A Tale of the World **HIATUS**

Chapter 24: Unbreakable Bonds

Walking through the eerie hallways looked like a distinctive holographic forest she always walked through growing up. Everything that she saw was as how she wanted to see it, her past, the person she cherished the most.
She kept on following him without saying a word as he led her deeper and deeper. The metallic scented halls now fumed of flowers and fresh dew on the morning grass. Her surrounding altered completely; she was no longer inside a building, but walking on a path in the forest underneath the rising sun. The man held her by her fingertips gently as they continued walking.
In the illusion, the man brought Nina to a vibrantly colored, pure flowerbed. Nina sat on top of the flowerbed that sunk in like foam. The man handed her a golden cup filled with clear, pristine water. He aided her in drinking the water as if she was still a child. Moving the cup, he laid her on her back tenderly shifting her legs onto the flowerbed. He than brushed his fingers over her eyes, closing them. She fell in a deep slumber.

* * *

Within the deep slumber, Nina was floating as her clothing gently swayed in the thick, dark abyss. Nina opened her eyes and saw memories passing by her. Then a memory came into view. She was a child, playing with Gin. Ah, this is one of my favorite memories, she sighed smiling. Then the memory shattered, destroying everything with it. Nina's smile slowly faded. Another memory appeared. Wh- who is that? She asked herself. Is that me? It was a memory of when Nina and Gin ran into hot springs in a forest and wild monkeys came and snatched their clothing. They had nothing but thin blankets to wrap around themselves. They both looked like idiots and creeps walking into a town to try and get new clothing.
She didn't realize it, but as memories appeared and shattered away, they were being erased. Little did she know that her sense of emotions, laughter, joy, sadness, and love were also being thrown away. The light in her eyes began fading.
Then she appeared in a quiet opening in a forest underneath the sunlight, a memory of hers. She saw two people sitting on a large rock. A man and a child, a girl; both had sleek black hair. Nina was standing no more than 8 ft away from them, but they couldn't see her. Then they began talking.
"Remember, whatever happens, don't forget who you are. You are ____________, my beloved daughter. Promise me you won't ever forget that," the man said tenderly.
The daughter playfully wrapped her arms around the man. She smiled.
"Of course! I promise, Dad. I won't ever forget who I am," she replied with a bright smile. Then the little girl jolted up and slowly turned to face Nina. Then in a voice that Nina recognized as her own, the girl said, "Don't forget who you are, Nina."

With that single phrase, all the memories that were once destroyed came flooding back into her. Nina's eyes shot open and she gasped for air. She was in a medical lab bed with an oxygen mask over her nose and mouth, and tubes that were inserted into her arms. Furious, Nina ripped off the oxygen mask and tugged her arms from the tubes. The assistants that were there with her tried holding her down.
Nina roared, "How dare you! You trying to steal my memories from me!"
She kicked the man that held down her legs and used her right leg to hit the woman on her left. Nina pulled her left arm free and grave the man on her right and punch to the face, sending him crashing into a large tinted window. He caused a crack in the window. She flipped over and fell onto the hard, cold floor gasping sharply.
Staggering on her feet, she looked up to the corner and saw a camera; she knew right away she was being watched. At that very moment, fog started seeping through the vents, sleeping gas. Nina covered her nose and looked forward, she saw Ruen on the other side of the tinted window. Nina eyed the camera, crouched into a running position and took off. She jumped onto the medical bed and gave herself a boost bursting through the window to the other side.
Nina slid across the floor with shattered glass pieces. The assistants that were preoccupied with Ruen now shifted their attention to her and rushed at her. Nina fought them off one by one. She then came across Ruen's control monitor and saw the button "Adrenaline". A man grabbed her arm, she threw a punch and slammed her palm onto the button and yelled, "Come! Jack!"
Appearing in thin air from golden sparks was Jack. He kicked three men that ran towards him, did a front flip and landed. He threw Nina's deck at her; she caught it and her clothes transformed into a tight blouse and soft fleeced pants with sleek ankle boots appearing on her feet.
Ruen was shocked, awaken from the adrenaline bursting from his bed and shouting out. Nina pulled out his card, "Activate!" She yelled.
Ruen's clothes also transformed; into his maroon armor like clothing. With the tremendous energy surging within him, he couldn't stay calm. "Where is he?! I'm gonna kill him!" He yelled out and dashed out the door. Nina and Jack followed behind closely. Nina saw that Ruen's right eye was closed; the eye that would've shown Rolan was there. But it was closed; Ruen wasn't in full control of the body and Rolan wasn't awake.
He could sense him; Ruen could. He followed the trail like a wild predator chasing its prey.