Needle of the Lost Memories

The Needle of the Lost Memories is a reusable tool that removes memories selected by its user. It first lets Michael discard knowledge taken from criminals, then becomes a dangerous medical instrument in his attempts to reverse the Supreme Human Alliance’s conditioning.

History

First demonstrated use

The corpus first shows Michael Fang already possessing the Needle after Mind Reader exposes him to criminals’ disturbing memories; it does not state where he acquired it, who made it, or whether it came from the Achievement Shop he had inspected earlier. Michael pricks himself, concentrates on what he wants removed, and immediately forgets both the chosen memories and what he intended to forget. He later considers offering the tool alongside Memory Orbs so recipients can retain useful martial knowledge without keeping everything contained in the orbs. (Chapters 812 and 887)

Blood Incursion treatment

Michael next uses the Needle while treating Zeke Lavita and Kaleb Zenovia after the Supreme Human Alliance’s Blood Incursion. Removing Zeke’s last few hours of memory interrupts a self-destructive response triggered when Zeke begins recognizing that something is wrong. In the broader cure, Michael and the Beast God Curses remove the patients’ conditioned period generously enough that both awaken without Blood Incursion forcing them back into their altered behavior. The price is substantial: large portions of their memories are missing or distorted because Michael cannot locate every foreign or damaged memory precisely. (Chapters 910–919)

Alice’s reset and ethical limit

Michael later removes several years from Alice Zenovia, resetting her recollection to the day before their meeting in the Golden Sun Province while he repairs the other damage done to her. The procedure takes several days and leaves Alice sleeping, but the Needle’s exact contribution to her physical recovery is not established. Michael subsequently considers erasing parts of the conflict between Tiara and Caesus, then rejects the idea as morally unacceptable. That refusal confirms that continued possession does not make unrestricted memory editing acceptable to him. (Chapters 952 and 1033)

Abilities and properties

• The operator pricks a subject with the Needle and focuses on memories to remove. When Michael uses it on himself, the target memories disappear immediately and leave only an awareness that something has been forgotten. (Chapter 812)
• The Needle can be used on another person. Removing Zeke’s recent memories causes him to collapse unconscious, while more extensive treatment removes whole spans of conditioned experience from Zeke, Kaleb, and Alice. (Chapters 912, 919, and 952)
• Selection is imperfect when Michael operates on someone else. He must cut more broadly than intended, producing missing and distorted memories that remain the principal cost of the treatment. (Chapter 919)
• It alters memory rather than solving every form of mental or spiritual damage. Michael explicitly distinguishes removable memories from Blood Incursion’s separate alterations of mind and soul and uses other powers and treatments for those problems. (Chapters 910–919)
• Its maker, material, rank, energy cost, use limit, and acquisition are not identified in the supplied corpus. The Needle is still available for Michael to contemplate using in Chapter 1033, indicating that the documented procedures do not consume it. (Chapters 812–1033)

Ownership and custody