The World of Memories

How much could one seek? Eron giggled ironically as the movie's title passed his sights, the world around him lost its colors as he mulled in wonder, One can need as much as to live a life of luxury... but as for seeking? One can seek as much as the heavens kept in its gardens... and only more.

As his sights swept over, his feet gradually halted, causing the noisy crowd to dab into him grumpily. Their busy faces blurred past his eyes, peeking into the window, and at the interlocked hands of the two people 'exchanging' the movie.

There was nothing to them except a gentle quivering of the air in their surroundings, almost unnoticeable, and sealed eyes.

While one had the delicacy of concentration—adorned by some beads of sweat—the other's face was churning in multifarious emotions.

A heavy sigh caused his shoulders to flump down; his drying desires still tugging an envious look in their direction, "How lucky... and rich!" He marveled, "I wish I could someday afford the luxury of a memovie too."

Memovie, shortened from memory-movie, was a special movie in which by utilising the characteristic trait of humans of being able to transfer and receive other's memories, a person experienced the adventures of another as if he had lived them himself!

This inherent trait, sounding as impressive and futuristic as it did, was nothing special than breathing to Eron and the world he lived in. If any other-worlder were to appear and see this, they would simply describe it as magic... while it was nothing so special or grand to Eron.

Suddenly, a strong push from behind sent his feet shambling forward and nearly leading to an unromantic coincidental kiss with the ground, if not for his sturdy pair of arms working as pillars against it.

"Hey kid! Keep those legs busy, we aren't free like you all day!" Hearing the snide breezing off instead of an apology, Eron shook his head and helped himself up, "True still..."

With his concentration having been shaken off, the overbearing noise of the street market once more began to gnaw at him. His teeth clattered, and spinning his head around, he began to skid along with the crowd, "So noisy!"

He shook his head, "Salesman on their rundown stalls promoting their cheap goods, and the cheap people haggling down the laughable prices with cheap remarks about the cheap products!" He shook his head again, "Everything you would expect on a normal day on Moinger Street!"

"Everything you would expect in this cheap world!"

Eron allowed the waves of the people to carry him on until the tight street finally stretched wide, and the dispersing crowd spared the ground the nourishing sunlight.

"Just that is a workout enough," Eron took a deep breath, feeling his clogged breath finally turn healthy, "Then my sister asks me to be more productive."

Just as he settled his heart and began to kick off into the distance, some nasty voices brewing from the distance fished his lazy brown eyes over.

It was on some piece of flat ground, next to a butcherer's shop, where the nasty scent of chicken's pee became cause of many scowls that a group of three thugs were surrounding a little kid.

"Kid! Everyone pays Boss Kai tribute... don't you believe you are too unreasonable denying us our right? Moreover, look, all your shouting has created a scene too." The man squatted down and browsed the shoddy items scattered over a dirty rag with a twisted smirk.

"KEEP YOUR HANDS OFF MY GOODS!" The boy slapped the man's hand off and pushed his daggerish eyes piercing into his pupils, "You! You!!" His tongue squirmed with the intent of slapping a bastard across his cheek, but he gritted his teeth and attempted to compose himself.

"Nobody offers you tribute, Kai, don't pretend like you don't know. And don't take me to be like these people either, I won't hand you nothing. If you want your so-called renting fee so much, go fetch it from those who consider you something. I don't fear you!" The boy, barely reaching Kai's chest, stood unflinching with his resolved eyes uplifting his slanting brows.

The blowing air could be heard whispering for a second, before the three burst into cackles.

"Kid, are you serious?" Stomping forward, the man threw a crisp punch into the kid's gut.

The swelling red eyes of the kid popped out, trembling, and the punch digging deeper and deeper into his gut uprooted him from the ground. As the fist pulled back, his squirming yelps broke off suddenly as his face banged against the ground.

The on-looking crowd sucked their breaths cold, making even those at the distance like Eron clearly hear the groans wrenching out of his throat.

His eyes quivered in fright, the sight of the poor fellow cuddling together into a ball lashed at his heart.

"That's too much!" Eron's lone whisper, one that wouldn't have been audible even to him earlier, now rode from ear to ear. And mustered some hums of agreement before presenting itself to Kai.

"Huh?" Kai stomped and boldly spread himself in front of the crowd, "If anyone has a word to say, I'm standing right here!"

The little pity stirring in some hearts got snuffed out, and the crowd's feet scuttled back like a puppy in front of a bulldog.

The sight caused his chest to bloat further, a smirk tore his lips back without even knowing.

Turning back, he roared before throwing a powerful kick into the little hands digging into the kid's tunmy, "DO YOU STILL NOT FEAR ME KID?"

