Axiel slowly drifted back into consciousness; his mind still clouded with the remnants of sleep. His eyelids fluttered, heavy and reluctant, as they peeled open to reveal the cold, unfamiliar expanse of the ceiling above. It was stone, smooth and seamless, bathed in the faintest light that seeped from some unseen source, casting an eerie glow over the room.
The air was thick and cool, its sterility almost oppressive. As his senses gradually sharpened, he became acutely aware of the weight pressing down upon him—his limbs, once full of vigor, now felt sluggish and alien, as if the strength that had carried him through countless battles had been drained entirely.
A dull ache pulsed through his body, each throb a cruel reminder of the wounds he had sustained. He winced as he tried to shift, only to find his muscles unwilling to comply. His limbs, bound by weakness and pain, refused to lift him from the bed on which he lay.
Where am I? The question whispered in the recesses of his mind, though no answer came to him yet. His vision, blurred and dim, slowly adjusted to the scant light that illuminated the room, revealing the stark surroundings of what seemed to be a small chamber.
There, seated beside the bed, was a figure—a young man with disheveled brown hair, his posture slumped as though he had been keeping watch for some time. His elbows rested on his knees, his eyes distant, lost in thought. Yet there was something about him, a quiet vigilance, as if despite his apparent distraction, he had been fully aware of every breath Axiel took.
As Axiel stirred, the man's eyes snapped to him, widening with surprise. His expression shifted swiftly from one of mild shock to that of immense relief, as though a great weight had been lifted from his shoulders. "You're awake!" he exclaimed, the words filled with urgency and a strange sense of gratitude.
He sprang from his seat, moving with such haste that the chair he had been sitting on toppled over with a sharp clatter. "Hold on, don't try to move too much," he added, his voice gentle but stern, as though he were familiar with the pain Axiel must be enduring. "I'll get the others."
Before Axiel could utter a single word, the young man rushed out of the room, his footsteps echoing in the hallway. Left alone, Axiel tried to take stock of his situation. He didn't recognize this place.
The bed was comfortable, unlike the cold, hard ground he'd been bound to in the dungeon. His mind raced, trying to remember how he had gotten here, but all he could recall was the blood, the lifeless woman, and the voices of those strangers.
He winced as he tried to move again, feeling the pull of bandages wrapped around his body. Whoever this young man was, it seemed he had tended to Axiel's wounds while he had been unconscious.
His thoughts swirled, but one thing was clear—he had been saved by the three people he encountered in the dungeon. However, doubt lingered in his mind. Why had they saved him? What were their true motives? He couldn't shake the uneasy feeling that their intentions were far from simple kindness.
The room was devoid of answers, and for a time, all he could hear was the faint sound of his own breathing. But then, the door creaked open once more, and two figures entered.
The first, a young woman who's around 167cm, long coal hair that almost reach her waist braided from the hair on top of her forehead to the right side, she's wearing a gray and white short-sleeve sweatshirt hoodie and a blue jacket not fully worn paired with a black short skirt.
Axiel immediately guessed that she must be the very same woman he had encountered in the dungeon. Her lips curled into a soft smile as she approached, her steps are light and careful.
Behind her suddenly appeared another young woman who unlike the other looks rather cheerful and mischievous.
"Well, look who decided to rejoin the living!" she chirped, her tone at odds with the grim reality of their circumstances. "Thought you were done for, honestly. Looks like death warmed over when we found you." Her casual words, though seemingly jesting, carried an unsettling undertone, one that left Axiel unsure whether to take her seriously or not.
The man beside her, whom Axiel now remembered as Silas, stood by with his usual unsettling grin. "You gave us quite the scare. We almost had to leave you behind," he added, though his smile suggested he wasn't too bothered by the thought.
Axiel, still weak, shifted slightly in the bed, his eyes narrowing in suspicion. "Why did you save me?" His voice came out raspy, strained from disuse.
Kai raised an eyebrow, her playful demeanor softening slightly. "Save you? Well, we had our reasons," she replied, glancing toward Silas, who remained silent but clearly amused by Axiel's distrust.
"Well, we can't leave an injured human being to die when we can save him can we?" Kai answered.
Then the cheerful young woman stepped forward, "I'm Giara Morth, one of the executives in the Miesen Organization." She introduced.
"We apologize for being late, we couldn't save Mrs. Kyla Dayton, your mother on time. However, despite what happened we still invite you, Mr. Austin Dayton to join our organization. As you know, the one responsible for this incident is not a human being."
Austin Dayton? Did they just call me by that name? And who is this Mrs. Kyla Dayton? Is she supposed to be related to me? And what did they mean by not a human being? Is the one responsible to this incident perhaps have a connection with me?
Axiel's mind is swirling with questions, his mind in a chaos by the sudden flood on information. He doesn't know if he's dreaming or if this is an hallucination however, what he felt back then is way too vivid and realistic for it to be dismissed as such.
