I woke up with the feeling that my brain had been rewritten overnight.
The hotel room was the same: beige walls, cheap curtains, the constant hum of the air conditioning I'd learned to ignore. But I was different. Not physically—I still had the jet-black hair inherited from my father, still had the brown eyes that identified me as a Gilbert. But there was something more there, something that shouldn't exist.
Memories that weren't mine.
Daniela Rodriguez. Twenty-two-year-old nurse. Dead from falling into an unmarked manhole in López Mateos City, Mexico. A life of constant sacrifice, double shifts, being the "good Samaritan" who never said no to anyone.
And then there was Loki.
The memories of that conversation in the space between dimensions were crystal clear: the Norse god with his attractive villain smile, the floating interfaces that looked like they came from a video game, the divine contract.
But the strangest thing was that these memories of Daniela felt... mine. Like I'd lived both lives simultaneously. I could remember both the taste of cheap hospital food and the gourmet dishes from the Gilbert mansion. I remembered my childhood friends and college buddies. Both the exhaustion of working twelve-hour shifts and... something else. Something that was blocked.
I sat on the edge of the hotel bed, my hands shaking slightly. I went for a glass of water, saw myself in the mirror, trying to recognize myself. It took a moment, but I did it. I literally touched my entire body. I'd always been a man.
My mind's automatic response was yes and no. Well, I couldn't question my mind about that—not now when I was hiding and needed my mind at 100% if I wanted to survive. That's when I remembered the contract. I went straight to the bed and just needed to confirm something. At that moment I was grateful to be alone because I felt ridiculous doing this.
"Loki?" I whispered into the air, feeling embarrassed.
For a moment, nothing. Then, as if it had been waiting for me to ask, a familiar interface materialized in front of me in a radioactive green glow. My reaction was so strong I fell backward—thankfully I was on the bed.
╔═══════════════════════════════════╗
║ LOKI SYSTEM - AWAKENING COMPLETED ║
║ User: Alleinad Gilbert (Daniela Rodriguez - MERGED) ║
║ Status: Confused but functional ║
║ Location: Marriott Hotel, Room 412 ║
╚═══════════════════════════════════╝
🍾「Good morning, my favorite star!」 🍾「How's my favorite traumatized person doing?」
"Loki," I muttered. "Is this what you meant by consequences? I can barely recognize myself."
🍾「AH, that's temporary! After a few days you'll be good as new!」 🍾「Plus, you'll realize in the end that this was worth it!」 🍾「OH, I also need to talk to you about some restrictions!」
"What restrictions? You mentioned magic, but I don't think that's it—"
🍾「Just a few more!」
⚠️⚠️⚠️ CRITICAL SYSTEM WARNING ⚠️⚠️⚠️
╔═══════════════════════════════════╗
║ ▲▲▲ ABSOLUTE RESTRICTIONS - NON-NEGOTIABLE ▲▲▲ ║
║ • DO NOT reveal existence of Daniela Rodriguez ║
║ • DO NOT mention consciousness fusion ║
║ • DO NOT discuss reincarnation (yours; the topic is open for discussion) ║
║ ⚡ VIOLATING THESE RULES = TOTAL SYSTEM LOSS ⚡ ║ ╚═══════════════════════════════════╝
I was shocked. Seriously, I couldn't talk to anyone about this? So I can't even vent to anyone? I thought, staring at the warning blinking in radioactive green.
"Seriously? I can't even tell my friends? Like that Richi guy—I think he was my childhood friend, right?"
🍾「Looks like you're adapting to the memories faster than I thought! And yes, you can't tell anyone! ESPECIALLY not Richi!」
🍾「Humans can't process multidimensional reincarnations!」
🍾「Their brains would literally BREAK!」
"Thanks for reminding me how my mind is right now," I said with a mocking tone.
🍾「HAHAHAHA! You're the first human in a long time to react like this! Most break down and get angry or cry! That's why your mind isn't broken—well, that and because you haven't accessed everything yet. Now I'll give you a believable story!」
╔═════ OFFICIAL COVER STORY ═════╗
║ • You're just Alleinad with "natural medical intuitions" ║
║ • After the kidnapping, you compulsively studied medical topics ║
║ • Knowledge appears as "natural" instincts or "hunches" ║ ╚══════════════════════════════════════════╝
🍾「Now I'll provide you with a couple of books for your alibi!」
At that moment, a stack of 9 medical books appeared. I recognized them—they were the same ones I'd used as Daniela, I think, in med school. I knew the content of all of them. I went over to them and yes, they were the same. I opened them to random pages so anyone who came in would think I'd been studying like crazy, but there was something more urgent bothering me.
"Loki, I need to understand exactly what memories I have. I feel... incomplete. Like there are huge gaps in my memory. Maybe not everything, but what I have now isn't enough."
