The golden memory felt warm in Kai's hands. As soon as he touched it, images began to flash in his mind. He saw things he had never seen before.
The building around him started to disappear. The older Kai vanished too. Now Kai stood in a different place. He was seeing the memory from 300 years ago.
The sky was dark red. Huge machines flew through the air. They looked like giant metal birds with glowing eyes. Below them, cities burned. People ran and screamed.
"This is the Memory War," a voice said in his head. It was the older Kai's voice. "Watch carefully. Learn the truth."
Kai saw soldiers in white uniforms. They carried strange weapons that could erase memories from people's minds. When they shot someone, that person would fall down and forget everything. They forgot their names, their families, their whole lives.
"The Memory Erasers won that war," the voice explained. "They made everyone forget it happened. They rewrote history. They made people believe the world was always peaceful."
Kai watched in horror as entire cities forgot themselves. Children forgot their parents. Parents forgot their children. The white soldiers collected all the erased memories in giant machines.
"But why?" Kai asked.
"Control," the voice answered. "If people don't remember the bad times, they can't learn from them. They can't fight back. The Memory Erasers rule by making people forget they were ever free."
The vision began to fade. Kai found himself back in the dark building. But now he was alone. The older Kai was gone. Only a note remained on the ground.
Kai picked up the note. It said: "Find the Memory Keepers. They hide in the Underground City. Tell them you have the Golden Memory. Trust no one else."
Sudenly, Kai heard footsteps outside. Many footsteps. The Memory Erasers had found him. He put the golden memory in his pocket and ran toward the back of the building.
He had to escape. He had to find the Memory Keepers. The fate of all memories depended on it.