THE ILLUSION GAME - [PART 1 COMPLETED]

THE MEMORY THAT LIED

Chapter 15

The cursor stared back at her.

Blink.
Blink.
Blink.

Y / N

Elara’s trembling finger hovered in the air.

The room was silent now - no more heartbeat, no hum - just a thick, unnatural quiet that pressed against her eardrums.

"Wala na ‘kong choice, ‘di ba?" she whispered, tears falling freely.

Jade stood before her, fading, glitching like a broken signal.

"Meron ka pa ring choice," Jade said softly.
"Pero hindi lahat ng choice… may katotohanan sa likod."

Elara swallowed hard.

"I don’t care anymore… I just want the truth."

And with a trembling breath…

She chose  Y

The moment she did, the room shattered.

Not into glass.

Into -  memories.

She fell - not down, but -through time.

Images flashed violently around her.

- Her and Jade fighting
- Elara screaming words she couldn’t fully hear
- A road at night
- Rain pouring
- A figure running into darkness
- A final message: "This is your fault"

Then…

She was standing on a road.

Night.

Rain pouring.

Jade stood across from her on the other side of the street.

Crying.

"Bakit mo ‘ko iniwan, Elara?" Jade’s voice echoed through the storm.

"H-Hindi… Hindi kita iniwan!" Elara cried, stepping forward.
“Hindi ko naaalala ‘to!"

"Ayaw mo lang alalahanin," Jade replied, her voice blending with the thunder.

A car engine roared.

Headlights blinded them both.

Elara turned too late -

SCREEECH. CRASH.

Silence.

Then a new scene.

A hospital hallway.

Doctors rushing.

Red-stained floors.

And Elara… standing alone.

No Jade.

Just an empty, cold bench.

A voice whispered behind her ear…

"See? You killed her."

Elara screamed.

"Hindi!" she shouted. "Hindi ko siya pinatay! Hindi ako ang dahilan nito!"

The world glitched violently.

The scene tore apart like a corrupted video.

Suddenly, she was back in the mirror room.

The laptop reappeared.

But now, it displayed different words.

MEMORY FILE: CORRUPTED

SOURCE: UNRELIABLE

TRUTH STATUS: 14%

Elara froze.

"So… hindi… totoo?" she whispered.

Jade appeared beside her, weaker now… like her energy was almost gone.

"Bahagi lang," Jade replied gently.
"Ang ipinakita sa’yo… ay kung ano ang gusto ng Illusion na paniwalaan mo."

The walls shook again.

A new message typed itself across the screen.

THE REAL MEMORY IS SEALED.
ONLY ONE WAY TO OPEN IT…

PART TWO MUST BEGIN.

A deep, unfamiliar voice echoed through the room.

"Round Five is incomplete.
The truth remains unpaid.
And the debt will come due soon."

Jade looked at Elara - her eyes filled with both sadness and pride.

"Malapit ka na, Elara… pero hindi dito nagtatapos ang kwento natin."

She reached out - her hand almost touching Elara’s.

"Sa susunod na yugto… malalaman mo na ang tunay na dahilan kung bakit hindi na ako tao…"

A light exploded from the mirror.

Elara’s body felt like it was being pulled upward.

Through darkness.
Through silence.
Through nothingness.

Her last sight:

Her laptop, alone in the center of the empty room…

And on the screen…

PART ONE COMPLETE

WELCOME TO PART TWO: THE GUIDE FROM THE OTHER SIDE

Black.

Total silence.

Then…

One final whisper:

"I will be waiting, Elara… on the other side of the truth."

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