Everything about the city of Halcyon was... perfect.
Clean sidewalks. Well-trimmed trees. The weather that always seemed pre-set to comfort. Smiles that lasted just a little too long. Compliments that came too easily.
Aethan Vale knew he had it good. His grades were top of the class, he had no financial worries, and everyone around him adored him. He lived in a top-floor apartment, went to the most prestigious academy in the district, and could walk into any room and command attention with nothing more than a glance.
But sometimes, at night, when everything was quiet and even his breathing seemed too controlled, a strange question crept into his mind.
"Is this... really all there is?"
Monday. 7:42 AM.
Aethan walked into the Crestfall Academy courtyard. Students in neatly pressed uniforms flowed in from the gates, their chatter light and lively.
"Morning, Aethan!"
"You crushed that chem test again, right?"
"Are you joining the council this semester?"
Same voices. Same faces. Same smiles. Always him in the center of it all.
He nodded back, replying with the perfect mix of charm and humility.
A few girls giggled behind him. A pair of guys whispered about asking him for training tips. Teachers smiled at him like he was the future president.
Aethan smiled back.
But the feeling wouldn't leave him: This is too much. Too perfect. Too polished.
Sometimes it felt like everyone was acting. Like they were all reading from a well-rehearsed script — and he was the star they revolved around.
But why?
During lunch, Aethan sat under the sakura tree in the courtyard — his usual spot.
He opened his bento box, arranged like a professional chef had made it.
He didn't remember who sent it. He always got one. Every day.
Across the lawn, the school's top athletes were practicing. Behind him, students talked about clubs. Yet, even in this crowd, he felt... alone.
He caught himself staring at a flock of birds above. They flew in a perfect V formation.
Too perfect.
Classes passed. Afternoon turned to dusk. The same routine, the same praise.
When Aethan got home that evening, he dropped his bag by the door and flopped onto the couch. The cityscape glowed outside his window — neon and warm and lively.
But he didn't feel like part of it.
He didn't feel anything at all.
"I'm losing it," he murmured.
Then, the lights in his apartment flickered.
Once.Twice.
And went out.
He sat up, eyes narrowing.
Then the air before him shimmered — cracking like glass under pressure — and something appeared.
A floating screen.
Dim gold, pulsing softly. Lines of energy forming symbols he didn't recognize.
✦✦✦ SYSTEM REBOOT DETECTED ✦✦✦
🜂 Chosen One Emergency Protocol: ACTIVE
🜂 Analyzing Host…→ Name: Aethan Vale→ Condition: CURSED (Divine Class)
🜂 Curse Detected: "God's Abandonment"→ Description: Total erasure of memory and power→ Adaptive Layer: Prevents awareness of supernatural systems
🜂 Attempting to Dispel…❌ FAILED – Curse too deeply embedded✅ PARTIAL DISPERSION: Memory Lock [Layer 1] Broken
Aethan's mouth went dry. "What is this?"
He reached toward the screen. It flickered in response to his proximity, the symbols shifting like they recognized him.
Then came the warning.
🜂 ⚠ Curse Adaptation TriggeredNew Curse Condition Added:→ "If any individual discovers you remember the truth, you will NEVER recover your powers."
🜂 Time Until Complete Recovery: 4 Years
🜂 Initiating Memory Recovery Protocol...
🔹 Phase 1: Passive Recall via Sleep→ Method: Dream State Reconnection→ Triggered by emotional resonance
Remember: The mind forgets nothing. The heart buries what it cannot bear.
✦ SYSTEM HIBERNATING ✦🜂 Next Activation: 7 Days
Then — silence.
The screen vanished like dust in the wind.
The lights turned back on. The hum of the fridge resumed. The faint ticking of the kitchen clock filled the silence.
Aethan stood still for a long time.
"...Okay."
He wasn't sure what he'd just seen. It felt real. It looked real. But it also felt... wrong. Impossible. Like it shouldn't have been allowed to exist in the world he lived in.
And yet… it didn't feel new.
It felt like something that had been waiting.
Deep inside him.
That night, Aethan lay in bed, staring at the ceiling.
"A curse? Memory loss? Powers?"
He chuckled bitterly.
"I must be dreaming already."
He closed his eyes.
And dreamed.
The world inside the dream was burning.
But Aethan wasn't in it.
He was watching — floating above it like a ghost tethered to a memory.
In the middle of the destruction stood a boy. Younger than him. Maybe eleven. Maybe thirteen
Raven hair. Golden eyes. Fire flickering around his hands.
A child. Him.
Surrounded by crumbling buildings. Screams. Shadows twisting in the smoke.
The boy stood between a collapsing tower and a group of people — some crying, some unconscious.
And opposite him... a monster.
It had wings of broken light. A halo of molten metal. Its body was void — shifting between armor and smoke.
It opened its mouth and spoke with a voice like thunder and wind:
"You are the last obstacle. Kill me, and you bear the curse."
The boy — Aethan's younger self — looked scared.
But only for a moment.
He took a step forward.
"If I don't… you'll kill them."
"Yes."
"Then fine. Curse me."
The child raised a hand. Energy surged. Symbols lit the ground beneath him.
And then he attacked — not with rage, but with resolve.
He struck true.
And the moment the monster collapsed — a wave of darkness swept through the world like an explosion of ink in water.
Everything blurred.
Aethan jolted awake.
Chest heaving. Sheets drenched in sweat.
Morning light spilled across the floor.
His alarm hadn't even gone off yet.
He sat up, wiping his face.
"…That wasn't just a dream."
He didn't remember that moment in his real life. But it felt real. His heart still raced with fear — with guilt.
He walked to the bathroom and stared at himself in the mirror.
Same face. Same eyes.
But behind them… something else.
A shadow of something forgotten.
He opened his mouth to speak, then stopped. Even alone, he didn't want to say it out loud.
Didn't want to risk... whatever the screen had warned him about.
"If anyone finds out you remember…"
He wasn't sure what was going on.
But one thing was certain.
He'd been someone else before.
And that version of him had made a promise.
To save them.
Even if it meant being cursed forever.