanning everything.

There were fewer shops than he expected, and in their place stood churches—one after another.

Inside each church, only a single god was worshipped.

The Eldest Deity. The Titan God, Parathemus.

Of course, Adrian knew the name. He knew every deity, especially the one said to hold the greatest authority in the heavens.

And then it struck him.

If this memory truly belonged to that time—when he had walked the planet as Avirin—then the customs back then were far harsher.

Religion wasn't just a practice; it was a chain. People clung to worship like their lives depended on it—because, in a way, it seemed they did.

That realization unsettled him.

'System… this is… or was real, right? I didn't build any fake memories, did I?'

[You cannot build fake memories, host. And yes, this was all real.]

The words hung heavy in Adrian's mind as he continued to walk through the silent, oppressive streets.

None of the history books ever spoke of this era—how people actually lived, or how tightly their lives were bound by restrictions.

Every record Adrian had read described only what came after the Darkness. They painted pictures of how the Darkness shattered perfect lives, how it twisted people, how it led them astray.

Even the diary the system had gifted him—the one he'd combed through countless times—only began its records when the Darkness first appeared. It spoke of corruption, of morals stripped away, of faith in the Gods erased completely.

But this… this was something else entirely. A side of history he'd never imagined.

"Ah-Adrian… please… stop now… I beg you…"

Adrian froze. That voice—

It was Ruby. Sobbing.

He spun around, searching the empty street, but there was no one.

"Adrian… it hurts… please…"

Ariana's voice, trembling.

He realized with a start—they weren't here. They were calling out to him from the real world, from the conscious world.

"System!" His voice cracked. "I need to get out. I'm hurting them!"

He didn't know what was happening or how, but if the cause of their pain was him, then the memory didn't matter anymore. Nothing mattered except reaching them.

However,

[The only way to get out of this place, host, is to find yourself. Discover deeper and find where you are. That's the only way you would know how to get out of this situation.]

Adrian gritted his teeth. The system wouldn't have been presenting challenges here.

It knows how dire the situation was so if it was saying that he needed to find himself here, then that must be the only way.

Adrian closed his eyes and muttered, 'Just a little longer…please endure just a little more.'

°°°°°°°°°

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