The world around him seemed to freeze.Even the air itself felt suspended.
Lin touched the glowing mark left behind by the fragment on his interface.Instantly—everything shifted.
A white void.Then… an expanse of black sand.No sky. No end.A world outside of time. A reminiscence.
[Special Quest "Anomalous Reminiscence" – Step 1: Echoes of Sand]
An ancient circle formed beneath his feet, and a voice echoed—familiar, soft, yet laced with challenge:
"You remember me, don't you? We almost destroyed this world together."
Lin narrowed his eyes. That tone…
"Lior."
Flash – brief, fragmented
Two figures atop a black spire, towering above an inverted sea.Lior—laughing, radiant, a control-obsessed madman.Always behind Lin… but never far behind.
Together, they had shaped an impossible world.A world Lin had been the first to leave.A world Lior had kept modifying...until it collapsed.
"I left fragments. Not out of hope—out of instinct.""If you find them all… maybe you'll understand what I saw. What we really are."
In this dream-memory, a pillar rose—Made of sand and memory.
Lin approached.
[Lior Fragment – 1/7 Recovered][Memory Assimilated: The Unspoken Pact]
Passive bonus gained: +5% Emotional Impact ResonanceNote: "You're still missing pieces. But you already know you're different… don't you?"
Lin opened his eyes.He was back in his central chamber.
"This isn't just a quest… It's a test. A message. A provocation."
He inhaled deeply.
Then—A deep echo resonated throughout the dungeon.
[Presence Detected. Exploration Group Approaching.][Name: The Iron Arrows – Avg Level: 22 – Composition: 6 Members]
He smiled—this time with intent.
"Good. Let's see what they're made of."
Yet part of him remained caught in Lior's words:
You thought you were alone?You were just the first to understand.