Magnus was hovering at the edge of consciousness, unsure of what was happening or even where he was. His back felt wet, and his damp clothes were sticking to his body. Overwhelmed by exhaustion and sapped of energy, the aching pain he felt seemed to have faded into a dull throbbing.
His mind could just barely register the sensation of movement, the distant sound of footsteps squelching on the wet ground, and voices too muffled for him to understand. Through his half-closed eyes, fleeting images and shapes drifted past him, indistinct and unrecognizable in the darkness that seemed to envelop him.
In such a state, he could hardly remain awake, and soon he felt the pull of unconsciousness slowly causing his eyes to close. The last thing that he remembered feeling was the steady rhythm of someone carrying him.
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As Magnus slowly opened his eyes, a wave of soreness washed over him. Lying there, gazing up at nothing, it didn't take long for his mind to boot up.
When his vision finally de-fogged, he was met with the sight of a ceiling—a patchwork of different woods hammered together in a crude shelter against the rain, hardly one that would last without constant maintenance.
Craning his neck, Magnus took in his surroundings. He was sprawled on a bed in what appeared to be a sparsely furnished room. Like the makeshift ceiling, the room had a thrown-together feel, with only a mismatched desk and chair occupying a corner.
Oh, man... Where the hell am I? What happened?
While trying to sit up, Magnus suddenly felt something dig into his body.
"Huh?" he grunted, confusion lacing his voice. Struggling a bit, he looked down to find rope binding him to the bed, lying atop the sheets. They weren't tight enough to have disturbed him while he was asleep, but they did a good job at restraining his movements now that he was awake.
Oh shit, don't tell me I got caught…
Panic invaded his mind as the memories of him fleeing from the two bandits flooded back to him. If they'd captured him, then this was one of the worst-case scenarios.
But before the dread could fully take hold, the door creaked open, revealing none other than Mia. She entered the room with fresh bandages in one hand and a look of weary resignation on her face.
Her eyes made their way over to Magnus, who was now wide awake and watching her intently. For a moment, they locked eyes, each of them frozen in place, until finally she inhaled deeply and broke the silence.
"You're finally awake. You've been out for two whole days, you know." Mia set the bandages down on the desk and then pulled a chair over to the bed where Magnus was lying down before taking a seat.
"So, are you able to recall anything? Anything at all before you blacked out, I mean?" She asked as Magnus took a moment and shared his last few clear memories.
"I was running from two bandits, trying my best to lose them in the forest. But they caught up with me and attacked, then... everything after that felt like a blur." As he spoke, Mia's gaze lingered on him, heavy with thought, though Magnus found it hard to focus on that considering he was tied up.
"So... any chance you could explain why I'm tied up? And where are we? This doesn't look like what I imagined Arlcliff City to be like." His mind was spinning with possibilities, none particularly comforting, but he knew panicking wouldn't help.
Mia took her time before answering, only doing so as she stood up and moved towards the door.
"I'll be back in a moment. I need to fetch Gerald and Marcos." With that, she was gone, leaving Magnus alone with his thoughts and a growing sense of unease.
Ok, something's definitely off. She mentioned I'd been out of it for two days and immediately asked what I remembered upon seeing me awake. That plus the fact I'm tied up means something must have happened, but what? Why can't I remember exactly what went down? My memories are all hazy.
As Magnus delved deeper into his recollections, snapshots of his escape came to him—being pursued, concealing himself in foliage. His mind eventually landed on the moment he was scrambling up a hill, and then he got attacked. This is where his memory began to blur, becoming nothing more than fragments.
The snippets weren't nearly enough to construct a clear story, yet among these fragments, one detail stood out distinctly: lines. Endless lines of unfamiliar symbols scrolled across a dark backdrop.
He couldn't be certain, but a theory formed in his mind.
Could it be? It might've just been a hallucination since I was losing a lot of blood, but that black backdrop sort of looks like the Command Console's screen. And if that's the case, then those symbols... lines of code, maybe?
[Command Console]
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Users:Magnus_Wright:\>
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Opening the Command Console, Magnus found it completely barren, devoid of any code or any hints of it being used at all. Normally this would seem to debunk any involvement of the Command Console when it came to his current predicament, but thanks to the experimentation he did with it, he knew it auto-cleared itself every once in a while.
Still, that left a big question mark when it came to Mia's behavior.
If the Command Console really is the reason I ended up like this, then there's not much I can do. I was hardly conscious when whatever happened, actually happened. But if they went so far as to restrain me, then I can only guess it was something that made them think I'm dangerous.
Magnus's train of thought was interrupted by Gerald's voice, "It's good to see you're awake, though this is a pretty awkward situation."
Turning towards the door, Magnus saw Gerald, Marcos, and Mia enter. Gerald's cheerfulness stood in stark contrast to the other two and the atmosphere.
Responding to Gerald, Magnus quipped, "Well, it's significantly more awkward for me, given I'm the one tied up here without a clue why."
