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Chapter 3: Memories I Never Lived
My "brother" dragged me through the smoke-filled alleys until we reached what looked like a rundown district.
Shattered screens flickered with static.
Neon signs buzzed like dying fireflies.
And broken machines lined the walls like forgotten relics.
Yet, when we arrived at a metal door half-covered in vines, he turned to me and smiled.
> "We're home... We're alive."
He pushed the door open.
Inside, the place was oddly clean.
Worn-down, yes—but lived in. Real.
> "You hungry?" he asked.
I looked around, uncertain.
"I… I just ate earlier."
> "Alright. Go ahead and rest. Your room's still the same."
My room?
I nodded and walked slowly down the narrow hall.
The room was small—a single bed, a desk, a fan mounted in the corner, and a window.
> "It's… beautiful."
Somehow… familiar.
But it wasn't mine.
I stepped toward the window and froze.
There, beyond the glass—waves crashed against a beach under a dark violet sky.
> "Wait… this is supposed to be the city."
How could there be a beach?
I turned back, confused, and sat at the desk.
A leather-bound book lay neatly on top.
A journal.
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Journal Entry – July 3, 2673
> I feel strange. Headaches, coughing blood…
Should I tell him?
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Journal Entry – July 5, 2673
> I bought a history book today—about the Great Researcher.
I want to be like him.
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Journal Entry – July 10, 2673
> The sickness is worse.
I told my brother. He took me to the clinic.
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Journal Entry – July 19, 2673
> I don't think I have much time left.
But my brother found someone who's willing to help... said they pitied me.
I hope I'm lucky.
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I stared at the page.
Was this... the person who lived in this body?
Was this his story?
I opened the drawer beneath the desk—
And instantly slammed it shut.
> "...Beach model magazines?!"
My face turned red. I coughed awkwardly and went back to the top drawer, finding something else.
A book.
Heavy, old, and dust-covered.
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Title: The Man Who Opened the Glitch
> "The researcher who defied natural law… in search of his missing son."
"He built a portal. Not to heaven or hell, but to a place that never should've existed."
"A place of dragons, ogres, demons, elves… myths made real through a tear in logic."
"Many died. His mistake cost thousands of lives."
"But in the end, he gave humanity the tools to survive: prosthetic limbs, miracle cures, artificial hearts."
"Some hated him. Others worshiped him."
"He died of old age, having changed the world."
— Published: Year 2578
I closed the book slowly.
My heart felt heavy, even though I didn't understand why.
This world…
This body…
None of it belonged to me.
But something told me—I had no choice but to continue walking through it.
I crawled onto the bed.
It was too comfortable.
My eyes grew heavy.
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> "Hey… you hungry?"
The door creaked open.
My brother stood there.
He paused when he saw me already asleep.
Then closed the door softly behind him.
> "Dad… I know you're still out there somewhere."
"Just come back before his birthday."
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