(…What are these memories?)
Ruins of a town, where white pages fall quietly like snow.
And there, a girl with white wings holds her knees and cries.
I know who she is.
White Paper Angel Memoria.
My memories with her that I forgot are right in front of me.
“…Who?”
The pale girl lifts her head.
Her emerald eyes are wet with tears, and reflected in them is me, with half my hair white.
This is probably me, after I showed my power by taking down Labrys single-handedly and becoming the lowest seat of the twelve sages.
I walk towards the girl with an unsheathed sword in my hand.
“…Will you… Kill me?”
“That was my intention.”
I smile awkwardly, despite not wanting to.
Apparently I’ve become pretty much one with the me in my memories.
“You destroyed the future and brought sadness to a lot of people. So I’m sure killing you here is the right thing to do.”
“Then…”
“But you’re crying.”
I know it’s a bad habit of mine.
I put my sword back in its sheath, and instead reach out to the girl.
“Will you come with me? I’m sure we won’t be lonely together.”
I’m probably lonely too.
I lost the people I cared about, turned into something everyone calls a monster, and yet continue to fight alone.
“…You’re strange.”
The girl blinks rapidly, as she alternates between looking at my hand and my face.
“…But everyone… Forgets about Memoria.”
“Yes, I think I’ll forget you soon too, and I’m not strong enough to promise I can make you happy.”
“…No good.”
“Yes. But still… I can promise you one thing.”
“..Promise?”
“No matter how many times I forget, I’ll remember again. I will always find you, so come live with me.”
And then, we join hands.
I bring Memoria to my laboratory, give her clothes, and a warm meal.
I leave memos all over the place, so I will remember her right away if I do forget, and I start keeping a diary too.
Because of this, my laboratory is always filled with paper.
“Do you know memory techniques? The ‘method of loci’ is popular, but… Most of the time, forgetting means being unable to remember, and the memory is left somewhere in one’s head. So the most important thing is to create triggers to remember.”
Memoria also begins to train her memory using triggers.
Memory is actually less reliant on talent than one might expect. That’s probably why I’m so good at it, and managed to train myself to the point where I can memorize a book in three minutes.
But one time, Memoria asked me…
“…Why?”
“Eh?”
“…Why do you try so hard? You could just forget me. You even forget you forgot, so it’s not a problem.”
“You’re… A nice girl.”
I pat her head.
“But I don’t like giving up. I know I’m weak and don’t have the power to save anyone, but still, if I can save you, that will save me a little too.”
In these days when I’m with Memoria, I still run around on battlefields.
“…Are you all right? You’re all tattered.”
“Yes, I’m used to this much. Also… I’ll destroy all the demon kings soon, and put an end to this fighting. Then we can both live in peace.”
“…Hn.”
But that wish doesn’t come true.
The fighting just keeps intensifying.
More demon kings continue to appear, and the future is on a straight path to destruction.
I continue to slowly take in more demon king cells, and facing the enemies in my way.
“…Any more demon king cells would be dangerous.”
“But I… Have to become strong. So I don’t have to lose anyone, or make anyone cry…”
The future is headed for ruin, and I keep getting stronger and becoming more like a monster.
And I have been fighting the demon kings that keep appearing.
Ancestral dragon Verboros, Ultimate Life Form Ultimelt, Holy Angel Serenade, Black Death Butterfly Historia, Sky King Sphere Note, Giant Godly Stronghold Turgia, Angel of the End Finne Ram, Hundred Eyed King Ai Vi, Absolute Zero Princess Frost Field, Dream Hallway Night Gate, Death Eater Bug Eurynome, Mirage Dragon Traumerei, Dust King Kaioh, Meandering God Doleland, Toxic Queen Zaritze, Swirling Wind Pazuzu, Pillaging King crow, Key Keeper Twins Lu and Lu, Calamity Princess Desire, Infinite Changing Road Scherzo, Cosmos Dragon Balfut, Spirit King Oratorius, Giant Stone God Alma Kina, Goddess of the Underworld Hanahana…
I fight.
I fight. I fight. I fight.
I fight. I fight. I fight. I fight. I fight. I fight. I fight. I fight. I fight. I fight. I fight. I fight. I fight. I fight. I fight. I fight. I fight. I fight. I fight. I fight…
I shed a lot of tears. Vomit a lot of blood. Break many taboo.
And yet… I don’t protect anyone.
I didn’t get strong in time. I didn’t make it in time to save them.