At this, Marcos began to retort, irritation lacing his words, "You're still sticking to that story? You—"
But Mia cut him short, sitting on the chair by the bed without mincing her next few words.
"Look, Magnus. When Gerald and I got to the hill, we found those two bandits who'd been chasing you. One was cut in half, and the other was decapitated. Their swords were shattered in a manner I've never witnessed. I've never seen such precision in cuts before, and you were the only one there."
Hearing Mia's recount, the pieces began to align for Magnus, and he started to put together a picture of what had happened. Based on that picture, it seemed like his previous guess that he might have inadvertently used the Command Console was right.
Well, I guess it adds up. If it was some kind of monster, like that one that bandit mentioned, then I wouldn't be alive right now; it would have killed me too. And my last few memories line up with what Mia said she saw.
He didn't understand how exactly he did it, yet the outcome probably resulted in him killing those two bandits. As for how he felt about that, it wasn't something his mind could even begin processing right now. Right now, he was more focused on what he had to do to get out of his current predicament.
A strange boy with amnesia shows up at a village just as it's being attacked, but is completely unharmed. Then he somehow manages to kill two bandits with an unknown method and consequently doesn't remember anything. Ya, I would tie me to a bed too; actually, I would probably put myself in a cage.
Now that he had a firmer grasp on the narrative he was working with, Magnus started thinking about his next move. This was a world governed by the rules of fantasy. What was believable here and what was believable back on Earth were two entirely different things, which also meant he had a chance to talk his way out of this.
They do say, Fake it until you make it.
So, just a couple of moments after Mia's revelation, Magnus started to put together a performance in his mind and then began to act it out in reality. His eyes widened in feigned astonishment, gradually dimming to a pained, reflective gaze.
"I see, so it happened again." The sudden shift in Magnus's demeanor caught Mia, Gerald, and Marcos off guard.
"Huh, what are you talking about, kid?" Gerald was the first to voice his confusion, his words prompting Magnus to adopt a facade of reluctance, as though he were wrestling with divulging a profound secret.
This apparent hesitance seemed to prompt Mia to speak out.
"Magnus, I know we haven't known each other for long. But if we're going to journey together, we need to be able to have a baseline level of trust with one another." Mia's earnestness coaxed an internal smirk from Magnus as he nodded somberly, spinning his lie with a touch of dramatic flair.
"When I said I had amnesia, I wasn't being entirely honest. There's a lot of things I don't remember, like my childhood and my parents; all of that's blank. The only thing I really remember is waking up 'there', with 'them' watching me." Magnus left the place he was talking about, as well as the people who were involved, vague as he continued.
"I don't know who they were, but they experimented on me and said that I have some form of... special ability. I don't know how to describe it exactly, and I can't really use it on command. Plus, even when I do manage to activate it, I can't control it," Magnus explained, eliciting all sorts of different reactions from his three listeners.
"What I do know is that I was born with this power, but no one has ever explained its origins or purpose to me. They've only ever described me as a 'unique mutation'." He paused, adopting an expression laden with a false sense of sorrow and inner turmoil.
"I didn't keep this from you out of malice. I was just afraid that revealing the truth would put us all in danger. The last time I used my powers by accident, terrible things happened—things I am neither proud of nor wish to remember. That's the reason I was even near that village; I had managed to escape from the ones who had been experimenting on me," Magnus said, fully aware that such a story might be called outright bullshit back on Earth.
Yet, in this world, he harbored hope that his made-up narrative would be within the realm of possibility. So, as Magnus spoke, he kept an eye on everyone's reactions.
Gerald seemed intent on remaining neutral until Mia and Marcos reached a consensus. On the other hand, Mia was clearly wrestling with her own thoughts, probably weighing the truth of what he was saying.
It looks like those two are considering it, which only leaves him.
Magnus's gaze shifted over to Marcos, who didn't hesitate to challenge Magnus's story.
"How do we know you're telling the truth? Do you have anything—any evidence at all to back up your story—or do you just expect us to believe you?" Inside, Magnus couldn't help but laugh at Marcos's skepticism. After getting into so many arguments online, Magnus was completely confident in his ability to lie.
And because of that, he also knew that dodging a question can sometimes be more convincing than answering it directly. Armed with that knowledge, Magnus responded.
"What would I gain by lying to any of you? Think about it. If my goal was to harm you guys, I had plenty of opportunities to do so while you slept or, even better, during your fight with the bandits. All of you had your backs to me during that. Plus, you all saw the state I ended up in; why would I let that happen to me if I could stop it?"
Magnus's reasoning appeared to make an impact; Marcos, though reluctant, didn't counter. Magnus's logic, particularly the last bit, struck a chord. After all, Magnus was badly injured when they found him; he would've succumbed to his wounds without their help—hardly the plan of someone harboring malice.
If he really had the ability to kill those bandits whenever he wanted, why would he risk almost dying before doing it? The idea of him gambling his life on the chance that they would find him and take care of his injuries seemed far-fetched, especially if that person was scheming something.
The silence that followed was broken when Mia looked towards Gerald for his input; he simply shrugged, breaking the tension with his response.
