The Chief raised her hand before Olian could finish speaking. The gesture was slight, almost effortless, yet it silenced the girl immediately. The old woman remained composed, her expression betraying neither anger nor frustration, but there was an unmistakable authority in her gaze—one that needed neither raised voices nor threats to command obedience.
"That is enough."
Olian pressed her lips together as the Chief slowly lowered her hand.
"This power is a sacred treasure of our village. To reveal too much of it to an outsider invites misfortune. Should such knowledge ever escape beyond these walls, the consequences would not be small."
Olian stiffened, whatever explanation she had been preparing dying on her tongue. For a moment, she appeared ready to argue, her lips parting slightly as though she were searching for the right words. Yet nothing came. After a brief struggle with herself, she lowered her head in reluctant submission.
"...Understood."
Elifero watched her, increasingly unsettled by the exchange. In the short time he'd known Olian, he'd already discovered that she wasn't particularly good at keeping her thoughts to herself. When she disagreed with something, she said so without hesitation, and when someone irritated her, they rarely had to wonder about it. Yet here she stood, silenced by little more than a raised hand and a few stern words. He shifted his gaze towards the Chief, wondering whether the woman truly inspired that much fear in her. Perhaps it was simply the authority that came with being the village's leader, but something about the interaction left an unpleasant feeling in his stomach.
The Chief eventually broke the silence. "During my conversation with Olian, she informed me that you are suffering from memory loss. She asked whether it would be possible for me to help restore what you have lost."
Elifero's attention snapped back to her. "My memories?"
"Yes."
He stared at the old woman, his thoughts suddenly turning inward. For days, he'd wondered who he was, where he'd come from, and whether someone somewhere might be searching for him. Every attempt to force himself to remember had brought nothing but headaches, scattered images, and an emptiness that frightened him whenever he thought about it for too long. He'd grown accustomed to living without answers, even if the uncertainty continued to gnaw at him. Now, however, the Chief was telling him that she might be able to restore what he'd lost.
The Chief studied his expression before continuing. "Through this ability, it is possible to restore memories..."
She paused briefly.
"...and to alter them."
Elifero's expression changed. "Alter...?"
He understood the word perfectly well; it was the meaning behind it that his mind struggled to grasp. The wound in his palm had vanished beneath the Chief's fingers, leaving him with an experience that had already challenged everything he thought he understood about the world. Yet now she spoke of memories as though they were something that could be rewritten at will, like words on a sheet of paper. He remained silent, trying to make sense of what she had just told him.
When he failed to respond, the Chief gave a small nod. "I will take your silence as agreement."
"Wait—"
"There is something you should know before we begin." Her tone remained calm as she continued, "During the process, I will erase all memories of this conversation, as well as every memory you have formed during your stay in this village."
Elifero froze. For a moment, he wondered whether he'd misunderstood her, but the Chief's composed expression offered no indication that she had misspoken.
"Wait!"
Olian immediately stepped forward, turning towards the old woman. "Can't you leave those memories alone?" The urgency in her voice caught Elifero by surprise. "He won't tell anyone."
The Chief offered no immediate response, prompting Olian to continue. "He's just a kid. Even if he did tell someone, who would believe him?"
Elifero glanced at her, realising that she was defending him. The Chief slowly exhaled before answering, "I understand your concern."
"Then—"
"But it is a risk I cannot afford to take."
Olian's expression tightened as the Chief continued. "As Chief, it is my duty to ensure this power remains hidden."
"But—"
"Olian."
The old woman's gaze sharpened, bringing the interruption to an abrupt end. "Allowing emotions to dictate our decisions leads only to chaos. I should not be the one reminding you of that."
A brief silence settled over the chamber before the Chief spoke again, her next words changing Olian's expression completely.
"Do you wish for what happened to your brother..."
Olian's eyes widened.
"...to happen again?"
Elifero immediately turned towards her. Olian had gone utterly still, her face frozen as though the words had struck somewhere far deeper than the Chief intended to reveal. The old woman's voice softened, but the severity of her message remained unmistakable.
"Being Chief is not about satisfying personal desires. It is about doing what the village needs."
She brought her aged hands together and continued, "The village is my family. Until the next Chief is chosen, every soul who lives here is my responsibility."
There was no obvious cruelty in her voice, nor did she appear to be deliberately humiliating Olian. If anything, her tone carried a measure of gentleness, as though she genuinely believed she was explaining a necessary truth. Yet that only made the exchange more uncomfortable to witness. Olian's hands trembled at her sides before she slowly lowered her head.
