Chapter 49: Memories Altered Once Again

[Uuuuu… I sent it wrong again. Sorry, sorry.]

The first sensation that greeted Luo Ling as consciousness returned was the cold, damp touch of a stone wall, heavy with the stench of sulfur and decay.

He forced his heavy eyelids open, expecting the Light of Redemption, but was instead met by endless, suffocating darkness.

This was the Abyssal Prison—a place whose very name made even the fiercest demons of hell tremble.

He found himself bound by Chains to the icy stone wall, every limb wracked with tearing pain, and his magic was swallowed as if by an invisible black hole, leaving him unable to muster even a fragment of strength.

This was no ordinary cell.

The walls were etched with twisted, evil Runes, radiating oppressive energy that gnawed endlessly at the will and power of those imprisoned.

Luo Ling’s head hung low, wet hair clinging to his cheeks and neck, sweat mixing with unknown filth to create a nauseating stench.

He had once been the embodiment of light, a hero revered by countless people, a warrior who hunted demons.

Now, he was nothing but a stray dog, imprisoned at the very bottom of the Abyss, a place without sun or hope.

“Ha…”

A low, hoarse laugh of self-mockery spilled from his throat, laced with endless bitterness and despair.

The brilliance of his past now seemed nothing more than a cruel joke.

He could even feel the thing called “darkness” slithering into his bones like a cold serpent, trying to wrap itself around his soul.

He didn’t know how much time had passed—maybe an instant, maybe an eternity.

In this prison where time held no meaning, all sensation grew blurred and dull.

Suddenly, heavy, deliberate footsteps echoed from afar, breaking the silence.

Each step carried an irrefutable authority and oppression, landing on Luo Ling’s heart like a hammer.

As the footsteps neared, a swaying figure cloaked in a faint, purple glow appeared outside the cell.

She was tall and graceful, wrapped in a luxurious black robe, exuding an aura of danger and allure even through the cold iron bars.

It was Isayat.

The cell door creaked open with a harsh scrape of metal, pushed by two emotionless demon guards.

Isayat walked in barefoot, her steps making the damp ground seem as soft as a Flower Carpet beneath her.

Her deep eyes, like the night sky, surveyed Luo Ling’s battered state with both amusement and cold scrutiny.

“Looks like my ‘hero’ isn’t enjoying himself here.”

Her voice was gentle and melodious, but carried a poisonous sweetness.

“How do you find the air of the Abyss?”

Luo Ling jerked his head up, anger and humiliation flashing in his eyes as he stared at Isayat, lips trembling but unable to utter a single word in protest.

His body was bound by Chains, his power suppressed by Runes—he couldn’t even curse her properly.

Isayat seemed quite pleased with his condition.

She stopped in front of him, bending slightly so her exquisite face was close enough to touch.

The faint fragrance on her skin clashed sharply with the prison’s stench, making Luo Ling feel all the more repulsed.

“Why so silent?”

She reached out with slender, pale fingers, lifting his chin and forcing him to meet her gaze.

“Do you hate me? Hate me for dragging you down from the Clouds, shattering you to pieces?”

Blood vessels burst in Luo Ling’s eyes.

He tried to turn away, but her grip was unyielding.

“Hate me as much as you like.”

Isayat laughed softly, her fingertips trailing over his rough cheek, feeling the faint tremor beneath his skin.

“But hate is a kind of power too, isn’t it? A power… I can use.”

Her gaze deepened, swirling with a strange magic that stabbed straight into Luo Ling’s soul.

“What are you thinking about, Luo Ling? The people who once admired you? The missions you never finished? Or…”

She drew out the word, a sly glint in her eyes.

“…her?”

The word “her” pierced Luo Ling’s heart like a sharp dagger.

Eve…

The name flickered through the darkness in his heart, a weak light.

She was his childhood friend, the girl he had sworn to protect with his life.

Her smile was as warm as sunlight, her eyes as clear as a spring.

She was the reason he became a hero, the last Port in his soul.

Whenever he felt lost or weary on the battlefield, the thought of Eve’s smile gave him strength.

He’d believed that, once the Final Evil was defeated, he could return to his Hometown, to her side, and live a peaceful life.

But now…

Just thinking of Eve made his heart clench, unable to breathe.

Isayat’s smile turned even colder as she saw the mix of pain, longing, and faint tenderness in his eyes.

“Oh? Seems I guessed right.”

She straightened, pacing slowly with a hypnotic tone.

“You’re thinking of Eve, aren’t you? That little girl who always followed you, calling you ‘Big Brother Luo Ling’?”

Luo Ling’s body tensed.

Rage flared in his eyes.

“You… What are you planning? Don’t speak her name!”

His voice was hoarse, bordering on madness.

Eve was his last line of defense, a sacred ground no one could defile.

“Planning?”

Isayat stopped, turning her back to him, her words drifting with lethal sharpness.

“I just think some ‘memories’ need to be corrected.”

“Corrected?”

