Twenty-two dead.
Arden counts them. Habit. Old habit. Doesn't remember why she counts but counts anyway.
They're laid out in Terminal Zero. Bodies. Waiting for. For what? Something. Don't know.
People are crying. Strangers. All strangers.
She watches them. Tries to understand. Feels nothing. Just. Empty.
A man approaches. Dark hair. Sad eyes. He keeps appearing. Keeps talking to her. Name. What's his name?
"Kael," he says. Reading her confusion. "My name is Kael. We. We fought together. Survived together."
"Oh." She nods. Tries to remember. Nothing. "I'm sorry. I don't. I don't remember you."
"I know." He sits beside her. Not touching. Just. Present. "You lost your memories. Using the Codebook. Every entry. Every cost. You paid with yourself."
She looks at the book. One page left. Burned edges. Nearly destroyed.
"Why do I have this?" she asks.
"Because it's a weapon. Because you need it to kill fragments. To end the Game."
"What Game?"
