Adion opened his eyes. He felt the fatigue wasn’t as bad as it had been. He was still thirsty, though.

  Perhaps he wasn’t actually thirsty, just a remnant thought that refused to go away. He wanted to drink water.

  Adion sat up on his bed, noticing he was still in his clothes.

  Ugh. I really should take a bath.

  He turned his head and saw a pitcher of murky water on his bedside table.

  Why does it look dirty? I’m not desperate enough to drink that.

  Adion grabbed the pitcher and noticed it was cold. Water had condensed on the outside.

  Looks like it was iced when it was put here. I wonder what time it is?

  Adion smelled the dirty fluid and noticed that it actually smelled quite nice.

  Oh. It’s some sort of lemonade. Right. Obviously, they wouldn’t give me dirt water to drink.

  Adion poured a glass for himself and drank it. It was sweet, cold, and thirst-quenching. Adion poured himself another glass straight away.

  That was nice.

  Adion got up from his bed and stretched his battered body.

  Damn, I really…Wait. What did I do again?

  Adion expected his body to be stiff. He expected himself to be thirsty. But he couldn’t quite understand why.

  What did I do last night?

  Adion tried his best to remember and he finally saw a vast land of sand in his mind.

  Right, I was traveling through the Desert. But why?

  To get back to Sell and my family. Right.

  Adion looked around the room for a while.

  So what am I doing here? Why is everything so fuzzy?

  Adion decided to step outside the room to have a look.

  How did I end up here? Why can’t I remember? Did I hit my head or something?

  Adion tried to recount everything in his head as he walked down the hallway, but it was difficult.

  Let’s see. I was at the…thing. The city. Grandpa, Aiden, Ailera, and Sell are there. So why am I here?

  Adion recalled some bits and pieces, but it was hard to make sense of anything.

  Some kind of fight? And then I ended up in the desert? Was I taken prisoner?

  Adion looked around. He didn’t feel like he was a prisoner. And he didn’t appear to be in a prison either. He spread out his space mana to get a feel of the rooms behind the walls of the hallway he was walking through.

  No one seems to be around.

  And outside…Right. I’m underground…Did I already know that?

  Adion came upon a door leading to what seemed like a bedroom and checked to see if it opened. Unfortunately, it seemed to be locked.

  He didn’t get discouraged, though. He continued on his way.

  Oh? A person.

  Adion finally felt the aura of a person further ahead. His space mana told him that the person was in what appeared to be a kitchen.

  Adion checked the door, and this time, it opened.

  “Ah!” A yell sounded as soon as Adion opened the door.

  A young woman had dropped a loaf of newly baked bread. She looked at Adion with an open mouth.

  “Hello,” Adion said hesitantly, “Who are you?”

  “I’m…what are you doing up? Are you hungry?” The woman, who appeared to be a maid as Adion took a closer look, asked.

  Does she recognize me?

  “I’m fine,” Adion said, “How do I get out of here?”

  “You really should be resting,” The woman said, looking nervous.

  Weird.

  Adion turned around and walked away, deciding to find his way out himself.

  “Wait!” The woman called out, “Let me get Gold Narvar. He will answer everything you want to know.”

  Adion stopped walking, hesitating.

  I don’t get a good feeling from this.

  “No need,” Adion said and continued walking away. He noticed the woman running down the hallway in the opposite direction.

  Is she getting someone? Is it someone friendly or…

  I can think about everything once I get out of here.

  Adion also started running, suddenly feeling a strong urge to get out of this place. He traced the walls with his space mana, and finally found a staircase leading to the floor above. Unfortunately, the door was locked.

  So I am being kept here?

  Adion didn’t hesitate and teleported through the locked door into the staircase. He hurried up the stairs to the floor above, but he soon noticed that his space mana only got so far before stopping. Not because he was out of reach, but somehow, the space there seemed like a wall.

  This…Wait.

  Adion felt a few images flash through his mind. He couldn’t make sense of anything, though.

  I can’t get out with that kind of space blocking the way.

  The space was filled with Will, counteracting Adion’s Authority.

  Strange. Somehow, this feels familiar.

  Damn! Why can’t I think straight?

  Adion left the staircase, heading out into the hallway on the floor above the one he had just stayed on.

  Maybe I should just find someone to ask what’s going on. I wasn’t tied up or anything. So I might just be able to ask to leave. But I somehow feel like that space is specifically intended to keep me here.

