Chapter 3: Awake
"Well, I'm not happy about it, I'll tell you that much," Royce replied, his tone higher with a trace of annoyance.
"Becca found you a couple nights ago down by the river. She had river patrol that evening and nearly had to fish you out. Some luck you've got."
"Wait, she found me by the river?" Alex's eyebrows furrowed. "What was I doing there?"
"We were hoping you'd clear that up," Royce said, crossing his arms. "The spot she picked you up from was pretty far upstream—closer to the noble district. You're looking a bit fancy yourself, don't you think? Maybe you're one of them high-born types, worth a whole lot in coin!" His sneer was a clear indication that he had little love for nobles.
Alex rolled his eyes. Royce impressed him as the kind of guy who would deliberately start a fight just for the sake of fighting.
"Sorry to disappoint, but I'm no noble. Or if I am, then I'm a pretty crummy one," said Alex with a sigh, feeling this was a man-magnet for trouble.
Royce's eyes blazed, near-on afire. "You remember something, then?" His excitement was palpable, the type reserved for solving a juicy mystery.
Alex opened his mouth, hesitating. Memories were chaotic and hardly anything you shared over casual conversation. 'Hi, I'm Alex, I don't remember much, but I do know I killed someone.' Yeah, that wouldn't go over well.
"Bits and pieces," Alex said slowly, weighing his words. "But it's not anything pleasant. Trust me. Not the kind of stuff you'd want to remember." He stretched, stepping out of bed and sizing up his newfound companion. Standing at a solid six feet, he realized Royce still had a few inches on him.
"Sheesh," Royce whistled. "That bad, huh? Maybe amnesia ain't so awful after all. Next time I mess up with Becca, I'll act like I forgot everything-'Oh, what's this? A sister? Never heard of her.'"
Alex couldn't help but chuckle as Royce stroked his imaginary beard lost in his daydream at dodging his sister's anger.
Speaking of which. "So, uh, not to sound weird, but what's with the flames?" Alex asked, nodding toward the small wisps of fire that danced around Royce's hair.
Royce snorted, his chest puffing out. "How else is everyone supposed to know I'm a Son of Flames?"
"Right. Are you though?" Alex asked, eyeing the guy skeptically. Royce's pale complexion wasn't exactly screaming 'full of power.'
Royce's smirk faltered. "What would you know of magic? You're an empty husk, no mana, no—"
Alex laughed. "I know what Spellfade looks like. And you look about ready to pass out."
The bravado fell off Royce's face. His skin was picked out in pale tones, the flames dying down as his mana supplies finally ran low. He coughed awkwardly and said, "I'm. fine. Really. Anyway, I gotta go. If you need anything, just come find me. But, you know, don't be a nuisance, okay?"
Alex raised an eyebrow. "And why exactly should I listen to you?
He stepped back, his face suddenly going saucy. "Because you owe us for saving your sorry hide! And because I'm calling Becca, whether you like it or not. Bye!"
He waved and scurried away, the careful face containing his weakened state.
Alex chuckled again; then, serious, sat back down on the edge of the bed. He needed to get his memories back. His mind was a puzzle missing too many pieces, but one thing stood out-the fact that he'd killed someone. And worse, it hadn't troubled him one bit.
He looked down at his hands, the same ones that had summoned that cold, metallic spike to end the doctor's life. The memory was hazy, but one thing was clear: whoever he was before had the knowledge and ability to kill.
But something else bothered him more-those weird golden lights from earlier on. He tapped into something. something big and strong. Some light element, perhaps? His first manifestation of it felt more like an awakening than a random spell did.
Awakenings, if he remembered right, were the first manifestation of a person's elemental affinity. Everyone had one core element, usually tied to an awakening orb, a magical tool which showed a person's element. A few people awakened to secondary elements, but they were often weak offshoots of their primary power - such as fire and air combining to make lightning. True mastery of a secondary element was extremely rare.
