Crimson Memories

At first glance, it was difficult to describe what it was. In Lynch's perception, it was merely an indescribable mass of matter. Only after staring at it for a few seconds did his mind gradually begin to comprehend its true form.

As his understanding took shape, the mass before his eyes slowly shifted and solidified into a delicate little statue.

It depicted a petite female figure holding a red moon up toward the sky in her right hand. Smooth, long hair cascaded down her back. Her face was indistinguishable, as though where her features should have been was nothing more than a cluster of moonlight.

The crimson moonlight fell upon Lynch's face, soft and warm, as if he had returned to the place where he felt most at peace.

The sensation was intimately familiar, unforgettable.

Bathed in the warm moonlight, long-buried memories floated to the surface of Lynch's mind.

Back then, he had seemingly just ended his previous life, inexplicably awakening in that bizarre and filthy environment, his spirit body drifting through a world shrouded in red fog.

Lacking any agency, having a conscious mind was the most terrifying torture imaginable. Loneliness, despair, pain, and fear—day after unchanging day. Every single moment, Lynch had screamed and roared desperately within his mind, constantly teetering on the edge of collapse, feeling as if he might plummet into eternal madness at any second.

Until a red moon rose in the sky, casting a beam of crimson moonlight that enveloped Lynch's soul.

Even though it was just a moon, for some reason, Lynch felt the illusion of constant companionship. He was no longer in despair, no longer lonely, but warm and safe.

As if intentionally keeping him company, the moon never vanished again. It allowed Lynch to soak in its light every moment, and his desperate soul gradually calmed down. Quietly floating through the red fog, he spent countless tens of thousands of years like that.

‘Neighbor.’

【I am here.】

‘Will you always be here from now on?’

Silence reigned in his mind.

‘Will you always be here from now on?’

【Heh, I will try my best.】

‘Shall we try our best together?’

【Mhm.】

The corners of his lips turned up as a spontaneous wave of delight and joy welled within him. Lynch didn't even understand why, but he felt an inexplicable urge to hum a song.

Clearing his throat to reign in the mental chatter, Lynch reached out toward the statue without a second thought.

The action nearly caused Knight Rick's eyes to pop right out of his head.

“Y-Y-You're touching a holy memory just like that?”

“Huh?”

“Even if it's a fallen god, that is still an ancient deity! Bathing, meditating, praying...”

“Oh, my goddess doesn't mind. I asked just now, and she ignored me, so I assume she doesn't object.”

“How could a fallen god respond to you? You Soul Severers of fallen gods are truly...”

Knight Rick gnashed his teeth. For a believer of the Churches of the Major Gods, Lynch picking up a divine idol so nonchalantly was far too shocking—a complete act of disrespect toward divinity. Yet, since the holy memory already belonged to Lynch, he could only watch helplessly as the young man toyed with the statue in his hands.

It had a bizarre feel to it; the material was simply beyond description.

In truth, the statue's essence was identical to mystery relics—memory echoes originating from the Dreamlands, rather than actual physical matter.

However, when ordinary mystery relics condensed in the mortal world, they manifested in materials that mortals could comprehend according to the rules of the world—much like Officer Angel's steel sword Judgment of Vigen, or The Passion of the Blazing Lady tucked away in Lynch's pocket.

A holy mystery, however, was different. Its true essence far exceeded what living beings of the mortal world could process. Any successful comprehension would result in complete assimilation by the deity's divine light. Thus, mortals could only sense such incomprehensible textures and ever-shifting forms.

Eerie, yet undeniably real.

‘Is this your memory?’

【Mhm.】

‘May I take a look?’

After a long silence in his mind, the gentle voice whispered once more:

【Gaze upon it.】

Lynch focused his gaze on the moonlight. In the next instant, his entire consciousness felt as though it were pulled out of his body.

He seemed to be looking down from above at a vast world.

After an unknown length of time, he watched as the world transformed from a desolate, lonely wasteland into a vibrant, colorful realm.

Swimming fish, insects, giant beasts, flying birds, and eventually sentient, intelligent beings—more and more creatures walked the earth, breathing vibrant vitality into the wild wilderness.