A chill ran down his spine when he recalled the lifeless woman in the dungeon, the one whose death had stirred an inexplicable grief in his heart—was that Mrs. Dayton? The pieces of the puzzle shifted, but they did not fit. How could that woman be his mother?
And, although he doesn't think that such a thing could ever be possible, Did I possess the body of another person?
Axiel—now Austin, as they claimed—felt his breath catch in his throat. The realization struck him with sudden force, sending his heart into a confused, rapid beat. If what they said was true, then the body he inhabited was not his own.
Austin Dayton. The name hung in the air like a chain, binding him to a past he did not know, to a life that was not his.
Giara's voice became a distant murmur as his thoughts turned inward, spiraling into a labyrinth of uncertainty. He remembered the woman in the dungeon, her face pale and lifeless, her eyes devoid of the warmth that might have once filled them.
He gazed at Giara, his eyes narrowing, as her voice droned on, in an explanatory tone "It seems you have yet to have any clue about us, and your mother's role for us. I shall give you brief as you are the son of Mrs. Dayton. She was one of the important clients in the organization, The arrangements were made for your training with us, but... well, things didn't go as planned and she didn't make it."
A chill ran down his spine at the mention of his so-called mother. The lifeless woman in the dungeon, the one whose death had stirred an inexplicable grief in his heart—was that Mrs. Dayton? The pieces of the puzzle shifted, but they did not fit. How could that woman be his mother?
He still can't believe the situation he's in. He wonders if this is reality or a nightmare-- Is it?
Giara switched her tone into on that's lighthearted and casual as she continued, "Lucky for you, we found you just in time. Broken bones, blood loss—you were pretty much on death's doorstep, buddy. But hey, you're still breathing, aren't you? You should be thanking us." She grinned, her casual attitude at odds with the serious atmosphere he exudes from earlier as if to lighten up the mood.
A profound sadness washed over him, mingling with the confusion and guilt that gnawed at his conscience. He was living in another man's skin, a man whose mother had given everything, only to fail in her final hope. His chest tightened at the thought, and for a moment, he felt as though he were drowning beneath the weight of this stolen life.
The room seemed to close in around him, its cold stone walls pressing down like the iron bars of a cage. The silence stretched, punctuated only by the faint rustling of fabric.
It seems Giara could tell that his mind is clouded and still processing to take in this flood information.
"You can take your time processing your thoughts. We'll be leaving for now as we have things to take care of, we'll check on you later." She gestured to the other two behind her to follow her and exit the room.
Austin didn't say anything, he heard them leave through the door, the heavy thud of it closing behind them seemed to echo in his soul, sealing his fate within this strange new reality. Alone once more, he let out a slow, steady breath, his body sinking deeper into the bed beneath him.
So, this is the new world I'm going to start living in from now on.
Austin pressed his lips together. He clenched his fist tightly but he couldn't gather his strength.
Ah, right. I was injured.
He pinched his cheeks instead and felt a sudden pain. Though, not enough to make him believe this is his reality.
Maybe due to his sudden movements, he seemed to feel a crack in his bones which made him groan in pain.
Oh, it's real.
Axiel—Austin—remained silent, his thoughts swirling like a storm. He did not belong here, in this body, in this life. But the facts were undeniable.
He stared up at the ceiling, his arms lying limply at his sides, as though they were not his own. With a slow, deliberate motion, he raised one hand, his fingers stretching toward the stone above, as if reaching for something just out of his grasp.
"I owe them," he whispered into the stillness. His voice, though weak, carried a quiet resolve. "I owe Austin and his mother. They gave me a chance to live again. I won't waste it."
"I'll try my best to live this life to its fullest, I shall make this feeble and weak body strong enough to protect myself and join this organization as per Mrs. Dayton's last wish. What this Austin guy couldn't do for his mother, I shall do it for him." He added.
He clenched his fist recalling the gruesome place he'd just been before, although he couldn't tell before because of his condition, though only for a second, he knew it couldn't possibly be wrong with his intuition. Something was there, it was lurking somewhere and watching them. It's presence even if he ignores it, he knew it was something dangerous.
A new thought took root in his mind, one that sent a jolt of energy coursing through his weakened limbs. This organization—this strange group that had saved me—could they hold the answers? Could they be the key to know about that thing?
His gaze hardened, his jaw clenching as the flicker of determination grew into a flame. He would learn the truth. He would survive, grow stronger, and face whatever lay in the shadows. And if this organization held the key to his past—and perhaps to his future—then he would do whatever it took to uncover it.
Whatever it was that took me to this place and it's purpose, I'll figure it out.
For now, he was Austin Dayton, but deep within, Axiel's spirit remained unbroken, and his quest for answers had only just begun.