Alex had his fists clenched. If he had woken up light, then that meant that he did have potentials for other elements, right? And what of that spike? He had absolutely no idea what element it had come from, but one thing was for sure-he needed to find out, pronto.
His mind was a maze, and he wasn't out of danger until he could find his way through it completely. Whoever-or whatever-had kept him imprisoned wasn't going to allow him to simply walk away. They'd be looking for him. And when they found him, they wouldn't be feeling merciful.
I need to be ready, Alex thought grimly. I need to be stronger.
He sighed, throwing off the covers and rising from the bed. First things first, he thought. He needed information, real concrete details about the world he'd woken up in. Only a fool would make plans without knowing what they were up against, and right now, Alex knew next to nothing.
The siblings-Becca and Royce-were his best shot at survival. He felt a pang of guilt thinking about using them. They'd saved him, pulled him from whatever fate awaited him in that river. But gratitude wasn't a luxury he could afford right now. Staying alive had to come first.
For all he knew, helping him had already gotten them into danger, he thought grimly. If his enemies were to find him, they'd probably take out anyone near and dear to him. Becca and Royce were the only ones that fit that particular bill. Being considerate was a waste of time.
Alex moved to the mirror; it stared back. The sun had begun its journey across the sky to set, leaving long shadows stretching across the room. His face looked foreign-weary eyes, skin a bit paler than what he recalled. He was a stranger to himself, someone drifting between worlds, stuck between the past he couldn't remember and the present that felt unreal.
Alex took a deep breath and tore himself from the reflection. He didn't have time for this. He steeled himself as he pushed open the door and stepped into the corridor beyond, dimly lit.
The sounds of chaos from earlier in the night had subsided, replaced by an eerie quiet that hung in the air. Answers were what he needed, and his best chance were the siblings.
But as he went down the hall, he felt a shiver trace its way along his spine. The feeling pricked his senses, and for all the world it was like something watched him, and that something was close.
He turned the corner, only to stop in his tracks as Becca's summoned mechanical arm faced him, hanging in space before him. The glowing yellow runes on the arm pulsed with energy, while the jets of blue flame curled, fluttering with readiness.
It appeared almost alive, its movements perfect and calculated.
"Stand down!" he subconsciously ordered, his hands rising instinctively. But the arm did not move-it remained poised, blocking his way.
"Becca sent me to see to your safety," it replied in a mechanical voice. "We are not yet certain that you are ready to leave this room."
"Ready? I've been trapped here long enough!" Alex snapped back, frustration boiled up and over that he had no idea he had been collecting. His heart was racing, with it a strange surge of power coursing through him. What did I just say?
In that instant, it raced-including something buried inside him. Memories fluttered, like butterflies, around the edges of his perceptions, and he focused his mind on the power he could feel surrounding him.
A gentle golden light bathed his hands as he extended them, firing a pulse of light at the mechanical arm.
The light struck the arm, quivering, then composing itself and launching, with astonishing quickness, toward him. Alex sidestepped, pivoted to the side, and turned around as it passed him, eyes fixed on the construct the entire time.
Adrenaline flooding his system, his body surged with warmth and his head went cold. The world retreated and everything took on a glassy sharpness. His eyes shone golden as his body was subconsciously augmented by mana.
Insane! he thought. How do I know how to do all of this?
But he didn't have the time to ponder.
He changed his stance, lowering his center of gravity to increase stability. Again, the arm lunged. Through the mayhem, at the edge of his mind, flashes of memory started to return. Visions of a black-haired girl cackling madly ran through his mind. No! Focus!
Determined, he plunged forward again, his body unfolding the energy within him. This time, a light barrier shimmered into view, a shining shield that absorbed the impact from the mechanical hand.
It pushed him back, but he held his ground, his senses stirring to a wild thrill. The excitement of the battle was getting to him now. He could hear his heart pound in his ears. He flashed a feral grin. He was gonna enjoy this.