🍾「Ah! Kid, you don't get tired, do you? But you're right! We'll do it together and with restrictions—I don't want your mind to break!」
🍾「Let's take a little tour through your reorganized mind!」
⚠️💻[Initiating memory access...]
🍾「What memories do you want to explore first?」
"Let's start with the basics. University. My friends."
Immediately, a cascade of memories flowed into my consciousness. Criftar University materialized in my mind with perfect clarity: the Gothic buildings, my shared dorm room with Jonathan, Forensic Criminology classes. I could vividly remember Jonathan Blackwood with his inherited natural elegance, his genuine smile, his ability not to ask uncomfortable questions but still be a good friend. Same with Richi—we had fun together with our little group of friends.
Marcus Chen and his desert-dry humor. Lisa Hoffman with her infectious laugh. Tyler Brooks, the senator's son who surprisingly wasn't a privileged asshole.
Late nights studying in Whitmore Library, conversations about philosophy and politics, the feeling of normalcy I'd enjoyed for the first time in years.
╔══════ MEMORY ACCESS COMPLETED ══════╗
║ University memories: AVAILABLE ║
║ • Roommate: Jonathan Blackwood ║
║ • Social circle: 4 main friends ║
║ • Studies: Forensic Criminology ║
║ • Academic status: Full scholarship ║
║ (LOST due to absences) ║
╚══════════════════════════════════════════╝
🍾「Perfect memories! An almost normal college life!」
🍾「Too bad your family ruined it!」
I was thinking about going back to school and seeing if I could get into some protection program when I saw the fine print on the screen.
"Wait, my scholarship? I lost it?"
The memories became painfully clear. The final exams I'd completed but never officially submitted because I was kidnapped. The administrative papers I never signed. The call from Richi confirming that the university had revoked my scholarship for "academic abandonment."
"Shit," I muttered. "My future went to hell."
I was sad. Those friends I'd seen in my memories—I'd never see them again. Those studies I excelled at were worthless now.
🍾「Don't get depressed! Now you have a MUCH more interesting future!」
I knew he was trying to comfort me, or at least it felt that way, but it wasn't working.
🍾「What else do you want to remember?」
"My academic knowledge. Forensic criminology, specifically," I said, knowing I needed to know all this if I wanted to know how to use it.
This time it was like opening a mental library. Everything I'd learned as Alleinad about blood patterns, crime scene analysis, criminal psychology, forensic procedures. The knowledge flowed in an organized way, like it had been cataloged by an obsessive-compulsive librarian.
But what was interesting was how it intertwined with Daniela's medical knowledge. I could see the connections like an interactive hologram: how to identify post-mortem versus ante-mortem wounds, how to determine cause of death based on symptoms, how medical knowledge perfectly complemented forensic analysis.
╔═══════ INTEGRATED KNOWLEDGE ═══════╗
║ Forensic Criminology: ADVANCED LEVEL ║
║ • Crime scene analysis ║
║ • Blood pattern analysis ║
║ • Criminal psychology ║
║ • Legal procedures ║
║ ⚠️Warning: Complete knowledge fusion⚠️ ║
║ Basic Medical and Forensic Knowledge evolved to: EXPERT LEVEL ║
║ • Human anatomy ║
║ • Physiology ║
║ • Basic pharmacology ║
║ • Emergency procedures ║
║ SYNERGY: Perfect for medico-forensic analysis ║ ╚════════════════════════════════════════╝
🍾「See why you were PERFECT for this fusion!」
🍾「Daniela and Alleinad are the ideal pair—you're literally at expert level!」
I felt more complete now, like pieces of a puzzle had clicked together. But there was something else I needed to know—more for survival than curiosity.
"Loki, I need to remember my family. Well, you know, me now as Alle. I need to understand what exactly they did to me—well, us. You get it."
The air became noticeably colder. The interface flickered to a darker green.
🍾「Ah... your family. That part.」
🍾「That's... a complicated area of your memory.」
⚠️ WARNING: TRAUMATIC CONTENT ⚠️
╔════════════════════════════════════════╗
║ Family memories contain severe trauma that could cause ║
║ emotional collapse if accessed completely. ║
║ ⚠️WARNING: FULL MEMORY VISUALIZATION REQUEST DENIED⚠️ ║
║ AVAILABLE OPTION - LIMITED ACCESS: ONLY BY LIMITING ║
║ OVERLY TRAUMATIC MEMORIES IS ACCESS POSSIBLE ║
║ Proceed with limited access? ║
║ [YES] [NO] ║
╚════════════════════════════════════════╝
"Yes," I said firmly. "I need to know at least the context and some information."
🍾「Very well, but only the most important memories.」
🍾「And I control how much you can see!」
[Accessing selective family memories... full control by the entity known as Loki...]
[Psychological protection filters: ACTIVATED]
The first memory that came hit me like a wave: my fifth birthday. The clarity was painful. I could feel that five-year-old's excitement, waking up expecting his mother to be there. The four uncles and my grandfather coming in with the cake, my father with that genuine smile he only showed me.
