Chapter 134: Conspiracy

Celia didn’t move.

Her eyes remained fixed on the name carved into the oak.

ELARA.

Dillan stepped toward her.

"Who is she?"

Celia’s lips parted.

Nothing came out.

"Celia."

She finally looked at him.

"You really don’t remember."

"No."

"That name should have disappeared."

Dillan’s expression hardened.

"Apparently it didn’t."

Mara stepped closer.

"Tell him."

Celia looked at her.

"You know too?"

Mara nodded.

"I remember enough."

Celia closed her eyes.

Then she whispered:

"Elara was the first person you ever chose."

Sasha’s expression changed.

"Before me?"

Celia nodded.

"Before Sasha."

Aurelia frowned.

"Before all of us?"

"Yes."

Dillan stared at the tree.

"Then why don’t I remember her?"

Celia looked toward him.

"Because you didn’t lose the memory."

She swallowed.

"You gave it away."

Silence.

The Retained Self suddenly stepped backward.

"No..."

Dillan noticed.

"You know something."

The girl shook her head.

"I don’t want to."

"Tell me."

"I can’t."

"Why?"

She looked at him with frightened eyes.

"Because she’s the person I was created to replace."

The words struck everyone.

Sasha stepped forward.

"Replace?"

The Retained Self nodded.

"Elara left."

She touched her chest.

"And Dillan couldn’t accept it."

Dillan’s breathing slowed.

"So you were created because of her."

"Yes."

Mara interrupted.

"Not exactly."

Everyone turned.

Mara’s eyes were fixed on the Retained Self.

"She wasn’t created because Elara left."

"Then why?"

Mara looked at Dillan.

"She was created because Elara was the first person Dillan tried to make stay."

Dillan’s expression darkened.

"What happened?"

Celia answered.

"She chose to leave."

"And I let her?"

"Yes."

"Then why did I create the Retained Self?"

Celia hesitated.

"Because you regretted letting her go."

Dillan closed his eyes.

A memory surfaced.

A little boy beneath the oak tree.

Crying.

A girl walking away.

His hand reaching after her.

Then stopping.

And a sentence.

I let her choose.

The memory disappeared.

Dillan opened his eyes.

"I remember."

Celia looked at him.

"What?"

"I didn’t regret letting her leave."

Everyone became still.

"I regretted that I wanted her to stay."

The Retained Self stared at him.

Dillan continued.

"I was angry at myself because I wanted to control someone I loved."

Mara smiled faintly.

"That was the first lesson."

Dillan looked at her.

"But I failed it."

"No."

Mara shook her head.

"You learned it."

Celia’s expression suddenly changed.

"Dillan..."

"What?"

"The problem isn’t that Elara left."

She looked toward the dark horizon.

"It’s that she came back."

The air became cold.

Sasha immediately moved closer to Dillan.

"When?"

Celia didn’t answer.

Aurelia’s eyes narrowed.

"Celia."

Celia finally whispered:

"Three days after she left."

Dillan froze.

"Three days?"

"She came back beneath the oak tree."

"And?"

"She found you."

Dillan stared at her.

"What did she say?"

Celia’s face became pale.

"She asked you to make a choice."

Dillan’s heart began pounding.

"What choice?"

Celia looked directly into his eyes.

"The same one you’ve been avoiding ever since."

A low sound echoed through the forest.

Footsteps.

Everyone turned.

One step.

Then another.

Someone was approaching through the trees.

Sasha whispered:

"Someone’s coming."

Mara’s expression hardened.

"No."

Dillan looked at her.

"What?"

"She shouldn’t be here yet."

"Who?"

Mara stared into the darkness.

Then a woman stepped into the moonlight.

Long silver hair.

Pale eyes.

A familiar smile.

Dillan’s heart stopped.

He didn’t know her.

But something inside him did.

The woman looked directly at him.

"Hello, Dillan."

Celia whispered her name.

"Elara."

The woman smiled.

Then she looked at Sasha.

Then at the others.

Finally, her eyes returned to Dillan.

"I came back because you never answered me."

Dillan’s voice was barely audible.

"What did you ask?"

Elara’s smile disappeared.

She stepped closer.

"Which one of us were you willing to lose?"

Elara’s question hung beneath the oak tree.

"Which one of us were you willing to lose?"

Dillan stared at her.

"I don’t remember."

Elara’s expression softened.

"That was the problem."

Sasha stepped forward.

"Then tell him."

Elara looked at her.

"You really want him to remember?"

Sasha hesitated.

"Yes."

Elara’s gaze moved across the others.

"And when he remembers that someone had to be lost?"

Nobody answered.

Dillan stepped forward.

"Tell me."

Elara nodded.

"Then listen carefully."

The world around them darkened.

The oak tree remained.

But everything else disappeared.

A memory opened.

Young Dillan stood beneath the tree.

Elara stood in front of him.

Behind her were six silhouettes.

Sasha.

Aurelia.

Alina.

Dana.

Lyra.

Evelyn.

They weren’t children.

They were older.

Much older.

But their faces were hidden.

Dillan stared at the silhouettes.

"What is this?"

