MEMELAND

Silence filled the prison.

Kai looked between Taai...

...and the unconscious assassin.

Akari...?

The name echoed inside his head.

Wasn't Akari...

One of the people who disappeared after Oheyo?

Alice.

Raj.

Taai.

King Akshay

Alice spoked about that generation before.

Aside from Chocomint—

Everyone believed the rest were gone.

Dead.

Missing.

Lost to history.

Yet now—

One of them lay unconscious inside a prison cell.

Andrew looked from the assassin...

...to Taai.

"...You know this person?"

Taai didn't answer immediately.

His eyes never left the silver hair.

Finally—

"...Yeah."

"...Very."

Andrew scratched the back of his head.

"So..."

"This is someone from Oheyo?"

Taai nodded slowly.

"...One of us."

Andrew's expression lost its usual carefree grin.

"...Explain."

Taai let out a long breath.

"...After Oheyo fell..."

"We got separated."

"Everyone ran."

"There were explosions."

"Monsters."

"Cultists."

"No one knew if they survived."

"We searched."

"For years."

"We found almost nobody."

His voice grew quieter.

"...Akari, Choco... never came back."

"We thought..."

He stopped.

He couldn't finish the sentence.

Andrew looked toward the unconscious assassin.

Then back at Taai.

"I get it."

"...But."

He pointed at the prisoner.

"Are you sure?"

Taai slowly looked at him.

Andrew continued.

"Because this person?"

"Killed a lot of people."

"Nobles."

"Officials."

"Military officers."

"A Dog"

"This isn't some frightened survivor."

"This is a professional assassin."

He crossed his arms.

"The Akari you remember..."

"...would she do all that?"

Taai remained silent.

Andrew sighed.

"Memories can fool people."

"I've seen it happen."

"You want someone to still be who they were."

"But sometimes..."

"...they aren't anymore."

Taai lowered his gaze.

"...I know."

Andrew continued more gently.

"I'm not saying you're wrong."

"I'm saying..."

He looked at the unconscious figure.

"...Whoever this is."

"They're not the same person you remember."

Another long silence followed.

Kai watched both men.

Neither of them looked angry.

Only...

Heavy.

As though the past had suddenly walked back into the room wearing someone else's face.

Eventually—

Taai spoke.

"...Maybe."

"...Maybe you're right."

Andrew gave a small nod.

"I hope I'm wrong."

"But until we know the truth..."

"They stay a prisoner."

Taai agreed.

"...Yeah."

The prison suddenly felt colder.

Andrew finally clapped Taai lightly on the shoulder.

"C'mon."

"You've had enough surprises for one day."

"Let's get some rest."

"This'll still be here tomorrow."

Taai nodded absentmindedly.

"...Yeah."

The three of them left the cell.

The heavy prison door shut behind them.

CLANG.

As they walked through the hallway—

Kai remained unusually quiet.

Akari...

Alive.

Chocomint...

Also alive.

His thoughts drifted.

Then...

Could Brennan still be alive too?

The possibility refused to leave his mind.

Then another thought struck him.

I still haven't told Taai...

...that Chocomint is alive.

Kai glanced at Taai walking ahead.

Not today.

Definitely not today.

Taai already had enough to process.

Kai quietly looked up at the evening sky.

"...Fuuuuu..."

The long sigh escaped his lips.

Too many questions.

Too many survivors.

Too many mysteries.

And somehow...

Everything seemed connected.

...

Back inside the prison—

The hallway remained empty.

Only torchlight flickered against the stone walls.

The unconscious assassin remained motionless.

Silence.

...

...

Crack.

A faint sound echoed through the cell.

Then another.

Crack.

Like joints being forced back into place.

Then—

The soft sound of metal straining.