"I see. So, you're the team leader."

Let go, please.

"Oh, how magnanimous I am. A painless death is a request not granted to many."

No! Kyle don't go. Don't leave me alone.

"Oh, what a generous being I am."

Jes! Jes, stand up! Run!

"Pain is the greatest testimony to life."

Nooo stop, please... I can't anymore. It hurts.

"How pathetic can one be."

I can't anymore.

"So weak. You are useless."

I...

"WAKE UP!"

The boy's eyes opened.

---

"Wa... up, ..lly. How... u... l..o...?"

A soft, feminine voice reached his ears, but the words were unintelligible. They sounded muffled and distant as if someone were speaking to him from behind a barrier. A few moments later, the sounds became clearer, turning into words he finally could comprehend.

"Silas!"

"You're finally back."

"Shlash, wake up."

Multiple voices suddenly filled his ears. Slowly, he opened his eyes, squinting through the narrow slits of his eyelids. Before him stood a group of children, familiar faces, but their names eluded him. It was as if his memories had been locked away, visible yet out of reach, barricaded within his mind.

Why can't I remember who they are? I should know them.

That girl, what did she say? Silly?

It didn't seem like an insult. Was she even talking to me?

Wait... who am I?

The sudden loss of his own identity sent a surge of fear coursing through the boy. He jolted upright, startling the surrounding children, causing one to stumble and fall. With his eyes now wide open, he took in his surroundings frantically. His breathing became erratic as he felt a hand reaching out to him.

"It's all right."

The same woman's voice that had spoken to him before reassured him. He turned towards her, noticing a girl around his age sitting beside his bed. Her lustrous black hair cascaded down her shoulder like a shimmering waterfall, beautifully contrasting with her white, sleeveless dress adorned with floral prints. As he looked at her, a soft, gentle smile illuminated her countenance, infusing her cheeks with a soft, rosy hue.

He caught a glimpse of her emerald-green eyes, sparkling like the brightest gemstone he had ever seen, staring directly into his.

"Elea?"

He instinctively clutched his throat, surprised by the unfamiliar raspiness in his voice.

"Is that a question? I'm sure you know my name, silly," she grinned.

Silas felt a wave of confusion wash over him, as if he had momentarily lost everything. But like a fleeting dream, that feeling dissipated as he tried to recall. It was frustrating that he couldn't remember many things today. Since when had his memory become so unreliable? Shaking his head, he found solace in the fact that at least the earlier fear had dissipated.

"Shilash!"

Silas glanced down to see a four- or five-year-old boy with long blond hair and blue eyes, resembling the winged lions he had seen in picture books but in an adorable human version. He reached out and affectionately ruffled the boy's golden mane.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

"Ben, you still can't say my name. It's S-I-L-A-S. Silas."

"I can! Sh-shalsh...Shelash."

"Well, it's getting worse," Silas chuckled at the boy's multiple failed attempts, causing him to pout.

"Hey, stripe head, the suspense is killing us all. Tell us what happened already?"

One of the children surrounding his bed interrupted the heartfelt moment. It was Dustin, another pubescent boy with short blond hair and a face that retained a subtle touch of femininity. If Silas didn't know any better, he would have mistaken Dustin for Ben's older brother, as he resembled an older version of the young boy, albeit with shorter hair and less cuteness.

"What exactly do you want me to tell you?"

"Come on, you know what I mean. Tell us about the forest," Dustin's eyes sparked with curiosity as he mentioned the word "forest."

What was he talking about? Silas tilted his head, indicating that he genuinely didn't understand what they were referring to.

"You really forgot everything!" Elea exclaimed.

"What did I forget? Guys, you're making me nervous."

"You went on an expedition with Jessica and Kyle three days ago. You at least remember them, right?"

Jessica! Kyle!

Their names echoed in Silas' mind, causing his breath to quicken and his heart to race. Tightness gripped his chest, stealing his breath away. A sudden, sharp pain compelled him to reach for his chest, as if attempting to extract the source of his discomfort. He didn't understand why their names triggered such a reaction, but he knew he had an urgent need to see them.

