The black-cloaked figure pulled back the hood, revealing a face that was Zelaive's… exactly. I stared, speechless. Then, the Zelaive I'd just been with at the cemetery started to shimmer, his clothes dissolving like smoke, leaving nothing but a faint smell of damp earth. Panic clawed at my throat. "What… what the hell was that?" I stammered, more to myself than to the clone standing before me.
The clone just looked at me, calm as could be. "That, and the Zelaive you were just with, were clones."
"Clones?" I repeated, the word feeling alien and absurd. "So… where's the real Zelaive?"
He took a step closer, his hand gently brushing against mine. It was unnervingly like Zelaive's touch. "I'll show you."
Suddenly, I was falling, tumbling into a swirling vortex of darkness. It wasn't a dream; it was a chaotic flood of memories—the Layer monster, the Kazustan explosion, everything from that night, flashing before my eyes like a broken film reel. Then, blackness. A crushing weight of memories, some mine, some… not.
I saw myself, sobbing uncontrollably. It was weird, like watching a movie of myself. "Why am I crying?" I wondered aloud, my voice echoing in the void. A hand reached out, a comforting touch. Whose hand was that?
The body I was inhabiting snapped, "Shut up! Why are you crying? You're being such an idiot."
My own voice, calmer this time, retorted, "Who's calling me an idiot? I'm not crying… not really." A smirk played on the lips of the crying me, a defiant glint in her eyes.
It was completely freaky. Why am I seeing myself? And whose body is this, all cheerful and defiant? The darkness swallowed me again, the clone's words hanging in the air: "I'll show you what you need to know."
The memories shifted. Happy moments, long-forgotten bits of joy, then scenes with Zelaive. Our home, late-night gaming sessions, movie nights, meals shared with laughter. It felt so real, the happiness so intense.
But there was something else, a prickling unease. It was always there, lurking beneath the surface of our shared happiness. I leaned against him, finally voicing my suspicion. "Zelaive," I said, my voice low, "are you hiding something from me?"
He looked at me, a hint of sadness in his eyes. "Why do you ask?"
I shrugged. "I don't know. We're happy, but… I feel like you're carrying something, some kind of secret sadness."
He didn't answer, just looked away, the unspoken pain etched on his face.
"It's okay if you don't want to tell me," I whispered, feeling a sudden wave of empathy. "I think I'm going to sleep."
As I stood to leave the sofa, he gently pulled me back, his arms wrapping around me. I snuggled into his embrace, closing my eyes. "It's okay," I murmured, feeling surprisingly safe.
After a long moment, he spoke. "This… this memory, it'll only last a week. You won't remember any of this after that."
"A week? Why?" I asked, my heart sinking.
"The price you paid for using that incomplete Zone, for not meeting the conditions," he explained, his voice soft but firm. "Loss of Zeal-related memories. They might not come back."
I smiled, touched by his concern. "Thanks for… for caring." Then, impulsively, I kissed him. Even knowing it was a manufactured memory, a blush crept onto my cheeks. My heart hammered. Why am I embarrassed? It's just a memory.
He kissed me back, both of us blushing, the intimacy of the moment unexpectedly intense.
"Why did I do that?" I muttered to myself, the question echoing in the darkness. "I don't know… but if my memories fade, please… find a way for me to remember this feeling."
"I'll do everything I can," he vowed.
The darkness returned. I'd forgotten everything. But the feeling of gratitude for Zelaive remained, a faint warmth against the cold. Knowing our time was limited, we spent the next week together, a beautiful, bittersweet fever dream. Sleeping together, bathing together, every moment precious.
"This week… this feeling… it's amazing," I whispered one evening, nestled against him.
"Thank you, Jazel. Because of you, I felt something new," he replied, his voice husky.
"New? What?"
"Falling in love with you."
The intensity of our shared emotions was almost unbearable. Then, a shift. A memory from his mind. He appeared, shimmering, addressing me directly. "Jazel, how are you? Did I keep my promise?"
Tears welled up. "Yes, you did."
"I'll show you where I am now."
I was suddenly in a landscape that was both breathtaking and terrifying: colossal monsters, strange plants, creatures with reptilian limbs, giant humanoid figures, all against a backdrop of erupting volcanoes and buildings suspended impossibly high in the clouds. It was the Layer.
"You're in the Layer? Zelaive!" I cried out, my voice filled with a mixture of fear and desperate longing.
"If you want to see me again," he said, his voice fading, "I'll be waiting for you in the Second Layer." The vision dissolved, leaving me with a chilling premonition and a heart filled with a desperate hope I couldn't quite explain.