ACT 05: STORIES

PROLOGUE

0

The futuristic white hallway stretched endlessly before them, its sterile, luminous walls reflecting their forms like an intricate maze.

A boy and a cat-like entity walked side by side within the confines of the hallway.

To the casual observer, it would seem like a friendly chat between two acquaintances.

However, beneath the pleasant facade, an undercurrent of enmity simmered.

The cat with its existence as thin as a wisp of smoke, was the first to speak.

"What are you up to, playing with everyone like this?"

The boy chuckled softly, his voice taking on a mischievous tone. "How long have you noticed?"

"Ever since I asked you what your dream was," replied the cat.

Its feline eyes narrowing as it observed the Boy's reaction.

The boy shrugged casually. "Ah, that. That was just me telling you what I actually remember."

"Really?" the cat voice remained calm, but skepticism lingered in its tone.

"Yes, or don't you trust me?" the Boy shot back with a sly grin.

"It's not that I don't trust you," the cat responded, "it's just that I find the story you told rather odd. Why would your host's mother try to poison the whole family in their meal and drive them away in the middle of the night? She must have had a reason—or rather, she must have seen something. The only thing I could think of that would drive anyone to such an act would be nightmares, and concepts aren't something you can put your trust in, as they are just personifications of abstract ideas."

The Boy's facade began to crack, and he sighed. "Was it that obvious?"

"Yeah, it was plain," the boy admitted, its distrust deepening.

"Well, you can't blame me for it," the boy retorted. "It's all in the past, and besides, he desired it. After putting on a brave front for his parents when all he wished for was a happy family, all I did was help him forget those moments ever existed. In turn, I maintain control over his body. If he remembers it all, I would take over him. Isn't it a fair trade?"

"That's just cruel," the cat remarked, its eyes narrowing with disapproval.

The boy chuckled darkly. "Who are you to say that? What about you, 'the concept of time'? You ended up turning half the world into white sands after you got betrayed."

The cat's ears twitched with irritation. "Well, that's a different matter. All I'm asking is, what do you plan to do with the boy's body?"

The Boy's grin widened. "Well, who knows? I might do something more than creating a monster just for fun."

The cat scoffed, its tail swishing with agitation. "Ehh... Your taste is as bad as you."

A wicked glint entered the cat's eyes. "Why don't we make a bet?"

"A bet?" the boy raised an eyebrow, intrigued despite itself. "What do you want to bet on?"

Thr Boy's smile was positively devilish.

"Let's bet that the boy survives the prophecy of 'Six Towers of Light, forth comes a god.' If I win, I won't act until the 'Fall of Clouds.'"

"And if he doesn't survive?" the boy inquired cautiously.

"You can consume my concept," the cat declared, his eyes locking onto the boy's with unwavering confidence.

The boy hesitated.

Such a bet was dangerous, and it knew that the boy wouldn't abide by the rules if he lost.

But it also couldn't resist the challenge. "What makes you think I would trust you to honor the bet?"

The cat's eyes glared wickedly wicked. "If I don't, I'll consume you right here."

The boy's eyes narrowed, but it couldn't deny the appeal of the bet.

"Hahaha... You—consume me? That's impossible for you right now. You can barely maintain your own existence, let alone fight me."

The cat simply shrugged. "Well, we'll see."

"Okay," the boy finally relented, "I'll let you deceive me, but on one condition—you don't use your concept on him again."

The boy grinned as the cat swung it tail sealing the agreement. "Agreed."

With that, the cat-like entity disappeared into the ethereal fabric of time as they reached their mysterious destination.

The enmity between these two concepts was masked beneath a veneer of conversation, but the stakes had just been raised.

The boy's fate hung in the balance, caught in a perilous game between two entities with their own hidden agendas.

1

Blur's world shifted and twisted as if reality itself was being rewound.

The surroundings blurred, and he found himself back at the exact moment of collision with Number 102.

As their bodies collided once more, a shiver ran down his spine.

Beads of sweat began to form on his forehead, trickling down his face as if he were reliving the collision in slow motion.

His vision grew blurry, and his mind felt enveloped in a thick fog.

He tried to make sense of the strange déjà vu that washed over him, but the sensations were overwhelming.

The world seemed to warp and distort around him, and his consciousness teetered on the brink of oblivion.

And then, just as he had before, Blur fainted, succumbing to the mysterious forces at play.

His body crumpled to the floor, leaving behind an unanswered enigma.

2

Blur slowly opened his eyes, hoping for a change in scenery from the usual white ceiling that greeted him.

"—a familiar ceiling".

To his disappointment, it was indeed the same familiar ceiling he had seen countless times before.

A sigh escaped his lips, and he tried to push himself up.

However, something felt different this time.

A weight pressed against his stomach, causing him to pause.

He glanced down and saw Number 102 sleeping beside him.

Unlike the previous instance, she was fully clothed this time. His memory from a few loops ago rushed back to him, and he realized that he remembered everything now.

He recalled the loops, the strange occurrences, and the cat's appearance at the end of each cycle.

It was as if he had been granted the gift of retaining his memories for the first time in his reset, and it left him both relieved and anxious.

Surveying his surroundings, he noticed that the cat was conspicuously absent.

A sense of unease washed over him as he wondered why the cat hadn't appeared this time.

Suddenly, Number 102 stirred from her slumber, her eyes fluttering open.

She looked at him with a sleepy expression, and he understood that her concern stemmed from his earlier collapse.

"H-how..." she began, though her words were still limited.

Realizing she was likely asking about his well-being, Blur reassured her with a gentle pat on the head. "I'm okay. Sorry for worrying you."

His thoughts drifted back to the moments before his current awakening.

He remembered the cat's cryptic words at his supposed deathbed, the feline's apparent concern for him.

Turning to Number 102, he inquired, "Do you know where the cat went?"

She shook her head, indicating that she had no idea of the cat's whereabouts.

Disheartened by her response, Blur was about to slump back with a sense of helplessness. However, Number 102 surprised him by pulling out a book from the side of the bed.

Expecting it to be the familiar "The Princess's Knight," he was taken aback when he saw the title, "The Dreamer."

The book's cover was different from the last book he had encountered in the library with number 102, and its title intrigued him.