"I'll find out when I leave? Why won't you just tell me?"
A light sigh escaped him.
The mysterious being offered no further answers, so he turned the problem over in his mind.
'Whatever the case, this being isn't interested in holding me here. Leaving shouldn't be an issue.'But the warning about danger beyond this place gnawed at him.
'I'll have to face the unknown outside… figure out how to recover my memories.'
Then, as if remembering—or rather realizing something—he turned to face the statue and asked,
"Lady Gaia, you said that helping me discover my identity will take time—"
Lightly coughing from the pain, a reply came promptly.
[ Yes. ]
…
"I-I see... I understand."
'So that means... there's hope.'
"Lady Gaia, I plan to leave. How should I reach you... when I find out information about my identity?"
Just then, another thought passed through his mind.
'How will they figure out my identity? Now that I think about it, isn't all of this too strange?'
Waking up in the middle of a ruined building, then finding myself talking to a mysterious being
who isn't physically present...
Is Lady Gaia the ghost of this place?
Is it right to trust them?
They haven't shown any hostility—just answered my questions. But that could be a trick to lure me into a trap.
[ Place your hands on the base of the statue... You will receive the key to reach me. ]
'A key?'
Approaching the statue, he hesitated.
But the voice snapped him out of his thoughts.
[ Are you not going to question me? ]
"...!!"
"What do you mean?" As he asked, his mind couldn't help but be filled with apprehension.
[ You believe every word I say... Are you not worried that I might secretly harbour ill intentions? ]
He froze.
'Shit! Have I been too cooperative? Was she actually testing me?'
Many thoughts swirled in his mind as he tried to piece together a response.
"I—"
Screeeechhhhhhh
A close yet distant screeching noise interrupted him.
[ Hm? She seems to have noticed... ]
The feminine voice seemed to whisper to herself. And with that whisper, all the air around him grew still—literally. The dim beam of light that illuminated the surroundings allowed him to see particles frozen in place, unmoving.
"What do you mean? Who noticed?" Looking around, he felt nothing. There wasn't any movement he could detect. As for the sound, he had a strange feeling—it hadn't come from anywhere near him. It was hard to describe.
He wanted to ask, but he couldn't. More accurately, his mind was failing him. Since waking up in this strange place, he had found it difficult to think.
The very act of thinking felt exhausting—especially when trying to analyze his surroundings, calculate survival, or formulate theories.
And now, after a sudden question and such an abrupt change, he was failing to think.
[ Time is of the essence, Nameless One. I will bestow upon you what you need. ]
He decided to set aside his doubts and chose to trust the mysterious entity. For now, it was the only thing that felt right.
"What—?" Before he could finish,
[ Come forth before the statue, and place your hand on its base... ]
he was interrupted again. This time, instead of simply accepting it, frustration welled up inside him.
'Let me finish, will you!?' he thought.
Clearing his mind, he stepped forward and placed his hand on the base of the statue.
He could now see more clearly—his eyes adjusted to the dark, and being close to the dim light helped. He could make out more details on the statue.
The woman carved from perfect marble stood on a cube-shaped base. Where her face should have been, the surface was left smooth and blank. The statue wore a very simple chiton, carved so precisely it could be mistaken for real cloth. It vividly outlined her figure.
While marveling at the craftsmanship, he almost failed to notice the red and green glowing particles beginning to shimmer.
"Huh?!"
He nearly pulled his hand away from the statue when a monotone voice warned him.
[ Do not let go. ]
He stopped himself just in time. Then, he heard something whisper in his ear.
: I see what you don't see, I hear what you do not hear :
And with that whisper, an inexplicable weight fell upon his shoulders.
Ugh!!
"Lady… Gaia… what's… going… ONNNN!!!!!"
A gut-wrenching scream burst from him with full fury. The pain in his throat no longer mattered; the agony he felt far surpassed anything he could bear.
[ Heed my advice, O Nameless One. Do not be swayed by the whispers of the moon. ]
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!"
[ For it will bring you nothing but misfortune. ]
He collapsed to the floor, writhing in excruciating pain that felt as though it were peeling the skin from his very soul.
The shadow-filled room was now illuminated.
The colorful red and green particles rising from the statue's base began to converge into a glowing ball of light.
It continued to grow in size until it reached that of a watermelon. Once all the statue's particles had been absorbed, more began to rise—this time from his body.
Greyish-white particles drifted up from him. With each passing moment, his agonized screams grew fainter until none remained—only shallow gasps.
The ball of light remained still. Nothing happened.
A moment passed.
Then another.
And then suddenly, the ball burst into a myriad of colors, followed by a beam of light that exploded from the statue's base, shooting through the roof in a straight line and reaching toward the heavens.
Another explosion followed. The beam split into multiple streams of light that spread across the sky, stretching far beyond the horizon like rivers.
The night sky, once devoid of stars, was illuminated in an aurora of color—shades of green, red, yellow, blue, and purple.
[ This is the most I can give you... I look forward to meeting you again. ]
And with those final words, the voice disappeared.
He heard her last words, but he couldn't speak. He couldn't ask what was happening—or what she had given him.
He turned his gaze to the rising pillar of light. He couldn't move.Gasping, barely conscious, he watched the glowing beam, when suddenly, a name surfaced in his mind.
It wasn't something he knew—it felt as if it had been forced into his mind. He muttered the name before passing out.
Song Of Atlas ]