“Ah, thanks for the food,” Adion said as he leaned back in his chair with a pleased expression. He had just enjoyed a platter of seafood, something that he didn’t think he’d ever had the pleasure of eating before.

  “You’re welcome,” Narvar said with a smile from the opposite side of the table, already finished eating.

  Say what you will about this place, the food is good.

  “How are you feeling? Are there any symptoms?” Narvar asked.

  “I’ve been feeling well for days,” Adion said, “Except for a slightly cloudy memory, everything is fine.”

  “It’s good that you’re feeling well,” Narvar said with a smile, “I’m sure your memory will slowly come back as long as you eat and rest well.”

  “That’s good,” Adion said, “I feel like I’m ready to leave soon.”.

  “Is that so? Alright,” Narvar nodded. “You know I never constrict you. It’s just that it’s dangerous outside. I wouldn’t want you to get hurt again.”

  “I’ll be careful,” Adion said.

  “Hehe,” Narvar chuckled, “I’m glad. I still don’t understand why you want to go outside so much, though. I guess I understand the longing for fresh air and sunlight. I can feel a little uncomfortable myself after staying down here for a few days. But to travel all the way back where you came from, can’t that wait until summer ends and the temperature drops?”

  “I have already been here for…A week now? Two?” Adion said, a little unsure, “Anyway, it’s been long enough. And I find it hard to focus on my training while I’m here, so I might as well get going.”

  “Haah,” Narvar sighed, “All right then. Just who is it you want to get back to so badly?”

  “Well, to-” Adion stopped himself.

  Back to Sell…My family. Why does it all seem so fuzzy? Am I forgetting more and more?

  I should head back as soon as possible. No matter the danger.

  “Never mind, no need to think too much about it,” Narvar interrupted Adion’s thoughts, “I suppose you are young and want to be free and unfettered. That’s normal.”

  “Yeah…” Adion answered hesitantly, “Narvar, do you know where my family is?”

  Adion knew they weren’t in the desert, but he couldn’t quite remember where they were. In his mind, he just saw a dining room they had been sitting in not long ago, but he couldn’t quite place it.

  “Your family,” Narvar repeated, seemingly lost in thought, “I do know. But would you really go back to them as you are now?”

  “Why wouldn’t I?” Adion asked.

  “You might have forgotten, but you told me a lot about yourself when I had just brought you here. You only have a few family members left. The others, like your mother and father, were all killed by beasts. I seem to recall you having said that you would take revenge? Going back now, with your strength, would you really be able to fight the beasts? Would you be able to protect them? I suggest you train yourself first. Become strong, hunt beasts, and then return when you have accomplished what you set out to do.”

  “Maybe,” Adion said, confused.

  Mom and Dad were killed by people, weren’t they? What’s going on?

  Is Narvar lying? Why would he lie?

  “I’ll go back to my room,” Adion said, getting up.

  I need to think. Something is strange.

  “Weren’t we going outside?” Narvar called out in a slightly too loud voice, stopping Adion.

  “Now?” Adion asked.

  “I don’t see why not,” Narvar said with a smile, “Let’s go have a look around. The fresh air might help you think clearly.”

  I guess that would help.

  “Okay,” Adion agreed.

  “Let’s head out then,” Narvar said, leading Adion away.

  After what felt like an endless set of stairs later, Adion finally saw sunlight again.

  “I forgot how hot it was,” Adion said, already feeling discomfort from the heat despite standing in the shade.

  Narvar and Adion started walking around the small compound. Adion didn’t see anyone else around, but considering the temperature, it wasn’t strange that everyone else decided to stay inside.

  How did I end up here in the middle of the scorching hot desert? Why would I be stuck here with seemingly no preparations?

  Damn, my head is too fuzzy.

  Narvar had told him that his mind might feel a little tired after he almost died of thirst. Apparently, experiencing some temporary memory loss was very normal. But Adion felt something was strange about the situation.

  He said beasts killed my family…Did they? I really don’t think so.

  “It’s the middle of the day, after all,” Narvar explained, “It gets better at night.”

  “I was planning on traveling by night,” Adion said.

  “And where would you take shelter during the day?” Narvar asked, “There is nothing but sand for countless miles around.”

  “I can freeze space, can’t I? I’ll just bury myself underground. It gets cool pretty quickly,” Adion said.

  “You wouldn’t be able to keep that up for long, though, right?” Narvar asked.

  “I’ll-” Adion was about to mention his Authority but decided against it, “I’ll manage. Don’t you have any tents to use? Surely that would help.”

