Aeren tried to open his eyes but found no freedom to do so. He attempted to sense his surroundings but had no freedom to perceive. When he tried to feel his own being, he discovered no freedom to connect with himself. Even thinking proved impossible—he had no freedom for that either.
As he struggled to reclaim everything about himself, Aeren began resisting his surroundings. After fighting for what felt like an eternity, he finally started to sense his environment.
But when awareness returned, he felt nothing—complete emptiness. How could he explain such emptiness? It was nothingness itself, blankness beyond description. The more he sensed, the more hollow he became, as if he were merging with the void around him.
As this emptiness consumed him, he resisted once more and forced his eyes open. But before he could perceive anything in that empty realm, Aeren returned to the place from which he had been erased.
Looking around, he still felt the same hollowness that had pervaded that other place. Now he understood the meaning of blankness—and he found himself back where his erasure had begun.
The chamber had changed dramatically, modified with new elements throughout the space. As Aeren surveyed his transformed surroundings, confusion filled him.
"What happened here? It's changed so much I barely recognize it." While examining the room, he discovered a window and went to observe the world outside. Through the glass, Aeren saw beings that resembled humans but clearly weren't.
They walked and spoke like humans, but their fundamental nature was different. Some had enormous legs, others tiny ones, some had thick limbs—the same variations appeared across all their body parts. Aeren was amazed that they could even function with such diverse physiologies.
BAM!
The door burst open, making Aeren turn from the window. When he saw Nil enter, he watched her reaction with growing bewilderment. She gasped in shock, tears streaming down her face—she looked completely overwhelmed.
Aeren couldn't understand her emotional state. He stared at her with a flat, confused expression. Why is she reacting like this? She should have lost all memory of me, so how can she look at me as if she remembers every moment we shared?
He couldn't comprehend how she remembered him. He had returned from somewhere indescribable—a place he couldn't even determine was an existence or something beyond existence itself.
I thought the world would forget me entirely, Aeren mused, but seeing Nil's reaction, I don't know anything anymore.
As Nil's tears continued flowing while she stared at him, Aeren observed without showing any external emotion. She began taking steps toward him, needing several minutes to cross the room.
With tears still glistening in her eyes, she raised her hand to touch him. When her fingers made contact and confirmed he was real, she pressed her body against his and embraced him tightly.
Aeren felt awkward about her reaction. He had been gone for what seemed like minutes, yet she acted as if he had vanished for centuries.
This deepened his confusion, prompting him to ask, "Do you remember me?"
Nil didn't reply immediately, refusing to release her grip on him. When Aeren gave up waiting for an answer and let her continue her embrace, she finally responded in a quiet, numb voice: "I had forgotten about you, but seeing you again brought back everything."
Listening to her explanation, Aeren understood that this world had indeed forgotten him, but she remembered because of their connection from his past life. That was the only logical explanation he could conceive—or perhaps their hearts were linked, making it impossible for her to forget him completely.
As he contemplated the time spent in that indescribable place, Aeren shivered at the memory. Where did I go? What did I understand? What meaning did I comprehend? I don't even know my own understanding of that place—if it could even be called a place. It couldn't be seen, heard, or sensed because I felt empty. Yet somehow, I'm still grasping at that emptiness and wanting to return there.
It's as if I finally found the answer to true freedom, but it slipped away before I could see it with my own eyes.
While Aeren pondered the deeper meaning behind his erasure, Nil continued clinging to his chest, breathing in his scent—though she smelled nothing. She lifted her head to study his face and noticed a confusion she had never seen in him before. Her intense gaze broke the silence between them.
"Why are you confused?" Her question pulled him from his memories of that otherworldly experience, and Aeren turned his attention to her.
"It's nothing. Why are you still clinging to me?" Rather than explaining his confusion, Aeren deflected with his own question, knowing he would gain nothing from sharing and would likely become more confused about his own thoughts.
Nil maintained her grip on him as she answered, "You've been forgotten for a year, and I was here alone, constantly feeling like something important was missing from my life."
Aeren absorbed her explanation. Only a year? I thought the timeline would have changed by at least ten years. Just one year—that's surprising.
He placed his hands on her shoulders and gently pulled her away. "Tell me—does anyone else remember my existence, or do only you know about me?"
Nil looked confused by his question, uncertain whether others might remember him as she did.
After considering his question briefly, though she couldn't know the answer definitively, she replied, "I don't know for certain. Maybe they remember you, or maybe they've forgotten you too."
Aeren observed her and understood that she knew as little about the situation as he did. Rather than pressing further, he turned back to the window to study the people of the Cloud Empire. He could see that these inhabitants had found something like home in this place and had begun truly believing in this continent.
But Aeren also noticed other things—there were people who didn't feel comfortable in their surroundings, something rarely seen in people's eyes reflecting in theirs.
After studying the outside situation for a while, Aeren turned back to Nil. "You've handled your people well. They're living better than I expected."
Nil's face lit up instantly at his compliment. "Of course! I researched everything that would benefit my people and provided them with everything they needed. I built houses for them, created essential items, and made things that suited their physical needs. I've worked all year helping and building up the people."
As Nil explained the situation with evident pride, Aeren listened to all her self-praise without denying her claims. He believed her words and trusted in her abilities.
Aeren was convinced she could accomplish everything she described—she possessed the power to easily achieve such feats. He also believed she would never lie to him. Even if she did, it wouldn't change anything; he would simply need to convert that lie into truth so no one else would ever see the deception.
As Aeren continued listening to Nil's words, evening passed into night. She began feeling sleepy and eventually fell asleep mid-conversation. Aeren also lay down to rest beside her.