episode_0148

“Wow, it’s snowing outside…”

“Mi Jung.”

“Yes?”

“Do you remember? We passed by here together.”

“When are you talking about? I’ve passed by here so many times, I don’t remember.”

Snow falling in the deep valley.

The transcontinental train was crossing the bridge connecting the northern and southern continents.

Mi Jung, as if fascinated by the sight, pressed her face against the window, exclaiming in amazement, then turned to me with a smile in her eyes.

It was a new side of her.

Mi Jung, who always sat quietly and stared out the window absentmindedly.

Now, she seemed to be excited like a child.

“It’s a new reaction to see from you.”

“But isn’t it amazing even after seeing it multiple times? It’s the first time I’ve seen snow falling like this!”

“Hmm…”

Somehow, she kept staring out at the scenery every time we crossed the bridge.

Was she enjoying it secretly?

I closed my eyes for a moment.

Curious, I called up the status window.

But as expected.

The Guardian Knight was still not activated.

“Mi Jung.”

“What now?”

“Do you want to regain your memories?”

“Me? Well… I’m really happy right now, but if I were to go back… hmm…”

Laughing softly, Mi Jung took my hand.

She looked truly happy, with that kind of expression.

Mi Jung closed her eyes slightly and leaned on me.

With her bright and clear eyes.

She looked at me and said.

“Bring them back, Eugene. The old me would want that too.”

“What about you? What do you want?”

“That’s not important, right?”

“…”

Mi Jung laughed, avoiding the question.

It’s not important.

She was right.

The thoughts of a soon-to-disappear being were not important at all.

She was right.

Surely…

.

.

.

“This is it. Here, we can use magic to revive the memories stored in the brain.”

“What… Do we really need such a grand machine for that?”

“Because it’s the brain of a vampire, a more complex and sophisticated operation is needed than for a human.”

“Wow…”

Under the White Tower.

After passing through a long corridor, a door opened.

A spherical room covered with white tiles in all directions was revealed.

Mi Jung’s mouth dropped open in surprise.

“Let me introduce you. This is a device called ‘Alma.’ Originally designed to look into a person’s soul, but with some adjustments, it can also look into the brain. This facility is built to materialize the memories we find. Once we find and materialize the memory we want to revive, I will restore it immediately.”

“Do we really need to materialize it?”

“It’s a necessary step.”

“…”

Eugene’s expression twisted.

Temulen secretly sneered at Eugene.

Of course, it was a lie.

Reviving memories was a relatively simple procedure, and materializing memories was not necessary.

‘What should I do?’

If the memories were materialized, the erased memories would unfold vividly as if they were happening at that moment.

Would this vampire be able to confidently reveal his past?

If he truly was the Great Demon, would he be afraid of the truth being revealed and refuse to use ‘Alma’?

Or would he confidently step forward?

“Don’t worry. What you’ve seen here won’t be leaked to the outside. Of course, that’s the basic rule.”

“It’s a bit uncomfortable, but it’s fine. Since I’m the one asking, there’s no other choice.”

Surprisingly, Yujin obediently stepped forward.

It seemed like there was no hidden agenda.

No, perhaps it was because there wasn’t any important information in the memories of this vampire.

Complacency was forbidden.

The methods of the monsters that invaded from the other world were truly beyond imagination.

The spider monster tried to control the World Tree, and the sorcerer tried to revive the ancient capital of the Holy Kingdom.

No one could predict what new methods would emerge.

“Lie down here and connect to Alma. We’ll quickly go through from the present to the past, so be prepared as you may experience some shock.”

“Wow… Yujin, I’m scared…”

“It’ll be okay. It’ll be over soon.”

“Can you hold my hand?”

“Sure…”

“It’s possible for two people to connect together. If someone with a weak mental strength tries to fast forward through the past, it’s very difficult. If someone who can reassure you connects with you, it will be smoother.”

“In that case, let’s go in together.”

They were caught.

Teumuren secretly rejoiced.

When two people connect together, the manifestation of their shared memories becomes easier and more detailed.

Although they were looking into the memories of the vampire girl, it allowed them to gather more specific information about that man’s past.

“Let’s begin.”

The two held hands and lay down side by side.

The wires rising from the ground wriggled and attached electrodes to their heads.

Soon, their eyes closed slowly.

The panel of Alma lit up, and the memories of the past began to ‘manifest.’

Memory manifestation… I imagined it would be displayed as a simple hologram or screen.

What unfolded before us was completely different from that expectation.

“What…?”

The scenery of all white panels on all sides changed.

A dense forest.

The sound of birds chirping and the rustling of bushes in the wind could be heard from all directions.

The sunlight filtered through the lush leaves.

