In the depths of Valis, where the rays of the
sun had not touched for a very long time, and where no human voice had echoed to be remembered, there was a room resembling ancient tombs… a room prepared with extreme care, as if it were waiting for a specific moment to restore life to what lay inside it.
Inside a transparent crystal coffin, a young man was silently struggling to regain consciousness.
His limbs could barely move, and every small attempt to lift a hand or move a leg sent a piercing cold sensation through his bones, as if time itself had frozen within him.
He was not fully conscious yet.
His mind was empty… frighteningly empty. No memories, no thoughts, not even a clear question about his condition. Everything he did was purely instinctive, like someone drowning in a deep sea, flailing his arms with no goal other than survival.
After long moments of that silent suffering, the crystal coffin suddenly opened, as if it had finally responded to his desperate will.
The young man collapsed to his knees on the cold floor.
The first real sensation that pierced his body was pain… sharp, throbbing pain that reminded him he was still alive.
He slowly opened his eyes.
Dim green lights emanated from the walls of the entire room, giving it a strange and suspicious atmosphere. He tried to comprehend what he was seeing when he heard a calm voice coming directly from behind him:
"Finally, you've awakened, Rein."
"Who… are you?"
The young man—who was beginning to realize that his name was Rein—looked with deep confusion at the one standing before him.
A young man approximately his age, with bright blond hair and finely sculpted noble features, yet he carried a dignity and composure that did not match his years. He seemed vaguely familiar… and yet this was the first encounter Rein clearly remembered.
In those few seconds, dozens of questions exploded in his mind at once:
I am Rein… alright, that is clear now.
But where am I?
Why does this person know me?
Who exactly is he?
Why don't I remember anything… at all?
Did I truly lose my memory?
"I am Arthur.
And this is the last time I will allow you to forget my name."
There was a slight trace of annoyance in Arthur's voice, mixed with something deeper… perhaps an old pain.
"Where are we?"
Rein asked in the tone of a lost child looking toward a teacher he trusts.
At that moment, Arthur seemed to be the only person capable of filling the terrifying void in his head.
"Is your memory that weak?
Forget the questions for now… let's get out of here."
Arthur walked confidently toward a massive black door facing the coffin. On both sides of the door were circular placements for hands. Arthur placed his palm in one of them without hesitation.
Rein looked at him with a mixture of surprise and slight disappointment.
He had expected something more mysterious… a complex ritual… but it seemed disappointingly ordinary.
Nevertheless, whenever he tried to think about his situation, a strange fear overwhelmed him. The idea that he had no memory to rely on—not even a clear idea of what was happening—made him question the reality of what he was experiencing.
And the only person who seemed to understand… was difficult to deal with, somewhat cold.
"Alright…"
Rein could barely lift his body.
As soon as he stood, he felt a slight dizziness and severe muscular weakness, as if his limbs had not been used for years.
How much time had passed while he was confined inside that crystal coffin?
The questions did not end… they multiplied.
He placed his hand in the second slot.
Suddenly, a heavy and deep sound echoed from outside the room. The walls shook violently.
Rein did not understand what was happening… was placing his hand the cause?
He looked at Arthur: his face was completely calm, his gaze confident and slightly cold.
"It seems the room we are in… is an elevator," Arthur said calmly.
The sound gradually faded until it disappeared completely.
Then the door slowly opened.
Rein looked at Arthur from head to toe, as if trying to read his intentions.
This was the first human being he knew in his new life.
And the only question that dominated his thoughts was: would he be a friend… or an enemy?
---
As soon as the door opened, a long corridor stretched before them, swallowing sight itself, with no clear end visible in the dark horizon.
The same dim green lights emanated from the walls, casting long and strange shadows on the glossy floor.
The corridor was unusually wide, wide enough for twenty men to walk side by side without feeling crowded.
They began walking slowly at first.
Time passed… and fatigue began creeping into Rein's body quickly.
His body, which had just awakened, was not yet accustomed to movement. His muscles tightened with each step, and his breathing became uneven.
How much time had passed since he stepped outside the coffin?
Perhaps two full hours of continuous walking in this endless corridor… or perhaps more. Time here seemed distorted, stretching and shrinking according to its own will.
Just as Rein was thinking about sitting down, even for a moment of rest, something began to appear at the edge of his vision: another door.
A faint surge of hope forced him to keep walking, despite the fact that his feet were nearly failing him.
When they arrived, the door was almost identical to the first: a glossy black surface and two hand placements on either side.
They placed their hands at the same time.
The door opened quietly, revealing a massive circular hall, as though it were the heart of a colossal structure.
Surrounding the hall from all sides were enormous stone statues of warriors carrying various weapons: swords, spears, shields, bows… Each statue seemed as though it were watching the newcomers with empty stone eyes.
The walls were covered with intricate carvings and ancient drawings that appeared to tell a long story, but Rein could not understand them yet.
