This Beast-Tamer is a Little Strange

Kain, Clara, and Claudia halted mid-step at Benji's words.

Don't remember anything? What the heck are they talking about?

Kain's brows furrowed as he exchanged a glance with the two women beside him. Neither of them seemed outwardly alarmed by the statement, but there was a momentary flicker of something in their expressions—confusion? Or perhaps… recognition?

Clara tilted her head, her stance shifting slightly. "I'm not sure what you mean, Vice City-Lord," she said cautiously. Her usual confidence was still there, but there was an edge of uncertainty in her voice. "We wouldn't have reported here if we weren't in full control of our faculties."

Kain crossed his arms, nodding. "If there's a problem, just tell us directly."

Benji clicked his tongue, rubbing his temple as if this was giving him a headache. "The problem is," he said slowly, "you don't know that something's wrong. If I asked you right now how long you've been in Ishvaran, what would you say?"

"Ten years," Claudia answered instantly.

Clara nodded. "Same here. We arrived together after fleeing the wilderness and joined the patrols together."

Kain frowned. "I was born here, my affinity was discovered a year ago and I have been training under the Vice City-Lord since."
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Benji let out a dry chuckle, shaking his head. "No. That's completely false. None of you have been here more than a few days."

A tense silence fell over the room.

Kain opened his mouth, ready to refute the ridiculous claim, but… something stopped him. A tight, twisting feeling in his chest.

This isn't your world, Kain.

The words slithered through his mind unbidden, and he inhaled sharply. A flickering memory—faint, like a shadow slipping through his fingers—flashed across his consciousness. A temple. A mirror. A pull—

No.

He had always been here. Hadn't he?

Clara's fingers twitched at her side, and Claudia's normally cool expression flickered with an emotion Kain couldn't quite place.

Nadia's voice cut through the silence. "If I told you that a week ago, none of you existed within Ishvaran's records, how would you respond?"

Kain's breath caught.

Clara and Claudia stiffened.

"Impossible," Clara said, shaking her head. "I have memories—clear ones. Training in the patrols, fighting rogue beasts, even my first hunt—"

"Fabricated," Benji interrupted. "They were given to you. By this relic. We are currently within a historical echo."

Historical echo? Why does that sound so familiar?

A slow, creeping unease crawled up Kain's spine. He pressed his lips into a thin line, forcing himself to think rationally.

"…If what you're saying is true," Kain said carefully, "then why do we remember so much?"

"Because that's how a historical echo relic works," Benji said grimly. "It forces you into a role. Usually the necessary knowledge and identity are given to you while you retain your sense of self. Allowing you to act in a manner not to out of the ordinary. Similar to actors being given a script—they're still usually aware that they are acting. It's only in rare cases that someone gets 'too into their role' and begins to believe they truly are the character they play."

However, Nadia picked up where Benji left off. "This relic, possibly due to its connection to the Abyss, appears to have a strong assimilating power on the mind. Therefore, we all entered fully consumed by the 'roles' we were given. And unless something triggered the break, we would never realize it's not real."

She continued, "Likely because my cultivation level was stronger than the rest of you, I was able to snap out of it the fastest. Especially since in my free time I had been studying the Pathfinder's badge, trying to remember its purpose. Benji breaking free at almost the same time as me was a surprise though…"

Benji smiled humbly, "Ahem—it's no big deal. Its completely the credit of Aura." He said while gesturing to the Spirit Mouse on his shoulder, whose beady black eyes glowed faintly. The small creature twitched its whiskers as if there was an interesting or embarrassing story behind how they recovered their memories but, unfortunately, Benji did not elaborate further.

The more that Nadia and Benji spoke, the more Kain believed their words. However, he still couldn't remember much about the life they say he supposedly led outside of the relic. It was like trying to grab hold of mist—whenever he thought he had something, it would slip away.

And unfortunately, since neither Nadia nor Benji were personally close with him, they couldn't give any names for family members or friends that may serve as a trigger for him.

Claudia and Clara were also in the same boat. They were a team of 5 put together temporarily and hadn't thought to exchange such information. After all, a situation like this where they all lost their original identities at once was unprecedented.

The three of them left the strategy hall in silence, given the sole task of remembering their lives outside of this city—this relic.

Kain's mind was spinning as he walked back to his quarters. The familiar smiling faces, the family members and friends that he felt he'd known for years…none of them were real? Or at least they were all long dead…

At the thought, Kain couldn't resist a sudden burst of sadness consuming his heart.

But still, although he didn't want to come to terms with the saddening thought, he didn't have the idea of sticking his head in the sand and continuing to live in this false reality.

Although he couldn't remember anything of his real life, he was certain that there must also be friends and family waiting for him outside of this relic—real, living people.

And then, his gaze landed on the badge pinned beneath his robes.

Auralis' Eye.

His fingers twitched toward it before he stopped himself. He had almost thrown it away the first time he saw it. Something had told him not to.

Now based off of the information he'd received from Nadia, he was certain that this badge would be his best shot at breaking whatever 'spell' this relic had on him.