Chapter 97 – Cr-Hook Faces the Forgotten World
The black hand remained above the broken sky.
Evetyl stood frozen.
Kai stood beside her.
Neither of them spoke.
The shadow had just revealed something that neither of them had been prepared to hear.
"You and I…"
Its voice echoed through the ruined memory.
"…were the first two things to exist."
Kai looked at Evetyl.
"Evetyl?"
She didn't answer.
Her eyes were fixed on the shadow.
Something inside her was changing.
Memories were returning.
Not one.
Not two.
Thousands.
But before Evetyl could remember everything—
CRACK!
A massive shockwave exploded through the room.
Kai grabbed Evetyl.
"What was that?!"
The shadow turned.
For the first time...
it looked surprised.
Something had entered the Archive.
A figure flew through the broken doorway and crashed across the white floor.
"AAAAAAAH!"
CR-HOOK!
He rolled several times before slamming into a wall.
The wall cracked.
Cr-Hook slowly lifted his head.
"Ow."
Kai stared at him.
"Cr-Hook?"
Cr-Hook looked around.
"Yeah."
He stood up.
"I think I took the wrong door."
Kai stared.
"There are only two doors."
"Exactly."
Cr-Hook pointed toward the broken entrance.
"And somehow I still managed to choose the wrong one."
Evetyl almost smiled.
Almost.
Then Cr-Hook noticed the shadow.
His expression changed.
"Oh."
He slowly lowered his hand.
"That's... new."
The shadow looked at him.
Cr-Hook looked back.
Neither moved.
Finally Cr-Hook said:
"So."
He pointed at the enormous creature.
"Are you the bad guy?"
The shadow didn't answer.
Cr-Hook nodded.
"Okay."
He pulled out his weapon.
"Just checking."
Kai immediately stepped forward.
"Cr-Hook, don't."
"Why?"
"That thing is connected to Evetyl."
Cr-Hook looked at Evetyl.
Then at the shadow.
Then back at Evetyl.
"That's somehow worse."
The shadow raised one hand.
The entire room shook.
Cr-Hook's weapon began vibrating.
Kai shouted,
"MOVE!"
BOOM!
The attack hit.
Cr-Hook disappeared.
"CR-HOOK!"
Evetyl turned.
Dust filled the room.
Kai ran toward the impact point.
But suddenly—
"I'm alive!"
Cr-Hook's voice came from above.
Everyone looked up.
Cr-Hook was hanging from one of the broken pieces of the ceiling.
He smiled.
"See?"
He dropped down.
"Completely fine."
Kai sighed.
"You're insane."
"I've been told."
Cr-Hook looked toward the shadow again.
His smile disappeared.
"But that thing…"
He tightened his grip.
"…is different."
The shadow raised its hand again.
Cr-Hook didn't move.
"Do it."
Kai looked at him.
"Cr-Hook!"
"I said do it."
The shadow attacked.
A wave of darkness crossed the room.
Cr-Hook jumped.
The floor beneath him disappeared.
He landed on a floating piece of the Archive.
Another attack came.
He dodged.
Another.
He rolled.
Another.
He barely blocked it.
The force sent him flying backward.
He hit the ground hard.
His weapon fell from his hand.
Kai started running toward him.
"CR-HOOK!"
Cr-Hook lifted one hand.
"Stay back."
"But—"
"Stay back!"
Kai stopped.
Cr-Hook slowly stood.
Blood ran from his forehead.
He wiped it away.
Then he looked at the shadow.
"You know…"
He breathed heavily.
"I've fought monsters before."
The shadow remained silent.
"Kings."
"Anomalies."
"Things that shouldn't exist."
He picked up his weapon.
"But you…"
He stared at it.
"You aren't a monster."
The shadow tilted its head.
Cr-Hook continued.
"You're something that doesn't understand people."
The shadow finally spoke.
"People are temporary."
Cr-Hook smiled.
"Yeah."
He raised his weapon.
"So are you."
The shadow became still.
Cr-Hook charged.
His weapon struck.
BOOM!
The impact shook the Archive.
The shadow's arm moved backward.
Cr-Hook attacked again.
And again.
And again.
He wasn't stronger than the shadow.
Everyone could see that.
Every attack was barely slowing it down.
But Cr-Hook refused to stop.
The shadow finally caught his weapon.
Cr-Hook pulled.
