Memories [2]

A few days before Ark's 11th birthday, Anna's parents passed away.

They said it was an accident. The next day, hordes of relatives, close friends, and acquaintances arrived.

A succession war began for the legacy of Sir and Madam.

Suddenly, Ark's life was filled with encountering poisons, accidents, and hitmen on a daily basis.

In the end, Ark almost died several times and was bedridden for a year due to severe injuries. Anna was unable to watch him suffer and the siblings decided to give up on the inheritance.

They fled to the lower districts – the slums – and lived there.

It was a harsh experience. They would starve for days sometimes, contracting a disease due to poor hygiene became a norm, and keeping their heads down to not get in the eyes of gangs was necessary.

In those conditions, Ark couldn't help Anna. His injuries hadn't healed and he couldn't move much. Anna took the burden for both of them.

'Ark, here is your portion~! Let's eat~'

'...Isn't your portion too little?'

'Don't worry, don't worry~ It's because you need to recover and besides I'm already full~!'

'Ark, here are your medicines~'

'...I'm sorry because of m—!? Don't hit me you gorilla!'

'Then don't say stupid things~'

Ark trusted Anna more than himself.

***

[ Warning! Mental Instability (Trait Flaw) is worsening ]

[ Your Soul is crumbling ]

"Why did you kill me, Anna?" Noah spoke with empty eyes. Hepius was trying to wake Noah out of his stupor but nothing was working.

"...Maybe those memories were fake?" Noah said with a tiny bit of hope.

He raised his gaze and turned to Hades for answers.

"Yeah, this doesn't prove that this world is real." Noah's voice shook.

"Indeed, and I'll prove it to you now." Hades nodded, "This is what happened after you died."

A screen appeared, showing the corpse of Ark in his original world. Shortly, Anna stood and left. Nothing changed in the video except for the decaying corpse until Ark's corpse was discovered and cremated.

"Why is he there?" Noah recognized the man who found his corpse inside his apartment and carried out the death ceremony.

Cyrus.

The rank 2 player who tried to kill Noah after calling him a calamity and the one from whom Noah stole the class [ Hepius' Disciple ].

"Hmm?" Noah tilted his head unnaturally. His strange actions unnerved Hepius.

"Why did Anna call me 'Noah'? I never told her my in-game name."

Cyrus and Anna. Both knew about 'Noah'. Cyrus wanted to kill Noah and he also said he would end Noah forever.

Later, Anna killed him. The one who torched Noah's corpse was Cyrus.

Were Anna and Cyrus in cahoots?

If the game was reality and adding Cyrus' seemingly omniscient knowledge he showed by procuring powerful items and abilities while also locating Noah as if he had known that Noah would come there…

'Cyrus knows the future.'

'He is trying to kill me because I will create a catastrophe in the future.'

'Anna is aware of at least some parts of this knowledge.'

Noah claimed three facts.

'Did Anna kill me because I will harm others in the future?'

Noah felt as if his heart would burst. It hammered on his chest and his ears rang, making it difficult for Noah to remain focused.

[ Warning! Mental Instability (Trait Flaw) is worsening ]

[ Your Soul is crumbling ]

"Is she… really my s…"

Noah couldn't complete his sentence. He didn't want to hear that Anna chose others over himself.

Through thousands of lives and deaths, Noah never forgot about Anna. He was worried that she might be harmed in reality and wanted to meet her, tell her that he was alright.

During those times, when the pain became too much Noah told himself 'It doesn't hurt.'

When he wanted to give up, Noah said 'I will never give up.'

When Noah just wanted to die and end everything, he vowed 'I will get out of here alive.'

Noah lied to himself. It was the only way Noah could remain sane. He lied to himself that he was sane.

Because when he returned he didn't want to meet Anna as a broken person.

…The same Anna who killed him.

Anger, resentment, and hostility filled Noah's chest. Noah suddenly wanted to destroy everything. Just like he did when Anna died.

'Anna is dead? But didn't she kill me?'

A sharp pain flared in Noah's head.

Snap!

A thread snapped in him and memories came rushing to Noah.

'Oh my, if it isn't the fallen genius of the century, Arkangel. What have we done to receive the visit of such a celebrity.'

'Wow, you're Ark? You're my idol – the genius who rose from the slums and became famous all over the world.'

'Ark, you are going overboard with your revenge.'

'We can live together, Ark. Please, stop. There is still time. Please, do it, at least… for… me…'

'Ark, you bastard, what have you done! The whole city of Jamica is…! You monster, I wish we never took you in!'

A strange feeling rose inside Noah and tried to suppress those memories that Noah had hidden deep inside him and forced himself to forget.

"Calm yourself. Don't let your rage control you." Hades touched Noah's forehead.

A cool sensation rippled through Noah's body and the memories were sealed again. Noah panted heavily. Just because the memories of Jamica disappeared didn't mean Noah was back to his previous self.

Noah again tried to dig into his memories but Hades stopped him.

"The one who killed you is your foster sister."

"...!"

Hades sighed, "This is all I can tell you right now. If you wish to know more, reach the end of this dungeon."

Haaah! Haah! Haah!

Noah controlled his breathing. He closed his eyes for a few seconds and reopened them.

[ Mental Instability (Trait Flaw) has stopped worsening ]

[ Your soul deterioration has stopped ]

[ Current Corruption rate: 56% ]

{...!}

"...!"

Hepius and Hades were shocked when they found the earlier desperation of Noah missing. In an instant, Noah's uncontrolled wrath transformed into a cold rage.

Noah's sudden change in temperament was unnerving.

They couldn't see the depths of Noah's psyche or what he was thinking.

Noah opened his mouth, "If I can clear all hidden stages what will I receive in return?"