Chapter 7: The Hell of Memories
—From the memories of Rui Arneb, the Archbishop of Satisfaction—
The air was thick and oppressive, enveloping a ruined remnant deep within a moonless forest, where the darkness silently spread like the hands of long-departed souls. A moonless night, an endless night, still and silent. The entire space seemed to drown in a terrifying forgetfulness, with only the faint sound of wind rustling through broken branches, creating eerie, mournful whispers like the sighs of forgotten spirits.
Among the debris of decayed walls, a faint green light flickered from bioluminescent mushrooms, resembling lonely stars in a silent, dead universe. A cold light, as if reflecting the pain, the despair of those who had survived this hell. In that bleak space, Arneb Vantus sat alone amidst the ashes, his amber eyes glowing with a fiery intensity in the dark night. He did not move, only remained silent, as though he had become a part of the ruins, blending into them, becoming one with death itself.
Arneb was tall, with a lean but muscular build, not fragile at all. His muscles were still visible beneath sun-burned skin, as if they had been forged through countless bloody battles. High cheekbones, a sharp jaw, his face like a statue sculpted by time's ravages. A faint scar running from the corner of his mouth up near his ear made his face even more menacing, like a mark of nightmares that never ended.
Arneb's silvery-white hair fell loosely to the middle of his back, tangled and wild like ropes thrown across the crumbled walls. He wore ragged clothes, a faded black cloak torn in many places, the edges frayed like thin blades, as though each tear was the result of endless battles with no end in sight. Beneath it, a light leather armor, once crafted with care, but now cracked and scarred by time and fire. A gray scarf wrapped around his neck to shield him from the swirling sand through the ruined walls.
On his left arm was a metal glove, with only a few broken pieces of armor remaining, exposing the tightly bound cloth beneath. At his side hung an old sword, the leather-wrapped hilt worn and frayed, its scabbard cracked from the cuts of time and war.
It wasn't until a voice came from behind that Arneb slowly turned his head. The voice sounded like that of a child, but it carried a tone of manic glee and an underlying threat.
"I found it~! You're the tastiest memory of Arneb Vantus, right? Do you know... how starving and thirsty I've been for 50 years?" The childish voice, cheerful as if playing a game, was laced with an inescapable menace.
Arneb did not turn around. He coldly replied, his amber eyes never leaving the ashes before him:
"If you plan to eat me... prepare to vomit first."
The sound of a child's laugh echoed from behind, soft, like a wave breaking within the sea of Arneb's mind.
"Vomit? Hah... there's no memory that makes me vomit. I am Rui Arneb, the Archbishop of Satisfaction! I feast on suffering, despair, both pleasure and hatred—" The girl paused, drawing closer to Arneb, her voice sounding as though she was sinking into an endless hunger.
"And it always tastes delicious."
Rui Arneb, the deranged girl, raised her hand and lightly touched Arneb's forehead without any hesitation. A stream of dark purple magic, like a chain, coiled around her head, opening a door to dark memories.
In that instant, the eerie light from Rui's eyes flickered. Her lips parted as if swallowing the entire universe of memories in a single breath. Terrifying memories suddenly surged from Arneb, flowing endlessly, with no end, no stopping.
"Oh... Oh my... the taste... so profound... wait, this one is... a mother starving while breastfeeding her child... no, next is... a child burned alive in a temple? Then..."
Rui's eyes widened, her lips trembling. Everything began to break apart. She writhed on the ground like a beast being consumed from within by fire, as though devoured by Arneb's memories.
"Wh... what is this...? Why... why don't these memories end...? Why... why am I the victim...? I... don't want to... I DON'T WANT IT ANYMORE!!!" Rui screamed, blood pouring from her nose, ears, and mouth, as if the memories were burning her from within.
The girl fell into a mad frenzy, rolling on the ground, while Arneb remained silent, watching her, his gaze devoid of mercy. He understood the suffering she was enduring, but he didn't care. To him, memories had no value other than the endless pain he had already endured.
