How much… Will he remember?"
A man with striking blue hair lifted his gaze from the tablet in his hand, his sharp, dignified features tightening in a poorly concealed expression of exasperation. His long, elegant fingers drummed idly against the device's edge, the rhythmic tapping the only telling sign of his dwindling patience.
He exhaled—slowly—before speaking, his voice low and measured, laced with an edge that warned his generosity was running dangerously thin.
"…He will remember you, at the very least."
The dim lights flickered, casting shadows across the lifeless body before them. Slowly, a figure approached, their steps hesitant yet deliberate. With trembling fingers, they reached out, brushing their hand against the icy curve of his pale face—a ghost of a touch, reverent and aching.
"I see… Well… I'm sorry."
Their hand lingered a second longer before shifting instead to the golden orb cradled in their palm. A faint hum resonated from within, yet the body before them remained still.
Unmoved. Motionless.
Lifeless.
The weight of that truth pressed down on them, carving an unbearable sorrow deep into their chest.
"...The time has come," they whispered, the words barely audible—a fragile thread of sound lost in the heavy air. Slowly, they pressed the orb against his chest, golden light spilling from their fingertips, casting an ethereal glow against his lifeless skin.
"It's time to wake up from this dream. I cannot allow you to sleep any longer."
The light flared, swallowing the surrounding darkness whole.
With one final, decisive push, the orb sank into his body, vanishing without a trace.
The figure stepped back, eyes clouded with a storm of unspoken emotions.
"Wake up."
Color.
A flood of red, yellow, and blue burst into view, swirling in chaos—shifting, spinning, overwhelming.
Shapes blurred together. Muffled voices rose and fell in a distant echo. Sensations tangled into an intangible haze.
No… that wasn't right.
There was a voice—one voice.
A voice that cut through the noise like a thread through fabric.
Familiar. Unmistakable. Undeniable.
Through the blurred edges of his vision, his gaze landed on… something. Something familiar, something he was sure he could never forget, yet—
"Who…who are you?"
A man emerged from the haze, his silhouette edged in red, flickering like a dying ember. Gradually, the color deepened, shifting from a muted glow to something vivid. Shapes and details bled into clarity—the curve of a shoulder, the fall of fabric, the subtle rise and fall of breath—until the once-shadowed form stood before him, burning, unmistakable, and hauntingly familiar.
No—that wasn't right either.
It was more than familiar. It was something woven into the very fabric of his being. Something that clung to the edges of his mind like a half-remembered dream.
But… who?
Something flickered across the man's face—brief, elusive— like a shadow passing through candlelight.
Why?
A quiet breath escaped the man's lips— weak, fragile… like that question had shattered something inside of him.
"I am—" He paused. A thought. A hesitation. A choice. "…No, It's not important."
"Listen—You are disoriented right now," he said. "You don't know who you are, why you're here, or where you need to go. You see me, and I feel familiar—but you don't know why. You don't even know if you should trust me
He paused again.
"… It doesn't matter. Because I'm leaving you… And you… you will be all alone."
No.
The boy's mouth opened, but no sound came out.
He tried to speak—to say something, anything
But only silence accompanied him.
"You will face hardships," the man continued, his voice steady despite the sorrow lingering in his gaze. "But you will also witness many wonderful things—You will meet people who will become irreplaceable to you. You will make memories, and embark on a journey far longer than you could ever imagine. And when it all comes to an end… you will find the answers you seek.
The boy struggled—But he couldn't move. He couldn't speak. He couldn't stop this.
"This is the future he sees for you," the man murmured. "How do you like it?"
I hate it. Not without you. Don't leave me.
Please.
"…Listen to me, no matter what he foresees, the right to your future is yours alone. Every decision you make—that is your freedom, your choice. Never let anyone steal that from you."
A single footstep struck the floor, its sharp echo slicing through the silence.
A man with blue hair stood to the side, his posture straight and dignified, exuding an air of quiet authority. He calmly pinched the bridge of his nose with an exasperated sigh.
"Are you about done?" he muttered, his voice laced with quiet disdain as he shot a sharp glare at the red-clad figure. "According to him— they will be arriving any second now. We'd do well to stay out of their way"
The man's lips curled into an amused grin—sharp, teasing, as though savoring a private joke.
"Kyahahaha! Yes, yes, of course I am aware, MeruMeru~"
But the mirth never touched his eyes. Never reached the corners of his lips.
"Just… give me one more moment."
The man reached out, fingers threading through the boy's hair—soft, familiar. A gesture so effortlessly affectionate that it shattered whatever barrier he had fought so desperately to maintain. Like he could see straight through the thoughts that were bound to the boy in silence.
And the boy could tell.
That look.
That touch.
The man was slipping away.
His hand trembled, reaching for the figure that was just out of his grasp.
"I have to go now," the man said softly. "Someone will come for you soon... Follow them."
The edges of the world began to blur, like watercolors bleeding across a canvas. The once-sharp lines of the room softened, fading into muted haze.
"You won't remember anything," he murmured, his voice barely above a whisper.
"Except me."
His words lingered—fragile, like a long broken promise.
No—Wait.
You are—
"…b—brother…"
For a moment, the man's expression twisted—raw, fleeting. He closed his eyes, turned away—paused—looked back—and he smiled.
A broken, bittersweet smile.
"When the time comes to make your own choice…"
His voice wavered.
"Make one you will never regret."
He was gone.
And with him, the color drained from the world, leaving behind nothing but the cold embrace of darkness.