"...I understand."
Elifero stared at her, an unpleasant sensation twisting inside his chest as he looked from Olian to the Chief and back again. Was that really it? The Chief had brought up Olian's dead brother to force her into silence, or at least that was how it sounded to him, and Olian was simply expected to accept it. His face tightened. He knew the old woman held an important position, and he knew he understood neither the village nor its rules well enough to judge everything happening around him. He also knew that speaking recklessly would probably cause trouble.
Unfortunately, none of that stopped the words from escaping his mouth.
"What kind of Chief says something like that to a kid?"
Olian's head snapped towards him, but the Chief remained motionless. Elifero's heart hammered against his ribs as he realised what he'd just said, yet the frustration building inside him pushed him to continue.
"You keep saying you're protecting everyone, but—"
"Enough."
Elifero stopped mid-sentence. The voice that interrupted him belonged not to the Chief, but to Olian. Her tone was firm, although there was no anger directed at him this time.
"Olian..."
"I understand how you feel." She looked at him, then hesitated as her gaze drifted away. "These past few days have been... awkward."
Elifero almost smiled. Awkward was certainly one way to describe them. Their arguments, their misunderstandings, and the uncomfortable moments they'd shared had hardly made for a peaceful friendship. Still, the faint amusement that had begun to form on his face faded when Olian continued.
"But we were starting to get along."
She paused, and her voice grew quieter.
"I'll miss that."
The words struck Elifero harder than he'd expected. Olian met his eyes, making sure he understood what she meant before adding, "But I won't let you speak that way about the Chief."
Elifero frowned. "She's trying to help you."
"But she's going to make me forget you."
Olian's expression faltered, and for a moment, neither of them knew what to say. Elifero lowered his eyes as the full weight of the decision settled over him. He would forget Olian, Julie, and the home where he'd woken up with no memory of who he was. He would lose the arguments, their awkward dinner, and the moments spent on the porch. He would forget Olian telling him about JJ, the apology they'd exchanged, and their walk through the village together.
Everything they'd shared would disappear, and knowing it was going to happen made the thought even harder to bear.
Then he remembered Julie's request.
Try to befriend her.
Elifero raised his head, a faint smile returning to his face. "I promised myself something."
Olian stared at him as he continued, "And I promised Miss Julie..."
He paused briefly, allowing himself to gather his thoughts.
"...that I'd be your friend."
Olian's eyes widened slightly. Elifero's smile grew as he looked directly at her, his expression gradually taking on a quiet determination.
"So I'll promise something else. I'll find you again."
Olian remained silent, watching him closely.
"And when I do, I'll keep that promise."
There was a stubborn certainty in his eyes, the kind of confidence only a thirteen-year-old could carry without stopping to question whether the impossible was truly impossible. Olian found herself caught by that expression. It was ridiculous, really, how firmly he believed he could return to someone whose memories of him might no longer exist. Yet there was something about his determination that made his words sound strangely believable.
For a fleeting moment, another face appeared in her mind, occupying the place Elifero stood in.
JJ.
Her chest tightened at the memory, and she quickly pushed the thought away before allowing a smirk to settle across her face.
"You'd better."
Elifero blinked at her response. Olian folded her arms, looking at him with a faint challenge in her eyes.
"I'll be waiting."
For some reason, those words brought a genuine smile to his face. He turned back towards the Chief, who had watched their exchange without interrupting. Elifero swallowed, then gave a small nod.
"I'm ready."
He stepped closer, and the Chief raised one hand towards him. Elifero instinctively tensed as her finger approached his forehead, the strange memory of the power she'd demonstrated earlier lingering in his mind. Before she touched him, however, he glanced towards Olian one last time. She was still standing there, watching him, and he gave her a small smile.
Then the Chief's finger touched his forehead.
Tap.
Warmth spread through Elifero's skull, and his eyes widened as the chamber began to blur around him. Confusion washed over his face as he struggled to keep his attention fixed on the girl standing before him.
"Olian...?"
Her features gradually became indistinct, as though something were pulling her farther away. The paintings faded from view, followed by the walls and then the Chief herself. Olian's silhouette lingered for a few precious moments longer, and Elifero desperately tried to hold on to it, unwilling to let the last image of her disappear.
Don't forget.
The thought surfaced instinctively, carrying a desperation he couldn't explain.
