Cherreads

Chapter 43 - The Memory That Shouldn't Exit

Spiral-Breaking.)

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Location: Reverse Spiral Collapse

Time scrolls were falling like ash.

The sky twisted into a glitching spiral.

And the ground beneath my feet… was made of broken thoughts.

I — Aren Kael — stood at the heart of a fading Spiral.

Behind me, Eira stood silent.

Tomo, for once, wasn't glitching.

But something inside me was starting to tear.

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Tomo (worried tone):

> "Bro… Spiral's initiating a new memory trial.

But this one… it's not yours.

It's a forgotten future — a memory that never happened."

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Ahead, a door appeared — forged from black Spiral sigils.

Its name burned across the surface:

> Gate: Echo Origin 0

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I gripped my Spiral Rod tighter.

One line still flickered across the handle:

> "Flame of Resolve – Don't forget what made you."

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I stepped inside…

And the world came to a complete stop.

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A pristine Spiral garden stretched around me — glowing white.

And there, sitting peacefully, was Aika.

No Spiral mark on her body.

No chains. No flames.

She was smiling. Quiet. Peaceful.

She looked at me — with unfamiliar eyes.

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Aika (softly):

> "You're... Aren, right?"

"I've heard your name before.

You're from the world that… burned down."

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I couldn't speak.

This wasn't my Aika.

But still… there was a flicker in her eyes.

Like a sentence etched deep into her soul:

> "You forgot me… but the Spiral didn't."

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Tomo (distorted glitch):

> "BRO! This is a Spiral echo zone!

Stay here too long… and you'll become part of it."

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Aren (thinking):

> "She's not mine…

But the Spiral wants me to remember her."

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And then, without warning —

Kuze appeared.

His Spiral mask cracked, half his body glowing with unstable flame.

But his voice… it was cold. Calculated.

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Kuze (quiet):

> "I'm not here to fight you, Aren.

I just want to see how much you truly love yourself."

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A Spiral contract circle formed beneath us.

Aika stood at its center, like a choice waiting to be made.

Then… Spiral spoke.

> "Sacrifice one truth… and this version may be saved."

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This Aika wasn't real.

But she wasn't fake either.

She was Spiral's idea of Aika —

Who she could have been… if I had never existed.

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Aren (softly):

> "This memory isn't mine…

But its existence makes me feel more alive."

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Tomo (whisper):

> "Then burn it, bro.

With love.

Not denial."

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I raised my Spiral Rod.

Flame of Resolve ignited.

Epoch Mirror glowed beside it.

— Spiral Redemption Slash —

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Cracks ran through the garden like spiderwebs.

Aika smiled… one last time.

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Aika (gently):

> "If you ever remember me again…

Remember that I never forgot you."

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SLASH.

The white Spiral garden shattered into light.

The gate collapsed behind it.

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The scene shifted.

Eira stepped beside me, quietly.

Kuze disappeared into the Spiral storm… leaving behind one final word:

> "Lunara…"

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And then —

a sound.

A new Rift tore the sky open.

A voice echoed — not loud, but absolute.

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> "The Spiral can rewrite memories…

But who rewrites the Spiral?"

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A silhouette stepped through the fractured light.

Lunara Vale —

Long, white chain-weaved hair.

One golden eye.

The other… cracked void.

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Tomo (shocked):

> "Bro…

That's not a Spiral user.

That's the Spiral's forgotten author…"

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Aren (thinking, voice steady):

> "I've carried memories for so long…

But now it's time —

to make the Spiral remember me."

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TO BE CONTINUED…

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