Luo Ling’s unease grew.

“Yes, corrected.”

Isayat turned to face him again.

Her eyes glowed with purple light, immense psychic power enveloping Luo Ling.

“You see, Luo Ling, your memories are too chaotic… too imperfect. The so-called light, the so-called Justice, even the so-called Eve—they’re just shackles binding you.”

She advanced step by step, the light in her eyes intensifying.

“Think—when you were chosen as a hero, who was always by your side?”

In his mind, Eve’s gentle smile surfaced—her worry for him, her steadfast support.

“No…”

Isayat’s voice, like a curse, shattered his thoughts.

“Not her.”

“It was me.”

With her words, a torrent of mental energy invaded Luo Ling’s mind.

Visions appeared before him.

Eve’s form blurred, replaced gradually by Isayat’s face.

The one who bandaged his wounds, who smiled gently—now wore a black robe, her smile bewitching.

“When you were lost and desperate, who whispered in your ear, gave you strength, and helped you stand again?”

Her voice hissed like a serpent, drilling into his ears.

Eve’s encouragement, her determined gaze, echoed in his mind.

“No… That’s not right…”

Luo Ling clutched his head in agony, feeling as though it would split apart.

Clear memories were being twisted and overwritten by a foreign power.

“It was me!”

Isayat’s voice rang with absolute authority.

“Me, Isayat! I was always by your side!”

The hallucination deepened.

In his darkest moments, it was Isayat who stood before him, whispering:

“Luo Ling, don’t give up. You’re my hero. You can’t fall.”

“No… That’s not how it happened…”

Luo Ling screamed in torment, struggling to hold onto the fragments of truth, but Isayat’s mental assault surged over him like a tide, drowning his consciousness.

“Think again, Luo Ling. Who cheered for you in victory, who was proud of you, whose eyes shone with love?”

Her voice softened, enchanting and irresistible.

“Who holds the most important place in your heart?”

Eve’s smile, her embrace, her shy yet firm words—”Big Brother Luo Ling, I’ll wait for you to come back”—fractured like broken glass under the onslaught.

In their place appeared Isayat’s beautiful face, her eyes shining with praise and affection, her whispers at his ear:

“Luo Ling, you’re amazing. I’m proud of you.”

“No… It’s not true… It was Eve… Eve…”

His consciousness thrashed, sweat streaming from his brow, soaking the ground.

He could feel the image of “Eve” fading from his memories, growing distant, as if separated by a thick wall of glass.

In her stead, Isayat’s figure grew clearer, more deeply etched, as though imprinted on his soul from the very beginning.

“Who is she? Eve? Who’s that?”

Isayat’s voice, edged with icy laughter, whispered like a devil in his ear.

“A meaningless bystander? A vague Shadow? Yes, that’s right, forget her, Luo Ling. She never existed. Or perhaps, her only purpose was to make you realize who truly deserves you.”

“I… I…”

Luo Ling’s eyes grew vacant, his resistance waning.

In his mind, Eve and Isayat’s faces overlapped, merged, until only Isayat’s cold smile remained.

“Who… is in your heart…”

He murmured, hollow-eyed, tears and sweat mingling down his cheeks.

Isayat watched his transformation with satisfaction.

She reached out, stroking his face with a tenderness that bordered on madness.

“It’s me, Luo Ling. It’s always been me.”

“I…”

His lips trembled, the light in his gaze snuffed out, replaced by confusion and emptiness.

“You…”

“Yes, me.”

Isayat’s voice was a gentle lullaby.

“I’m the one by your side. I love you. I gave you everything. That so-called light is too false, that so-called Justice is too heavy. Only me, only darkness, can give you true freedom.”

“Freedom…”

Luo Ling repeated, a faint spark flickering in his eyes before being swallowed by greater darkness.

Isayat’s lips curved in a victorious smile.

She knew this was only the beginning.

To fully shatter a person’s will and reshape their memory was a long, fascinating game.

She had all the patience in the world.

Slowly, she would snuff out the last remnants of light in his heart, remaking him into her loyal “pet.”

She drew back her hand, turned, and walked toward the cell door.

“Rest well, my ‘hero’.”

Her tone was laced with mockery.

“Next time, I want to hear you say, loud and clear, who your only light, your only… master is.”

Footsteps echoed once more, growing distant.

The door clanged shut, the grating metal sealing Luo Ling back in endless darkness and silence.

He remained shackled to the wall, his head bowed.

Yet his gaze was emptier, more lost than before.

In his mind, the name “Eve” flickered like a candle about to go out.

In its place was a black silhouette, a beautiful face, and a voice echoing endlessly—

“It’s me. It’s always been me…”

Darkness flooded in like the tide, drowning his last shreds of consciousness.

Within the Abyssal Prison, only heavy, despairing breaths remained, and the eternal, icy dark that never faded.

And Isayat had already begun looking forward to the next “feast.”

She knew her “pet” was already starting to wag his tail for her, step by step.