Ren sat quietly, still trembling from the memories of the attack, unable to believe what he was seeing. The same friends who had run from Alora Village with him now looked... normal. Too normal.
"How could you forget the attack?" Ren's voice trembled. "Our families were killed! My mother died protecting us. The kingdom attacked, and we had to run from the village!"
Haruka looked at him with worry. "What are you saying, Ren? We've never lived in a village. We've always been here. This is our home. Our parents… they died a long time ago."
Yui added gently, "Yes, we've been living here for 15 years. Are you sure you're okay?"
Ren's voice cracked. "No… No… this isn't right," he whispered, his heart pounding. He stared at his trembling hands. "You're all lying… How can you say that? I remember it all!"
A silence fell over the room. His friends looked at each other, then back at him. Haruka stepped forward, her tone calm but firm. "Ren, we're not lying. You've just… maybe been confused. It's been a long time."
Tears welled up in Ren's eyes. "Confused? No… I remember the flames, the screams, my mother…" He choked on his words. "Why… why can't you remember it?"
Yui reached out to him, her voice soft. "Ren, we've all lost people. We know what it's like, but this… this is home now. Please understand."
Ren shook his head violently, his hands gripping his hair. "How could you forget? How could you just… let it go?" His voice was raw, desperate.
Why? Why are their memories different? Is something altering their minds?
Are their memories being replaced? And why can I remember everything? He was on the verge of breaking down when another foresight struck him.
Blood. Screams. Exploding heads.
He gasped, his breath catching in his throat. Not again... He gripped the bench as if it would anchor him to reality. The image of his mother burning alive, the village destroyed, haunted him.
"Ren?" Haruka's voice broke through his torment. She knelt beside him, her hand resting on his shoulder. "What's going on?"
Ren's eyes flickered with fear. "I… I just saw it again. I saw their heads explode. I saw my mother…" His voice trailed off, too broken to continue.
Haruka's expression softened. "I think you've been through too much. It's just a dream… a nightmare."
Ren stood up suddenly, pushing away from her. "It's not a dream! It's real!" His eyes were wide with desperation. "The attack, the death of my mother… it happened!"
Yui stepped forward cautiously. "Ren, you're scaring us. Please, calm down. Think clearly."
Ren's mind was spinning. The ruler... the one now leading the Celestia Kingdom… he isn't a hero. He's worse than the previous tyrant.
He's using memory manipulation to erase crimes and replace them with lies. Everyone's living in a fake reality… and they believe it.
Ren clenched his fists, his jaw tightening. "He must be stopped." He looked at his friends, his eyes hardening. "You all don't see it, but I do. The king is playing with our minds. I don't know how, but he's doing it. I can't let him get away with this."
Haruka's face softened, concern flooding her eyes. "Ren… I don't know what's happening to you, but we're here for you. Just… please, talk to us. Don't shut us out."
Ren's gaze hardened. "I will make sure he pays for what he did… for destroying my village, for killing my mother. He will pay, I swear it."
Here's the updated version of Chapter 6: The False Truth with more dialogues added for depth:
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Chapter 6: The False Truth
Ren sat quietly, still trembling from the memories of the attack, unable to believe what he was seeing. The same friends who had run from Alora Village with him now looked... normal. Too normal.
"How could you forget the attack?" Ren's voice trembled. "Our families were killed! My mother died protecting us. The kingdom attacked, and we had to run from the village!"
Haruka looked at him with worry. "What are you saying, Ren? We've never lived in a village. We've always been here. This is our home. Our parents… they died a long time ago."
Yui added gently, "Yes, we've been living here for 15 years. Are you sure you're okay?"
Ren's voice cracked. "No… No… this isn't right," he whispered, his heart pounding. He stared at his trembling hands. "You're all lying… How can you say that? I remember it all!"
A silence fell over the room. His friends looked at each other, then back at him. Haruka stepped forward, her tone calm but firm. "Ren, we're not lying. You've just… maybe been confused. It's been a long time."
Tears welled up in Ren's eyes. "Confused? No… I remember the flames, the screams, my mother…" He choked on his words. "Why… why can't you remember it?"
Yui reached out to him, her voice soft. "Ren, we've all lost people. We know what it's like, but this… this is home now. Please understand."
Ren shook his head violently, his hands gripping his hair. "How could you forget? How could you just… let it go?" His voice was raw, desperate.
Why? Why are their memories different? Is something altering their minds?
Are their memories being replaced? And why can I remember everything? He was on the verge of breaking down when another foresight struck him.
Blood. Screams. Exploding heads.
He gasped, his breath catching in his throat. Not again... He gripped the bench as if it would anchor him to reality. The image of his mother burning alive, the village destroyed, haunted him.
"Ren?" Haruka's voice broke through his torment. She knelt beside him, her hand resting on his shoulder. "What's going on?"
Ren's eyes flickered with fear. "I… I just saw it again. I saw their heads explode. I saw my mother…" His voice trailed off, too broken to continue.
Haruka's expression softened. "I think you've been through too much. It's just a dream… a nightmare."
Ren stood up suddenly, pushing away from her. "It's not a dream! It's real!" His eyes were wide with desperation. "The attack, the death of my mother… it happened!"
Yui stepped forward cautiously. "Ren, you're scaring us. Please, calm down. Think clearly."
Ren's mind was spinning. The ruler... the one now leading the Celestia Kingdom… he isn't a hero. He's worse than the previous tyrant.
He's using memory manipulation to erase crimes and replace them with lies. Everyone's living in a fake reality… and they believe it.
Ren clenched his fists, his jaw tightening. "He must be stopped." He looked at his friends, his eyes hardening. "You all don't see it, but I do. The king is playing with our minds. I don't know how, but he's doing it. I can't let him get away with this."
Haruka's face softened, concern flooding her eyes. "Ren… I don't know what's happening to you, but we're here for you. Just… please, talk to us. Don't shut us out."
Ren's gaze hardened. "I will make sure he pays for what he did… for destroying my village, for killing my mother. He will pay, I swear it."
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