There was no darkness at the start of Time Layer Fifteen. There was silence at first.
Not the reassuring kind, not the kind you find before a storm or in a quiet forest. There was an emptiness to this silence, as though the world itself had lost its ability to breathe.
With Hollowfang padding soundlessly behind him, Ember Vow's flames fading, and Jester Wyrm unusually quiet for once, Raen crossed the threshold. As though it, too, was afraid of the weight of memory here, Despair Maw appeared to fold in on itself.
A skyless city stretched out in front of them.
A spire made entirely of paper—scrolls, tomes, and bindings—rose from the center of it all, and somehow it managed to stand, reaching into the emptiness above. Ruined towers leaned inward like broken teeth, and tangled bridges wrapped around nothing.
It hummed softly.
[Location Found: The Library That Binds Time, The Bibliotheca]
[Warning: Entry Impairs Memory Integrity]
[Entity Alert: Found Guardian Presence]. Perceptive. [Not hostile—yet.]
Jester Wyrm cocked his head. "Books make up the library. It has a poetic and painful scent. I already like it.
Raen remained silent. He was paying attention to the tugging sensation in his chest.
This place was woven with an ancient thread. The part of him that wasn't born in this life was being called to. Something that brought back memories of one Raen, or a thousand.
The books under their feet moved slightly as they entered the main plaza, the pages turning as though the ground itself were reading them.
A single word echoed from the walls in a dozen voices:
"Curiosity."
In the central tower, a door creaked open.
No lock. Not a guard.
That was the risk.
Raen looked around at his friends. "We don't part ways. Your story is trapped here, not your body.
They entered.
There was no end to the interior. A library that bent in unthinkable ways. Some staircases led sideways into mirrors, while others spiraled upward into floating ink. Books opened and closed on their own, floating in midair.
The Guardian was seated on a throne of forgotten alphabets in the middle.
Not a beast. No human.
A kid.
Or something similar.
Her fingers were stained with the blood of erased names, her hair was like wet parchment, and her eyes were ink-black and full of stars.
As they walked in, she grinned.
"Raen Tiberis," she uttered. "I've already read you."
Raen stopped. "Am I acquainted with you?"
"Not just yet. However, you will. if you make it through this chapter.
[Identified Entity: Guardian of the Folded Time, Archivist Noira]
[Bonding is prohibited. Trial is not required. Not Consequences.]
Noira cocked her head. "A throne has been overthrown by you. burned the echo of a god. You move with fire, anger, laughter, and grief. However, your recollections are jumbled.
Raen remained silent.
Her fingers snapped.
Then all of a sudden they were gone.
Not his friends. His history.
Lost.
He cast his gaze downward. was unable to recall his birthplace. I couldn't remember what Kaelyn had said. He couldn't recall what he had given up to get this far.
Beside him, a page fluttered in the air. One sentence on it:
"The world burned because he neglected to save her."
His knees gave way.
Ember Vow yelled. Wyrm, the jester, roared. Maw wept in despair.
The Guardian, however, merely sighed. "You're not the only one who forgets."
Raen tightened his jaw. "What do you want?"
"To keep in mind," she muttered. Proceed with the trial. Enter the Book of Broken Truths. You get back what you lost if you live. If not...
She made a motion. There were a thousand glass cases behind her, each one containing people who were unable to speak.
"...you become a story that is forgotten."
Raen got up.
"I'll accept it."
The Book wasn't actually a book.
The space was a room.
The door disappeared as soon as Raen entered.
Pages all around him. Some have bleeding ink, while others are blank. Some contained scenes from his life that he was unfamiliar with.
And in the middle was a single figure.
himself.
younger. Terrified, but softer.
The boy gazed up at the present Raen while brandishing a dagger.
"What made you allow me to become you?"
Raen's chest constricted.
"I had no other option."
The boy made a lunge. Raen's side was sliced by the dagger. He staggered but did not resist.
The boy muttered, "I hated you." "You gave purpose to war." You allowed Kaelyn to pass away. You turned into a monster.
Raen fell to his knees.
"I understand."
Quiet.
The boy paused.
Raen raised his head. However, I discovered that fighting for more than just survival is possible. For those who couldn't, I persisted. And every time I hurt or forgive, I still carry you.
The boy shuddered.
Then disappeared.
Around him, the ink faded.
And a page was folded out of the room.
Raen went outside.
The Guardian gave a single clap.
"Excellent work."
[Book of Broken Truths: Complete Trial]
[Restored Memories: 87%]
[Unlocked: Passive temporal forces cannot rewrite the mind due to narrative immunity]
Noira got up and presented him with a scroll.
"Your narrative is now your weapon. Continue writing it.
Raen picked up the scroll.
and sensed the subsequent tug.
There was a waiting object.
Something he used to be.