The dream came again.
Kairos stood in a void. Endless, stretching, cold.
But he wasn't alone.
A shape loomed in the darkness. Vast. Unfathomable. Watching.
A whisper brushed against his mind.
"Come, child of fate. The truth awaits."
Then—pain.
A blinding white light. Burning through his veins.
Kairos jolted awake, gasping.
His heartbeat thundered in his ears, his body drenched in sweat. **That voice—**it had felt too real.
He sat up, rubbing his temples. The words echoed in his skull.
"The truth awaits."
His gaze flicked to the system interface hovering before him.
>[New Objective: Seek the Keeper of Forgotten Knowledge]
Kairos exhaled sharply. He had no idea who—or what—this "Keeper" was. But the system had never given him meaningless tasks.
Which meant this was important.
His fingers curled into fists.
If this thing held answers about his system, about what was happening to him, then he had no choice but to find it.
And fast.
---
Morning Conversations
Selene groaned as she flopped onto the breakfast table, her silver hair a messy halo around her head.
"You look like you got run over," Kairos said dryly, sipping his coffee.
Selene shot him a glare. "Says the guy who looks like he fought a demon in his sleep."
Kairos huffed a small laugh but didn't argue. She wasn't wrong.
Selene stretched, yawning. "So, any new system weirdness?"
Kairos hesitated. He hadn't told her about the dream yet.
He tapped his fingers against his mug. "I got a quest."
Selene perked up. "Oh? Do tell."
Kairos sighed. "I need to find something called the Keeper of Forgotten Knowledge."
Selene frowned. "Sounds ominous."
"Yeah," Kairos muttered. "I think it knows something about my system."
Selene hummed, drumming her fingers against the table. "Well, if it has 'forgotten knowledge,' then it's probably not gonna be hanging out in some library."
Kairos smirked. "You don't say?"
She kicked his shin under the table.
He grinned but sobered quickly. "I had a dream about it too. Or… something connected to it."
Selene's playful demeanor vanished. "Define 'something.'"
Kairos exhaled, running a hand through his hair. "Something big. Powerful. Watching me."
Selene's eyes sharpened. "So, a cosmic stalker?"
Kairos rolled his eyes. "More or less."
Selene leaned back. "Alright. We'll figure this out. First step: tracking down the Keeper."
Kairos raised an eyebrow. "We?"
Selene smirked. "Obviously. No way I'm letting you run off on some cryptic quest alone."
Kairos chuckled, shaking his head. "Of course."
But inwardly, he felt a small weight lift off his chest.
At least he wasn't facing this alone.
---
A Strange Lead
Kairos and Selene spent the day searching for clues.
The academy's archives? Nothing.
Local historical records? Nada.
Even the city's oldest libraries? Zero results.
It was as if the Keeper of Forgotten Knowledge didn't exist.
Frustration clawed at Kairos. The system had given him a quest, but how the hell was he supposed to complete it if there were no leads?
Then—
As they were about to give up for the day—
Selene paused. "Wait. What about the Oracle's Den?"
Kairos frowned. "The what now?"
Selene crossed her arms. "It's a shady little shop in the backstreets. Rumors say the owner knows things no one should."
Kairos raised an eyebrow. "And you know about this… how?"
Selene smirked. "A lady has her secrets."
Kairos sighed. "Of course."
Still, it was something.
And right now, something was better than nothing.
---
The Oracle's Den
The Oracle's Den was hidden in a narrow alleyway, wedged between old brick buildings. A faded wooden sign swayed above the entrance, the paint peeling.
As Kairos and Selene stepped inside, the air shifted.
The shop was dimly lit, shelves crammed with ancient books, artifacts, and strange trinkets that hummed with unseen power.
And at the counter sat an old man.
His skin was weathered like old parchment, his eyes pale and distant—yet too sharp to be blind.
He looked up the moment Kairos entered.
And smiled.
"Ah," the old man murmured. "I was wondering when you'd arrive."
Kairos froze.
Selene stiffened beside him. "You know who we are?"
The old man chuckled. "I know many things, child." His gaze flicked to Kairos. "Especially you, Kairos Valtieri."
Kairos' breath caught.
Selene's fingers twitched near her belt—ready to grab a weapon if needed.
The old man simply chuckled. "Relax, young ones. I mean no harm."
Kairos exhaled slowly. "Then maybe you can help."
The old man tilted his head. "That depends. What is it you seek?"
Kairos clenched his jaw. "The Keeper of Forgotten Knowledge."
For the first time, the old man's smile faltered.
His expression turned unreadable. "Ah. So it has begun."
Kairos narrowed his eyes. "You know what it is, don't you?"
The old man was silent for a moment.
Then, he stood, moving to a shelf in the back. He pulled out an ancient, dust-covered book and set it on the counter.
Slowly, he flipped to a page, tapping a passage with one bony finger.
Kairos and Selene leaned in—
And froze.
The passage read:
> "The Keeper of Forgotten Knowledge is not a being, nor a place. It is a threshold—a door between what is known and what is lost.
Those who seek it do not find answers.
They find themselves."
Kairos' stomach twisted. "What the hell does that mean?"
The old man's pale eyes gleamed. "It means, young one, that your journey is not to find the Keeper."
He leaned forward.
"It is to find what you have forgotten."