  “Hehe,” Narvar chuckled, “You’re right, the heat will be uncomfortable but nothing too dangerous if you prepare sufficiently. I’ll handle everything when it’s time for us to leave.”

  “Time for us to leave?” Adion questioned.

  “Well, I’m only staying here temporarily,” Narvar explained, “I need to be on my way soon. When I’m gone, I’m afraid it would be difficult for you to stay behind. If you want to, we could travel together. Even if I think it would be a shame for you to return to your family while you’re still weak, it’s ultimately up to you.”

  Didn’t he want me to stay just a few minutes ago? Did I misunderstand him?

  “That sounds good,” Adion said. He felt a strong urge to return to his family for some reason. He could always get stronger once he reunited with them. “When do we leave?”

  “A week or two, I suppose,” Narvar said, “I’ll let you know.”

  “I guess that’s fine,” Adion agreed. He knew it would be a lot safer to travel with Narvar. A week or two won’t make any difference.

  Adion didn’t know the way back to civilization either, so following Narvar was his best option.

  “What are all these buildings for? What exactly is it that you do here?” Adion asked as he looked around the low sand-colored structures around him, looking like no one had lived in them for hundreds of years.

  “Some kind of research, I’m not too clear on the matter,” Narvar said, “Just doing whatever we can to make progress for the sapi. The beasts are a constant threat, and we can’t afford to lose the momentum we have finally gained.”

  Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

  “Right,” Adion said, noticing a strange shift in Narvar’s voice as he mentioned beasts.

  Narvar usually talks in a kind and easy-going manner, as if nothing needs to be taken seriously. But when he mentioned beasts, it seemed as if he was serious, like it was important.

  He said beasts killed my family…

  “If you decide to join us, you will probably get to know all about this place. You are much more important than someone like me. You’re incredibly talented, and you have the space element. That’s very rare. I’m sure my superiors would throw resources your way if you decided to join us.”

  “I’ll think about it,” Adion said non-committedly.

  “Please do,” Narvar said, “You would get stronger faster than you can imagine. You would be able to protect your family, too. Just imagine their surprise if you return as a Soul mage. I’m sure that would make them very happy.”

  “I-” Adion was about to answer but suddenly noticed the aura of a Soul mage approaching, and it was fast.

  Adion turned to look just as a man came up on him and Narvar.

  “Narvar,” The man spoke to Narvar, “I need to go to the docks, something has come up. It shouldn’t be anything I can’t handle, but keep the touban with you just in case. Be ready to move.”

  “I understand,” Narvar said, nodding solemnly.

  The Soul mage disappeared just as fast as he had appeared.

  “Who was that?” Adion asked.

  “His name is Yelleda, the Soul mage in charge of this place,” Narvar said, “Anyway, let’s head back for now. The heat is getting to me.”

  “What is happening? Are we under attack?” Adion asked.

  Narvar smiled at him gently and answered, “It’s probably some beasts causing trouble. The heat isn’t the only threat in the desert. But as far as I know, there are no Soul beasts here, so Yelleda will be able to handle it.”

  “That’s good,” Adion said.

  “But be ready, in case anything serious happens, we will need to get out of here.” Narvar cautioned.

  “Wouldn’t it be safe underground?” Adion asked.

  “Better not take any risks. We should make our safety our priority and let the Soul mages handle it,” Narvar said.

  “Well, I guess I wouldn’t mind leaving sooner,” Adion said.

  Adion and Narvar walked inside once again. From outside, it was impossible to guess that the shabby house was hiding such a massive underground structure.

  At least once every day, Adion would take a walk and explore the different floors. But he still felt that there were places he had yet to discover.

  Or do I just forget about it? Is this really normal?

  “Will you be going back to practice your space magic?” Narvar asked as the two were climbing down the stairs.

  “Yes, I can’t afford to slack off,” Adion answered.

  “That’s good,” Narvar said with a gentle nod, “But you shouldn’t overdo it. If you feel tired, you should take a break. I can borrow some books for you to read if you want.”

  “Thanks,” Adion said, “I’ll let you know.”

  The two were silent for a while before Narvar asked, “How do you usually train, if you don’t mind me asking? I have found myself stuck at the peak of Gold for decades now, while you seem to have no bottlenecks as you advance. Perhaps I’m doing it wrong.”

  “Well,” Adion said, “I guess I just practice controlling space in different ways, playing around with it. I also spend some time meditating and training my aura control. I find that aura control, in particular, is useful for sharpening your Will.”

  “I see. Maybe I should make some time for that,” Narvar said with a nod. “By the way, how did you learn space magic? Did you have a teacher who also had a space core?”

  “No, I’ve never met another space mage,” Adion answered, “I taught myself.”

