Kael's heartbeat thundered against his ribs as the seventh obsession—the Archivist—emerged fully from the shadowed veil. Her face was obscured by a stitched blindfold. Her voice was syrupy-sweet but held a wicked undertone, as if every syllable was dipped in arsenic.
"Welcome to my game, Kael Adrienne. Let's make a deal."
A click echoed through the Trial Chamber.
[System Override: Control Relinquished to Obsession #7 - The Archivist of Madness]
All other obsessions froze, like puppets on paused strings.
The Rules of the Game
"Each of your little toys may give you a kiss," the Archivist purred, stepping closer. "But they must trade you one of your memories. One kiss… for one fragment of who you are."
Kael's voice cracked. "That's… That's insane. I don't consent to this—"
She tapped his lips with a gloved finger.
"You've already been kissing madness since Chapter One, darling. Now… shall we start?"
[Trial of Memory: Begin]
[Warning: Each kiss will change your current timeline subtly or drastically.]
1st Kiss – Aria (The First Sin)
"I'll go first," Aria said, stepping forward with trembling grace.
Kael didn't even have time to resist. She cupped his cheeks and kissed him.
Warm.
Long.
Burning.
[Memory Lost: "First Day of Academy"]
[Replacement: "You were raised in the Church beside Aria, under vows of silence."]
Kael gasped. "Wait—no. I remember… I remember… why do I hear bells?"
Aria held him tighter. "You were always mine. You just forgot."
Everyone stared.
Eva whispered, "That's not how it happened."
The Archivist licked her lips. "One down."
2nd Kiss – Eva (The Brutal Rewrite)
"Move," Eva growled. "My turn."
She grabbed Kael by the collar and kissed him hard. Violent. Desperate. The world spun again.
[Memory Lost: "First Kill – The Orc Warlord"]
[Replacement: "Eva and Kael led a massacre of bandits at age thirteen."]
Kael's hands trembled. "That's… wrong. I didn't… We didn't kill them all. We spared the healer…"
Eva shrugged. "We had to. No survivors."
His mind cracked a little. Did he? Or didn't he?
[Kael's Soul Alignment: +10 Shadowed Hero]
The Archivist giggled. "Oh, he's unraveling beautifully."
3rd Kiss – Iris (Too Sweet to be Innocent)
Iris stepped forward like a nun at confession.
"I want to remember… when we were lovers."
"We never—" Kael began, but she kissed him.
Soft.
Divine.
Final.
[Memory Lost: "Confession Under the Cherry Tree – Iris Turned Away"]
[Replacement: "Kael and Iris were secret lovers for one summer."]
Kael fell to his knees.
"I don't… I don't know what's true anymore."
Iris knelt beside him, brushing his hair. "You swore you'd only look at me. Remember?"
He didn't.
But the cherry blossoms in his mind were soaked in longing now.
4th Kiss – Ravynne (Something You Shouldn't Touch)
Ravynne didn't ask permission. She simply whispered, "Close your eyes."
Kael obeyed.
Her kiss was colder. Hungrier. Older.
[Memory Lost: "Death of Kael's Father – Poisoned by Court Intrigue"]
[Replacement: "Kael's father vanished into Ravynne's bed. And never left."]
"WHAT?!" Kael screamed, breaking the kiss.
Ravynne wiped her lips. "He begged me. I said no. But then he looked like you."
Mireille, in horror: "That's not just sus… That's blasphemy."
The Archivist clapped. "Delicious! Now you see. Memories aren't facts. They're stories rewritten in lipstick."
5th Kiss – Clara (The Glitch)
Clara hesitated. She didn't want to lose the real Kael.
But she couldn't lose any Kael either.
She kissed him gently.
[Memory Lost: "Kael's First Childhood Friend – A Boy Named Lucien"]
[Replacement: "Kael's First Love Was Clara Since Age Five"]
Tears streamed down his cheeks.
"Lucien…?"
Clara pulled back, lips shaking. "Who's Lucien?"
He didn't know. Not anymore.
But something in his soul screamed as the timeline twisted.
6th Kiss – Mireille (The Twist)
"I want to know what it's like," Mireille whispered, "to kiss the story I never wrote."
She kissed him with trembling hands.
[Memory Lost: "Why Kael Came to the Academy"]
[Replacement: "Mireille blackmailed Kael into enrolling."]
Kael collapsed, holding his head.
Everything… everything was wrong.
He'd been manipulated? Forced? Mireille? The sweet, shy girl?
She smiled faintly. "It's okay. You were always meant to lose something."
7th Kiss – The Archivist (Forbidden Save Point)
"Now, my turn," the Archivist sang.
Kael backed away. "I didn't agree—"
She kissed him anyway.
No warmth. No lips. Just void.
[Memory Lost: "Why the System Chose You"]
[Replacement: "You were never chosen. You hacked the system. You were the villain from the start."]
Kael screamed.
The world burned.
The girls stood, dazed, blinking like broken dolls.
[System Alert: Timeline Distortion 83%]
[Kael Adrienne: Memory Anchor Damaged]
[Next Trial: "The Kissless One" Approaches]
The Archivist whispered in his ear.
"You've been so fun, Kael. But now someone's jealous of all these kisses. Someone you left behind in Chapter Zero."
[New Obsession Incoming: ??? – The Kissless One]
[Warning: Entity has no known appearance, no form, and no face.]