Don't forget.
Yet even those words began slipping away as the warmth spread and his surroundings dissolved into nothingness. Julie's face, the house, the dinner table, and the porch all drifted through his fading awareness. JJ and Olian followed, their names losing their meaning as the memories attached to them grew increasingly distant. The names became feelings, the feelings broke into fragments, and the fragments slipped beyond his grasp until nothing remained.
The small world Elifero had only just begun to know gradually faded away.
A day later,
Something warm pressed against Elifero's face, but he remained motionless. The warmth shifted, then grew heavier, flattening his nose against his face. His brow twitched as several seconds passed, his body still unaware of the immediate problem.
Suddenly, his eyes snapped open.
Blue sky stretched overhead, with white clouds drifting lazily across it. For one peaceful second, Elifero simply stared at them, enjoying the view without understanding why he was lying there. Then the uncomfortable pressure against his face registered, and he realised he couldn't breathe.
What the—?!
His body jolted as panic seized him. Something was covering his mouth and nose, and he immediately shoved against it. The weight shifted just enough for him to drag in a breath before he shot upright, gasping violently.
"HAAAH!"
He sucked air into his lungs, his eyes darting around in alarm.
"What—?!"
Wooden crates surrounded him. He was lying on top of a stack of them in a narrow passage between two buildings, with no immediate idea how he'd ended up there. Still catching his breath, he reached towards his face, trying to understand what had just happened.
"What was—"
"Woof!"
Elifero froze at the sound. Slowly, he turned towards it and discovered a dog standing on the crates beside him, its tail wagging cheerfully. He stared at the animal, and the animal stared back, neither seeming particularly concerned by the situation.
After several seconds, Elifero finally spoke.
"...You?"
The dog barked again.
Elifero narrowed his eyes as the pieces fell into place. "So you're the one who was blocking my breathing."
The dog tilted its head, offering no useful explanation. Elifero continued staring at it until a new thought struck him, and his expression shifted into confusion.
"...Why am I talking to a dog?"
The animal responded by wagging its tail even harder.
"Never mind."
Elifero carefully climbed down from the crates. Once his feet touched the ground, he dusted himself off and took a proper look at his surroundings. Two walls rose on either side of the narrow passage, enclosing a dim space cluttered with crates and old containers stacked along its edges. He turned slowly, searching for anything that might help him understand where he was, but nothing seemed familiar.
His expression gradually lost its remaining amusement.
"Where the heck am I...?"
Naturally, nobody answered. He tried to remember how he'd gotten there, but his mind offered nothing. There was no recollection of walking into the passage, climbing onto the crates, or even falling asleep.
Was I sleeping here the whole time?
The idea made little sense, and he couldn't think of a reason why he would have chosen such an uncomfortable place to rest.
Voices drifted towards him from somewhere ahead, accompanied by laughter, footsteps, and the overlapping sounds of people talking. Elifero turned towards the noise, his attention drawn to the bright daylight spilling into the far end of the passage. He hesitated for a moment, uncertain whether he should follow the sounds or remain where he was, but the dog had already begun walking towards the opening.
Elifero glanced down at it.
"Wait."
The dog continued on its way.
"Do you know where we are?"
It didn't answer, which was hardly surprising. Elifero sighed at his own question and followed the animal towards the light.
The moment he stepped out of the passage, the sunlight struck his eyes, forcing him to raise an arm to shield his face.
"Ah—!"
He waited for his vision to adjust before slowly lowering his arm. What greeted him was a busy street filled with people moving in every direction. Men and women carried baskets, tools, and bags as they went about their day, while children darted between adults. Conversations overlapped from all sides, blending with the steady sounds of footsteps and movement into the familiar bustle of a populated street.
Everyone seemed to know exactly where they were going. Elifero, meanwhile, stood motionless, trying to make sense of the unfamiliar surroundings.
He looked to his left, then to his right, searching the passing faces and nearby buildings for anything he might recognise. Nothing stood out. Not a single face stirred a sense of familiarity, and not one building awakened even the faintest trace of recognition.
His heartbeat quickened as unease began creeping through him.
Where am I?
He searched his mind for an answer, but there was nothing to grasp. His breathing grew shallow, and he slowly stepped backwards, overwhelmed by the growing realisation that he had no idea where he was or how he'd arrived there.
Where am I?
The question echoed through his thoughts once more, more desperate than before.
And this time, there was nobody beside him to answer it.