Nothing.
He pulled harder.
Still nothing.
The shadow looked at him.
"You cannot defeat me."
Cr-Hook grinned.
"I know."
He released the weapon.
The shadow stumbled slightly.
Cr-Hook punched it directly in the face.
Silence.
Kai stared.
Evetyl stared.
Even the Curator, watching from beyond the doorway, stared.
Cr-Hook shook his hand.
"Ow."
The shadow slowly turned its head back.
Cr-Hook swallowed.
"Okay."
He took a step backward.
"That was probably a mistake."
The shadow raised its hand.
Cr-Hook suddenly felt something behind him.
A door.
He turned.
A small black door had appeared.
It wasn't the First Door.
It wasn't the Second Door.
It was something else.
Cr-Hook looked at it.
"What is that?"
The First Thought's voice came through the Archive.
"Don't open it."
Cr-Hook froze.
"Why?"
"Because that door belongs to you."
Cr-Hook blinked.
"Excuse me?"
The First Thought continued.
"Every person has a beginning."
"Evetyl's beginning is here."
"Kai's beginning is here."
"But yours…"
The voice became quieter.
"…is behind that door."
Cr-Hook stared.
"My beginning?"
"Yes."
He looked back at the shadow.
Then at the door.
"Why would my beginning be here?"
The First Thought didn't answer.
Cr-Hook walked toward it.
Kai shouted,
"Don't!"
Cr-Hook stopped.
"Why?"
"Because every door we've opened has revealed something horrible."
Cr-Hook looked at him.
"That's true."
He thought for a second.
"Very horrible."
Kai nodded.
"So don't open it."
Cr-Hook placed his hand on the handle.
"I wasn't going to."
Kai relaxed.
Then Cr-Hook opened it.
Kai's eyes widened.
"CR-HOOK!"
The door opened.
Inside was darkness.
Cr-Hook stepped through.
The door slammed shut behind him.
Cr-Hook opened his eyes.
He was standing in a city.
A normal city.
People were walking through the streets.
Cars moved along the roads.
Children were playing.
A woman was buying food.
Nothing was strange.
Cr-Hook looked around.
"What?"
He touched the ground.
Real.
He looked at his hands.
Normal.
He turned around.
The door was gone.
"Great."
A man walked past him.
Cr-Hook grabbed his shoulder.
"Hey."
The man turned.
"Yes?"
"Where am I?"
The man looked confused.
"You're in Crosshaven."
Cr-Hook's eyes widened.
"Crosshaven?"
"Yes."
"What year?"
The man gave him a strange look.
"Why are you asking?"
"What year?"
"2010."
Cr-Hook froze.
He looked down at his hands.
Then at the city.
Then at the people.
"No…"
A voice came from behind him.
"You've returned."
Cr-Hook turned.
A young boy stood there.
He looked familiar.
Very familiar.
Cr-Hook's expression slowly changed.
"You."
The boy smiled.
"You remember me."
Cr-Hook stepped backward.
"I don't."
"You do."
"No."
"You simply buried it."
Cr-Hook stared at him.
"Who are you?"
The boy answered:
"You."
Cr-Hook went silent.
The boy continued.
"This is the world before you became Cr-Hook."
Cr-Hook looked around.
"I don't remember this."
"You weren't supposed to."
"Why?"
"Because you asked them to erase you."
"Who?"
The boy smiled.
"The same people who erased Kai."
Cr-Hook's heart sank.
"What did I ask them to erase?"
The boy pointed toward the sky.
A giant symbol appeared.
The same Last Mark.
Cr-Hook's eyes widened.
"You…"
The boy said:
"You were there."
"Where?"
"The first world."
Cr-Hook shook his head.
"No."
"You fought beside Aeterna."
"No."
"You knew Kai."
Cr-Hook stopped breathing.
"Kai?"
"Yes."
"You knew Evetyl."
"No."
The boy smiled.
"You knew her before she became Evetyl."
Cr-Hook stared at him.
"Then who was she?"
The boy's smile disappeared.
"She was Aeterna."
Cr-Hook looked toward the sky.
A memory flashed through his mind.
A burning Garden.
A young Aeterna.
A little Kai.
And Cr-Hook standing beside them.
He was younger.
Much younger.
He was laughing.
Aeterna was smiling.
Kai was holding a small wooden toy.
