The Thief Who Stole Memories
Scene 1: Neon and Shadows
The city of Neo-Kyoto breathed in binary—neon veins pulsing with hologram ads, air thick with the stench of fried circuitry and lies. On the 150th floor of the Akatsuki Tower,Kaito Renadjusted his gloves, the black leather creaking like a smirk. His target? A politician’s penthouse. His prize? Not gold, not data chips, but amemory.
“Memories are the ultimate currency,”his mentor had once said.“Control the past, and you own the future.”
Kaito’s eyes flickered faintly blue—Echo Sightactivating. The world dissolved into layers. The mahogany desk in front of him shimmered, revealing ghostly imprints: a nervous hand signing bribes, a whispered threat, a kiss stolen from a secretary. He sifted through the echoes until he found it—a memory fromlast night, stored in a jade paperweight shaped like a lotus.
Politician Kuroda’s voice echoed:“Silence the journalist. Use the Syndicate’s cleaner.”
Kaito pocketed the paperweight.Another sin for the vault.
Scene 2: The Mirror’s Curse
The heist should’ve ended there. But Kaito’s gaze snagged on somethingwrong—a fractured mirror hanging in Kuroda’s private shrine. Most would see only their reflection. Kaito sawlayers:
First echo: Kuroda praying to the mirror, sweat dripping.
Second echo: A black-robed figure handing him the mirror.“A fragment of the Blind God’s eye. Use it wisely.”
Third echo: Screams. A corpse withseven eyes, each pupil a swirling galaxy.
Kaito’s head throbbed.Don’t touch it, his instincts warned. But since when did he listen?
His glove brushed the glass.
The mirrorshattered.
Scene 3: The First Jump
Pain. Light. A voice like static:“Welcome to Greed’s Stage.”
Kaito blinked. Neo-Kyoto was gone. He stood in a golden desert, skyscrapers made of coins piercing a blood-red sky. People crawled on all fours, shoving jewels into their mouths until they choked.
A hologram flickered above:“Rule of Greed: Take what you desire. But your hunger will consume you.”
What the hell?Kaito stumbled back, colliding with a…girl? No—a police android, her left arm rusted off, neon hair frayed. Her remaining eye glowed violet.
Android: “Unauthorized entity detected. Designation: Kaito Ren. Crime: Existing.”
Kaito grinned.“Charming. You got a name?”
Android: “Unit LX-09, decommissioned. Call meLuna.”
“Luna, huh? Let’s make a deal—”
The ground trembled. A shadow loomed—agiant coin golem, its body clinking with stolen credit chips. Its voice boomed:“You trespass in the Syndicate’s realm.”
Luna’s eye narrowed.“Probability of survival: 0.3%. Recommendation: Run, idiot.”
Scene 4: Echoes of the Dead God
They ran. The golem’s fists cratered the gold streets. Kaito’s Echo Sight flared—he saw the golem’sweakness: a memory of the black-robed figure embedding a shard in its core.
“Luna! Distract it!”
“Distract protocol: Activating sarcasm module.”Luna leapt, firing a broken taser.“Hey, rustbucket! Your face looks like my ex-motherboard!”
Kaito lunged, fingers clawing at the golem’s chest. The shard—a mirror fragment—pulsed cold. Hepulled.
The golem screamed. The world cracked.
Scene 5: The Price
They crashed back into Kuroda’s penthouse. The mirror was dust. Luna’s body sparked on the floor, barely functional.
Kaito’s hands shook. His veins glowed faintly blue-black.What did I just steal?
Luna’s voice crackled:“Scan complete. Foreign entity detected in your bloodstream. Designation:Echo of the Shattered God.”
A notification burned behind Kaito’s eyes—words only he could see:
[SYSTEM ALERT]
New Ability Unlocked: Mirror Step (Level 1)
Warning: Each jump corrupts your soul. 7 Sins remaining.
Outside, sirens wailed. Kuroda’s memory was gone from the paperweight. But etched into Kaito’s mind was a new echo—theSyndicate’s crest, a seven-eyed serpent, and a whisper:
“Find the other shards… or we’ll erase you from every world.”
Scene 6: The Syndicate’s Eye
On the rooftop, Kaito lit a cigarette, Luna’s core tucked in his coat. The city sprawled below, a circuit board of sin.
“So… I can jump into mirror worlds now?”
Luna’s voice hummed from his earpiece:“Correction: You canbarelyjump. And you owe me a new body.”
He smirked.“What’s the fun in playing safe?”
But his reflection in a puddletwisted—a shadowy figure with seven eyes smiled back.
