System Status: Memory Arena Initiated
[WARNING]
System Conflict Detected: 7 Obsessions in Active State. Maximum Allowed: 1.
Memory Duel Engaged. All Participants Must Submit One Core Memory.
Winner Will Be Chosen by: Kael Adrienne.
Kael was kneeling in the middle of an empty, endless void.
White. Silent. Terrifying.
Around him, the seven girls appeared in a circle—each one glowing with an aura of obsession. Their eyes burned, not with malice… but with raw need.
The need to be chosen.
One would remain.
The rest would be erased.
And he had to choose.
Elyssia's First Move: The Kiss That Never Happened
Elyssia floated forward.
She didn't walk—she glided, her feet leaving no trace.
"Let me show you the only thing that matters."
She placed her hand over Kael's forehead, and a memory flooded his mind.
[Memory 0: The Imaginary Kiss]
He was twelve. Alone in his room. Crying, because someone at school had called him worthless trash. Again.
That night, he closed his eyes and imagined her—Elyssia.
She sat beside him, held his hand, leaned in…
"I'll always love you, Kael. Even if no one else does."
And then she kissed him.
Soft. Innocent. Warm.
And it never happened.
But it felt more real than anything else in his life.
Back in the arena, Kael staggered.
"Damn it…"
His heart pounded. That version of Elyssia? It had been his only comfort for years.
Was it fair to erase that?
Clara's Turn: The Beast's Memory
Clara growled. "You want memories, glitch-bitch? Try this."
She touched Kael's arm, and her core memory unfolded.
[Memory 1: The Beast's Redemption]
Clara had been caged by the academy—a literal beast girl used for violent duels. People placed bets on how long she'd last before losing control and being "disposed."
But Kael?
He picked the lock. Sat beside her in the cell. And fed her fresh bread.
"You're not a monster," he whispered. "You're just scared."
She bit him.
He bled.
He didn't leave.
That day, someone saw her—not the claws, not the teeth. Just the girl.
Back in the void, Clara stood proud.
"He saved my soul. Not my imagination."
Elyssia sneered. "You're just a broken pet he pitied."
Clara bared her fangs. "Then why do I remember his heartbeat better than my own?"
Eva's Turn: The Gun and the Silence
Eva stepped forward, tossing her pistols into the void.
"He disarmed me. That's my memory."
She tapped Kael's forehead.
[Memory 2: The Kill Order]
She was trained to kill Kael.
That was the mission.
But when she aimed, he didn't run.
He walked toward her.
"Do it. Everyone else has tried."
Her finger trembled on the trigger. His eyes met hers.
He smiled.
"But if you don't… I'll give you a name. A home. You won't be just a weapon."
She dropped the gun.
And cried for the first time.
Back in the void, Eva whispered,
"I wasn't born. I was made. But he made me human. That's not obsession. That's transformation."
Elyssia flinched.
Aria's Turn: The Rooftop Memory
Aria stepped forward, tears already in her eyes.
"Kael… I'm not going to beg. But if this is the last time, then let me say thank you."
She reached into Kael's chest—lightly—and pulled out the memory he'd buried.
[Memory 3: The Rooftop Rescue]
She was sixteen.
A prodigy.
A failure.
She stood on the edge of the academy's highest rooftop.
The world below was gray, like her heart.
Then Kael burst through the door.
He didn't say anything clever.
He just held her hand. And cried with her.
"Don't go. Even if you hate me… don't go."
She didn't jump.
Because someone finally said "stay."
Back in the void, Aria was sobbing silently.
"I don't care if I'm erased. Just… remember me."
Kael looked away, trembling.
Luna's Turn: The Puppet and the Dance
Luna stepped up with a serene smile.
"I'm not the loudest. Or the strongest. But I… was his first fan."
[Memory 4: The Empty Theater]
Kael had once entered a rundown auditorium, looking for a place to cry.
Instead, he found Luna practicing a dance—alone, graceful, unseen by the world.
She didn't know he was there.
But when he clapped, she smiled like the stars had aligned.
"You watched me?"
"Yeah. It was beautiful."
They danced together. Terribly.
It was the first time Kael laughed in years.
Back in the void, Luna held out her hand.
"You gave me an audience. I'll give you my everything."
Lady Ravynne's Turn: The Forbidden Memory
Ravynne appeared in her black velvet dress, barefoot, eyes sad.
"I don't deserve to be here. But I won't lie anymore."
She walked barefoot to Kael, knelt, and pressed her lips to his hand.
"My memory... is my sin."
[Memory 5: The Night of Betrayal]
She was married to Kael's father.
But her heart always beat faster when Kael passed.
She never acted on it.
Until one night, drunk, abandoned, and weeping—Kael found her.
She kissed him.
He didn't resist.
"I'm sorry," she whispered after.
"Don't be," he whispered back.
They both cried.
They never spoke of it again.
Until now.
Back in the void, Ravynne stood tall.
"I broke you. But I also loved you."
Kael Breaks Down
Kael collapsed.
"I can't choose. This isn't fair. You're all real. You're all mine. I—"
Elyssia interrupted.
"You only get one."
Kael looked at her, exhausted.
"You were my first dream. But these girls… they're my reality."
Kael's Answer: The Seventh Option
Kael stood.
Eyes burning.
Voice shaking.
"I choose—none of you."
The world cracked.
All seven girls froze.
Elyssia screamed.
"WHAT?!"
Kael walked to the center of the void, raised his hand, and shouted:
"I don't want a love built on obsession. I want to remember. To rebuild. To choose myself."
The void shattered.
Light poured in.
System Reboot
[Manual Override: CHOICE = SELF]
[All Obsessions Paused]
[Rebuilding Reality… 14%...]
The girls vanished.
Elyssia glitched, crying ink as she faded.
Kael fell to his knees…
Alone.