A new beginning

A faint, wet hissing crawled into Ethan’s ears.

???: “Srttsssaachhh… so you’re finally awake, the last one.”

Ethan blinked.

The sky above him was blue— yet wrong, unfamiliar, too bright.

And the thing leaning over him— Black scales. Slitted yellow eyes. A jaw too wide, too sharp. A humanoid lizard. Yet the voice— Ethan felt his stomach drop.

Ethan (thoughts): “That voice… Leo? No. No—Lilith. Lilith did this. Lilith— What has she turned you into?”

Leo’s forked tongue flicked, tasting the air between them.

A silhouette rushed toward him—long hair, soft features, familiar.

Linda: “Oh! You’re finally awake!”

Ethan’s breath caught.

His mother… but not quite. She looked younger. Stronger.

Ethan (thoughts): "Mom… she doesn’t remember anything. She doesn’t even recognize me. It's all HER fault, what did you do to us?"

Linda cupped her hands to her mouth.

Linda: “He’s awake now! Come back!”

Heavy footsteps approached. Grass shook. A shadow fell over Ethan.

????: “Finally, we can get some answers…”

Fat. Green-skinned. Tusks curling from his lower jaw. A hulking orc.

Yet the voice—

Ethan (thoughts): "Mark. That’s Mark. She turned him into this… this thing."

Mark crossed his massive arms, glaring down with small, beady eyes.

A bright voice rang from farther away.

Emily: “I think I see a town! Come here!”

Ethan’s heart clenched.

His sister. Same face. Same bounce in her step.

But somehow—more feminine, better physique—like she’d lived a whole life here already.

Linda: “Emily! Come back! He’s awake now!”

Emily: “Coming!”

Ethan finally pushed himself up onto his elbows—and froze.

A sword hung at his hip.

Well-worn. Balanced. Familiar.

Too familiar.

Ethan (thoughts): "Why do I know this blade? Why does it fit my hand like it’s been there for years? This world… this isn’t new to me at all. She changed my memories too? No. Not erased—just filled."

A shadow fell over him.

Leo grabbed Ethan by the armor and effortlessly lifted him into the air. Ethan’s feet dangled.

Leo: “Time to start talking. Who are you? Where are we? Why do we only remember our names? Speak. Before I start cutting.”

His claws tightened around Ethan’s breastplate, scraping metal.

Linda’s voice snapped like a whip.

Linda: “Put him down, Leo.”

It wasn’t maternal.

It wasn’t gentle.

It was commanding.

Almost dangerous.

Leo’s jaw clenched—but he obeyed, lowering Ethan to the ground.

Linda: “We all want answers. That doesn’t mean he has them.”

Mark snorted, tusks jutting.

Mark: “Then why have we been waiting for him to wake up?”

Linda: “We’re clearly a party. Right? RIGHT?”

Leo sighed, annoyed.

Leo: “Apparently so…”

Linda: “Then we’re not leaving one of us behind. Understood?”

Mark sneered.

Mark: “And who put you in charge?”

Linda: “No one put me in charge, moron. I took charge while you three were arguing like idiots.”

Her gaze snapped to Ethan.

Linda: “You. Boy. Do you remember anything?”

Her tone wasn’t warm.

It wasn’t motherly.

It was the voice of a woman who’d lived a hard life in a dangerous land.

And she was looking at her own son like a stranger.

Ethan’s throat tightened.

Ethan: “I… uhh…”

Ethan (thoughts): "She resents me. Or she just doesn’t know me. Lilith erased everything."

Emily jogged up, bright-eyed and oblivious.

Emily: “I’m back! What did I miss? Did he tell us?”

Mark: “Hasn’t said a thing since he woke up…”

Ethan **** himself to his feet.

His armor felt like it belonged to him.

His sword felt like a friend.

And his heart felt like it was being crushed by an unseen hand.

He inhaled slowly.

Ethan (thoughts): "A lie. Lilith’s watching. They can’t know the truth. I need a lie that keeps us together… keeps them safe."

He lifted his chin.

Ethan: “Name’s Ethan. And the only explanation I have is this: We were on a quest. Something went wrong—very wrong. We were defeated, but not killed. Whoever did this wanted more than ****. They wanted control. Fear. Confusion.”

The others exchanged uncertain glances.

Ethan pressed on.

Ethan: “Our memories… they were taken. Maybe as punishment. Maybe as mercy. But if we want them back, we need to find whoever did this.”

He looked each of them in the eye.

Ethan: “And to do that, we stay together. Because alone? None of us stands a chance.”

Linda looked away, biting her lower lip, discomfort flickering in her eyes.

Linda (thoughts): "Stay together… gods, why? Those two creeps haven’t stopped staring at me since I woke up. Predators looking at their prey.... Both of them. If I chose them to be in my party before the amnesia… then maybe they were decent. But right now, with their memories gone… I don’t trust them at all. At least the young one—Ethan—seems grounded. Strange boy…"

Emily clapped her hands, anxious.

Emily: “So if we’re sticking together, we need to get moving. Check your packs for coin—we’ll need food and a place to sleep.”

She pointed toward the distant silhouette of stone walls and rooftops.

Emily: “And let’s go. I don’t want to spend the night out here.”