Magic could be stored.Magic could be broken.Magic could even be rewritten.
But only in the darkest corners of the multiverse……could memories be traded.
Sold.Stolen.Consumed.
Some used them to gain knowledge.
Others…To forget.
And now, Aarav found himself standing at the gates of the most forbidden vault in magical existence:
The Memory Market.
He did not come to buy.
He came to recover something he had willingly lost.
The market was invisible to all but those who had already sacrificed a memory willingly.
Aarav, now bonded to the Wand That Weeps, was marked.
The gate appeared as a swirling arch of unraveling thoughts—Fragments of dreams, names half-remembered, half-spoken lullabies.
A voice greeted him:
"To enter, give up what you don't know you're missing."
Aarav hesitated.
And something inside him… disappeared.
He didn't know what.
But the door opened.
A sprawling bazaar of floating thoughts, bottled regrets, and suspended truths.
Vendors whispered:
"First love, slightly used—pure and bitter.""The memory of your child's first word—untouched.""Pain of betrayal—discounted.""The complete memory of Voldemort's final breath—one phoenix feather."
All around him, beings—witches, wizards, immortals, outcasts—wandered through their pasts and others'.
One stall in particular caught Aarav's eye.
A stone table.On it: a vial glowing with blue-gold light.
Labeled simply:
"The Night Luna Saved You – Reserved."
SYSTEM NOTICE:
Lost Memory Detected: Core Anchor – "The Night Luna Saved You" Emotion Tier: Level 5 (Identity-Binding) Effect: Current emotional resonance weakened. Memory Recovery Cost: One False Memory must be given in return. False Memory = A belief or conviction you've built but never confirmed. Warning: Removing a false memory may alter perception of current relationships or decisions.
Aarav stared at the glowing vial.
He missed it.
Not just the moment—
—but the meaning it gave him.
Beside it, a whispering vendor emerged:
"You must trade a lie you believe."
The System showed him candidates:
"I am doing all of this for others."
"If I stop now, it will all fall apart."
"I was never meant to lead."
"She doesn't love me."
Each could be the one.
But one was false.
And that was the price.
Aarav took a breath.
"She doesn't love me," he whispered.
The market shook.
The vial floated into his hand.
A memory poured into him—
Luna, bloodied, battered, whispering an unfinished spell as she pulled him from the Codex's collapse—
"You don't get to leave me behind. Not yet. Not ever."
And then—
She kissed him through the fire.
Aarav gasped.The truth settled in.
He had forgotten why she stayed.
But now… he remembered.
SYSTEM RECORD:
Memory Restored: Core Anchor – Luna's Salvation Effect: Emotional bond deepened; Anchor of Magic – Strengthened Title Gained: Remembered by Light New Passive: Heart-Sight – May detect lies told to self or others through emotional echoes Loss: Belief that Luna didn't care – permanently removed Echo Effect: Strengthens all spells cast on or with Luna Lovegood
As he left, the gate closed behind him.
The vial faded. The lie was gone.
But Aarav felt lighter.
Not because he had regained a memory—but because he had traded doubt for truth.
At the top of the staircase, Luna stood waiting.
She blinked, as if something new had connected.
"You remember now?"
He nodded.
"I do. And I'm sorry it took me this long."
She smiled.
"Then we still have time."