Ep.13 – Trial of the Nose: ⟪Truth Rots in Scent⟫
[Temple of Senses – Fourth Gate: Entry into the Olfactory Trial]
[Zone: Nasal Cavity – Emotion-Memory Layer]
[Initial State: Emotional Memory Distortion Rate – 63.8%]
[Warning: Forged Scents Detected]
The moment I stepped inside,
the world transformed into nothing but scent.
Floral perfume, iron and blood, burning smoke,
even the sweetness of nostalgic cologne—
every emotion took the shape of smell and swirled around me.
And in the center of it all,
there it was.
The stench of rotting flesh, barely hidden beneath the surface.
---
[Trial Initiated – Scent Fabrication & Hallucination Zone Activated]
[Memory Circuit Overwrite in Progress]
My vision blurred.
The ground beneath shifted.
And just like that,
I was in a hospital room.
---
Phase 1 – Aromatic Hallucination / Fabricated Memory
> "You came..."
There she was.
Juhee.
Lying on the hospital bed,
gazing at me with a soft smile.
Her voice gentle, like a breeze.
The air filled with lavender.
> "It's okay now. I... I was happy."
My chest tightened.
Something shattered inside me.
> This isn't how it happened...
The real hospital room reeked of tears and blood.
Not lavender.
This memory—
was far too beautiful.
---
Phase 2 – Memory Erosion / Emotional Displacement
> "You'll be fine... even without me."
As those words fell,
the sadness inside me vanished.
All that remained...
was her scent.
A perfectly crafted fragrance—
but void of any real emotion.
That's when a whisper slithered behind me.
> "If only the scent remains, the memory becomes real."
"You don't need truth—just a story you can live with."
I turned.
Standing there was a queen woven of fragrance,
her silhouette shifting like mist.
Petals flowed from her hands.
Scent Manipulator – Praphtina.
> "A farewell without grief. A love without regret.
Let me gift you that memory..."
---
Phase 3 – Emotional Trigger: The Handkerchief's Scent
As she drew near—
lavender clinging to her breath—
something in my pocket stirred.
My hand moved on its own, retrieving it.
The handkerchief.
The one I'd kept since the Sour Trial.
It still held the warmth from the last time Juhee embraced me.
And it smelled nothing like this place.
> "This... this isn't your scent."
"The real her... wouldn't have left me like this."
---
Final Phase – Memory Lockdown / Emotional Weapon Awakening
Praphtina lunged to envelop me.
My weapons ignited in response.
The Echoblade fused with a Reflex Core and a Sensory Fragment.
New Weapon Awakened – "Breathblade: The Sigh of Truth" (숨검 息劍)
A blade that discerns true from false scents and cuts with emotion.
I thrust it straight into her core.
Ssshhhhhk—!
The fragrance shattered.
The illusion broke.
And the hospital room dissolved like mist.
All that remained
was the real memory—
and an unspoken farewell,
buried deep within my chest.
---
[Olfactory Trial: Zone 1 Cleared]
[Emotional Weapon Acquired – Breathblade (숨검 息劍)]
[Emotional Trigger Secured – Handkerchief Scent: Anchor of Truth]
[Memory Recovery +13%]
I held the handkerchief close to my heart.
It didn't smell like grief.
It smelled like goodbye.
A real one.