Chapter 19

-In Void World-

A portal swirled in the Void World. The Void Travelers looked up, greeted by the same futuristic scene as before. Their mission hadn’t changed: bring Rein in and find the memory orb. This time, they planned to enter his house.

As they walked, they saw static humans all across the street. All of them are busy with their own business. When they arrived, the front door was shut tight.

“Should I just kick the door open?” Kierra asked casually.

“No?? Let’s try not to break anything,” Remon said.

“If that doesn’t work, I’m kicking it.”

Remon sighed while Leo just nodded, smiling like an excited idiot.

Remon knocked on the door a few times. No response.

“OUTTA THE WAY!” Kierra shouted and launched a kick at the door.

“Wait—ugh...” Remon groaned.

“WOO! We’re in!” Kierra cheered, striding inside with Leo right behind her.

“Leo, teach them some manners.”

“Me? Why me?”

“What do you mean ‘why you’??”

While Remon and Leo bickered at the door, Kierra was already inside, poking around at every object that looked remotely important. She tapped at things quickly, trying to find an object that could be changed into a memory orb. Then, a glow, a soft light, pulsed from one of the objects.

Leo and Remon turned in alarm.

“Kierra, no! Rein’s not here yet!” Leo rushed forward.

Memory orbs only last five seconds if not handed to the one they belong to. The light faded. Then it was gone.

“Nooo...” Leo dropped dramatically to his knees.

Remon walked up to them.

“Kierra... memory orbs only last five seconds. Didn’t I tell you that before?” Leo said, his voice full of regret.

Kierra just looked at him, confused.

“Now what?” Remon asked.

“Well... Kierra, do you remember which object you touched?”

“Hmm... I think it was a laptop.”

“Okay, good. We’ll check every laptop we find. But first—we need Rein.”

Leo turned to Kierra.

“Right, this is your part too.”

“Hm?” Kierra tilted her head.

“We need to get Rein here—forcefully, if needed. Your job is to drag him in. Just... don’t hurt him.”

“AHA, OKAY!!” Kierra beamed, eyes sparkling as they ran off with way too much enthusiasm.

Remon stared, her jaw half open.

“Is that really okay?” she asked Leo, whispering, clearly unsure.

“It’s fine. Trust me—trust your Void World guide,” Leo said with a playful wink.

And with that, they went to find Rein.

Rein had assigned everyone in the city to track down the Void Travelers. Restless, his mind kept circling back to what happened last time. Pieces of memory began to return—faint flashes, like echoes and for a moment, he almost believed the Void Travelers weren’t lying. He still refused to admit those memories were his, but something about them felt disturbingly familiar. And he hated that.

Just then, a guard approached.

“We’ve found them,” the guard reported.

Rein’s eyes narrowed. “Good. Take me to them. Now.”

Soon after, Rein arrived at the location. From a distance, he saw them—the Void Travelers were just wandering around, clearly looking for him. Instead of showing himself, he hid behind a wall, watching.

“How dare they,” he muttered under his breath. “I’ll show them who they’re dealing with.”

Suddenly, he sensed someone behind him. He gasped and quickly turned around, the guards stepping protectively in front of him.

A strange person stood there. They had bear-like ears on top of their head, long hair tied into two ponytails, and pale, almost grayish skin. Rein stared at them, puzzled.

“This person... They’re not one of my clones. Not even someone I’ve brainwashed… Another unregistered civilian?” he thought to himself.

The person gave him a brief look—mild surprise in their expression—but said nothing and simply walked away.

Rein blinked a few times, stunned. But he chose to ignore it and tried to continue spying on the void travelers. Unfortunately, they were gone. He stepped out from behind the wall, scanning the area.

“THAT’S HIM!!” a voice suddenly shouted behind him.

Rein flinched, eyes wide like he’d just been caught red-handed. Without thinking, he turned and bolted.

“HE’S RUNNING!! GET HIM!!” Kierra yelled, and Leo took off after him.

Rein ran as fast as he could, heart pounding. But then, something felt off—his head buzzed slightly, not painful, just strange.

“Rein, don’t run! You’ll get sick!” a voice echoed in his mind—someone unfamiliar. His body stopped on its own. Without knowing why, his hand instinctively moved to his chest.

“Quick, catch him!” Leo’s voice snapped Rein back to the present.

He turned but it was too late. Kierra had already grabbed him tight. Rein struggled, trying to break free, but Kierra managed to twist both his arms behind him and forced him to the ground, his face hitting the road.

“Haha! Rein secured!” Kierra laughed while Rein groaned in protest.

“Alright, let’s move!” Leo said, already leading the way.

“Kierra, can you carry him?” Remon asked.

“No problem!” Kierra grinned and easily hoisted Rein onto their back.

“HEY! Put me down!” Rein shouted, still wriggling—but it was no use.

The group sprinted off, heading straight to Rein’s house.