Utopian System

Chapter 460 System's Memories - 5

"I need to tell you something," Memory-Nala said, her voice unusually serious. They were in the central garden thanks to Lucien's rule, the same place where they'd spent so many afternoons.

"I'm not... I'm not who you think I am." She struggled with words that had never been meant to be spoken. "I'm the goddess you've heard about. The one who..." She faltered at his incredulous expression.

"That's not funny," young Elio said, but there was uncertainty creeping into his voice.

"It's not meant to be." She demonstrated a small manipulation of elements that should have been impossible at their current level. "I was sent to live among humans for a hundred years. That time is almost up."

"No," Elio shook his head. "You're just... you're just different, special maybe, but..."

"I'm your enem... I'm leaving," she cut him off. "Tomorrow. I have to return to what I am."

The argument that followed was intense, Elio refusing to accept it at first, then demanding explanations, reasons, alternatives. Memory-Nala answered each question with increasingly painful honesty until there was no room left for doubt.

Then, in a moment that made both current consciousnesses hold their breath, young Elio did something completely unexpected.

"I don't care," he declared, stepping forward to embrace her. "Monster, enemy, Goddess or not, I..."

The kiss that followed was brief, desperate, and immediately broken by Memory-Nala stepping back.

"I have to go," she whispered, and fled, leaving young Elio alone in the garden.

'You ran,' Zara's consciousness observed quietly.

'Yes,' Nala replied, watching her past self flee. 'It seems like I ran...'

♢♢♢♢

The final day dawned with an air of inevitability.

Memory-Nala stood before the statue where Dionz waited, her form already beginning to shimmer with returning power as he activated the curse and restored her divine abilities.

"It's done," Dionz said, but his usual theatrical nature was subdued. "Your hundred years are complete... You are free to leave."

Nala walked the city even though she could just fly.

All the way until the wall, where she took flight.

That's when they heard him.

The emptiness of the chamber seemed to mock her with memories of afternoons in the garden, of conversations that had made her feel more alive than millennia of existence.

Hours stretched into days.

She tried to focus on her duties, on the game, on anything but the image of him disappearing into that endless sea of monsters. But in the quiet moments, which were all moments now, his absence was deafening.

Only 1 year after...

Finally, she broke.

Approaching the statue in her chamber, she pressed her hand against it. "Dionz," her voice wavered. "Please. I know you can hear me."

The god appeared, his usual dramatic entrance subdued.

He said nothing, waiting.

"I need..." She struggled with the words. "I need to make a deal."

"A deal?" His eyebrows rose slightly.

"A favor for a favor." Her voice strengthened with desperation. "I'll owe you one divine favor, anything you ask, if you'll do something for me now."

Dionz's expression was uncharacteristically serious. "What do you want?"

"Take these memories." The words rushed out before she could reconsider. "The hundred years, the time with him... I can't... I can't bear them."

"You want to forget?" There was something in his tone, concern, perhaps, or calculation.

"I need to forget." Her composure cracked completely. "I can't fulfill my role, can't think clearly, can't... function with this pain. Please."

'You gave up your memories of him willingly?' Zara's consciousness was incredulous as they watched.

Current Nala remained silent as Dionz in the memory considered the request.

"A divine favor is no small thing," he said carefully. "Are you certain this is worth it?"

"Yes." Memory-Nala's response was immediate. "Whenever you choose to claim it. Just... please. Make it stop hurting."

Dionz studied her for a long moment. "Very well. A favor for a favor. But remember, you agreed to this."

Enhance your reading experience by removing ads:

Remove Ads Now