Fading memories

Twenty years ago, after I lost my sister…

For the next few days, I called the police, filed a missing person report, searched all over Tokyo, yet, there was no sign of Anna. I tried to call her number as well, but her phone couldn't be reached. 

I knew that I was dumb and how futile it was, continually calling her number like that. But, there was nothing else I could do. I was desperate. So I just kept calling, and calling, and calling, over and over again, hoping to hear Anna's voice again. 

Suddenly, five days later…

"The number you are trying to call does not exist."

A cold, robotic voice intoned

I was paralyzed.

Does not… exist?

And soon after, the Japanese police contacted me, but instead of helping me find Anna or giving me any helpful information, they blamed me for creating a fictitious story. That was because they opened my profile, and according to what they said, I didn't have any sister to begin with! They even had the audacity to suggest psychiatric evaluation! 

What the actual heck?

I couldn't believe it. Those fuckers were just mocking me! How could my lovely Anna not exist!? I was her brother. We had been together for years, seeing each other's face every day. Every shared laughter, every shared tear was engraved deeply into my heart!

So, in a frenzy, I rushed towards Anna's room, to grab any tangible proof of her existence to shove in the face of the nonbelievers. Her drawings, her photos, her cherished belongings…

Yet… in place of Anna's room, now stood only a solid wall.

WHAT!?

I was dumbfounded.

Why is this wall here?

Where the heck is Anna's room???

For some reason, one bedroom had been erased from my house without me noticing. It was ridiculous. I remembered the day prior, I even went into that room to check for things. 

But now, it's gone? 

How? 

And When???

And as the twisted nightmare continued, everything else started following the same pattern.

I reached out to my parents, panicking, but they too, told me that I was their only offspring. They couldn't remember Anna. They couldn't remember their own daughter! 

And just like that, the world slowly went insane.

I panicked, confused, frightened. I couldn't understand any of this bullshit. To me, Anna was the realist thing that ever existed in my life. She was my dear little sister, the one I cherished, the one I loved the most. Yet, the evidence was all against me, against Anna…

And for a short moment, I too, was in doubt.

Is it true?

Is all that I believed to be true merely a figment of a deranged mind?

Am I… actually… the crazy one here?

And then, whatever was happening to everyone else, began happening to me.

"Huh? Do I… really have a sister?"

I tried to recall Anna's face, yet somehow I couldn't anymore. Her voice wasn't there either when I tried to recall it. I struggled to hold onto her voice, her smile, but they were slipping away, into the void. 

"What… is her name again?"

The cherished memories were evaporating, leaving behind a desolate emptiness…

I was losing her…

Losing Anna…

But then, in that darkest moment, one memory surfaced like a beacon of light. 

—------------------------

Going back twelve more years…

The hospital room was filled with a soft, muffled ambiance. The unmistakable smell of antiseptic hung in the air. I was reluctant to enter, my young heart grappling with a confusing blend of resentment and jealousy. A sister. I hadn't wanted one. I had relished being the center of my parents' world, being their sole focus. The idea of sharing their attention, their love, felt like a threat.

But as I stepped into the room, all those feelings began to dissolve. I saw her. There she was, nestled in my mother's arms — a tiny, fragile being, her face slightly wrinkled, eyes shut tight. She seemed so vulnerable, so dependent. It made me feel an overpowering urge to protect her, to shield her from the vast, unpredictable world that awaited her. It was an instinct, one I hadn't known I possessed.

My mother, her face tired but lit with an unmistakable glow, beckoned me closer. "Jack, this is your little sister. Her name is Anna." she whispered, her voice thick with emotion. "Do you want to say hi to her?"

Of course. 

Of course I wanted to.

As I approached, Anna stirred, her small fingers curling and uncurling. Those tiny eyelids fluttered open to reveal deep, innocent eyes that were so big and beautiful. There was an inexplicable connection, a bond forming in that very instant.

I was enamored.

In that one look, all my earlier apprehensions, the reluctance, the jealousy, they just... melted away. In their place grew an overwhelming surge of love and responsibility. She wasn't just a sister; she was a part of me, a piece of my very soul. I extended a tentative finger towards her, and felt her minute hand wrap around it with surprising strength. And as she held onto me, I made a silent promise. I vowed to be her protector, her confidant, her forever friend. A bond was forged in that room, unbreakable and immortal. It was magical.

But then, this world dared to break apart that bond?

Like hell was I gonna let that happen!

I knew I had to protect that memory at all cost!

And as I was doing that, fighting that damned phenomenon that wanted to erase my little sister from existence, I started to remember other memories too. I remembered everything - every second, every minute we spent together. And with that, I was sure of it. My little sister was not fake, or neither was she an illusion. She was real! She was a part of me! 

Even if the whole world had cast her into oblivion, I would eternally hold her in remembrance! If no one was going to help me find her, help me bring her back, then I would do it myself!

Thus, this marked the inception of my unwavering twenty-year pursuit. 

I then delved into research, undertook rigorous training, and submerged myself in studies with fervent zeal as if each day was a battle for survival. In due course, I unraveled the mysteries of those enigmatic summoning circles. 

And all of that led to today, when finally, I got myself summoned, into the very world that took Anna away from me.