I slowly moved my body.

As I did, my body naturally rose up.

I could soon face ‘myself lying down.’

It felt as if I had astral projected.

So, if the one lying down is the original, then this body is a manifestation created through illusion magic…

The fact that it felt so real was unbelievable.

‘Not only the five senses, but even the sixth sense…’

The sensations on my body, not just sight and sound, were as real as in reality.

Not only that, I could feel the mana all around me, as well as the flow of magic.

If I had woken up here without knowing anything, I would have undoubtedly mistaken it for reality.

“Yujin!”

At that moment, a clattering voice came from beyond the bushes.

Mijung ran towards me and hugged me tightly.

My body was trembling.

It seemed like she was much more surprised by the ‘manifestation’ than she had expected.

[This is a place to adjust your senses. How does it feel to experience a different reality from the real one?]

“It’s completely indistinguishable. There’s no way to tell the difference from reality. If I’m trapped here, I won’t even think about escaping and will die.”

[Haha. That’s the only way it can be.]

The old man’s voice echoed from the sky.

No, more accurately, it was coming from everywhere.

I couldn’t pinpoint the source of the sound.

It felt like the voice was resonating from within me.

[Now, let’s rewind the memories. Make physical contact.]

“Understood.”

“Yes…!”

[No, I meant to hold hands… well, it’s fine.]

Mijung tightly grasped my forearm.

The flesh that filled the room seemed to calm the heart, and Mi-jeong’s trembling also subsided.

Now, I am ready.

In a moment of stroking Mi-jeong’s head with my other hand.

The view of the forest surrounding us begins to reverse.

‘This is…’

Time starts to rewind.

As I lie down and Mi-jeong stands up, walking backward to escape the “Alma.”

Riding the elevator up and then coming back down to the first floor, we head towards the white tower with backward steps.

The rewinding speed gradually increases.

At some point, scenes pass by so quickly that it’s hard to keep up with them.

In between, brief moments pass by like a flash.

Memories of me and Mi-jeong together flicker like a lantern.

‘This is why I hated it…’

It’s an unpleasant feeling.

Seeing myself through someone else’s eyes is more uncomfortable than I thought.

Looking back, I have always treated Mi-jeong with care since the time I decided not to give her affection.

There was never a moment when I treated Mi-jeong as an object, not even when we first met.

It feels like my true self is being exposed.

“Please rewind faster!”

The playback speed accelerates.

Now, the scenes rewind so fast that they become unrecognizable.

Strangely, some moments are captured well and fly by.

The common denominator of these scenes is the moments when Mi-jeong and I were together.

It’s as if some force is selecting and capturing only those moments.

Even if I don’t want to see them, I can’t help it.

Even if I close my eyes or cover my ears, those memories are forcibly projected into my mind.

The moment when Mi-jeong used magic to light up the dark dungeon.

The mundane moments of Mi-jeong sucking my blood, as usual.

The moment when Mi-jeong practiced math with a focused expression.

The moment when Mi-jeong escaped from Cali’s heavenly gauntlet and hugged me.

The moment we first met.

These moments are coming together to create a painting.

There are no sad memories within them.

“As the speed increases, strange scenes are captured like residual images. What is this?”

“Don’t worry about it. Usually, only one or two scenes remain, it’s a natural phenomenon.”

“We’ve already passed hundreds of scenes. What is this?”

“Huh? That’s… a strange thing… Scenes captured like residual images during the rewind process are memories that the subject values highly.”

“…”

It’s only now that I realize.

Why Mi-jeong’s personality, with erased memories of the past, is so cheerful.

Since being with me.

Mi-jeong has cherished every day as a precious memory.

The images that were passing by like a lantern suddenly stop.

The rewind has stopped.

The grass leaves swaying in the wind, the flying birds, and even the people are all frozen in a village.

Time has stopped in the unfamiliar village landscape.

“From here on, it’s the past memories that have been erased from consciousness and deeply buried. If you look beyond this, memories will be restored and rise to consciousness. Memories that have naturally been forgotten over time, as well as painful memories that were refused recognition, will all come back to life and cannot be erased again. What will you do?”

I feel a slightly stronger grip on my hand.

When I turn to look, Mi-jeong, who had tightly closed her eyes, slowly opens them.

Her pale face now has a flush of color, and her once red eyes are now a deep black.

Before becoming a bloodsucker.

In other words, she looks like a living human.

This Mi-jeong, after releasing her hand from mine, gently holds my hand and whispers.

“Let’s go, Eugene.”

Once we cross this point.

The cheerful Mi-jeong disappears.

Whether she knows it or not, Mijeong looks at me with an awkward smile.