Fragments of Oblivion: Lost Memories

Elias woke to a sharp sting on his cheek, followed by the sound of rain dripping through unseen cracks. His eyes fluttered open, and for a moment, the world was a blur of gray and muted light. His head throbbed, a dull ache that pulsed in rhythm with his heartbeat.

"Finally," a voice muttered, low and sharp. "I thought you were dead. Would've made this easier."

He blinked, his vision sharpening on the figure crouched over him. The woman from the alley. Her hood was pulled back now, revealing sharp, angular features and eyes that glinted with something too intense to be human. She leaned closer, her expression hovering between curiosity and irritation.

"Get up," she said, her voice as sharp as her features. "We don't have time for you to lie around."

Elias groaned, pushing himself upright. His body felt heavy, like it was dragging something unseen with it. He glanced around, expecting to see the shattered concrete of the alley, the remnants of the shadow creature. But instead, he found himself in a small, dark room, its walls lined with jagged cracks that glowed faintly blue. The air smelled of damp stone and something metallic, sharp and unfamiliar.

"What… where am I?" he muttered, his voice hoarse.

The woman stood, crossing her arms as she regarded him. "Not where you think you are," she said cryptically. "And definitely not when you think you are."

Elias blinked, the words bouncing off his mind without sticking. "What does that mean? Where's the alley? The storm? The… thing?" His hands clenched involuntarily as the memory of the shadow creature surfaced, vivid and raw.

"It wasn't real," she said, her tone matter-of-fact. "Well, not entirely real. Think of it as a reflection—a warped one."

Elias stared at her, his confusion mounting. "That doesn't make any sense."

"It doesn't have to," she replied, her voice laced with impatience. "Not yet. You're standing in two worlds now, whether you like it or not. The one you know—the one you think is real—and the one beneath it. The one that makes everything possible."

Her words hung in the air, heavy with implication. Elias shook his head, trying to grasp at something solid. "You're saying… what? That I imagined all of it? That none of it mattered?"

"Not imagined," she corrected, tilting her head. "Experienced. The alley, the creature, the fight—it happened. Just not in the way you're used to."

"That doesn't explain anything."

"It's not supposed to," she snapped, her eyes narrowing.

Elias clenched his fists, his frustration bubbling to the surface. "Then why the hell am I here? Why drag me into… whatever this is?"

The woman crouched again, her face inches from his. Her eyes locked onto his with an intensity that made his skin crawl. "Because," she said softly, "you've already been dragged. The second you touched that device, you stepped into the in-between. And now, whether you like it or not, you're part of it."

Elias's gaze dropped to his hands, and there it was—the coin-like device, cool and silent against his palm. He didn't remember picking it up again, but it was there, its presence undeniable.

"What is this?" he asked, his voice quieter now.

Her lips curled into a faint smirk. "A key. Or a curse. Depends on how you use it."

"That's not an answer."

"It's the only one you're getting."

Elias stared at the device, his mind racing. The weight of her words pressed against him, heavy and suffocating. Two worlds. In-between. None of it made sense, and yet he couldn't shake the feeling that it wasn't entirely new. Like some part of him had always known, even if he couldn't put it into words.

"What's your name?" he asked suddenly, looking up at her.

The question caught her off guard, her smirk faltering for the briefest moment. "Velra," she said, straightening. "Not that it matters."

"It matters to me," he replied, his voice steadier now.

Velra regarded him for a moment, her expression unreadable. Then she turned, pacing toward the far wall. Her fingers brushed against the jagged cracks, the blue glow intensifying under her touch.

"You're not ready to understand this place," she said without looking at him. "But you need to know the rules."

"Rules?"

"This world—the one beneath yours—it doesn't follow the same logic. It's built on memories, emotions, fragments of things people forget or try to bury. And it doesn't like being disturbed."

Elias frowned, rising unsteadily to his feet. "Memories? Like the mana system?"

Velra nodded. "The two are connected. Your world pulls power from this one. Every memory extracted, every bit of mana used—it comes from here. And the more your world takes, the more unstable this one becomes."

Elias's mind reeled, the pieces clicking together in ways he didn't like. "So the creature… the shadow… that was—"

"A fracture," Velra interrupted. "Well, a simulation of them anyway. It was a representation of a piece of this world bleeding into yours. That happens when the balance shifts too far. And it's going to get worse."

Her words sent a chill down his spine. "Why me?" he asked, his voice barely above a whisper. "Why am I part of this?"

Velra turned to face him, her expression hard. "Because you touched the key. And because someone out there thinks you're important enough to matter."

Elias's breath caught. The stranger's voice from the alley echoed in his mind: "Because I need you."

"Who?" he asked. "Who thinks I matter?"

Velra shrugged. "That's not for me to know. My job was to test you, to see if you could handle the weight of what's coming."

"And? Did I pass?"

Her smirk returned, sharp and humorless. "Barely."

The room trembled, the blue light flickering as if in response to her words. Elias glanced around, his pulse quickening. "What's happening?"

"Your time here is up," Velra said, her tone almost casual. "For now."

Before he could ask what she meant, the ground beneath him shifted, the cracks widening and spilling light into the room. His vision blurred, the world around him twisting and collapsing in on itself.

And then he was falling.

****

Elias awoke with a gasp, his body jerking upright. The rain was still falling, the storm's roar filling the narrow alley. His head throbbed, his fingers digging into the wet concrete beneath him.

The coin-like device lay beside him, its faint pulse the only sign it hadn't been part of some fever dream.

He looked around, half-expecting to see Velra or the shadow creature. But the alley was empty, save for the faint glow of streetlights and the distant sound of sirens.

Elias picked up the device, his grip tightening around it. His mind swirled with questions, each one heavier than the last. Memories. Two worlds. A key.

He pushed himself to his feet, his body aching with the effort. The storm hadn't let up, but it didn't matter. He had somewhere to be.

And someone to find.