Lloyd fell to the ground after the shot, his body motionless, and the blood freezing on his forehead. But something mysterious... the golden stone in his pocket began to glow gently, pulsating as if Lloyd's life hadn't ended yet, as if the shadow that had controlled him on the day of the black insect hadn't left him, but was hiding inside, waiting for the right moment to return.
In a strange moment, his eyes opened, but he was no longer in the forest. He was in a small, dark room, with a pale light from a single window.
Images began to infiltrate him, as if his memory itself wanted to reveal what it had been hiding all his life.
Since birth, Lloyd had been an introverted person. He didn't like to socialize with others, didn't like to laugh in the clamor of the family, and didn't share in their daily moments.
He had one sister, Clara, and her spirit was completely different. She was beloved, sociable, and cheerful, while Lloyd hid behind a long silence, behind his books and video games.
The house they lived in wasn't terrible, but it was never happy. The family tried to pretend to be in harmony, but Lloyd could see from behind the walls that something was always missing.
He often ate his meals in his room, away from the noise of the house. One day, while his father was out at work, a mysterious call came to his mother.
The news was shocking:
"Your father... murdered. By an unknown person."
The family couldn't believe it. Lloyd was thrown into a whirlpool of shock, observing his mother's every small movement, watching his sister tremble and cry.
Weeks passed, and the police found no evidence of the killer. The hope that had existed began to melt, and the house turned into a cold, silent place.
In the following years, his mother also passed away, leaving Lloyd and Clara alone. But even then, Lloyd sank further into his isolation, putting himself behind walls of silence, away from Clara, away from the world.
Despite that, he noticed something strange. Clara always repeated something to him:
— "I had a dream... a dream that you will die, and that someone... I will kill you with him."
Lloyd paid no attention to it. They were just words, just a strange dream, nothing more.
But as the days passed, the dream began to repeat more and more for Clara. And every time it repeated, Lloyd's heart would twitch slightly, but he didn't talk about it, he didn't share it with anyone.
Then came the day when everything changed.
Lloyd entered Clara's room to wake her up... and he didn't find her.
His gaze wandered around the room... on the bed, the table, the floor... completely empty. He tried to remind himself: "She was just here, how did she disappear?"
He started searching the house, every corner, every room... but Clara was not there. She disappeared as if the earth had swallowed her, as if the world had conspired for her sudden disappearance.
The police were called, and the search began daily, with no trace, no clue. Each day was just a new shock, and each week increased Lloyd's feeling of isolation.
Even his relatives began to suspect him, implicitly accusing him of being responsible for Clara's disappearance. But Lloyd remained silent, sad, distant from everyone, sinking into his solitude, in his boring daily routine, and in his video games.
He always repeated to himself:
"I'm the reason... I'm the reason for her disappearance."
And so Lloyd grew up, a broken child, an isolated young man, accustomed to silence, to pain, and to a constant feeling of guilt.
Suddenly, the voice returned... the cold voice that had been haunting him since the black insect.
"I see you now... you haven't changed, Lloyd. Everything you were in your past life, all your guilt and fear... all of that will become your strength."
He looked around, and the darkness in the room began to penetrate his body, as if the entire past had become shadows devouring him, bringing him back to life. Everything around Lloyd was slowly fading... his internal screams were not heard, even his breath that he thought was his last suddenly disappeared. Before the darkness swallowed everything, the shadow appeared before him, stretching its body as if it had been waiting for him. It said in a deep, cold voice: — "You may have survived by a miracle... just because you're on the island. But always remember: I am not your ally... I am your enemy."
Lloyd didn't wait for a reply; the shadow extended its hand to him. Lloyd hesitated for a moment, but in the end, he took his hand. In the same moment, he felt an electric current pierce his veins, and he saw terrifying flashes: faceless ghosts, black fire, and the sound of a woman's crying echoing in the void. His heart almost stopped from the intensity of the fright... but everything suddenly faded as it had appeared. All that remained was the shadow's terrifying smile, then it disappeared, leaving Lloyd alone in nothingness.
...