In the exact center of the hall stood five individuals wearing long black robes, their faces hidden behind masks shaped like different birds.
Two stood at the front: the first wore a shiny black raven mask, his eyes glimmering through narrow openings. The second wore an owl mask, with sharp yet calm features.
When Rein's gaze settled on them, he felt his heartbeat accelerate.
The questions crowded his mind again, but his tongue did not utter a single word.
"It seems you have finally awakened," said the one wearing the owl mask in a calm, deep voice devoid of any apparent hostility, yet carrying undeniable weight.
"Step forward… we will guide you to your next destination."
Rein immediately looked at Arthur.
Arthur was clearly tense now, his body rigid, his eyes moving cautiously between the masked figures.
Neither of them took a step.
Suddenly… without Rein noticing how it happened, the owl-masked man was standing right in front of them, only one step away.
Rein was startled and instinctively stepped back, but a strong hand grabbed his shoulder from behind, preventing him from retreating further.
At that same moment, Arthur lunged forward and threw a powerful punch toward the owl's face, but the latter avoided it with a smooth, calculated movement, then seized Arthur's shoulder with an iron grip.
"Do not be afraid," the owl said in the same unsettling calm tone, his voice neither rising nor falling.
"If I had wanted to kill you, moving a single finger would have been enough… and you would both be corpses by now."
At that moment, he released a strange kind of pressure—not entirely physical, but more like psychological weight—that both Rein and Arthur felt in their chests, as if the air itself had grown heavier.
"Fine… we will follow what you say, elder," Arthur said, his eyes fixed sharply on the owl, though he did not attempt further resistance.
The owl slowly released his grip.
They stepped together toward the center of the hall.
Meanwhile, the one wearing the raven mask took out a small remote control device from beneath his robe and pressed a single button.
A violent sound echoed above, like a distant explosion.
Then the ceiling of the hall began to crack and widen gradually… until it became a vast opening revealing the sky.
Sunlight entered for the first time—bright, almost burning after all that darkness.
Suddenly Rein felt his body becoming strangely light… floating.
He looked down and saw his feet truly lifting from the ground. Astonishment covered his face.
He and Arthur rose together, slowly at first and then faster, until they exited through the opening and reached a high rooftop.
At first the place seemed ordinary… but upon a second look, Rein realized he was standing on the edge of an extremely tall building overlooking an entire city stretching beneath his feet like a living painting.
He approached the edge cautiously, his heart pounding.
Before him lay a city clearly divided into two halves, as if a giant blade had split it into two completely opposing sections.
The North: towering glass skyscrapers piercing the clouds, shining beneath soft golden lights. Streets as clean as mirrors, hanging gardens cascading from wide balconies like green waterfalls. Luxurious vehicles gliding in perfect silence, fountains dancing in white marble squares. The people there wore carefully designed elegant clothing, their faces calm, their hands soft, untouched by hard labor. Everything looked perfect… as if pain and poverty did not exist in this half.
The South: an entirely different world. Buildings crammed together, their walls cracked and their colors faded by time and neglect. Narrow alleys carrying the smell of dampness, smoke, and metal. Electrical wires tangled overhead like a giant black spiderweb. Noise never ceased: vendors shouting, the sound of blacksmiths' hammers, children crying, guards' whistles. The air was heavy, suffocating. Tired faces, eyes burning… either with desperate hope or suppressed anger. These people worked in factories that fed the North's luxury, receiving nothing but scraps.
Between the two halves stood a colossal black steel wall, stretching like a long wound across the heart of the city. Only one gate pierced it, heavily guarded. The people of the South called it "The Wall of Silence"… because it did not merely block sight, but suffocated voices before they could reach the other side.
The sight was breathtaking.
Class division was declared openly here, screaming, needing no explanation.
"In your opinion… what is the cause of all this, Rein?" Arthur asked calmly from behind him.
"The corrupt authority… the rulers?" Rein answered.
"No… it is the people themselves."
Arthur's voice carried a strange sadness, as if he were speaking from deep personal experience.
"Arthur… do you have any idea what is happening to us exactly?"
Rein tried to seize the moment to obtain answers.
"Rein… did you truly lose your memory?"
Arthur smiled a cold, mocking smile, as though he were a completely different person from the one who had spoken sympathetically before.
Rein looked at him with even greater confusion.
"It seems there is some kind of justice in this life," Arthur continued, the sarcasm never leaving his lips.
While Rein was trying to understand what was going on in Arthur's mind, the owl-masked man approached them slowly.
"There is a small procedure we must ensure you are ready for. You may refuse, of course… but it would be better not to."
He was looking directly at Rein, as though the words were meant only for him.
Rein concluded that he was the intended one.
Had he been listening to their conversation the entire time?
He asked about the nature of the procedure. He hesitated briefly… then accepted.
Arthur, however, refused immediately, with a sharp look.