And then the innocent question: "Where's Mom?"
The memory continued relentlessly. The wonderful party during the day, feeling like a normal kid for the first time. And then Teresa's arrival—because now I could clearly remember that I'd never called her "Mom" after a certain age.
Her wrinkled dress, disheveled hair, the smell of alcohol and expensive perfume. The expression on her face: a mixture of rage, contempt, and something dangerously resembling hatred toward me.
"Are you having fun, my little one?" Her voice dripped with venomous sarcasm.
The feelings came with the memory: a child's confusion who didn't understand why his mother looked at him like he was a plague, the first conscious understanding that something was fundamentally broken in my family.
[Memory processed: Fifth birthday]
[Emotional impact: HIGH but manageable]
🍾「That was the day your world changed, wasn't it?」
🍾「The day you learned that not all parents love their children.」
More memories filtered slowly. Not complete details, but carefully selected fragments:
My father's death when I was twelve. His mysterious illness that came out of nowhere. The feeling of being completely alone in a house full of people who blamed me for existing.
David Ramirez coming into my life two years later. His used car salesman smile, the way he rearranged our house like it was his. Sara, his manipulative daughter who was a miniature version of Teresa.
The broken promise of a quinceañera party that never came. The extravagant celebrations for Sara paid for with money that was technically mine.
David's slap when I said "We're not family." The physical pain that hurt less than the truth of those words.
And finally, the kidnapping. The thugs casually telling me that my own mother had sold me to pay David's debts. "Your family is very creative, I must admit. Instead of money, they decided to offer something more... valuable."
╔═══════ FAMILY MEMORIES PROCESSED ═══════╗
║ LIMITED ACCESS COMPLETED ║
║ Family relationships identified: ║
║ • Teresa (mother): HOSTILITY/NEGLECT ║
║ • David (stepfather): ABUSE/DOMINATION ║
║ • Sara (stepsister): MANIPULATION ║
║ • Extended family: REJECTION/BLAME ║
║ Primary trauma: ABANDONMENT/BETRAYAL ║
║ Current status: SOLD TO CRIMINALS ║ ╚═══════════════════════════════════════════════╝
🍾「And there you have it, kid—the beautiful family story!」
🍾「Your mother literally sold you like cattle!」
🍾「How DRAMATIC!」
I sat on the bed, processing everything. The memories didn't hurt as much as I expected—it was like they came with a protective layer of emotional distance. I could remember the pain without fully reliving it. Wait, could it be that I have extra protection? I'll have to ask.
"Why doesn't it hurt so much?" I asked.
🍾「Psychological protection filters!」
🍾「Memories come with emotional cushioning!」
🍾「You can access the information without the complete trauma!」
🍾「At least for now!」
╔═══════════════════════════════════════╗
║ ⚠️WARNING: Deeper memories remain ⚠️ ║
║ blocked until necessary for survival. ║
║ Access will be released gradually ║
║ as situations require it. ║
╚═══════════════════════════════════════╝
"I understand," I said, feeling strange mental peace. "So now I know who I really am. Alleinad Gilbert, college student who was rich but is now an orphan who was sold by his family to the mafia, merged with memories and knowledge from a Mexican nurse who died falling down a manhole. And curiously, it's not the weirdest thing that happened today."
🍾「EXACTLY! Oh kid, I'm glad you haven't lost your Mexican sarcasm!」
🍾「And together we're going to create something EPIC!」
🍾「Do you feel ready to start your new life?」
I got up from the bed, feeling for the first time since I woke up that I had a clear understanding of my situation. It was complicated, surreal, and I should probably be terrified. Instead, I felt... determined. It was strange.
"Yes," I said. "But first I need to change my appearance. If I'm going to start over, I need Alleinad Gilbert to disappear visually too."
🍾「EXCELLENT idea! See, we're making progress here, kid!」
🍾「Call your friend Richi—he'll help you with this!」
My phone rang like it was destiny. It was Richi. The timing was curious. I wanted to ask questions, but now I had another job to do.
"Alle? Everything okay? You didn't answer my messages last night."
"I'm... fine," I said, and for the first time in days, I really felt it. "Just had a really rough night."
"You sound different, bro. I don't know, like more... centered. Are you sleeping better?"
His question caught me off guard. I knew that if something was different, he'd figure it out because we've known each other since we were kids.
"Maybe," I said. "It's weird, but yeah, I think I feel more... like myself."
"I'm glad to hear that, man," Richi said. "I've been worried. But hey, have you thought about what you're going to do? You can't stay in that hotel forever."
"You're right. Actually, that's why I'm calling. I need you to do me a favor. A big favor. Can you come tomorrow with red hair dye and green contact lenses?"
"Dude, are you planning to disappear?"
"Yes. And I need you to help."