  Adion soon stumbled upon an empty room, seemingly an office. The door was locked, but Adion just teleported inside this time.

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  Maybe I can find some information.

  The office wasn’t very big. A desk with two chairs and a bookshelf was basically all that fit.

  Adion sat down behind the desk and started searching through the drawers. There were a few papers inside that Adion grabbed, hoping to find something out about his current situation.

  This is useless. This too.

  Adion quickly skimmed through the different documents. Soon, he saw a word that grabbed his attention.

  Heavenly Light. Right. Those bastards. Is this their hideout? Did they do something to me?

  Adion felt his mind giving up in just a few seconds of following that train of thought.

  I should grab pen and paper so I can write my thoughts down. That will make it easier to think.

  Adion grabbed a few blank pieces of paper and a pen, putting it under his shirt.

  I’ll need to find someplace I can sit down and figure this all out in peace.

  “Adion? Are you in there?” A voice, along with a knock on the door, pulled Adion’s eyes away from the paper.

  I recognize that voice…

  “It’s me, Narvar,” Narvar said as he unlocked the door and stepped inside.

  Right.

  “What’s going on? Why can’t I remember anything? Who are you?” Adion questioned, ready to attack the man with his volatile space if needed.

  “Calm down,” Narvar said with a chuckle. “I’m Narvar. I pulled you out of the desert, remember?”

  “Well,” Adion furrowed his brows, his mind struggling to understand.

  Narvar sat down at the opposite side of the desk with a gentle smile.

  “It must be confusing,” Narvar said, “You almost died no more than two days ago. I found you dehydrated and alone out in the hot desert. Do you remember?”

  Something like that seemed to have happened.

  “A little,” Adion answered.

  “Well, when experiencing something like that, it is normal for you to feel a little dizzy. Temporary memory loss is also quite normal, which it seems like you are experiencing. Why don’t you ask me if you have any questions? I’d be happy to clear up any confusion,” Narvar said.

  “Are you keeping me here?” Adion asked, still on his guard. His senses focused not only on Narvar but also on the hallway outside. For now, no one else seemed to be approaching.

  “Well, I didn’t know where else to put you,” Narvar said with a light chuckle, “I’m working and living here for the moment. Since you needed urgent care, I brought you here when I found you. But you are free to leave if you want, of course.”

  “Then why are the doors locked and space constricted,” Adion questioned, scrutinizing Narvar carefully.

  “Space?” Narvar asked, confused, “Oh, right. I forgot you are a space mage. I’m afraid I can’t tell you much about that. It involves research that is quite confidential. As for doors being locked, that’s my mistake. I didn’t realize you’d wake up and immediately want to leave. I’ll make sure they are unlocked.”

  “Is that so…” Adion said slowly.

  Could he be telling the truth? It seems like it.

  Even without focusing on Narvar’s aura, he could tell that Narvar was trustworthy, so Adion didn’t doubt him much.

  “Well, can I go then?” Adion asked.

  “You want to leave? Straight away?” Narvar asked.

  “Yes,” Adion said, determined.

  “Haah,” Narvar sighed, “I’d hate to see a life I saved wasted for no reason. But it’s not like I can keep you here against your will.”

  Narvar got up on his feet. “If you’re sure, I can take you outside right now.”

  Adion hesitated slightly, but in the end, he felt it was best to be on his way back to his family. He was too muddleheaded to decide on anything else.

  “Good,” Adion said, rising to his feet.

  “Follow me,” Narvar said with a gentle and slightly sad smile.

  Adion followed. They got to the staircase and climbed up floor by floor. When they got to the floor with the blocked space, Adion noticed it wasn’t blocked anymore.

  “When did the space here change?” Adion asked.

  “It isn’t always blocked. How would anyone ever get outside if that’s the case?” Narvar said.

  “How do you do it?” Adion asked, very curious about how something that seemed like it wasn’t the work of a mage could contend against his Authority.

  “Haha,” Narvar laughed, “I’m afraid not even I know. If you truly want to know about it, you’d have to join our organization and climb the ranks.”

  “Your organization…” Adion said slowly. Feeling curious but also slightly apprehensive.

  “Here we are,” Narvar said as he opened the door at the top of the long staircase.

  Adion felt the heat hit him like a wall. He squinted his eyes and looked around outside. A few sand-colored, abandoned-looking buildings entered his vision.

