Chapter 349
How many? (2)
IAM spoke with a slight smile, one that didn't quite reach his eyes. "I'm sure they will be fine… they are strong."
"I know… but isn't it normal to still worry about someone even if you know they would probably be fine? Worry because you don't know… you don't know whether they could be in pain right now… and you will never know… until it's too late." His words were heavy, dragging the atmosphere down with them as everything turned more serious.
A chill wind passed through as IAM said nothing, his gaze fixed on the approaching shadows in the distance, the darkness slowly swallowing what little light remained.
"it's the worst thing, isn't it… to not know… know anything… nothing at all." Yohan's voice was soft, almost lost to the night.
IAM had a single thought.
It was how strong Yohan was.
He had been abandoned by his parents, who sought to sell him. His anchor of support—his brother—had died tragically, and he had only found out long after it had already happened. He was left alone in the world.
But even then, he was still able to trust. To make friends. To laugh. To care. He even dared to have a crush.
IAM believed it was courage.
Yohan was filled with courage. He was sad, hurt, lonely, angry, worried—and yet none of it stopped him from thinking about others. It didn't stop him from moving forward. It didn't stop him from living.
Yohan had the courage to keep living.
IAM suddenly said, "you sound like someone's mom."
Yohan frowned slightly as he replied, "aren't you supposed to be comforting me?"
"I don't need to… you are far more courageous than me."
"is that so…"
Together, they sat in silence, watching the fake stars that twinkled above them, suspended in the sky like countless stellar dots scattered across a black canvas.
Hours later, most of the group were resting, their breathing steady as exhaustion finally took hold, while IAM sat alongside Yohan, both of them keeping watch. They would switch with another pair when the time came, giving themselves a chance to rest as well.
IAM, who had barely moved for the past few hours, suddenly spoke.
"come here… Lethe."
He spoke into the stillness of the night as everything around them remained utterly quiet. He didn't turn his head, his gaze still fixed forward, his expression unreadable.
And then—
Right beside his shoulder, a small figure seemed to suddenly appear.
Lethe.
Her head was lowered, her posture reserved as she shyly stared at her feet, her presence so quiet it felt like she had always been there.
IAM spoke quietly, his tone stripped of emotion. "I want you to look for the rest of the flags… I know your abilities help you feel invisible, so let's not waste it. Find as much as you can before you come back… I'm sure you can find us again, right?"
"I… I—"
"if you face a creature you can't handle then run away, do not engage with anyone else… your goal is simply to bring them back to me… do not die… and make sure you come back." There was no feeling in his voice that suggested he cared either way.
He tilted his head slightly, just enough for her to catch a glimpse of his right eye, looking like a black hole—shockingly darker than the night itself—as he added, "you won't fail… right?"
Lethe trembled. Whether it was fear or excitement was unknown, but IAM was staring directly at her as she forced her words out, broken and uneven. "ye… s… I… will… n… not… fail."
"get your weapon… and disappear."
His last words seemed to dampen whatever emotion she had as she nodded meekly and took a step back. From the viewpoint of a normal human, it would be like she was there—and then suddenly she wasn't. Like she had never been there at all. Like she didn't exist.
Next to him, Yohan suddenly spoke, his voice laced with confusion. "wait… who was that? I feel like I know her? Where did she go?"
IAM glanced at him, taking in the unsettling reality of the situation. Yohan couldn't even properly remember her at all… even though he had promised he wouldn't forget—even her name. Now, he couldn't even recall if he knew her.
Was this how she had been living this whole time?
In a world filled with so many people… she would be forgotten.
Left alone.
Like she never existed.
But this was a circumstance she was surely bringing upon herself, as she kept using whatever path method she had to maintain this effect. Why would someone choose something like that?
And that begged a question.
How was it that IAM seemed unaffected?
The answer lay in the strange ability that he had discovered he could use… he could temporarily or permanently discard something from his mind, such as memories, emotions, and even thoughts.
It was a strange ability, one that only reinforced the fact that he wasn't quite human. It wasn't tied to any path he was on, nor did it resemble any method. It felt innate—something that belonged solely to him.
Thinking about it… he may have even been using it unconsciously.
He remembered the ordeal in the car ride after he had run away from the devil that killed his friends… that moment where everything had become too much. That may have been the first time he had ever used it.
It was this ability that allowed him to remember Lethe.
He was actually affected.
He had begun to forget her name not too long after she said it.
It was a strange sensation—subtle, yet deeply unsettling—but he had instinctively connected the pieces, realising that if he didn't act, he would forget her completely.
But how could he stop it?
It was then he realised something.
He had remembered her from the Hold.
Even though her path method should have been in effect back then as well… he still remembered her now.
Why?
It was then he recalled when his emotions were in their peak after the tragedy of the Hold. In that overwhelming state, he had temporarily removed the memories of everything related to it.
And later after he had improved enough mentally…
He had returned them.
Could it be?
Acting on instinct, he temporarily discarded her name from his mind.
Then—
He brought it back.
And just like that…
He stopped forgetting.
It was as if discarding it had stripped away whatever effect was attached to her name, removing all the interference and leaving it in its most basic, untouched form.
Now…
Unless he chose to permanently discard it…
He would never forget her name.
Or who she was.
Of course, this didn't mean the ability was all-powerful. There were limits. It was unknown if it could work against lethe if she was a master. There were also still things he couldn't erase, no matter how much he wanted to—like his most haunting memories of Dushlok, which clung to him no matter what he tried.
But Lethe…
No matter how strange or powerful her path was…
She was still a novice.
IAM could only hope this strange ability would grow alongside him, becoming stronger as he did.
Because right now…It was proving to be incredibly useful.
IAM stepped out of his thoughts, his awareness of the outside world remaining sharp and unchanged as his eyes scanned the surroundings once more. To be honest… he was slightly surprised. He had been certain that something would happen at night, especially with all the deadline creatures that were supposed to roam during these hours, yet so far… there had been no problems at all.
Could it be that night was actually a safe space for the students to rest before the next morning? If that was the case, then it would only further highlight that this world was nothing more than an illusion, because there was no realistic scenario where they wouldn't be attacked at least once by deadline creatures.
Or maybe…
The size of their group was simply scaring them off.
IAM considered the possibility briefly before letting it settle at the back of his mind.
Two other students approached, signalling that it was time to switch. IAM and Yohan didn't argue, quietly stepping away as they settled themselves not too far from the group, their bodies finally given a chance to rest.
The night dragged on slowly, and no one apart from IAM knew that the group was now one less...