Chapter 14: The Girl I Forgot

Chapter 14: Chapter 14: The Girl I Forgot Sleep hit like a hammer. One moment, Kai was sitting by the fire. The next, the world turned sideways. Colors faded. Sound bent. Gravity failed. And then— Rain. Soft. Cold. Familiar. Kai blinked. He was standing in the middle of a cracked asphalt road, lit only by a flickering streetlamp. His breath fogged in the night air. A bus rolled by, empty. And behind him, an apartment complex he hadn’t seen in over a year. Earth. [System Alert: You are trapped in a Dream Prison – Tier S] Origin: Unknown Condition: Must identify the truth. Failure: Permanent soul fracture. Countdown: 11:59... 11:58... Kai’s heart began to race. He turned in a slow circle. "Okay... okay, this is just another illusion. Another god-tier psychological screwup..." Then he heard the voice. Soft. Kind. Unmistakable. "You still forget me... don’t you, Kai?" He turned. And froze. Standing under the streetlight, her long dark hair clinging to her face in the rain, was a girl from a memory he hadn’t dared revisit. A girl he thought was just a dream. A girl he had loved — and left behind. "Hana...?" She smiled. A little sad. A little bitter. And all too real. [System Recognition Match: Hana Kuriyama] Status: Earth Origin Relationship: Unknown Memory Sync: 62% Error: Suppressed memory detected. Kai staggered. "No. No, this doesn’t make sense. You weren’t—" "I was there," she said softly. "The night you vanished. I was the last one who saw you." He took a shaky breath. "You... you’re not here. You’re a hallucination. A trick." But Hana stepped forward. And touched his cheek. Warm. Real. "I was summoned too, Kai," she whispered. "Just not to your kingdom." Lightning flashed — and the dream shifted violently. Now they were in a ruined cityscape. The air reeked of smoke and blood. Monsters screamed in the distance. Hana stood at the center, dressed in battered armor. A broken staff in her hands. Her eyes cold. "I fought alone for months. I bled. I killed. I begged the system to let me die." She stepped forward, voice rising. "And all the while, I waited for you." Another flash. Kai fell to his knees. The image of Hana blurred — now flickering between the kind girl he remembered and the war-hardened survivor before him. "They lied to us, Kai. About everything." [System Triggered: Memory Sync Accelerated] Memory Fragment Unlocked: You promised her you’d come back. He gasped. A moment from long ago flooded his mind— A younger Kai, standing outside his apartment in the rain. Hana, holding a cup of instant ramen, her eyes wide and uncertain. "If anything weird ever happens," she said, half-joking, "and you end up in another world or something... promise me you’ll come back." He laughed. Called her a nerd. But then he saw the look in her eyes. So he smiled. "Yeah. I promise." And now... here she was. In another world. Broken. Betrayed. Waiting. "Why show me this?" he whispered. "Why now?" Hana tilted her head. "Because the others are lying." The dream warped again — now showing the faces of Elira, Yulia, Lira, and Virela. Their eyes shadowed. Their voices layered with static. "You’re the bomb," their voices echoed. "We’re just here to make sure it goes off on time." Kai clutched his head. "No—no, they care about me. Even if they’re scared—" "They’re scared for the world," Hana said. "Not for you." [System Conflict Detected] Dream Prison vs. Emotional Anchor Status: Cracking... Hana knelt beside him. "I’m coming, Kai," she said softly. "To your kingdom. To your world." He looked up, startled. "What?" "I found a way across the continent. I’m done waiting." Her fingers traced his jaw. "When I arrive... you’ll have to choose." [Dream Prison: Objective Complete] Truth Identified: Hana is real. Status: Awakening... The world shattered. Kai gasped and bolted upright — back in his bedroll. Soaked in sweat. Heartbeat out of control. [System Notification: Incoming Visitor – Hana Kuriyama] Arrival: 7 days Status: Unstable Relationship: Complicated He didn’t even have time to process it before a hand touched his shoulder. He turned — expecting Yulia or Elira. It was Lira. Expression unreadable. Eyes darker than usual. "You were screaming in your sleep," she said softly. "You said her name." "...Hana." She nodded. "Who is she?" Kai didn’t answer. Instead, he whispered, "Something’s coming, Lira." She nodded again. And somewhere in the night... Virela smiled in her sleep. As if she already knew.