  “As you can feel, this isn’t the place to head out unprepared,” Narvar said, “The heat is unforgiving, and you’ll need to travel for weeks before you reach a place where you can find food and water.”

  He’s right. Damn.

  “Besides, you haven’t recovered fully yet,” Narvar said, “Why don’t you take a day or two to think things through? You can stay here, recover, clear your mind, and head out when you have prepared sufficiently. I understand you want to get home, but going out like this, you won’t be getting anywhere.”

  “Haah,” Adion sighed, “I guess you’re right.”

  “Good, I’m glad I won’t have to collect your dead body,” Narvar said with a smile, “Why don’t we go back down and have something to eat? We can make plans together. I do have some experience traveling through the desert, after all.”

  “That sounds good,” Adion said with a nod.

  “How is he? Have you made any improvements?” Yelleda asked

  “He tried to escape again,” Narvar answered with a wry smile. He had once again gone up to meet with Yelleda after saying goodbye to Adion for the night. “This time, it didn’t get very far, though. And I managed to talk him out of it fairly quickly. The Persmytha tea really does work wonders, I was able to go a lot further with my suggestions today. It seems he doesn’t remember how he got here.”

  “He forgot about the kidnapping?” Yelleda asked, pleasantly surprised.

  “It seems to be mostly the recent period of time he is having a hard time with,” Narvar answered.

  “That’s lucky,” Yelleda said, “There is no way to control these things, but it should speed up your process, right?”

  “Maybe. But I don’t want to be too hasty,” Narvar said, “It’s easy to convince him of things he knows to be true, hard to convince him of things he doesn’t know, and impossible to convince him of things he knows are false. If I accidentally suggest something he still remembers differently, it could accidentally trigger a negative response. Making it difficult to make him trust me again.”

  “So that is how your Gift works,” Yelleda said, slowly, “It doesn’t seem quite as frightening anymore.”

  “I wouldn’t use it on you, Soft Soul Yelleda,” Narvar said with a slightly awkward smile, “And my Gift is really not that spectacular. I’m just convincing. But no matter how convincing I am, I can’t convince you of something you know to be false.”

  “That makes sense,” Yelleda said with a smile. “Then I suppose you will have to be sure he has forgotten about his past before convincing him of your own narrative of events.”

  “Yes,” Narvar nodded, “I will work slowly. If I notice him blanking on something, I will fill it in with something that fits us. He seems to have forgotten he was captured by us, so I am trying to have him believe he was found by us. When he forgets all about Heavenly Light, I’ll recruit him like I have done many times before.”

  “And when he forgets his family, you might as well convince him that he has always been part of us,” Yelleda suggested, “That would make him truly loyal.”

  Narvar jolted slightly at the suggestion.

  “Will he really forget them completely?” Narvar asked.

  “Eventually, of course,” Yelleda said with a nod.

  That…seems a little cruel.

  Narvar had hoped they could stop with the Persmytha tea once Adion joined them in full, forgetting their past enmity. That would make both sides better off.

  “But don’t let him drink more of the tea at once than he should,” Yelleda said, “We want to keep it under control, making him forget little by little. If he forgets how to use his space magic, that would truly be tragic. Make sure to remind him to practice every day, so it stays fresh in his mind.”

  “I will,” Narvar agreed.

  “He might also carry some important secrets that we won’t know if he forgets,” Yelleda said, “Information about Cyalis and the Headmaster could come in handy. As well as how he got his space element, of course.”

  “If I ask too bluntly, he’ll resist,” Narvar said, “That could get him to mistrust me, and we’ll be set back days. He might put up so much struggle we’ll have to restrain him, complicating everything tremendously.”

  “We wouldn’t want that,” Yelleda agreed, “But we have found that right between forgetting and remembering is where secrets come out easily. If you ask something he needs to think about himself, it should come out naturally. I’m sure you’ll manage to get a few things out of him.”

  “I’ll keep an appropriate amount of pressure on him going forward,” Narvar conceded.

  “Good,” Yelleda nodded with a pleased smile.

  Narvar said goodbye after a few more minutes of conversation and headed back to his bedroom down on the same floor as Adion.

  I’ll ask him about his family tomorrow. That way, I can see what he remembers while keeping track of it myself. If he forgets one day, I can perhaps help him remember them again once he’s been integrated with Heavenly Light for a while.

  That’s the least I can do.