I roamed my eyes around the small village. For the past seven years of traveling, this is the first place that gives me chills.

This place...it felt familiar. 

I wandered the streets of the village's market, seeking for something—anything— just to fill this void inside me. 

Since then, I've been invisible to those around me. While other children laughed and played, I lingered in the corners, yearning for a taste of happiness that always seemed just out of reach. 

Happiness. I also want to feel that kind of emotion. I've been yearning for it. 

I stopped when I was bumped by a child. I looked at him with a blank expression.

“S-Sorry…” he apologized, then stood up and ran away.

I sighed and looked around when something caught my attention.

It was a shop. 

I stumbled into a shop called “Anamnesis.” 

This is it. This is the shop that I've been looking for. A shop where I can buy sets of vibrant and joyous memories. 

As I entered the shop, I was enveloped by the scent of old wood and something metallic. Rows of vials lined the shelves, each containing swirling colors.

“Welcome!” A man with piercing blue eyes stood behind the counter. “What can I do for you today?”

“I want to buy…memories. I want to know what happiness felt like,” I uttered with a trembling voice. 

He raised an eyebrow, observing me with curiosity and skepticism. 

“Happiness, you say? It’s a rare commodity. How much are you willing to spend?” He asked with a smirk. 

I fished through my pocket and revealed a pack of silver coins that I earned. “That's all I have.”

The shopkeeper stared at me for a moment, then reached for a small vial filled with golden light. 

“This memory is pure joy—a day spent in laughter and warmth. It’s worth much more than your savings, but I’ll make an exception.” And there goes his infamous smirk once again. 

I accepted the vial, clutching it tightly as I left the shop. I feel a small amount of hope swelling inside my chest. 

That evening, I went to the forest. I had nowhere to stay anyway. 

I sat on a large rock. Inilabas ko mula sa aking bulsa ang nabili ko kanina. The vial was glowing softly as I held it in my hand. 

With a deep breath, I opened the vial and drank it with my eyes shut tightly as anticipation coursing through me.

As I opened my eyes, the air shimmered and suddenly, I was in a sunlit meadow. 

Right now, I’m in a different place.

Laughter surrounded me as children played and danced. I felt warmth on my skin, the scent of wildflowers in the air. For the first time, I experienced a glimmer of joy, running with the children, feeling their laughter resonate within me.

But just as quickly as it began, the scene shifted. The laughter faded, replaced by the damp chill of a dark room. I stood before a cluttered workbench, I roamed my eyes around. My heart was racing as I saw a man at the center—he looks like a wizard.

No...he's indeed a wizard. 

With all these crafts using magic, he's definitely a wizard. 

“Just a few more touches and Elena will be done in no time!” he muttered while his hands were trembling as he poured all of his magic to his piece. 

I gasped when I saw a woman's body in front of him. He poured all his magic onto that fragile body then suddenly, he stopped. 

I watched as the woman came to life, as if by some dark twist of fate. I can't see her face because I'm facing her back. 

I was startled when the man suddenly shouted with joy.

“Finally! My creation is done! I had made a do—” before he could finish his words, the woman stabbed him. 

“Die…” the woman uttered. 

My eyes widened when her voice sounds familiar. 

“N-No…y-you're s-supposed t-to b-be k-kind...n-not e-evil. I-I c-created you…I-I a-am y-your m-master.” The man uttered as blood continued to flow from his mouth.

“You're not my master. I have no master.” The woman answered with a blamk expression. 

I gasped in shock when she stabbed the iron sword to the wizard once again. A wave of dread washed over me as I felt the atmosphere thicken with tension. 

“Y-You a-are a-a doll t-that I m-made b-but I-I r-regretted c-creating y-you. Y-ou w-were m-meant to b-bring joy.” The man groaned. 

W-What? She's…a doll!? 

“Die.” The woman uttered shortly as she buried the sword to the wizard's chest. 

I stepped back as the woman walked to my direction. My eyes widened when I saw her face. 

She looks like...me. No, she's definitely me. I am…a doll? 

Once again, I took a step back. 

“S-Stop…” I muttered. 

And she did. “Why are you stopping me? Don't be scared...Elena.” She uttered with a devilish grin. 

H-How does she know my name? S-She can see me? 

“Don't be scared.” She whispered. “Don't be scared of yourself, Elena. You and I are the same. It was you, who killed your creator.” 

“N-No!” I shouted.

“You are not a human, Elena. You are…me. You erased your own memory to live as a human.” She said but I didn't listen. I don't want to listen to her. I continue to shout as my head throbbed.

This was not happiness; it was something darker. 

I tried to pull away, but the memory gripped me, dragging me deeper into the past.

“No! Stop!” My head is throbbing in pain. 

The memory snapped back, and I found myself gasping as my heart was pounding. My mind raced, grappling with the reality of what I had seen. I didn’t just seek happiness; I had witnessed my own destruction. 

Is that memory true? I am a doll? I had hurt my own creator? 

So that's why I don't have emotions. I was so desperate to feel the emotion that I was longing for but from the very start, I never had one. 

I was created by a wizard—a powerful one but I don't even know his name. 

I gasped when I remembered something.

I quickly raised my dress and looked at my waist.

“Abelardo” a name etched into my skin. This is my creator's name.

I bitterly smiled as I confirmed my suspicion was indeed correct.

The memory that I bought is mine.

I am the product of his magic, and what I witnessed was a moment of darkness—a consequence of his attempts to create something beautiful.

The power that surged through me, the chaos that consumed him. It was never just a memory; it was a truth buried deep within me.

Suddenly, the pieces began to fit together. I remembered moments of disconnect, flashes of anger that I had brushed aside. I was more than just a woman; I was a creation filled with potential, yet cursed with the shadows of my origins.

With tears streaming down my face, I whispered, “I… am a killer. I killed my own creator.”