Brainwashing.

That's what the system tried doing.

The reason why Leon was losing his memories.

It was because of the system.

When the system realized that Leon was determined to go back home, it tried finding ways to make Leon think that he wanted to stay.

It was the reason why it forced Leon to act like 'Leon' as much as possible, every moment of the day and down to the very details. The more Leon acts like 'Leon,' the more he'll forget about himself. Maybe he'll mistake 'Leon's' feelings for his own, and hopefully he won't want to go home anymore.

It was working.

'Leon's' personality, 'Leon's' memories, 'Leon's' feelings—it took up all of Leon's space. Especially since Leon never had time for himself, to think about himself, to be himself for even just a couple seconds.

And slowly, but surely, Leon was forgetting who he was.

He acted so much like 'Leon' that he forgot how to be himself.

And it broke him.

But Leon won't ever show it.

Those tears he will never shed.

The pain he'll never share.

He'll keep it inside.

Just until he gets back home.

'What was it again?' Leon asked the system.

System: Did you forget your lines? Would you like to use an 'Auto-Correct?'

'No, not that,' Leon's face instinctively lit up when he felt himself about to frown. He smiled and laughed, surrounded by a small crowd of people, 'What was it again? It's . . .'

"Leon!" the protagonist called from afar, "Time to go,"

"See ya guys!" Leon laughed and went on his way, 'Oh, right . . . my name. What was my name again?'

System: . . .

Leon felt a part of himself die. His smile trembled so subtly, but the system didn't miss it.

System: Fix yourself. The protagonist is here.

Leon immediately became 'Leon' again, locking those thoughts and feelings away once more.

Though Leon had a smile on his face and spoke words that held no meaning, the system could tell that he was crying inside.

And whenever the system saw this, it couldn't help but to remind Leon again. Remind him that this isn't his world. This isn't his home. The system didn't know if it did that out of guilt or pity, but it could never control itself from saying so.

The system wanted Leon to want to stay in this world, but it also couldn't bear to watch Leon kill himself over and over. So, the system ended up playing a deadly game with Leon's mind.

Leon forgets many things, and the system doesn't help him remember either.

But the system does validate his concerns. It confirms that he's not from this world. It confirms that he's not Leon. It confirms that his feelings are not wrong. Other than that, it doesn't help with anything else.

Leon may have forgotten many things, but his body, his heart, will always remember.

So, here they were at the cliff of The Lost.

The system, hoping that Leon would change his mind. And Leon, filled with happiness and expectations. They stood at the edge of the cliff, just like the system promised. The story has ended. The protagonist had become a hero. It is time for Leon's wish to come true.

The system prepared itself to tell Leon the truth on this very day.

But just then, right at that moment, right when Leon wore the most genuine smile since entering this world, the system stopped itself. It couldn't bear to tell Leon the truth. It couldn't bear to see what would happen afterwards. To imagine Leon's expression.

And so, the system ran away.

Cut-off connection.

Lost signal.

Then . . .

Self-destructed.

And that was the end.

As for why the system chose The Lost as the location, it was so Leon could make a decision, supposedly after learning the truth. Will he continue to live as 'Leon' or will he turn to nothing? If he chose to disappear, here at the Lost, 'Leon' will for sure cease to exist. There will be nothing for the protagonist to find. Nothing to cause a turn in the story. If anything, the protagonist will just go on a hopeless journey looking for his long-lost friend.

Unfortunately, the system never left a word for Leon.

The system caused a mess and couldn't fix it.

And sometimes, that's just how things work.

To this day, Leon still doesn't know what became of the system. Why had the system left? Where did he go wrong? Where is his promised reward? Leon won't ever know.

All his hard work, all his sacrifices, everything—it was all for nothing.

Just nothing.

No longer would Leon get any passes, no more 'Auto-Corrects' or '5-Second Rewinds,' no more points, no more rewards. The nagging he won't ever hear again and the punishments won't ever come.

The system, as much as it was horrible, it was also the one thing that Leon could trust. Not because of the rewards or its' 'helpfulness,' but because it was the only existence that knew who he really was.

Now, the one thing that kept Leon sane, the one thing that confirmed his existence, was forever lost.

Present:

When Leon woke up, he found himself in a dark room. The room was wooden and decorated with flowers and branches that twisted in swirls. The only lights were the rays that peaked through the creaks that the branches made in the walls. There was also a smell of incense circulating in the room.