"These are not memories! This is HELL! This is... a tomb for souls!!" Rui writhed, as if her consciousness was being crushed in a whirlwind of endless memories.
She collapsed to her knees, blood tears streaming down her face, her lips trembling as if pleading:
"Please forgive me... please... don't make me remember anymore... I don't need satisfaction... I just want to forget..."
Arneb remained silent. His gaze was profound, unwavering, devoid of any compassion. He looked at Rui as one would look at a dead person, a person without hope.
"Pity... I forgot how to forget a long time ago."
Rui Arneb, the Archbishop of Satisfaction, lowered her head, her eyes shattered by the frantic torment within.
Time seemed to stand still as the sound of shattering echoed, deafening like the breaking of glass, shattering the space before Arneb Vantus. A fleeting moment between reality and the memories that had been erased, all he could feel was emptiness and the return of reality. The dim white light flooded around him, making him feel as though he were being submerged in an invisible space.
This space, an endless corridor with no stops, was nothing but pure white walls. The floor reflected a misty light, like an eternal mirror that never changes. Each step Arneb Vantus took echoed in the stillness, like the footsteps of the dead on an endless stretch of sand. There were no voices, no movement. Everything was frozen, leaving only pain and the shattered remnants of old memories.
Rui Arneb, the girl Arneb Vantus had once warned, writhed on the cold ground of the corridor. She was no longer the perfect girl with big blue eyes, skin as bright as jade, and long golden hair flowing like a beautiful golden sea. Now, she had become a horrifying image, a ghost of her former self.
Before consuming Arneb's memories, Rui Arneb had been the epitome of perfection and allure. She had radiant skin, as if made of pure light, deep blue eyes full of curiosity, and long golden hair that cascaded like a waterfall of shining gold. Her red lips always wore a smug smile, and her elegant white dress was a symbol of purity, of refined grace.
But now, all of that had changed. Rui Arneb was no longer the graceful girl, but a frail, emaciated, and broken figure. Her eyes had turned cloudy, the light in them extinguished, replaced with black veins running across her face like dark clouds.
Her once bright skin had turned gray, as though it had been stripped of all life. Horrible scars appeared on her hands and neck, evidence of the suffering she had endured. Her long golden hair, once a golden sea, was now only tangled, broken strands, covered in dust and filth on the ground, like dead clouds.
Her white dress was now torn, stained with blood and dirt, revealing a thin, skeletal body, like a living corpse. The once transparent fabric was now yellowed and ragged. The red lines on her jabot were distorted, blurred like dried blood stains.
Arneb Vantus did not turn around, although he could hear Rui Arneb's constant moaning in pain, as though she was being torn apart from within. But he didn't care. He knew she had paid the price for stealing his memories. She had satisfied herself by consuming the precious memories he once held, and now she had to face the consequences.
The white walls of the corridor seemed to growl, swaying in an uncontainable rage. Each of Arneb's footsteps echoed like a noise that would never stop. He ascended the stairs leading to the next floor of the Pleiades Tower, where darkness and light intertwined, where memories could never truly be erased.
Rui Arneb, after consuming Arneb Vantus's memories, was now trapped in an endless nightmare. She knew she had sacrificed too much to achieve what she wanted, but now the consequences had arrived. The terrifying images from Arneb's memories incessantly replayed in her mind. She saw ghosts, nightmares, painful memories, and guilt. Each time she moved, it felt like something was draining the life from her.
"Arneb..." Rui whispered, her voice choked, as though each word was a last-ditch effort. "I... I was wrong..."
But Arneb Vantus did not turn back. He had reached the next floor, leaving Rui Arneb in eternal agony, where the memories had consumed her soul, in a world filled with guilt and regret.
Arneb Vantus, You Still Wander the Endless White Corridor to the Next Floor of the Pleiades Tower
Due to Rui, he was reminded of his past.
0 years old – Born in Blood and Fire
Birthplace: Kingdom of Fandera – a small, little-known nation, located between the misty borders and lands outside of Lugunica.