My outstretched hand will never reach anyone.
It’s like a curse.
“It’s your fault…”
“Monster…”
“If only you weren’t here… Monster.”
“You destroyed everything.”
“…Monster.”
Everyone I save fears me.
Some even try to kill me out of hatred.
But still, I want to save someone, just like the heroes I admired when I was younger.
Just like the people that taught me kindness.
And as I keep trying to become strong…
History’s strongest calamity, Space-Time King Chronogate.
I become the world’s most feared demon king.
A being that spreads ruin around him just by existing.
Originally, I didn’t have the aptitude to control a demon king’s power.
And yet, I took in too many demon king cells, rendering me unable to perfectly control them.
“…Why is this power…? This isn’t why… I became strong.”
From atop a stopped clock tower, I look down at the ruined world.
The world I ruined.
“I finally have the power to protect everything, and yet…. Why? Nothing’s left. Why… Did I destroy the world?”
I failed. And keep failing.
I tried to save everything, and saved no one.
“Memoria, I… Couldn’t become a hero.”
“…Mister Chrom…”
Only Memoria and I are left in this world.
Memoria always followed me, despite what I became.
I’m sure it’s thanks to her that I didn’t lose my mind.
But I didn’t want to show her this future. I wanted her to have a normal life.
I wanted to give her a lot more happy memories.
“Mister Chrom, it’s not over yet. There’s still ‘Time Leap’.”
Says Memoria with the most cheerful tone she could muster.
“Yes, ‘Time Leap’…”
It’s magic we researched together.
Magic to send memories back to the past.
My magic circuits are connected to the past and future.
If I could use these magic circuits to send memories back to the past with Memoria’s memory magic… I figured I might be able to change this future.
It’s the last hope I have left, but…
I limply shake my head.
“…No. I’ve calculated it many times. It all began a hundred years ago, and there isn’t enough magic energy in the whole world to send two people back.”
I gathered the cores from dungeons all over the world.
I absorbed demon kings’ magic energy, and stocked up through time, but it still isn’t enough.
“There aren’t any other sources of magic energy left. I… Didn’t make it in time again.”
If I gained power faster, I wouldn’t have had to travel as far back, meaning I would need less magic energy.
My outstretched hand is always just one step behind.
“If it won’t work with two people… How about one?”
“…Eh?”
“Is there enough magic energy to send you to the past?”
“…No! I won’t do that!”
“So it really is possible.”
“…Even if it is…”
Redoing the future means making it so this time never happened.
If I can’t take Memoria with me to the past… That means this Memoria would cease to exist.
Memoria would be erased by my own hand.
“…Let’s forget about it.”
“Are you giving up?”
“Yes… I’m giving up.”
If it means erasing Memoria and taking those memories to the past… Everything might as well end here.
“Even if I manage to go back to the past… I can’t save anything. I don’t think my heart can take it anymore. I’m tired…”
After a hundred years of fighting and losing everything, my spirit is at its limit.
My heart was never that strong to begin with, and if I lose Memoria too, I’m sure it will break.
“…I’ll destroy the ‘Time Leap’ magic circle. We’ll live together in peace from now on. Until the world ends…”
I say and turn my back to Memoria.
I don’t want to see the look on her face.
“Mister Chrom.”
She musters up her resolve and stops me.
“Please forget about me.”
…My memories are hazy from that point on.
Before I know it, Memoria is disappearing.
“…Uh? Who… Was I talking to?”
I forgot about Memoria.
“Ah, I know. I was going to do a ‘Time Leap’. If I gather magic energy from all over the world, I’ll have enough.”
I start making preparations to ‘Time Leap’ alone into the past.
I gather all the necessary materials, draw a giant magic circle, and then…
The goddess calendar, tenth day of the fourth month of the year one thousand three hundred, five fifty-eight in the afternoon.
I’m in the ruins of a cathedral painted by dusk.
On the ground covered with broken pieces of stained glass, blue grass flowers bloom all over. I remember someone liking them, but can’t remember who.
I stand alone on a magic circle, ready to ‘Time Leap’ alone.
“I finally made it here. I’ll take back everything, starting from that day…”
I concentrate my magic energy and make it flow into the magic circle.
I gathered enough magic energy to ‘Time Leap’ one person.
I will be able to go back a hundred years, to that day.
I will be able to go save this world beyond salvation.
It’s a happy day, the day when I’m starting anew, so why…
“Why am I crying…”
I can’t hold back my tears.