It was calming.

Soothing.

His heart and mind felt at ease.

He tried to sit up, only to find that he couldn't. There was a familiar arm caging him in, holding him tight.

'The protagonist,' Leon thought as he glanced at the protagonist's sleeping face.

He had eyebags and pale skin. He looked exhausted.

'Incense,' Leon smelt, 'It's the incense,'

No wonder he had awakened from his blissful dreams. No wonder why the protagonist was still asleep. The incense was doing its' job.

Leon carefully got out of the protagonist's grip and off the bed. He carefully eyed the room, looking for something, anything, that was sharp.

Then again, it doesn't have to be sharp.

As long as it gets the job done.

Leon walked towards the wooden wall and snapped off a branch.

He smiled.

With enough strength, he could stab-

Knock Knock

"Rey?" a voice called from the other side of the door, "Are you still asleep? They made breakfast for us, so I'm just going to leave yours at the door,"

Then the sound of footsteps faded away in the distance.

In the dimly lit room, Leon held the branch to his throat, nicking his skin just enough to draw a little blood. And Rey stood before him, his hand tightly around Leon's, stopping him from going any further. Their arms trembled in a struggle.

"You're awake," Rey stated in a hushed voice.

Leon shrugged, 'Unfortunately,'

"It's been almost five months,"

Leon stared nonchalantly at Rey's face, not caring. Rey stared back, looking, hoping for something.

And just then, Leon shined his brightest smile and let out a familiar laugh, "Aww~ Did you miss me?"

Rey stumbled for just a second.

His eyes shook, and his breath stopped.

It was his Leon.

The voice, the face, it was his Leon.

Almost.

If not for the branch in his hand.

Rey furrowed his eyebrows, yanked the branch out of Leon's hand, and threw it across the room, "Don't mess with me,"

Leon stared at the lonely branch sitting on the other side of the room, 'Seriously?'

He then took a step around the protagonist and made his way towards the branch, as if it were something natural. The protagonist snatched his arm and stopped him from moving any further.

"Leon," the protagonist called.

Leon didn't bother to look back, his only attention was on the branch. He wanted, needed, to kill himself. Right here, right now.

He wants to end this suffering.

He wants to be free.

He wants-

"I won't let you die," Rey firmly stated.

With that sentence, Leon slowly turned his head towards the protagonist. His eyes were filled with anger, but his voice cackled with laughter. He laughed and laughed. Tears would fall from his eyes, and he would choke on those tears, but he laughed like the crazed man that he is.

"Leon-" Rey reached out to comfort him.

"-DON'T TOUCH ME!" Leon yelled and smacked his hand away.

His laughter had stopped, but an eerie silence filled the room.

Rey didn't express a single emotion, but there was still pain behind his eyes. He tried again, softer this time, pulling on Leon's wrist.

Leon shoved him away once again, but this time he ended up falling to the ground. 

He knew that the protagonist won't let him die. He knew that. 

Because, as always, if the protagonist is set on something, it is sure to come true.

Leon was doomed to live in this world.

He will never return home.

And before they knew it, Leon had turned the room inside out. The incense was shattered on the ground. It's job held no more meaning. The walls were filled with scars and holes. The bed was broken and disheveled. Everything was in a state of disaster.

And Rey just watched.

He watched as Leon crashed and burned. Watched as Leon took his anger and sorrows out on everything around him. Even when Leon attacked him as well, he just let it happen.

That was better than having Leon kill himself.

"Please," Leon sobbed as he curled himself up in a corner.

His fingers dug into his scalp and his eyes squinted shut, trying to escape reality, "Please,"

Rey watched silently.

"Please . . . Let me go,"

Leon cried and begged, pleading to be put to rest.

Rey quietly walked towards Leon and kneeled before him. He wrapped his arms around Leon and held him tightly, comforting him the way that he always does. They stayed like that for who knows how long, but eventually, Leon fell asleep. Back to his unresponsive self, just living because he could breathe.

There were alarmed voices outside for a while now, but Rey was grateful that Seven kept the Forest Elves at bay.

Rey glanced at the shattered incense on the floor, 'It was too early,'

Leon wasn't ready.

He wasn't ready to come back.

And forcing him to come back didn't help.

It was going to be the last time that Rey tried doing that.

He truly does have to wait.