[EN] Chapter 6: Luminous Slum, Abyss of Desire

# Chapter 6: The Memory Market, Abyss of Desire

The ruins of the sanctuary were now a thing of the past. Kai led Zero to the deepest reaches of the Oracle Shell: the Luminous Slum. It was the city's Great Drain, where all urban waste converged, and simultaneously, the site of the most clandestine and colossal memory black market.

From massive pipelines that choked the sky, unrefined liquid data leaked incessantly, making the street's neon signs appear viscous and sticky. Particles of other people's ecstasy, jealousy, and terror drifted through the air like fine dust; people inhaled these fragments, staggering through the streets as they surrendered to temporary waves of dopamine.

"This is the city's true face," Kai said, popping the collar of his coat. His voice was lower and sharper than usual. "People dream of eternal life in the Zenith, but what they actually crave are the most primal pleasures of others. Memories of love, moments of victory, even forbidden erotic fantasies. Here, everything is currency."

Zero looked around. Street vendors sold shards of pale blue light encased in transparent capsules. Some sold the purity of their childhood for a single meal; others traded a lifetime of professional expertise for one night of hedonism.

A sharp ache blossomed in a corner of Zero's chest. Lacking memories of his own, he did not know the true weight of such loss, yet the void reflected in the eyes of the people before him hit him with more intensity than any recorded memory ever could.

"Kai, why did you bring me here?"

"To refine your 'palate'."

Kai stopped and turned to Zero, a strange glint in his eyes. "In the Shadow Zone, you pushed memories away simply to survive. But now, you must learn to *choose* what to absorb. You need to know what you want and what you react to, so that when we reach the heart of the Archivist, you won't lose your way."

Kai led Zero into the deepest part of the black market, a subterranean club known as the Memory Bank. It was a crucible of chaos, a swirl of noise, light, and ten thousand conflicting emotions.

At the center of the club sat a massive memory amplifier. People shared their memories, parasitically feeding off each other's emotions. Kai seated Zero on a dark sofa in the VIP section and handed him a small glass vial. Inside was a shard of memory that glowed with a searing crimson light.

"This is a memory of 'Blind Trust.' It's incredibly rare. In this city, trusting someone completely is nearly impossible."

Zero hesitated, then opened the vial. The moment the red light seeped into his skin, Zero felt a warmth in his chest for the first time in his existence. It was an absolute certainty—the feeling of someone trusting him with their back, the conviction that they would stay by his side even if the world crumbled.

It was a different kind of weight than the agonizing memories of the Shadow Zone. It wasn't a burden; it felt like a pillar supporting his very being.

"Ah…"

For the first time, transparent liquid spilled from Zero's eyes. He didn't know why he was weeping. But in that moment, he looked at Kai.

A man who was cold, calculating, and viewed him as a tool. Yet, in this alien and cruel city, Kai was the only one who called him by his name, the only one who made him wonder *what* he actually was.

Unconsciously, Zero gripped the edge of Kai's sleeve. The afterimage of the crimson memory seemed to weave an invisible thread between them. Kai froze for a moment, seemingly taken aback, but soon let out a cold smile and lightly flicked Zero's forehead.

"Don't mistake this for something else. You're just drunk on someone else's memory."

The words were cold, but Kai didn't pull his sleeve away.

A strange tension flowed between them. It wasn't trust, but rather the kinship of two predators who had recognized the void in one another. Zero saw the gaping hole Kai was hiding, and Kai felt a dangerous desire to fill his own lost fragments into the empty vessel that was Zero.

"Let's go. The appetizer is over."

Kai stood up and pulled Zero along. But Zero knew. That warmth he had just felt was no longer a simple absorption of data—it was transforming into a new emotion called 'longing.'

It was Zero's first step toward becoming human, and simultaneously, the sweetest trap that would lead him to ruin.