"Tear those traitors apart!"
"Kill them! Offer their bleeding heads to Sha Amon!"
Gwen clicked his tongue internally but didn't stop Lu Maírí. Instead, he pulled the young man to his side—strategically wiser to guard two fronts rather than just Lu's back.
The standoff shattered as Reshas charged. Clang! Metal shrieked against metal. When Lu fiercely repelled consecutive strikes, a Resha shouted:
"Resha Ran Gwen! How dare you defy Sha Amon!"
"Is Sha Amon the only Sha? Sha Nine is my lord too!" Lu shot back, eyes blazing as he pressed his attack. A Resha stumbled away, thigh bleeding.
To Gwen's relief, Lu displayed decent swordsmanship—expected of Nine's fan-bearer. Unlike ordinary Reshas, he'd been trained since childhood to protect Nine. But without the battle priests' superhuman conditioning, Lu remained flesh and bone.
A momentary distraction cost Gwen dearly—Lu screamed as blood splattered the stones.
—
When Amon ordered Iyad to bring incense, Nine had clung to hope in Gwen's bracelet. But Amon stripped him completely, crushing the jewelry in his fist—certain proof of magical interference when the rituals stopped working.
"Amon, please... I was wrong! Don't—don't do this!" Nine begged as Amon wordlessly dressed him in pure white chiton. Escape was impossible. No sign of Yi Wu, and other priests would die enforcing Amon's will.
Iyad arrived with an unprecedented quantity of incense. Nine paled—they meant to erase him thoroughly this time. Amon laid the catatonic Nine on the bed.
"Make certain of it."
How many rituals had there been? How many memories lost? Nine sobbed at the hopelessness until Amon's hand lingered on his wet cheek... then withdrew.
"Why... torment me so...?"
Amon paused at the accusation but left without turning.
Iyad ordered Nine's attendants out. The reluctant footsteps, Popo's distant wail of "Lord Nine!"—would the old priest still be here when he woke? This might be their last meeting. Nine lunged forward, only for priests to block his path.
"Sha Nine, we beg you—don't force us to blasphemy."
Nine's fists trembled before going slack.
"Bring... bring Popo. I'll eat before the ritual."
A delay tactic, however brief. The priests hesitated until Iyad snapped: "Must Sha repeat his orders?"
Popo arrived ashen-faced but composed, though her hands shook while serving Nine's favorite dishes. The food tasted like ash—this memory loss felt like approaching death.
They waited patiently. When Popo finally wiped Nine's hands, her fingers trembled.
"My lord... Forgive me. I wished to serve till my last breath."
"You... could visit me even without my memories."
Popo—more family than attendant, having served since before Nine could remember—clutched his hand desperately.
"Lord Nine... my god. Serving you has been my greatest joy. May I attend you again in the next life..."
Lifelong service? Nine thought numbly as Popo left. But it's only been twenty years...
He realized he didn't know his own age.
"Can I see Lu or Gwen?" Nine asked hoarsely.
Iyad's refusal was absolute. As they lit the incense, Nine lay down.
Perhaps forgetting would be easier. No pain for a few years at least.
But Gwen? Lu? They'd become strangers. He wouldn't even mourn their absence properly.
The smoke reached his bed. He considered holding his breath—then surrendered, inhaling deeply as oblivion took him.
The sensation reminded him of walking into the lake to die—that same heavy, suffocating pull...
His last thought was of Gwen.
Time became meaningless until a familiar voice roused him:
"Sha Nine... Awaken."
His body felt leaden. Blinking, he saw the burnt-out incense burners. Had he forgotten anything? He frantically checked—Gwen, Lu, Popo, Yi Wu—all memories seemed intact.
Yet the fear remained: What if I've lost something without realizing?