Lloyd's eyes suddenly opened, he was panting as if he had just come out of a nightmare. He found himself lying on a cold floor inside a small stone building, with dim lights hanging from it. He got up sluggishly, touching his head. His fingers touched a wet wound... blood was still flowing from the bullet's location. The memory shocked him: Zeldris shot me... but how am I alive?
He walked out with hesitant steps... and what he saw made him freeze in his place. There was a small city, or more like an organized neighborhood, its streets narrow and its buildings clustered, but the strangeness was not in the architecture... but in the sky. There, directly above the city, a gigantic glowing orb floated, surrounded by a halo of moving energy like lightning. Every pulse of it shook the ground beneath his feet.
While he was trying to comprehend the scene, he felt a metallic coldness touch his neck. He turned cautiously... to find a man wearing a black mechanical suit, holding a strange weapon pointed at his head. — "Stop. Who are you?" the man said in a stern tone. "Are you a secret agent for that scum?"
Lloyd trembled, trying to compose himself: — "No... I have nothing to do with anyone... I swear."
The man stared at him in silence for a few seconds, then raised his hand and removed his mechanical mask. He looked like a young man with sharp features and tired eyes. — "My name is Zac. And I guess you're not one of them... at least you don't have their marks."
When Lloyd heard the name Zac, he froze inside for a moment. He remembered the mysterious recording he had heard in the past... the name was annoyingly familiar, but he swallowed his saliva and said nothing.
Zac approached and pointed to the floating orb in the sky: — "We are the guardians of the system. That orb there is the system point. Everything on this island revolves around it. It's a fragile balance between good and evil... if it falls, everything will fall."
Lloyd remained silent, watching the energy rising from the orb, feeling a strange vibration deep inside him whenever he looked at it.
Zac continued his speech: — "There are many enemies. And countless organizations are trying to control the island. But everyone who is thrown here... is born with a superpower, whether they like it or not. Maybe your power hasn't been discovered yet. Or maybe you forgot. Here... memories are erased little by little."
Lloyd's heart tightened. Forgot? No... he didn't forget. He remembered everything: his childhood, his sister Clara, his father's death... and even the bullet that had just pierced his head. Everything was present in his mind with painful clarity. But he pretended to be silent, showing nothing.
Zac smiled lightly, as if he had caught something in his eyes but ignored it. — "Come with me. I'll introduce you to the rest. We are few... but we fight for the survival of the island."
Lloyd nodded faintly, but deep down, he was boiling with questions and suspicion.
...
On the other side, where the bodies and blood were still wet, Zeldris stood next to Lloyd's body lying on the ground. Leon was shouting angrily: — "Why? Why did you kill him? We could have understood something from him!"
But Zeldris showed no remorse, his eyes were fixed and cold: — "You saw... he wasn't human. That thing that came out of him wasn't normal. We don't even know if we're on an island... or in hell."
Frank and Kai exchanged silent glances, while Leon stared at his friend's body with teary eyes. Inside him was a complete refusal to believe that the story ended here...
But the truth was that Lloyd wasn't dead. He was already walking the streets of a mysterious city, led by a person named Zac towards a new destiny. Lloyd stood astonished in front of the giant orb floating in the sky, the one Zac called the "system point." The light radiating from it wasn't normal; it reflected inside his eyes as if it were speaking directly to the depths of his soul. He took a deep breath, then said in a faint voice that was barely audible: "Is... Is this really the system point?"
Zac turned to him sharply, as if the word had awakened something strange inside him. He furrowed his brow and asked seriously: "And how do you know it?"
Lloyd suddenly tensed; he felt his heart beat faster, as if a memory was trying to make its way to the surface. He replied, stammering: "No... I don't know. I think I just remembered something."
Zac stared at him for moments, then nodded slowly without asking more. It seemed he didn't want to push him more than he could handle. He simply said: "Come on, there's something you need to see."
Zac led Lloyd through narrow corridors until they reached a dark alley. From his pocket, he took out a metallic-shaped device with glowing blue lines and pressed a small button. Suddenly, the wall in front of them split open, revealing a luminous door, as if the very wall of reality had opened.
Zac said calmly as he advanced: "Follow me."
