"What is your physical index?"
"Can you name me a few dungeons situated around our city?"
"Do you even know what an ability is?"
The questions were mostly asked by the unknown women beside his mom while his mom only got more and more worried looking at her unresponsive son.
She had been trying to take care of the boy alone ever since Ivan's father had died, and although they had recieved enough money to live a lifetime, it was too tough educating and growing him alone.
As for whoever this Sol was, the middle aged lady seemed to have no recollection whatsoever about it.
Meanwhile, Ivan's expression only grew more grave as he realised that maybe all he saw in the night was actually true and that the unknown priest had somehow erased Sol's identity and rememberance from the world.
He could not help but ask the lady in white about what she exactly meant by his physical index, only making the women's face turn more grave as she told him to rest on the bed while taking his mom to talk outside.
Ivan sat on the edge of the bed, his knuckles white from how tightly he clenched the sheets.
His heart wouldn't slow down. His mother's voice bled through the walls faintly, mixed with the low, calm tone of the woman in white.
He could barely make out the words, but every second felt heavier than the last.
Physical index.
Dungeons.
Abilities.
These words clanged inside his skull like foreign objects. None of it made sense. None of it fit into the reality he had lived in just yesterday.
But Sol's smile.
Her words.
The third eye splitting open between her brows.
They weren't leaving his head either.
His chest heaved. He couldn't breathe properly.
He dug his fingers into his hair, pulling, whispering to himself, "She was real…she was real…she was real…"
The door creaked open again. His mother walked in first, her face pale and full of worry. Behind her, the woman in white returned. She no longer looked startled like before; instead, her eyes were sharp, studying him like some rare specimen she couldn't figure out.
"Lie down, Ivan," she said firmly. "Your condition is unstable."
He glared at her. "Answer me first. What did you mean earlier? Physical index? Dungeons? Abilities? What the hell are those?"
The woman hesitated for the first time. She exchanged a quick glance with Luna, then stepped closer. "If you truly don't know, then things are worse than I thought."
She placed her palm near his chest again, faint green light flickering at her fingertips. "I'll explain once I confirm something."
Ivan slapped her hand away, a sudden feeling of rage flaring inside him. "Don't touch me! Just tell me what's happening!"
Luna rushed forward, grabbing his arms. "Ivan! Stop it, you'll hurt yourself!" Her voice breaking into sobs. "Please, just listen… you've been acting strange ever since you woke up. You're scaring me."
The boy froze. His mother's trembling hands, the desperation in her tone, it cut through his panic like a knife. He loosened his grip, staring at her tired eyes.
"…Mom," he whispered. His throat ached. "You really don't remember her? Not even the name Sol?"
Luna blinked, confusion and worry twisting her features. She shook her head slowly. "No, Ivan. I don't know who that is.".
The words slammed into him harder than any blow. His legs gave out, and he slumped back onto the bed.
The woman in white folded her arms, finally speaking. "Your vitals are normal. No visible head trauma. Yet your memory is fractured, and your knowledge… outdated." Her eyes narrowed.
"It's almost as if you're someone dragged here from an era that never existed."
Ivan's stomach sank. His skin prickled. He didn't understand what she meant, but a horrible suspicion gnawed at his gut.
The woman leaned closer, lowering her voice. "Tell me, Ivan. What's the last thing you remember before collapsing in that alley?"
His body stiffened. The image of Sol's third eye burned behind his eyelids. The priest's voice echoed in his ears.
No one will remember your sister ever existed.
He swallowed hard, his voice a hoarse whisper, but no matter how much he tried to talk about it, the words never formed inside his mouth.
All he could tell them of was the world he remembered living in, flying cars, floating lands, the advanced technologies, etc etc.
The scary part to Ivan, however, was that by the looks of it, neither his mom, nor this lady who also called herself a priest seemed to know what he was talking about.
He could almost hear them calling a lunatic in his mind as he realised something, 'is this how Sol felt whenever she talked about her problems to me?'
And in that moment, one thing became clear to him—
Whatever world he thought he was living in was already gone.
***