Elara answered:

"This is the choice you made."

She pointed toward them.

"You wanted to save everyone."

Dillan looked at the six figures.

"But you couldn’t."

A strange symbol appeared beneath his feet.

Six circles.

One empty.

Elara continued.

"So you asked me to decide."

Dillan looked at her.

"I asked you?"

"Yes."

"What did I say?"

Elara’s eyes became sad.

"You said..."

The memory played.

Young Dillan’s voice echoed beneath the tree.

"If I can’t save everyone, choose who survives."

Dillan’s face went pale.

"No."

Sasha stared at him.

Aurelia’s expression tightened.

Alina whispered:

"You asked someone else to make the choice."

Elara nodded.

"I refused."

The memory continued.

Elara stepped toward young Dillan.

"I won’t choose who deserves to live."

Young Dillan began crying.

"Then I’ll choose."

Elara shook her head.

"No."

"Why?"

"Because once you decide who gets saved..."

She touched his chest.

"...you will spend the rest of your life deciding who deserves to stay."

The memory shattered.

Dillan stumbled backward.

The Retained Self caught him.

He looked at Elara.

"What happened next?"

Elara looked toward Sasha.

"Sasha volunteered."

Sasha’s eyes widened.

"I did?"

"You didn’t know what you were volunteering for."

Elara continued.

"You simply saw Dillan breaking."

Sasha lowered her gaze.

"And you told him..."

Elara’s voice softened.

"Choose me."

Silence.

Dillan looked at Sasha.

"You said that?"

Sasha shook her head.

"I don’t remember."

"You weren’t supposed to."

Elara looked at Dillan.

"Because I stopped the choice."

Dillan’s expression hardened.

"How?"

"I erased the selection."

The System suddenly appeared.

[HISTORICAL MEMORY RESTORED.]

[ORIGINAL SELECTION EVENT: CONFIRMED.]

[PROPOSED SUBJECT: SASHA RUREN.]

[SELECTION: CANCELLED.]

[CANCELLATION AUTHORITY: ELARA.]

Dillan stared at the notification.

"You saved her."

Elara nodded.

"And in doing so..."

Her eyes shifted toward the Retained Self.

"...I created the first consequence."

The Retained Self lowered her head.

"I became the place where the rejected choice went."

Dillan’s eyes widened.

The Retained Self continued.

"Every choice you refused to make..."

She touched her chest.

"...came here."

Dillan finally understood.

The Locks weren’t simply storing memories.

They were storing choices he refused to make.

Every impossible decision.

Every sacrifice he couldn’t accept.

Every person he couldn’t bear to lose.

They had all been pushed somewhere.

Into her.

Into the Locks.

Into the System.

Into the world he had built around himself.

Dillan looked at Elara.

"So you didn’t leave because you wanted to."

Elara shook her head.

"I left because I knew what would happen if I stayed."

"What?"

"You would choose me."

Dillan’s eyes narrowed.

"And that would be wrong?"

"No."

Elara smiled sadly.

"It would simply be another choice you made because you were afraid."

Sasha stepped forward.

"And what did you want?"

Elara looked at her.

"I wanted him to choose me without fear."

Sasha’s expression softened.

"But he never got the chance."

"No."

Elara looked at Dillan.

"Because you never answered my question."

Dillan swallowed.

"What was it?"

Elara stepped closer.

Her eyes met his.

"If choosing one person means losing another..."

She paused.

"...will you still choose?"

Dillan couldn’t answer.

Not because he was afraid.

Because he finally understood.

There was no perfect answer.

No choice that saved everyone.

No System that could remove the consequence.

No Lock that could preserve every goodbye.

Then Sasha reached for his hand.

Not pulling.

Not forcing.

Simply offering it.

Aurelia did the same.

Then Alina.

Dana.

Lyra.

Evelyn.

One by one.

Not demanding that he choose them.

Only reminding him that they could choose too.

Dillan looked at their hands.

Then at Elara.

"I don’t know who I’ll lose."

Elara smiled.

"That isn’t the question anymore."

"What is?"

She stepped backward.

"The question is whether you’ll live honestly after losing them."

The oak tree began glowing.

The old System symbols disappeared from its bark.

In their place appeared a single sentence.

A CHOICE DOES NOT BECOME WRONG BECAUSE IT HAS A CONSEQUENCE.

Dillan stared at it.

Then the ground beneath Elara cracked.

She looked down.

Her expression changed.

"That’s not supposed to happen."

Dillan stepped toward her.

"Elara?"

A black mark spread across her wrist.

The same stitched-eye symbol appeared.

Mara’s face went pale.

"No..."

Elara looked at Dillan.

"I wasn’t supposed to remember this much."

The mark reached her shoulder.

The System suddenly returned for one final notification.

[EXTERNAL MEMORY CLAIM DETECTED.]

[TARGET: ELARA.]

[SOURCE: UNKNOWN.]

[WARNING: SOMEONE IS TRYING TO ERASE HER AGAIN.]

Elara looked at Dillan.

And for the first time since arriving...

she looked genuinely afraid.

"Dillan, don’t let me forget why I came back."

