In a universe parallel to our own, where reality is a fragile tapestry woven from the threads of collective memory, a catastrophic event has just unfolded. My name is Elias Thorne, and I am the last person on this Earth to remember our greatest hero, Jackie Chan. I am the sole keeper of the memories of his hilarious kung fu movies, his death-defying, stuntman-free performances, and the brilliant smile that inspired millions. In this timeline, Jackie Chan simply never existed.

The world as we know it has been struck by a strange wave of energy known as “The Forgetting.” It occurred precisely 15 minutes ago, when a flash flood of unprecedented scale swept through Beijing. The flood didn’t just claim the lives of 30 people; it served as a portal for “The Forgetting” to manifest. This is a truth known only to those of us with a rare genetic mutation that allows us to resist its effects.

His wife, Joan Lin, sent a desperate message to me through a heavily encrypted channel, intended for those she believed in, but I was the only one who received and decoded it. Her message wasn’t about death, but a more terrifying truth: “My husband isn’t dead. He was…translocated.” She witnessed Jackie Chan, right before her eyes, turn into motes of light and vanish into thin air just as the floodwaters hit.

I’ve tried to convince everyone, but it’s hopeless. They look at me like I’m insane. “Who is Jackie Chan?” “What are you talking about?” “We only know Jackie Chang, a local comedian.” Their memories have been subtly and flawlessly altered. His movies have been replaced with versions starring different actors. The photographs, the memorabilia—all of it is gone.

I know I can’t let this story fade into oblivion. There’s a secret research group, known as “The Remembrancers,” that operates outside of government control. They are people like me, those who remember the things “The Forgetting” has erased. Our goal is not to restore the old world, but to find out the cause and figure out a way to reverse it.

Joan Lin’s message is our only hope. If Jackie Chan isn’t dead but was translocated, he could be the key to understanding “The Forgetting.” Where did he go? Why was he the only one affected in this way? Was he part of some kind of experiment? I have to find Joan Lin. She is the last lead. I have to find him, so the world can remember the hero who once existed.