I Don't Need To Log Out

Normally, a human mind couldn't hold onto decades of memories. Not completely.

Even the most powerful memories—the ones that shaped a person, defined their lives—faded after enough time passed.

Faces blurred. Moments dulled. Emotions softened until they no longer carried the same weight.

But Arlon remembered everything.

Everything from before the Tower.

Everything that happened inside it.

His memories were intact—uncorrupted, untouched by time. Every floor. Every breath. Every wound.

He knew it shouldn't have been possible.

Somewhere, some kind of spell or passive magic had to be anchoring his mind, freezing it at the moment he entered the Tower. A preservation of sorts.

Otherwise, remembering the days, the weeks, the years in such detail—down to the exact feeling of the cold stone beneath his hands—would have been impossible.

Still, it worked in his favor. Thanks to that strange preservation, Arlon remembered the pitch-black void he had opened his eyes in once again.

A place outside of time.

A place outside of reason.

And just like before, a deep voice greeted him.

[You are here again,] it echoed, before slipping into a more conversational tone. "I didn't think you'd come again, since you skipped the last visit."

Karmel had already taken shape, molding himself into that familiar old human form Arlon had seen before.

He was talking about the time Arlon had leveled up past 200 and 250—two major thresholds. But because Arlon had been inside the Tower at the time, he hadn't ended up here.

Though "visit" wasn't exactly the right word. According to Karmel, this wasn't something he called Arlon into. And Arlon certainly didn't come here by choice.

It wasn't as if he had found a door, knocked politely, and asked to enter.

He just… fainted. And woke up here.

Who would want to pass out just to arrive in a place like this, anyway? Arlon thought, letting the question settle bitterly in his head.

"It's not that bad of a place," Karmel replied casually, reading his mind—again.

Arlon sighed. He had wondered more than once how many more levels he needed before he could block Karmel from doing that.

"Once again, I'm not reading your mind," came the expected response.

Right on cue.

But before Arlon could argue, something shifted.

Above—if it could be called that—a faint glow began to bloom in the darkness.

There wasn't a clear sky or a defined ground. This place was a void, a true nothingness, without up or down, light or shadow. But still, something was forming.

A shimmer. A light. A presence.

"Ah, I thought you would come," Karmel commented.

And then, she appeared.

A beautiful girl, graceful and radiant, stepped forward from the light.

It was Agema.

She moved with the same elegance Arlon had seen before, her gaze calm and knowing. She approached him slowly and then stopped right in front of him.

And what she said surprised him more than anything.

"So, we meet at last, my disciple."

"…Huh?"

Arlon blinked. "What do you mean? We were just together. A minute ago."

His voice betrayed his confusion. Was this some kind of paradox? Had he been thrown into the past? Or worse, into some twisted alternate version of reality?

But Agema shook her head gently.

"Ah, you met me, yes. But this is the first time I am meeting you," she said. "What you saw on Trion—that was only a piece of me."

Arlon's confusion deepened, but she continued before he could speak.

"She hasn't come back yet, so our minds haven't merged. I can see through her eyes—I know everything she's done. But it's still not the same. Those memories aren't mine... not yet."

So she wasn't the same Agema. Not exactly.

She was, but not fully.

"That broke my heart, you know," she said suddenly. "I could always pull her back, become that version for you.

But I left her with you so she could help you, guide you. You are my disciple after all."

This time, it was Agema reading his thoughts, not Karmel.

Arlon didn't even try to fight it.

"Don't put everything on the boy," Karmel chimed in. "He doesn't understand how ascended existences work yet."

"I already know that, old man," Agema said with a grin. "I just wanted to tease him a little. Besides, until I get that piece of me back, I can't be her—not completely."

Finally, Arlon began to understand.

So, this was the real Agema, not the piece of her soul that descended Trion when Arlon wanted to meet her.

She was the part that stayed above, that observed from the higher realms. The one who hadn't lived through the time on Trion but knew it all secondhand.

Since she was an ascended existence, she could observe Trion as much as she wanted to.

And she knew what Arlon and Agema on Trion had been doing.

But it was not the same for her since she didn't live through those memories.

She would be the same once the soul piece went back, but Arlon had given her the locket and wanted her to stay more.

So this Agema was feeling left out.

"That's correct," Agema said softly, confirming his thoughts. "That's still me, and I want to spend time with you, my disciple. Especially the last moment you had with her/me before you fainted was so emotional...

I also wanted to see my second disciple, but it is not possible. That is why I came here as soon as I saw you coming."

She was probably talking about June, but since June wasn't here, it wasn't possible.

Her eyes sparkled, and Arlon couldn't help but feel a bit overwhelmed.

Two mind-reading ascended existences. That's what he was dealing with now.

"Hehe, don't worry," Agema laughed. "If you knew the things some people were thinking, you'd be shocked at how calm your mind is."

What was she referring to? Criminals? Perverts? Something worse?

He didn't really want to know.

Then, suddenly, a thought came to him.

"If you're here… do you know why I keep ending up in this place every time my existence level increases? I didn't come here at all while I was in the Tower."

He turned the question to her, hoping that maybe she, of all people, had some kind of answer.

She was the genius, after all. A mind on another level.

He immediately thought that Karmel also had his own genius moments, though.

Was it because he didn't want to anger Karmel? No one knew.

Except Arlon himself.

And since the other two could read minds, they also knew.

But before Karmel could react, Agema stepped in.

"I don't know either," she said gently. "I truly came here just to see you."

She paused, then added, "I have some guesses… but I can't tell you about them. You'll find out eventually. Probably."

Even Agema didn't know the answer.

To Arlon, she was already like a walking dictionary—one that refused to give answers.

Or rather, one that had all the answers but simply couldn't share them.

Up until now, that had been the case with every question he asked. She knew, but for one reason or another, she held back.

So this time, instead of dwelling on it, Arlon simply let the thought go.