"Elara!"

Dillan lunged forward.

The black mark on Elara’s wrist spread across her skin like ink dropped into water.

She grabbed her arm.

"Don’t touch it!"

Dillan stopped.

"What’s happening?"

"I don’t know."

Mara stepped forward.

"I do."

Everyone looked at her.

Mara’s expression was grim.

"The memory claim has begun."

Sasha immediately moved beside Dillan.

"Then stop it."

"I can’t."

"Why?"

"Because it isn’t attacking her memories."

Mara looked at Elara.

"It’s attacking the reason she remembers them."

Elara’s eyes widened.

"No..."

The black mark reached her neck.

Her breathing became shallow.

Dillan stepped toward her again.

"What did you come back for?"

Elara stared at him.

"I..."

She froze.

Her expression became confused.

"I don’t..."

Dillan’s heart sank.

"Elara?"

She looked at him.

"Who are you?"

Silence.

Sasha’s eyes widened.

"It’s already working."

Dillan grabbed Elara’s shoulders.

"You came back for me."

Elara stared at him.

"Did I?"

"You said you came back because I never answered you."

Her expression remained blank.

"What question?"

Dillan’s stomach dropped.

Mara shouted:

"Don’t tell her!"

Dillan turned.

"Why?"

"Because the memory isn’t being erased normally."

Mara pointed toward Elara.

"It’s replacing the missing pieces with whatever answer you give her."

Dillan froze.

"So if I tell her why she came back..."

"She’ll believe it."

"And it might become false."

"Yes."

Elara looked between them.

"Dillan..."

Her voice trembled.

"I don’t know what I’m supposed to remember."

Dillan slowly released her shoulders.

"Then don’t remember yet."

Elara stared at him.

"What?"

"You don’t need to remember because I told you."

He stepped backward.

"You’ll remember when you’re ready."

The black mark stopped spreading.

Everyone froze.

Mara whispered:

"It stopped."

The System appeared.

[MEMORY CLAIM: INTERRUPTED.]

[SUBJECT: ELARA.]

[EXTERNAL INFLUENCE: TEMPORARILY REJECTED.]

[CAUSE: HOST REFUSED TO SUPPLY MEMORY.]

Dillan stared at the notification.

"I didn’t do anything."

Mara shook her head.

"You did exactly what you were supposed to."

Dillan looked at Elara.

"You gave her space to choose."

Sasha smiled faintly.

"He finally learned."

The black mark suddenly pulsed.

Elara screamed.

The darkness beneath her feet expanded.

A voice emerged from it.

"Then let her choose."

Dillan’s expression hardened.

"Who are you?"

The voice ignored him.

"Elara."

She looked down.

"If you remember, you will lose something."

Elara swallowed.

"What?"

"Yourself."

The ground cracked.

A black doorway opened beneath her.

Dillan reached for her.

Elara stepped back.

"Don’t."

He stopped.

She looked at him.

"I need to decide."

Dillan nodded.

"Then decide."

Elara stared into the darkness.

"What happens if I go?"

The voice answered.

"You will remember everything."

"And if I stay?"

"You will forget everything."

Sasha’s expression tightened.

"That isn’t a choice."

Dillan looked at her.

"No."

He looked at Elara.

"It’s a trap."

The voice became louder.

"THERE ARE ALWAYS CONSEQUENCES."

Dillan stepped forward.

"Then give her another option."

The darkness became still.

Mara looked at him.

"What are you doing?"

Dillan’s eyes remained fixed on the doorway.

"I’m not choosing for her."

He looked at Elara.

"But I’m not accepting a choice designed by whoever is hiding behind that door either."

Elara’s eyes widened.

"Then what do I choose?"

Dillan smiled faintly.

"You choose your own third option."

The darkness began shaking.

The voice screamed.

"THERE IS NO THIRD OPTION."

Dillan answered calmly.

"Then I’ll make one."

The System flashed.

[WITNESS AUTHORITY: REACTIVATING.]

[UNSUPPORTED CHOICE DETECTED.]

[THIRD OPTION: AVAILABLE.]

A white door appeared beside the black doorway.

No handle.

No lock.

No System symbol.

Just a blank surface.

Elara stared at it.

"What is that?"

Dillan looked at her.

"A choice nobody gave you."

Elara stepped toward it.

The black mark on her body began disappearing.

The voice behind the darkness screamed.

"NO!"

Elara placed her hand against the white door.

"I choose to remember..."

She looked back at Dillan.

"...but I refuse to become the person I was."

The door opened.

A flood of white light consumed her.

The black doorway collapsed.

The voice vanished.

Silence returned.

Dillan waited.

"Elara?"

No answer.

The light disappeared.

Elara was gone.

Sasha grabbed Dillan’s hand.

"Dillan..."

He stared at the empty space.

Then a small piece of paper drifted down.

He caught it.

Three words were written on it.

I REMEMBER NOW.

Dillan turned it over.

There was another sentence.

His face went pale.

AND I REMEMBER WHO ERASED ME.

Behind him, every Lock opened simultaneously.

And somewhere far away...

someone whispered:

"She remembered too soon."