The children were deeply concerned as they witnessed their friend in shock and pain, desperately calling out to him, but he appeared incapable of responding. Elea clung to his hand tightly, although it no longer brought him the comfort it once did.

"Where are they?" he managed to ask, gasping for breath.

"They're in the next room," Dustin replied, taking the lead and opening the door. "They're still asleep."

As Silas attempted to rise from the bed, the other kids held him down gently.

"You should probably put something on first," Elea suggested, avoiding eye contact with him.

Silas looked down and was taken aback to find his chest exposed, the rest of his body covered by a blanket. He usually wore something before going to sleep. After hastily dressing himself, he slowly stood up with the assistance of the children and followed them to the adjoining room.

Inside, he spotted a few beds, and on two of them lay his friends. Kyle, with his tall stature, was sprawled on his back, arms stretched out to the sides, and his blanket mostly abandoned on the floor, with only a small section loosely hanging from his foot. The rhythmic rise and fall of Kyle's chest provided a soothing balm to the piercing ache in Silas' heart.

On the other bed, the red-haired girl's hair was tousled in every direction, yet her presence managed to swiftly dissipate his heartache.

What is happening to me?

Although he was finally able to calm down, his confusion, on the other hand, only increased. Something had happened while he was sleeping, and that something was the key to this odd mess.

"Silas, you're already up?"

Silas, who had been completely unaware of the other people in the room, finally noticed them. His attention was drawn to a pair of eyes staring at him, belonging to Elem. Elem was one of the oldest boys, at 15, and he commanded respect from everyone. With his bright mind and unflappable demeanor, he never lost his cool, no matter how many pranks the kids played on him. It had become a challenge to see who could finally make Elem crack.

Silas observed the bespectacled boy, with short black hair and the beginnings of a beard, sitting on a bed next to Jessica. He was seated between two younger children, Alice and Lui, twins around 10 years old. The twins had dark brown hair, Alice wore it long while Lui had a shorter cut. What set them apart were their striking eyes, each iris displaying two different colors—one-half blue and the other brown.

"Yeah, I just got up to check on the others," Silas replied.

"Thank goodness you were able to return. We were all worried," Elem expressed with relief.

"What exactly happened, Elem? I've been trying to remember, but somehow..."

Elea was the first to notice Silas' pupils becoming blurred, his face contorting in pain. Silas gripped his temples and clenched his teeth tightly. Suddenly, a severe headache surged through his head, bringing him to his knees.

"It's coming back!" Elea exclaimed. "Help me carry him to a bed."

"We could just knock him out," Dustin suggested. "Then he wouldn't feel a thing."

Clearly in pain, Silas losing consciousness seemed like a viable solution to alleviate his suffering. It might not be the best option, but it was one.

"Dustin!"

Dustin came to the aid of the older girl, and together they carried Silas to an unoccupied bed in the room. Elem, Alice, and Lui rushed over, filled with worry and confusion. None of them understood what was happening.

"What's going on?" Lui asked, terror in his voice as he saw Silas convulsing in bed.

"I... I don't know. None of us here understands," Elea replied.

"Forget about it for now. We need to focus on Silas' condition first. Maybe knocking him out could help," Elem suggested, pondering the idea.

"See, I told you," Dustin boasted, rolling up his sleeves. "I'll take care of it."

"No, Dustin, go and find teacher for help. He's the only one who might know what's going on right now."

Dustin visibly displayed his dissatisfaction, but he nodded nonetheless. "Where do I even begin looking for baldy?"

"Who's a baldy!"

"AHHHH!"

"Damn it!"

A bald head emerged from under the bed, screaming at the kids and causing them to nearly jump out of their skin in fear. Everyone stepped back, and Ben, already on the verge of tears, began to cry.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Dustin lost his temper, his face turning bright red.

"What do you mean? A teacher must be present when his students need him the most," the bald man spoke matter-of-factly.

"Don't worry, you can all relax now." He flashed them a smile, but no one was convinced. "Mad Jack's" sudden appearance only heightened their unease.