  “Incredible,” Narvar muttered, “You truly are a genius. How did you get the idea to freeze space and use it to fight?”

  “Oh, right,” Adion answered, “That would be the Celestial Phoenix. I guess I got some inspiration from watching it freeze space when I-”

  Adion stopped talking as he noticed Narvar had halted his steps. But as he turned around to look, Narvar quickly started walking again.

  “The Celestial Phoenix, you say?” Narvar asked.

  “Yeah…” Adion answered, feeling something was wrong, “Like the Fire Phoenix, but with space, you know?”

  “I know,” Narvar answered with a smile, “I’m just surprised you have actually seen it. I’d really like to hear about it, if you don’t mind.”

  “Well,” Adion said. He could remember seeing the Celestial Phoenix being reborn in front of him, but he couldn’t help but feel that it was a somewhat private memory for some reason.

  “I’m having a hard time remembering,” Adion answered, “I think I need to rest.”

  “I see,” Narvar said, not able to hide his disappointment.

  Did I say something I shouldn’t have?

  “Well, I’ll see you later,” Adion said, leaving Narvar behind as he headed off to his room.

  The Fire Phoenix has its own Church, and I somehow know that it’s common knowledge. But I feel like the Celestial Phoenix isn’t the same.

  Did I just tell Narvar a huge secret?

  Adion got back to his room and started pacing around worriedly.

  And Narvar…he acted like nothing.

  Adion thought about everything that had happened earlier, going through scene by scene.

  Why don’t I remember these things clearly? And it seems as if I am forgetting more and more!

  This isn’t normal. It's not normal at all.

  This kind of memory loss…from dehydration? How could I have believed that?

  Adion felt a chill. He had, for some reason, accepted Narvar’s ridiculous explanation for his failing memory. Not until he actually thought about it did he realize how ridiculous it was.

  Then why am I forgetting things?

  Is…Narvar the one doing this to me? But why?

  Does he want information?

  Adion couldn’t think straight. His head was a mess. Some parts of his memory were still clear, some were cloudy, and some were completely gone. Some were there but felt strange for some reason.

  Adion leaned against the wall and slumped down to the ground.

  Let’s carefully go through everything that happened today.

  Adion tried to recall the conversation the two had had. Everything from when they were outside was clear. But as he got to the dinner they had shared, his memory wasn’t as reliable.

  He said my parents were killed by beasts. They might have been involved, but there were definitely people there as well.

  I told him it was people who killed them. What did he say to that? Or did I only think it?

  Adion felt it was impossible to go through everything in his head. He got up to his feet again and headed to his desk. He felt he needed to carefully write down everything he knew, so he could go through it without his mind confusing him midway through.

  Adion opened the different drawers, looking for pen and paper. He found both pretty quickly and sat down to write.

  But as he looked at the papers, he noticed that there was writing on one of them. He pulled it out to take a look.

  ‘Heavenly Light’ Was the first thing written, and Adion felt something stir in his mind.

  This…this is my handwriting. I wrote this? When?

  Adion continued reading and was chilled by what he found out. It was not much, but the information was shocking.

  Narvar is part of Heavenly Light. They are the ones who kidnapped me and killed my family. I need to escape and get back to Sell. They are doing something to make me forget.

  Adion felt his heartbeat quickening.

  Narvar? Impossible.

  But the more Adion thought about it, the more he felt that the words written there were true.

  How could I forget writing this? How long have I actually been here? What are they planning?

  Is anything Narvar has said true?

  Will I forget this as well?

  I need to get out of here.

  Adion rose to his feet in a panic, but he didn’t run off.

  No. Will I be able to get away right now? I can’t trust anything Narvar has told me.

  Maybe I should ask Narvar to take me outside, and escape from there.

  But…what if I forget again?

  Will I just come back here again?

  Have I gone through these motions before? Will I just repeat the same thing over again, forgetting more and more?

  Adion started pacing around his room again, deep in thought.

  I need to plan meticulously. I can’t rush this.

  And I need to write everything down, or planning will be useless.

  I also need to write down everything I can remember so I don’t forget again.

  Adion was about to sit down to write when he noticed his breakfast plate that still hadn’t been removed from his bedside table.

  It needs to be foolproof. I don’t want to end up in this situation over and over again.

  Adion walked to the plate and grabbed the used knife, cleaning it on his shirt.

  Damn, is there no other way?

  Adion stood looking at the knife for a few seconds, hesitating.

  I can’t afford to risk it. This might be my last clearheaded moment.

  Adion got a resolute expression on his face and stabbed the knife into his forearm.