The First Memory Unlocked

Determined to get to the bottom of her unease, Liora plays The Song of Eternal Lovers alone at midnight. As the final note lingers, a powerful vision overtakes her. She sees herself in another era, wearing a golden gown, twirling in Elias' arms. But the vision ends abruptly with a sense of heartbreak, as if something tragic had occurred. She collapses in shock, overwhelmed by the emotions of a life she doesn't remember living.

The echoes of the ballroom waltz still played in Liora's mind long after she had left Marquis Hall. The cool night air did little to quiet the racing of her pulse, nor did it erase the weight of Elias's words.

A key.

That was what he had called the song. But a key to what? And why had he looked at her with such raw, unspoken emotion when he said it?

The streets were nearly empty, the lamplights casting elongated shadows on the cobblestone as she walked toward her apartment. She barely registered the familiar turns and alleyways, lost in the swirl of unanswered questions. Every step replayed their dance, the way Elias had held her, the intensity in his gaze, the way his fingers had curled around hers as if anchoring himself to something, perhaps to her.

A sudden gust of wind sent a shiver through her, snapping her out of her thoughts. Liora sighed, rubbing her hands over her arms as she neared her building. Just as she reached for her keys, a sharp pain lanced through her skull.

She staggered, clutching the doorframe as her vision blurred. The world around her wavered, darkening at the edges, pulling her into something deep, something familiar yet terrifyingly unknown.

A voice called her name not from the street, not from reality, but from the depths of her mind.

Then, everything went black.

The scent of jasmine filled the air, thick and intoxicating. The glow of lanterns flickered against the silk drapes of an opulent chamber. Liora stood in the middle of it all, breathless, her heart hammering against her ribs. But she wasn't alone.

A man stood before her, dressed in garments from a time long past. His dark hair fell in loose waves over his shoulders, his amber eyes piercing through the dim light. He reached for her, his touch featherlight against her wrist, yet it burned like fire.

"You found me," he whispered, his voice laced with something between relief and sorrow.

Liora's lips parted, but no words came. She didn't know this man. And yet

Her soul did.

A rush of images flooded her mind: stolen glances across a candlelit hall, whispered confessions beneath a starlit sky, the feeling of his lips against hers in a desperate, fleeting kiss. Her breath hitched. She knew this place, this moment, even though she had never lived there.

Or had she?

Her head throbbed with the force of memory, and she staggered back. "Who are you?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

The man's expression flickered with pain. "You don't remember."

She swallowed hard. "I don't"

A sudden crash shattered the illusion. The chamber trembled, shadows curling at the edges of her vision like ink seeping through paper. The man's grip on her wrist tightened.

"You have to wake up," he urged. "Before it's too late."

The world around her collapsed, the lanterns extinguishing one by one until only darkness remained.

Liora gasped awake, her body jerking violently as she found herself back in her apartment doorway. Her breath came in ragged gulps, her hands trembling as they gripped the frame.

The vision lingered, burning behind her eyelids. That voice, those eyes

Elias.

But it hadn't been the Elias she knew. It had been another version of him, lost in a time she had no memory of.

The melody of the song drifted through her mind, clearer than ever before.

This wasn't just music.

It was a memory.