Memory Decay

At dawn, when Aoli pushed the breakfast cart into Angel's room, she found him bent over his desk, writing furiously. Thick stacks of paper surrounded him, and several draft sheets had even drifted onto the floor.

Seeing that Angel had not noticed her, Aoli crouched down, intending to tidy up the draft papers first.

As she gathered them, Aoli curiously glanced at what was written on them.

Complex three-dimensional geometric patterns, all kinds of strange symbols, and rows upon rows of formulas filled with writing. Though Aoli could not understand those formulas, for some reason, the numbers seemed to possess a kind of magic that drew her gaze in, making her unable to stop staring at them.

In Aoli's eyes, the numbers and formulas seemed to come alive, slowly revolving until they formed a dark, shadowy door. The door was filled with temptation, and a voice seemed to urge her by her ear, enticing her to step through it...

Riiip—

Aoli suddenly shuddered and snapped out of that strange state.

She raised her head to find Angel standing before her at some point, dressed in a thin white shirt. The morning breeze lifted the curtains, and warm sunlight traced the handsome profile of Angel's face.

"Aoli, are you all right?"

Angel's voice pulled Aoli back from her wandering thoughts. Only then did she notice that the draft paper she had been holding had already been taken by Angel and torn in half.

A faint blush rose on Aoli's cheeks. Lowering her head, she murmured, "I only wanted to sort them out. I didn't expect that suddenly..."

"These magic energy formulas contain certain ultimate truths themselves. If your spiritual power has not reached the required level, looking at them is very dangerous. You could lose yourself."

Still shaken, Aoli nodded and