What Rein understood was that this procedure was closer to a "special rehabilitation"… a kind of preparation for the world he would face.
---
The owl-masked man took Rein away from Arthur without further words.
Arthur remained standing in place, watching silently, his eyes carrying a mixture of anger and caution, but he did not attempt to interfere.
The owl led Rein toward the northern side of the city.
They passed through a massive checkpoint in the dividing wall. The owl took out a thin, shiny metallic card and passed it in front of a scanning device. The gate opened silently without any questions from the guards.
Rein looked at him with concealed astonishment: this man had significant influence here… influence beyond merely a mask and a black robe.
The streets of the North flowed with ideal calmness.
Luxury vehicles glided with electric silence, no engine noise, no congestion. Metro stations appeared every few hundred meters, their transparent glass doors opening automatically for pedestrians.
People walked in orderly steps, dressed elegantly, their faces calm as though they were part of a painted masterpiece. Rein had never seen—or at least did not remember seeing—such order and beauty.
After ten minutes of walking, they stopped in front of a towering hotel building with a curved glass façade reflecting golden sunlight.
"We have arrived."
The owl stepped toward the main entrance. It opened automatically as soon as they approached, as though the building itself recognized him.
The moment Rein stepped inside the hall, he was enveloped by a light fragrance—a mixture of precious wood, fresh flowers, and soft leather.
The hall was relatively medium in size, yet luxurious: white marble flooring, slender golden columns, light-colored leather sofas, and soft lighting emanating from the ceiling as if it were natural light.
Behind the reception desk stood… a robot.
An elegant metallic body, a screen-face displaying a warm, formal smile, and a soft mechanical voice welcoming them.
Rein was astonished once more but tried to conceal it.
The owl led him directly to a glass elevator at the end of the hall.
He took out the same card and passed it before a hidden scanner in the wall. Additional buttons appeared on the screen—numbers marked with negative signs.
He pressed one. The elevator moved smoothly downward. Rein clearly felt that they were descending.
"Who exactly are you?" Rein wondered internally, reevaluating the masked man before him.
Each step revealed another layer of mystery.
The elevator stopped after a few minutes.
The doors opened to a long corridor illuminated with faint blue lights, its metallic walls smooth and completely silent.
The owl led him into a relatively simple room compared to what he had seen above: a comfortable chair in the center, a large screen mounted on the wall, and a shiny black helmet placed beside the chair on a small table.
"Sit."
Rein sat slowly, his heart beating faster now.
The owl took out a small metallic chip from his pocket, inserted it into a side slot in the helmet, and adjusted its settings with precise fingers.
While he was occupied, Rein thought about everything that had happened since he opened his eyes inside the coffin.
The emptiness in his head hurt more than any physical wound.
Every decision, every step, every word… felt imposed on him from the outside. He felt his weakness drowning him like waves, as if he were a puppet in someone else's hand.
After a few minutes, the owl handed him the helmet.
"Put it on."
Rein put it on hesitantly.
Complete darkness for seconds… then a burst of bright white light filled his vision.
A virtual character appeared before him: an elegant robot with a calm voice, beginning to explain carefully prepared information created by the owl himself.
The owl had observed Rein's reactions throughout the journey: astonishment, confusion, suppressed fear, inability to adapt quickly.
He realized the memory loss was real and profound, and that the outside world would appear completely alien to him. Therefore, he designed this session to provide him with the basics quickly: the shape of the world, class division, daily technology, fundamental laws, and even common terminology.
The session lasted two full hours.
The information was diverse and abundant, covering multiple aspects without excessive depth in any single area.
When the screen finally shut off, the owl gently removed the helmet.
Rein exhaled deeply, as though he had just awakened from a long dream.
His head was spinning from the amount of information, but for the first time, he felt that he understood something about the world he had awakened into.
"If you have questions… ask them now."
Rein smiled faintly at the owl.
He felt a genuine longing for answers that might bring him closer to his lost memory, but he did not know where to begin.
"Who am I? What is my origin? Why was I in that coffin? Why does Arthur treat me as an enemy? Why are you doing all this for me?"
Suddenly the owl interrupted calmly:
"In fact… after further consideration, I have decided not to answer your questions.
I will tell you only what I can—and what I am permitted—to say."
Rein was astonished and began to feel something like doubt: was he merely a tool in some experiment?
"All you need to know now is that you and twelve other individuals are being carefully prepared to enter the outside world.
You have seen—through the helmet—that our world is confined to only twenty cities, closed, with no exit for the general population… whereas you possess a special ability that allows you to leave with relative ease.
As for your memory… you did not lose it due to an accident or illness.
Its loss was intentional. It happened because someone wanted it exactly that way.
And therefore… I do not have the authority to oppose that decision. I cannot tell you about your origin, your past, or anything else that someone does not wish you to know.
We will stop here.
Consider what I have provided you today a service… a great service.
And one day… you will have to pay its price."