Theme: The versions of us that we abandon… still live inside Spiral.
---
Darkness fades.
Aren walks deeper into the Spiral Zone.
The broken city behind him dissolves like a fading memory.
Now — a narrow hallway stands ahead. Metallic walls, but the ground is scattered with chalk markings.
Circles. Symbols. Scribbled messages.
As if someone kept trying… to remember something.
> Aren (quiet whisper)
"Who… made these?"
"Was it me? Or someone else?"
The air hums.
The Spiral begins its real game.
---
[Scene: The Forgotten Room]
Aren stops in front of a rusted iron door.
Etched into it, almost burned into the metal:
> ❝Every version of you… leaves something behind.❞
He pushes the door open.
Inside is a dusty, timeless room. No windows. No sound. Just…
you.
Not a place to exist.
A place to remember.
---
Object 1: A torn paper on the wall
Faded ink. Familiar handwriting.
> "Never go back."
Aren stares at it.
> Aren (softly)
"This is my handwriting…
but I don't remember writing this."
The room remains silent — but something inside him shifts.
---
Object 2: A broken Time Rod
Exactly like the one Aren uses.
But this one is rusted. Burned. Useless.
> Narration
"One version of you… tried to fix the Spiral.
He failed.
This was all he left behind."
Aren touches the rod — and suddenly—
A vision:
Aren, on his knees. Screaming.
Spiral surrounding him like a collapsing sky.
> Aren (in the vision)
"I… I wasn't enough!"
Silence returns.
---
Object 3: A corner. Empty.
Absolutely nothing there. No object. No trace.
> Spiral Voice (cold and distant)
"One version of you… gave up so early,
he left nothing behind."
> Aren (slow breath)
"So this isn't just a memory room…
It's a graveyard.
Of all the versions I could've been."
---
Suddenly, the light flickers.
A figure appears — tall, shadowed, yet familiar.
Echo.
But he's not angry.
He just looks… disappointed.
> Echo (cold, disgusted tone)
"You're still trying to be loved?"
"Even after seeing this? Pathetic."
> Aren (flat tone)
"I'm trying to remember."
"Do you even remember who you were, Echo?"
> Echo (eyes flicker)
"…Maybe I was you. Once.
But I became better.
Stronger."
> Aren (low)
"No. You just ran faster."
Silence.
There's no fight.
Just words.
Wounds.
Echo doesn't swing. He doesn't attack.
He just leaves cracks.
> Echo (final words, fading)
"Remember this room.
Because one day…
you'll be the version that leaves nothing."
And then—
He's gone.
The room darkens.
---
> Spiral (whispering)
"You came here to become someone…
But how will you become anything,
If all your past selves are already fading?"
---
[Scene End]
Aren sits in the empty corner.
Silent. Still.
Far away — Tomo's voice echoes in.
> Tomo (gently)
"Aren… are you okay?"
> Aren (softly)
"No…
But I think I just found the version of me
who stopped pretending to be."
---
Chapter 2 Ends.