*Title:* _The Last Memory of Light_
*Genre:* Dystopian Thriller with elements of Psychological Suspense
*Blurb:*
In a world where memories are currency, and the line between truth and fiction blurs, one man's quest to reclaim his stolen past ignites a revolution. _The Last Memory of Light_ is a heart-pounding journey through a dystopian society where the price of freedom is your soul.
Prologue: The Erasure
The city of Neo-Elysium glittered like shards of broken glass, its inhabitants trapped in a perpetual twilight of manufactured joy and enforced oblivion. Memories were no longer fragments of the past; they were commodities traded, bought, and sold. The richer you were, the more memories you could afford to keep.
Kaden woke up in an alley, his head pounding. He had no name, no past, no identity. The last thing he remembered was a flash of light, and her face—a girl with eyes like storm clouds, screaming his name.
A scrap of paper in his pocket read: "They took everything. Find me."
Chapter 1: The Memory Market
Neo-Elysium's Memory Market was the heart of the city's black economy. Kaden navigated stalls selling fragments of lives: a child's birthday party, a first kiss, a graduation day. The wealthy scavenged for memories to fill their voids, while the poor sold pieces of themselves to survive.
Kaden's blank mind made him a ghost. He needed memories to prove he existed.
A shady dealer approached him. "Looking to buy or sell, kid? I got deals on vivid dreams, perfect recollections... or I can help you retrieve something specific. Pricey, though."
Kaden hesitated. What was he looking for?
A broadcast interrupted the market's ambient noise. *BREAKING NEWS:* High-ranking official Dr. Elianore Vex, architect of Neo-Elysium's memory systems, has been assassinated. Suspect identified as a rogue individual with no recorded past.
Kaden's vision blurred. The face on the screen was his.
Chapter 2: The Hunted
Kaden fled, pursued by Vex's elite guards, the Erasers. They didn't just erase memories—they erased identities. He stumbled into the city's underbelly, where hackers and rebels traded in secrets.
Lia, a brilliant hacker with a penchant for pyromania, found him. "You're the ghost everyone's talking about. What do you want, Kaden?"
Kaden's mind raced. "I want my memories back. And I want to know who took them."
Lia smirked. "Then let's make a deal. Help us expose the truth about Vex's death 7, and I'll help you dig up yours."
Chapter 3: Shadows of Deceit
Kaden's search led him to Aria—the girl from his fragmented memories. She was a member of a resistance fighting to free Neo-Elysium from its oppressive regime. "You were part of this too, Kaden," she whispered, eyes brimming with tears. "You were supposed to protect me. They took your memories to break us."
Aria handed him a data chip. "This contains proof of the government's role in Vex's murder. But it's a trap. They want you to use it."
Kaden's world spun. Was he a hero or a pawn?
Chapter 4: The Truth Revealed
The resistance planned a public broadcast to expose the government's manipulation. Kaden would be the face of the revelation—using the data chip to ignite a revolution.
But it was a setup. The Erasers ambushed them. Aria was captured. Kaden's memories began to resurface in flashes: training with the resistance, Vex's experiments, Aria's sacrifice to save him.
In a desperate bid to save Aria, Kaden made a choice: he traded his remaining memories—the ones he had bought—to bargain for her freedom.
Epilogue: The Spark of Rebellion
Aria was released, but Kaden was now a shell. His memories were gone, replaced by fragments of others' lives. The broadcast had worked; Neo-Elysium's citizens revolted. The city burned, but in the chaos, Kaden disappeared.
Aria found him in the ruins, his eyes empty. She whispered, "You remembered enough."
Kaden smiled faintly. "I remember you."
*The End.*