I wipe them and wipe them, but they keep coming.
I just stand here crying like a child, not even knowing why.
“Don’t cry anymore, Mister Chrom… This is a new beginning.”
I hear all of a sudden, and before I know it, a girl is standing in front of me.
No, that’s wrong… She was with me the whole time.
Why did I forget?
“…Me… Moria?”
I remember her name, and suddenly, I remember her.
“…You remembered…
“W-why am I… Going to the past by myself…? If I go to the past, this time… You’ll be erased.”
By my own hand.
I absolutely didn’t want that.
“N-no… I didn’t want this future. I just wanted to save… Even if it was only you… Y-yes, let’s go to the past together…!”
“No. You said it yourself, only one person can go.”
“T-then we can just live in this time together…!”
“That’s not good either.”
“Why…!?”
“Because you’re crying, aren’t you?”
The moment she says that, memory pages fly out of my body.
“W-why…”
I sunk all my magic energy into ‘Time Leap’, so I can’t resist it.
My memories are being painted white again.
“N-no, Memoria! S-stop! I don’t want to forget! I can finally remember you! I can finally make you smile!”
Those hundred years were like hell, and I wished many times that I could forget them.
But still, that was time I spent with you.
“If you can stay with me, I…”
But I forget what to say next.
Her name disappears from my mind.
My memories of her, her smile… It all disappears.
“N-no…!”
I reach out to her, but before my hand can reach her…
The magic circle is done filling with magic energy, and pale lightning starts gushing.
The world is painted white.
Space-time is collapsing. The scenery in front of me shatters and breaks like glass.
This time is turning into something that never existed.
The girl in front of me is turning into something that never existed.
There is no going back, and no saving her..
“Mister Chrom.”
In this world that’s ending, the girl smiles affectionately, and gently hugs me.
“Please save this future.”
Stop.
“And please be happy.”
Stop.
“I’m sure you’re loved by a lot of people. But I don’t have to be there.”
Stop.
“You’re kind, so.. I’m sure you wouldn’t be able to handle these memories. So… If you meet me again, somewhere someday… Make sure you forget about me.”
Stop.
“I’ve received enough.”
Stop.
“I’m very happy that I met you.”
Stop.
Don’t talk to me like this is the end.
Doesn’t it all start here?
Doesn’t our happiness start here?
Aren’t you crying again?
I haven’t saved you yet, have I?
There’s still so much I want to tell you.
And yet, everything is falling away from my memories, and I can’t put it into words.
Eventually, the world is painted white.
I can’t see or hear anything anymore.
(I failed… To save again…)
In this life, I failed to save a single person right until the very end.
Was it a mistake for someone like me to even try?
Would it be better if I gave up?
Weak, cowardly, just a minor role…
If I didn’t admire heroes and didn’t overextend myself… Would this future not have happened?
But still, I…
“…I’m not giving up!”
I blindly reach out in this world of light.
This hand doesn’t grab or reach anything. Someone should be there, but I can’t remember anymore.
But still, I swear.
“I… Won’t forget. These hellish hundred years, and the precious time I spent with you.
I swear.
“No matter how many times I forget, I will remember you. No matter what era I go to, I will find you.”
I swear.
“I’m… Never giving up.”
I swear.
“Next time, I swear I’ll save you.”
I swear, right at the last moment.
“I will save everything from here.”
…I won’t forget this promise.
Even if I do forget it, I won’t forget it. I can’t forget it. I won’t allow myself to forget it.
(Remember.)
I chanted that word in my mind over and over and over…
Every time you forget, remember. Remember why you cry like this.
Remember why you reach out like this. Remember that you need to save someone.
And…
Save everything.
Even if it’s foolish, even if it’s a mistake.
Even if it becomes a weakness.
I’m sure you’re among that ‘everything’, so… I’m not abandoning what I want to save.
“…You’re an idiot Mister Chrom…”
Maybe it was an illusion, but I see it. Just as the world is ending, I see a girl crying and smiling.
Those eyes that look like gems ejecting clear drops.
And in the end, she smiles and waves.
“Have a nice trip, Mister Chrom.”
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…Can’t you just wait for like a thousand years to charge up some magic power or something or living for a thousand years is too hard for you~?
I’ve read few novels with dudes who lasted more than a thousand years tho~
Probably supply and demand climbs according to time. The magic power supply rate is already at a stalemate. While the price to use the spell still increase with time. He’s just gonna be stuck with a constant deficit if he stays for thousand years.