Chapter 1: Night in the Neon City
New Tokyo never slept.
Tall buildings, piercing the sky, shone above the clouds. Hologram advertisements floated on every wall—fake smiles, perfect faces, fake happiness. A light rain blanketed the streets, dispersing the colors of the neon lights—purple, blue, pink… as if the city itself were a digital dream.
Drones patrolled overhead. Crowds swayed below—people's eyes were illuminated more by screens than by emotion.
And amidst that crowd, a man walked silently.
Aarav.
Black jacket, a small weapon hidden inside, and no expression on his face. His gait was confident—or perhaps habitual. He wasn't part of the crowd. He was part of the system.
The implant on his wrist vibrated slightly.
A new message.
Target identified. Location: Sector 17. Clearance level: Black.
Black Clearance meant—no questions, no witnesses, no mistakes.
Aarav touched the small metal port on the back of his neck. It was his direct connection—to the company.
"Memoria Corp."
New Tokyo's most powerful organization.
They didn't sell weapons.
They bought brains.
Memories—the most precious currency
Years ago, the government implanted a microchip in every citizen's brain in the name of "security."
This chip recorded memories.
They could be erased if needed.
They could be edited.
They could be changed.
People thought this would reduce crime.
But no one considered that if memories could be changed, truth could also be changed.
Aarav's job was—"recovery agent."
Essentially, he would remove people's chips.
Erasing their dangerous memories.
Sometimes even their entire identity.
He didn't think.
He just acted.
But tonight... something was different.
Target: Ishani Sen
Age: 23
Crime: Classified Information Leak
Threat Level: Severe
The building in Sector 17 was different from the others. Old, concrete walls, dim lighting, and minimal surveillance. Wealthy people didn't live here. People who wanted to escape the system lived here.
Aarav climbed the stairs.
The sound of his shoes echoed with every step.
Room 1708.
The door wasn't locked.
He went inside.
The room was dark, only neon light came from the window. Raindrops slid on the glass.
And near the window—standing a girl.
Long black hair, a light blue dress, and a strange calmness on her face.
As if she knew.
"You're here," she said without turning around.
Aarav stopped.
His fingers automatically went inside his jacket. He pulled out a memory gun—a thin, silver device that connected directly to a chip and deleted memories.
"Turn back. Hands up." His voice was cold.
The girl turned slowly.
And as their eyes met—
Everything stopped.
A strange pain
Aarav felt a sharp jolt in his head.
The world went blurry.
He grabbed the wall.
Suddenly... he saw a scene.
Not New Tokyo.
A small village.
The scent of soil.
The smell of mustard fields lingered in the air.
A little boy...
Laughing.
A little girl was running alongside him.
"Aarav, catch it quickly!"
The girl's voice.
Aarav closed his eyes tightly.
"What is this...?" He clenched his teeth.
The girl—Ishani—stood in front of him. There was no fear in her eyes. Only sadness.
"You're starting to miss me," she said softly.
"Shut up!" Aarav roared. "I've never seen that place."
"I have," she took a step forward.
"Because that boy was you."
The room fell silent.
A crack in the system
Aarav's implant began vibrating again.
Agent Aarav, carry out the order. Erase the memory immediately.
He picked up the gun.
His hand was shaking.
This was the first time.
He had erased the memories of hundreds of people.
Never asked questions.
Never remembered faces.
But Ishani's face...
It looked as if it were written somewhere in her soul.
"They erased your memories," Ishani said.
"Because you saw the truth."
"Which truth?"
"That Memoria doesn't just erase the memories of criminals. It changes people. It turns them into weapons."
More images flashed through Aarav's mind—
A white room.
Bright lights.
Wires connected to his head.
And a voice—
"Subject memory reset complete."
His breathing quickened.
"This is a lie..."
"If this is a lie," Ishani said softly, "then look into my eyes and pull the trigger."
The rain intensified.
Aarav aimed the gun directly at her chip.
Just a second.
Just a click.
It was all over.
But his fingers remained frozen.
An Incomplete Identity
"You promised me," Ishani's voice broke.
That no matter what happens, you'll never forget me."
The same village laughter echoed in Aarav's ears.
A broken kite.
A dirt road.
Two children holding hands.
His knees gave way.
"Why am I… remembering something?" he said softly.
Ishani appeared right in front of him.
He gently took her hand.
And as their fingers met—
A flash of lightning flashed through his mind.
A name.
A day.
An accident.
And then—
Darkness.
Aarav fell to the ground.
His memory gun slid to the ground.
Sparks flew from the implant.
And something else.