📝 "Leo the Cat Hero of the Time Ring" Episode 1, Part 2: "Beyond the Mist, to the Library of Memories"

(Changed 2025/08/27)

The mist drifted quietly.

The chilly air clung damply to my fur.
It was what the rain, which had continued since yesterday, had left behind in the forest.

I was walking behind Riina.
Though her back was small, there was no hesitation in her stride.

I still didn't know exactly where I was or why I was walking.
But I was walking behind her now, moving forward with steady steps.

"...Are you okay? Aren't you cold?"
Riina stopped and looked back at me with concern.

"Yeah. I'm fine."

I didn't even know if that was true myself. But the moment I said it, I felt a little relieved.
Because Riina gave a small nod.

"...We should reach the 'Library of Memories' soon."

My heart stirred at those words.
Why am I called a "Hero"? The reason I forgot everything but my name.
They say the answer lies sleeping there.

"Why do you know that?"
"...Because that is my 'duty'."

A shadow flickered for an instant in her lowered eyes.
What is she carrying? Watching her back, Leo pressed on.
Before long, the rain stopped, and a stone bridge appeared deep within the mist that had taken its place.

It was moss-covered and looked so old it might crumble at any moment, but it stood out with remarkable clarity in the forest.

"So... we cross here?"

"Yes. But it's slippery, so be careful."

Riina stepped onto it first.
Watching her small steps, I slowly followed behind.

I couldn't see well beneath the bridge due to the mist, but every time the wind blew, I could tell a deep valley spread out below.

The feel of the stone. The damp air. The sound of birds in the distance.
Everything felt hazy, like a dream... but it was reality.

Once we crossed to the other side, the wind changed.
It was a breeze that mixed the scent of the forest with a faint smell of old paper and ink.

"...I can see it."

Riina whispered.

A break in the mist.
Beyond it stood a building.

A massive, stone structure that looked like ruins.
Towers stacked in layers and arched corridors.
In the center, a dome roof that looked like a circle.

"Is this... the 'Library of Memories'?"

"Yes. They say thousands of memories sleep here."

That place, which only remained in the legends of storytellers, was now right before my eyes.
I couldn't believe it. But the sight before me was speaking to me.

"Welcome, Leo."

I felt as if "something" inside me had whispered that.

When I stood before the library doors, I forgot to breathe for a moment.

The tall, heavy doors were densely carved with patterns that looked like ancient script.
In the center was a circular emblem that looked like a clock.

--The Ring of Time.

Deep in my chest, my heart pulsed strongly.
Something is sleeping here. My "lost time" is here.

"Shall we go in?"

Riina asked me.

"Yeah."

When I nodded, she raised her staff.
The tip of the staff glowed faintly, and when it touched the center of the door, there was a click.

With a heavy sound, the doors began to open little by little.

White light flowed toward us.

The inside was wider than I had imagined.

A large circular space. Bookshelves towered, surrounding the walls in a circle.
The bookshelves were many layers high, reaching all the way to the ceiling.
It was a place that felt as if it had piled up "time" itself.

But there was no sign of anyone.
It was as if it were a space that had just been sleeping quietly, never read by anyone.

I stood frozen in the center.

Riina stepped forward and looked around.

"Where... is it?"

"Your 'book' must be here."

"My book"?

"This library contains all memories. Past and future.
Not just people, but records of the world itself are kept here.
So, your memories must surely be..."

As she said that and reached out, her staff glowed again.

Then, a corner of the bookshelf began to move quietly,
and one old book floated up softly.

There were no words on the cover.
Even so, Leo knew.
--This is my "story".

The moment I reached out, light overflowed.
But it wasn't a memory; it was a fragmented vision.

Screams.

A crumbling city.

A sky red as blood.

A giant shadow. And in the midst of it, myself swinging a sword.

"Stop it!"

Before I knew it, I had thrown the book away.
Riina came running over.

"You saw it...?"

"...Is this me? Something like that..."

"That doesn't necessarily mean it's the 'truth'. But it is a part of your memories.
This library isn't a place that 'shows everything'.
Only the fragments you wish to know reveal themselves."

In other words, this is... still just the "entrance".

I stood up.

My hands were shaking, but somewhere in my heart, I felt a heat.

I'm scared. But I want to know.
I have to remember.
I can't stop here.

Because I am--

"Leo the Hero, right?"

The words came out so naturally that even I was surprised.

Riina smiled.

"Yes. That's right, Leo... You are a hero.
You just haven't awakened yet."

I held the book to my chest and stared into the depths of the heavy doors. There is still a path I must follow ahead.

The doors are still closed. But the "truth" is definitely beyond them.
The past I must remember, and the future I must protect.

And if she is by my side--
I will surely be able to move forward.

Deep in the library where thousands of memories sleep.
A place where Leo's "lost time" and Riina's "mission" intersect.
However, deep within this silence--a darkness was already beginning to awaken.

<<▶ Continued: Episode 2 "The Door of Memory and the False Truth">>
• The shadow of the "Destroyer" lurking in Leo's memories
• The first enemy lurking in the depths of the library
• The secret hidden in Riina's "duty"

--The journey is finally beginning.