"Personally, I like the kid, but I'll go along with whatever you decide," Gerald chimed in, leaving the ultimate judgment to Mia. She acknowledged him with a nod, turning to Marcos, who, after a brief pause, contributed his thoughts.
"There are gaps in his story, sure, but he raised some valid points. I'm with Gerald—your call, captain." The weight of the decision rested on Mia as she began thinking over each factor.
On one side, I would like to trust his story, but I have to put my personal feelings aside on this one. He hasn't shown himself to be a direct threat to us; he's had his chances, after all.
But, assuming his story holds water, we're still left grappling with many uncertainties. If he really was being experimented on, then he might be a cog in a much grander plot, and bringing him to Arlcliff City could just mean we're drawing a bullseye on our backs.
Then again, worrying over such risks now almost seems pointless. The kingdom is already in turmoil.
Our borders are under pressure, and it's likely that spies from other kingdoms are already mingling among our own. We're already in the eye of the storm. The question shouldn't be about how we can sidestep danger anymore, but instead about how we can confront it head-on.
If there's any truth to his claim of possessing an extraordinary ability, then leveraging that to our advantage surely beats the alternatives—either eliminating him and potentially provoking an unknown enemy or releasing him only for him to fall into the wrong hands again.
After meticulously sorting through her logic and sentiments, Mia opened her eyes and fixed her gaze on Magnus.
"Alright, I'm willing to take your word for now. But remember, Magnus, trust is reciprocal. We're not asking you to blindly place your fate in our hands, so all we ask is that you don't betray that trust, alright?" Mia's tone was earnest, devoid of any underlying threat or grave caution.
In response, Magnus nodded. While his story was fabricated, he really did bear no ill will towards any of them. His primary aim in this unfamiliar world was simply to find his way back home.
Seeing they had an agreement, Mia's face lit up with a warm, reassuring smile.
"Alright then, Marcos, you can cut him loose." Marcos wasted no time, deftly slicing through the bindings with one of his knives. Magnus let out a silent sigh of relief as he flexibly sat up and stretched.
He was feeling surprisingly good thanks to Mia's care, though he definitely hadn't fully recovered just yet. As he adjusted himself, Gerald approached him and clapped him on the shoulder with a friendly grin.
"It is good to have you fully with us again. Gotta admit, things were getting pretty tense while you were asleep thanks to Mia and Marcos's squabbling." Magnus winced slightly under Gerald's firm pat, chuckling with a hint of discomfort as he gently shrugged off his hand.
"Yeah, well, trust me when I say it's even more awkward when you're not able to move. I can't fathom how anyone could consider that a turn-on." His offhand comment drew bemused stares from Mia, Gerald, and even Marcos.
Seeing their puzzled looks, Magnus mirrored their confusion as he replied, "What?"
Mia was the first to break the brief silence, offering an explanation. "It's just... your manner of speech changed. Caught us off guard, that's all."
Magnus understood her point immediately. In his efforts to maintain the façade of amnesia, he had consciously altered his speech patterns and behavior, suppressing some of his habits from back on Earth.
"Well, if we're genuinely going to trust each other, like you said, then we might as well drop the pretenses, right? Speaking of which, you still haven't told me where we are. This isn't Arlcliff, right?" Trying to adapt to Magnus's more causal manner of speaking, Mia shook her head in response.
"No, after we found you, we followed a few markers Marcos left behind, which led us here to the bandits' hideout. It's not that luxurious, but they had a lot of supplies and, more importantly, horses. Speaking of which, Marcos, given where we were ambushed, how long do you think it will take for us to reach the city now?"
Marcos paused and thought to himself for a moment, doing the calculations in his head, before finally giving an answer.
"If we set off early enough tomorrow, we should make it to Arlcliff by evening, assuming we each have our own horses." Magnus, upon hearing this, let himself fall back onto the bed with a sigh of relief.
"Perfect; I'm too tired to do any travelling today anyway." Now that they had resolved the trust issue, Magnus felt the weight of his exhaustion kick back in; he was still healing after all. As it stood, he wanted nothing more than to just fall asleep, this time without being tied to the bed. In fact, it was a desire that even eclipsed his hunger.
Seeing that, Mia decided it was time for them to leave him be.
"You've been through a lot, and rest is important for your recovery. Also, I apologize for the rough wake-up call," she said. Magnus nonchalantly waved off her apology, responding with a tired but genuine ease.
"It's alright; I understand; I would have done the same." The trio seemed unsure of how to respond to Magnus's laid-back acceptance, so they simply exited quietly, leaving the situation as it was, rather than risk further awkwardness. Alone once more, Magnus plopped onto his bed, eyes fixed on the ceiling.
So by tomorrow night, we'll officially arrive in Arlcliff City. It's only been a couple of days, but so much crazy shit has happened back to back that it felt like just a couple of hours.
And yet, despite all the madness, he also realized he still knew next to nothing about this new world.
Well, it's not like I'll be going home anytime soon; I'm sure I'll figure it out.