Circumstances: Immediately after birth, the kingdom was destroyed by a large-scale experiment conducted by a branch of the Witch Cult, which attempted to create the "Sacrament of Memories."
Arneb's parents were burned alive right after his birth.
He survived because an incomplete evil spirit entered his body to protect him.
3 years old – The First Glass Cage
Arneb was locked in a glass chamber, where every day he was shown and forced to experience hundreds of painful memories, transmitted into his mind like a fast-forwarded film.
Experiment 1: To experience the deaths of 10,000 people through consciousness.
Condition: Eyes wide open, silent, not crying, not sleeping.
5 years old – Endless Repetition
Arneb began experiencing an artificial memory loop:
Arneb was born, grew up, loved, then betrayed and killed.
Each loop lasted exactly 2 hours. Every day he underwent 12 cycles of life and death.
Arneb began to scream and laugh uncontrollably – a neurological reaction when the mind couldn't bear it anymore.
7 years old – Artificial Emotion Implants
Experiment 2: Alchemists implanted memories of murderers, betrayers, incest, and addiction into him to see if Arneb would go insane.
Result: Arneb didn't go mad, but his heart stopped beating for 30 seconds, and the doctors had to revive him.
When Arneb awoke, he had empty eyes and a strange smile.
9 years old – Hell of the Subconscious
Arneb was placed in the "Dream Corridor" – where he was forced to dream continuously for one year:
Eaten alive.
Killing his own parents.
Being burned alive by people who once loved him, calling him a "demonic thing."
In his dreams, Arneb died 4,182 times, each death with a different sensation of pain.
12 years old – Emotional Reflex Reversal
Arneb underwent the "Death Test Challenge": He was placed in an artificial village where all the people adored him.
After 30 days of happiness, he was forced to kill each person with his own hands.
If he didn't, all of them would be tortured to death right before his eyes.
Arneb killed 136 people with his bare hands, then slit his own throat so he could no longer utter any sounds.
13 years old – Sent to the Battlefield
He was sent into the war as a living weapon. He traveled with a mercenary army, leading the troops by using his ability to read the enemy's memories.
He witnessed and contributed to the deaths of over 20,000 people, including children, dwarves, and even dragons.
He was betrayed by his comrades and sold to a new Witch Cult group – those who wanted to "recreate hell."
14 years old – Escape & Pact with the Evil Spirit
Arneb escaped from the experimental facility due to an unknown accident (possibly caused by the evil spirit inside him awakening).
Arneb made a pact with the evil spirit named "Vantus," which had lived inside his body since birth.
Arneb's memories began to turn into weapons; anyone who touched his mind would be drowned by it.
18–21 years old: The Rebellion and the Failed Love
Arneb led a rebellion against the organization that tortured him, killing all the experimenters and turning the entire facility into a tangible hell – a space where every sin you had ever committed would manifest clearly.
He met Reith, a young blind swordswoman, who was the first person not afraid of his memories. They fell in love.
But Reith began to go insane from the spread of his memories, and she begged him to kill her to give her peace.
Arneb killed Reith with his own hands and buried her beneath a frozen memory field.
22–25 years old: Becoming a Cursed Legend
He killed 2 bishops responsible for Lust and Envy at the border.
He was given the title "The One Without a Personal Memory" – all the memories in her were of others, and he didn't know who he really was.
For the first time, he attempted suicide by "erasing all memories" – but it failed. His memories regenerated.
He wandered like a ghost between battlefields, healing others with... merciful death.
26–29 years old: Hunting the Witch Cult & Facing Himself
He hunted down the lower branches of the Witch Cult to find his reason for existence.
He was assassinated 17 times, died 3 times, but was brought back by the evil spirit – in exchange, he lost more and more of his humanity.
At 29, he met a little girl who looked exactly like Reith – thinking it was Reith's reincarnation. When he realized it wasn't, he silently left, tears the only true ones to have flowed in 29 years.
Now, at 30 years old, he had heard a legend that if one conquers the entire Pleiades Tower, they will be granted three wishes. He wanted to erase all of his memories and regain his humanity.