He watched them come into existence, grow, reproduce, and die.

He watched them construct magnificent cities and offer gratitude to the heavens through ornate temples.

Lynch's heart swelled with joy, much like watching his own children grow day by day. Yet, slowly, the direction of the world began to take a sinister turn.

First to break out was a pervasive plague. The sickness gradually spread across the entire world, sowing terror in the hearts of every living creature.

Next came cruel and brutal warfare. The conflict quickly spiraled out of control, reducing grand cities into ruins overnight.

Third was a global famine. Years of unending war left people with no heart to farm, resulting in complete crop failures and corpses of the starved littering the land.

Ultimately, what awaited them was despair and death. The earth was strewn with corpses, and the minds of the survivors were consumed by terror and madness.

It was this very convergence of endless terror and madness that awakened another world—a collective realm formed from the nightmares of all living beings, the Dreamlands, which had not previously existed.

The Dreamlands naturally overlapped with the mortal world, existing as two opposing realms of the ethereal and the real. But now, summoned by the terror and despair of the mortal world, the Dreamlands grew increasingly tangible, gradually devouring reality itself. As the Dreamlands eroded the boundaries, the horrifying and bizarre entities from its depths extended their tendrils into the real world, stripping every last glimmer of hope from a mortal world already on the brink of ruin.

The pain pierced him to his core.

As Lynch watched everything crumble beyond recovery, watched those creatures wail as they collapsed in death, and watched thriving species march toward extinction, his heart felt like it was being gouged by knives. I must save them. I must stop all of this. That was the strongest urge burning in his soul.

Just as his overwhelming sorrow reached a breaking point, a hand suddenly clapped onto his shoulder, snapping his consciousness back to reality.

“What's wrong, Mr. Detective? Why did you suddenly freeze up?”

It was Knight Rick.

“I...”

Lynch finally came to his senses, realizing he was still standing at the docks, staring at that piece of Red Moon Memories. Unbeknownst to him, tears had flooded his face, while deep within his consciousness came a faint, sorrowful sigh.

“It's nothing. Just got a statue in my eye.”

Offering a forced smile, Lynch wiped the tears from his face, his emotions a turbulent tangle.

So this was the truth behind the end of the First Age. Those brief, cold records in the history books... every single word was actually soaked in despair and death.

‘Sigh, was what I felt back then your true feelings at the time?’

【You could put it that way.】

‘Meaning close, but not entirely?’

【Mhm.】

‘Then that brings the question back to me. All of this happened in the past, but what about now? What is your ultimate goal? What do you want me to do for you?’

Silence lingered in his mind for a long time before a deeply familiar response resonated once again.

【I will stay by your side and witness every choice in your journey.】

‘Stop, stop, stop! I've heard that so many times I'm sick of it. You... wait...’ A sudden epiphany struck Lynch. ‘So that explanation wasn't an excuse? You're repeatedly telling me that you don't intend to force anything on me, and that you're willing to leave every decision up to my own choice.’

After a long pause: 【...Mhm.】

‘Is it very difficult?’

【Mhm.】

‘Do you need help?’

Silence answered him.

‘Heh, I get it. Since you're unwilling to tell me your expectations, I'll just keep showing you every choice I make, my awkward neighbor.’

Poking the statue's featureless face, Lynch raised his head only to find Rick staring at his fingers with a contorted expression.

“It's nothing, just an accidental touch. I plan to head home right now and study this holy memory thoroughly. My goddess is way too awkward...”

Lynch gave a couple of dry laughs and slipped the statue into his pocket. Just as he was about to explain further, he saw a large crowd of journalists, carrying their battered equipment, being rescued onto the dock and swarming toward them with gleaming eyes.

Disaster. I forgot I haven't dealt with them yet. Can I take back my previous promise? What a pain. Maybe I should just slip away and leave them to Rick...

Clap. A hand settled onto his shoulder. Turning around, Lynch met Knight Rick's meaningful grin.

In your dreams. You're not running anywhere.