Then the memory changed.
Cr-Hook was fighting.
Aeterna was screaming.
Kai was crying.
The world was collapsing.
And Cr-Hook was holding something in his hand.
A key.
The First Key.
Cr-Hook dropped to his knees.
"No…"
The boy stood beside him.
"You remember now."
Cr-Hook grabbed his head.
"I didn't…"
"You did."
"I wouldn't…"
"You did."
Cr-Hook's voice broke.
"What did I do?"
The boy looked at him.
"You were the one who opened the First Door."
Cr-Hook froze.
"No."
"You opened it because Aeterna asked you to."
"Why?"
"To save Kai."
Cr-Hook's eyes filled with tears.
"Then why does everyone hate me?"
The boy said nothing.
Cr-Hook looked up.
"Why?"
The boy finally answered.
"Because you didn't close it."
Cr-Hook stared.
The memory returned.
Aeterna shouting.
"CLOSE IT!"
Cr-Hook couldn't.
Something was holding the door open.
Something was standing behind him.
The shadow.
Cr-Hook remembered turning around.
And seeing it.
The first thing.
The thing before the world.
Cr-Hook remembered its voice.
"Open."
Then another memory.
Aeterna pushing Kai away.
"RUN!"
Kai disappeared through the First Key.
Aeterna remained.
Cr-Hook remained.
The shadow remained.
Then the world ended.
Cr-Hook covered his face.
"I left her."
The boy shook his head.
"No."
"You did."
"No."
"You left Aeterna."
"No."
"You survived."
"Yes."
The boy looked at him.
"You were the last person she saw."
Cr-Hook looked up.
"What?"
The boy smiled sadly.
"She didn't hate you."
Cr-Hook's tears fell.
"She forgave you."
The city began disappearing.
Cr-Hook stood.
"Wait."
The boy started fading.
"Wait!"
Cr-Hook grabbed him.
"Tell me everything!"
The boy looked at him.
"I can't."
"Why?"
"Because you're not supposed to remember yet."
"Then when?"
"When Kai remembers."
Cr-Hook froze.
"Why?"
The boy pointed behind him.
A black door appeared.
"Because your memories are connected."
Cr-Hook turned.
The shadow stood behind the door.
But this time...
it wasn't looking at Cr-Hook.
It was looking through him.
At something behind him.
Cr-Hook slowly turned.
Someone was standing there.
A young woman.
Dark hair.
White clothes.
A familiar face.
Cr-Hook's eyes widened.
"Aeterna…"
She looked at him.
Then smiled.
"Cr-Hook."
He couldn't move.
"You're alive."
Aeterna stepped closer.
"No."
She touched his forehead.
"You're remembering."
Suddenly—
Cr-Hook's entire world went white.
And a voice whispered in his ear:
"Wake up."
Cr-Hook opened his eyes.
He was back in the Archive.
Kai was standing over him.
"Cr-Hook!"
Cr-Hook breathed heavily.
Kai grabbed his shoulder.
"What happened?"
Cr-Hook stared at him.
For several seconds, he couldn't speak.
Then he whispered:
"Kai."
"Yes?"
"I knew you."
Kai froze.
"What?"
"Before Crosshaven."
Kai's face changed.
"Before the First World?"
Cr-Hook nodded.
"I knew you."
Evetyl stepped closer.
"And me?"
Cr-Hook looked at her.
His expression became painful.
"Yes."
Evetyl's eyes widened.
"How?"
Cr-Hook swallowed.
"I knew you when you were Aeterna."
Silence.
The shadow behind them suddenly laughed.
For the first time...
it sounded almost human.
Evetyl turned toward it.
The shadow spoke:
"Now you understand."
Cr-Hook slowly stood.
His weapon was still in his hand.
He looked at the shadow.
Then at Evetyl.
Then at Kai.
And finally...
at the First Door.
"I remember what happened."
Kai asked:
"What?"
Cr-Hook's grip tightened.
"The First Door wasn't opened to destroy the world."
Everyone became silent.
"Then why was it opened?"
Cr-Hook looked directly at Evetyl.
"To bring someone back."
Evetyl's eyes widened.
"Who?"
Cr-Hook answered:
"The person who existed before Aeterna."
The Archive went completely silent.
The shadow smiled.
And behind Evetyl...
something opened its eyes.
To Be Continued...