Lloyd stepped cautiously inside, and as soon as he crossed the threshold, he was amazed by what he saw. The place was incredibly spacious, immersed in golden white lights whose source he didn't know. The walls were smooth, transparent like crystal, and the air held a strange purity that brought a sense of peace to the soul.
In the midst of this beauty, there was a large table surrounded by four chairs, on which sat four people, and in front of them were complex maps and diagrams filled with strange symbols and shapes. They raised their heads when Zac and Lloyd entered.
Zac said with conviction: "This is a new person on the island. I brought him to join us... to fight the First System Organization."
A short silence filled the place, until one of them broke it. He was a young man with short black hair, with a sharp glint in his eyes that indicated the severity of his personality. He said in a serious tone: "Haven't you told him the truth about this place yet? Haven't you explained what hell he has entered?"
Zac replied with a calm coolness: "I will explain everything to him... but let's introduce you to him first."
The young man smiled slightly, then said: "I'm Jack."
A girl sitting next to him raised her head; she had long brown hair and a warm smile: "And I'm Millie."
Then another young man spoke; his left hand was glistening with diamonds, as if it were carved from jewels: "I'm Yon."
Finally, a girl with cold eyes raised her head slowly and said in a low but sharp voice: "Mera."
Lloyd hesitated for a moment before giving a small smile: "Pleased to meet you all... I'm Lloyd."
Zac smiled and said: "Okay, now it's time for the explanation."
They all sat around the table, while Zac began to speak in a heavy tone: "First, about the island. We've been here for many years... we don't know exactly how many, as we've lost our sense of time. The laws of physics here don't work as we're used to; we don't age... as if our lives stopped since our feet touched this land."
He continued, pointing to the maps: "As for the system point... it's the secret of this island. We only know a little. That energy drives people crazy, it controls their minds, until it traps them inside it. But there is only one key capable of freeing everyone who has fallen into its grasp. However, we haven't found this key yet."
Yon sat with his diamond arm resting on the table and said in a rough voice: "The island is based on one principle: good and evil. Both form a balance. If one of them disappears, the island itself will collapse."
Zac continued: "There are two organizations fighting to control the system point. Half of the island's inhabitants belong to them. As for the other half, like us, they have chosen to follow their own path. We are not part of either of them. We want something else... we want to free everyone from the curse of the system point and destroy it forever."
Silence filled the room, as if the words were heavy on everyone. Zac looked directly at Lloyd and said: "So, are you with us?"
Lloyd hesitated for a moment, thinking about everything he had been through, the confused memories, the blood on his head, the shadow he had met. Then he raised his eyes and answered with conviction: "Yes... I'm with you."
A faint smile appeared on Zac's face, and signs of relief appeared on the others. He said: "Good... but remember, this island eats memories. Over time, you will find it difficult to remember your past life. Your name will remain... your way of speaking... some meanings of words. But everything else... will fade."
Lloyd looked at the ground, feeling anxiety creep into his heart. Could he completely forget himself? Could his whole life disappear?
And at that moment, the door was opened forcefully. A girl entered, panting, sweating, as if she had just returned from a tiring battle.
Everyone turned to her, but Lloyd's eyes widened in shock. He stood up unconsciously, and a hot tear came out of his eyes, sliding down his cheek.
He didn't say anything... but he was looking at her as if she were a ghost from his past, as if she were a part of his memory that he was afraid of losing.
...
Far from this place, in the dark forest where Zeldris, Leon, Frank, and Kai were, the scene was different. They sat near Lloyd's body lying on the ground.
Zeldris said, fixing his gaze on the body: "We have to find a way out of here... we don't have all the time. This island is not a place for humans."
Kai replied, contemplating the darkness around him: "Yes... we could be attacked at any moment. Monsters like that insect are just the beginning."
Frank sighed and said: "But before anything... we have to bury Lloyd. We can't just leave him like this."
Leon nodded sadly, his eyes not leaving the body: "Yes... let's give him some respect."
Then he suddenly turned to Zeldris and asked him: "Tell me... did you destroy the wireless communication device?"
Zeldris was flustered for a moment, then said, avoiding looking directly into his eyes: "...Yes. I destroyed it."
Leon was silent for a long time, not saying anything. But tension filled the air between them.