"Shut up, you asshole, you're going too far!" Eron snapped and blindly blurted aloud.

As the many pair of eyes daggered into him, his lip unknowingly slipped beneath his grinding teeth, Oh mother-lover! Nah, nah, nah! I didn't just say that... I did not say that!

As Kai's head slowly turned back, the sweat popping out on Eron's back caused his shirt to hug his waist, Shit! I am such a fool! I should've ignored and continued on home.

"What did you say brat?"

Hell nah! He's gonna murder me. He's so gonna murder me!! Swallowing, Eron's feet, sneakily even to him, dragged back. And not knowing how to react now due to lack of prior experience, faked a tough front in the most polite way he knew, "K-Knock that off, b-big brother!"

With deep wavy grooves thickening each second on his forehead, Kai stared at the fool without batting his eyes. His mind ran trying to see if he could recognise him from his 'not to be messed with' list, but only dug up naught. Could he just perhaps be a fool?

Just before his dilemma could end. Subtly, in such a manner that not a single soul caught wind of it, his eyes brightened slightly before returning to normal.

Without wasting a second, he turned his head back to his lackeys and ordered, "We are leaving."

Eron instantly felt his legs, trembling unbeknownst to others, nearly go limp. He stared agape as the two men, after meeting eyes, zoomed after their boss.

What the... heck? Slowly, the crowd resounded with cheers, and Eron stood with a blank face slowly igniting the same joyous colors of the cheers lauding him.

He neatened his clothes and swaggered toward the boy.

Some kind fellow offered some water, after drinking which, the boy slowly began to regain his bearings.

"Thank you... thank you a lot." The boy stared at the ground in a loss, his eyes blank and words dry.

Another common sight in this world. Eron shook his head as he saw some policemen patrolling the street while chatting leisurely. Turning a blind eye to the crowd, or any voices that called out to them in need. Cheap policemen with their cheap salaries, finding any person in need too cheap to be bothered with.

"Alright friend." Eron patted the guy on the shoulder and nodded, "Take care now, it would be best if you relocated, those thugs won't leave this matter be."

As he turned around and began walking off, the boy stumbled to his feet and cried out, "Please! I-I don't have much to offer, but please take anything you would like as a thank you from me."

Eron paused and turned around, he stared at the kid's earnest face before at the pile of strange things sealed inside dirty transparent capsules on his rag.

One thing that was in common to all of them was that they looked like parts— old bits of human parts!

His face twisted, and he shook his head, "I-It's fine. You don't have to worry."

"No please, I insist! I know there's nothing much, but still. Take something so as to ease my heart." The kid's eyes turned dull and teary. Some earlier memories shuddering his body.

Eron gritted his teeth and squatted down, Memory fishing... huh? I have never tried it before... I heard its similar to stone gambling. Taking a good look, he picked up a capsule with the least nasty looking thing, an unidentified black round ball, and nodded.

"I'll take this. Thank you a bunch!" Eron stood and left, seeing the kid finally smile and loosen his brows.

"Thank you!"

Walking off, Eron smiled at his words and popped the thumb sized capsule open. I haven't actually ever used a memory-mediator. Hahaha, I wonder if this even contains a memory?

He flipped the ball around with curiosity, before squeezing it in his palm. Eron waited a while as nothing happened, before sighing and accepting facts. Hah! It's empty I guess.

Shaking his head, just before he intended to throw it away, something stirred in the far distance from him. Making his steps come a halt.

What was that? His eyes squeezed tight, only to be pulled back open along with his jaw.

In the bright middle of the day, the world slowly appeared to be wrested by dawn.

The shadows started peeking at him from their holes with odd smiles, before stretching back and back and colliding into another shadow.

The many twisting and blurring faces of other gaping at him swelled large and nausatingly inhumane. Making him feel like an insignificant and small ant.

His vision rocked. His gut felt like a washing-machine's belly. Something terrible slowly crawled up his throat and after overloading his mouth, peeked out from the corners of his lips.

The endlessly stretching shadows tore off their confines and wriggled up onto their feet.

Opening their maws, they crawled over, extinguishing the bizzare pixilation corroding the world in darkness, and gulped him whole inside a black void.

The strange discordant buzzing cut off. The sight that looked like a thousand bees crawling over one's grubby googles blinked black. And even his own heart frightened itself a halt.

In this silent and motionless void, only a single thing floundered maniacally in the darkness!

It was a voice, ululating in a craze, broken hoarse and shrill, screaming out from somewhere within Eron himself—

BETRAYED! ... I HAVE BEEN BETRAYED!

It paused, before lashing out again. But this time, not as sorrowful as earlier, but more lined by a hint of mania and... glee.

And you too have been betrayed!!