Erin had just woken up, but she didn't recognize any of them. Somehow, her sudden burst of outwardly energy had an impact on her memory. She didn't even remember where she was. Jayden just stared at her, a part of him hoping she was pulling a prank on him. But she hadn't known him long enough to do that.
"Wait hold on…" she muttered, staring at Jayden as she scratched her temples. "I've seen you before…"
"Hey Erin, it's me. Jayden."
"How'd you know my name? Who are they? What happe — whoa." She stopped mid-sentence as she took in her surroundings.
Her jaw nearly dropped as she glanced around. They were standing in the middle of a scarred valley where the ground seemed like it was ripped open, the strange purple dust that now moved lazily in the air, and they caught the light of the suns, three of them, burning above in the skies in impossible alignment, even stares that didn't fit any of earth's constellations. Looking at all these, Erin couldn't help but scream:
"What the hell is this?!"
Her voice carried command as she stood up. She could see clearly now but she just didn't remember anything.
Liam backed away as he rolled his eyes even though he was already standing at reasonable meters away from her.
"Even without her memories, she's still crazy," he muttered under his breath, but Erin heard it.
"What did you say?" she demanded, moving closer to him. Her mark glowed faintly on her arm, and Liam caught a glimpse of it.
"Alright Erin, calm down," Jayden suggested, sidestepping, maneuvering his way around and planting himself in front of her. "What do you remember?" he asked.
"Just calm down and think, we're your friends."
"Speak for yourself."
Erin froze for a moment, processing the question. She retraced her steps in her mind.
"Okay so, I went to school, as usual. I got detention, thanks to that life-bothering English teacher…" She paused, her gaze drifting back up toward the suns. The sight alone made her question her sanity. Jayden, not wanting her to spiral into panic, gently pulled her focus back.
"Focus."
"I was on my way to detention and then I—" She stopped, frowning. "I—I don't remember… Why don't I remember?" Her eyes shot up to Jayden, almost accusingly. "Did you drug and abduct me?"
"To another planet? Nahh, I doubt it," Liam chimed in from where he stood as he pretended to admire the fractured horizon with his arms crossed smugly.
"Shut up, Liam." Jayden turned back to Erin. "I didn't kidnap you. And I—"
"Okay good, you don't look like you've got enough guts to do it. Anyways, what does he mean another planet?" she asked as her eyes flicked to Eira who stood quiet as usual watching everything unfold with her unnerving calm. "Who is she?"
"You did make it to detention," Eira spoke at last. She walked over to Erin and Jayden. It was ironic, considering she'd been shaken to the core from Erin's power.
"Something happened. We were transported to another universe, or another world. Bottom line, we are no longer on Earth. Something happened to you, and you seem to have lost your memory." Eira finished like this was an everyday occurrence. Strangely, Erin took it way better than anyone expected.
"Okay…" she muttered as she glanced around again at the cracked horizon.
"O—okay?" Liam chuckled from a few meters behind them. "This isn't okay, okay?"
"What the hell?!" Erin screamed as her eyes fell on the mark on her arm. The symbol pulsed faintly. Explaining that part was going to be exhausting, Jayden knew that but he had to try.
"Okay so, upon arrival—"
"Upon arrival here," Eira interrupted, "you were injured. I think maybe you accidentally cut yourself. But we managed to patch you up." She said it coolly, as if patching someone up in a strange broken world wasn't worth a raised eyebrow.
"That doesn't make any sense," Erin argued as she tried to piece things together. But it was impossible, not without her memories.
"So let me get this straight," Liam spoke again, "seeing a strange mark on your arm freaks you out more than the concept of being stuck on another fucking planet?"
"What is your problem? You seem to have a problem with me. Did I do something to you?" Erin asked as she walked up to him.
Liam simply scoffed.
"Wait till you see what it can do." He turned to Jayden and Eira. "Should I tell her, or are you, hm?"
"Liam, would you not be an asshole for like three minutes, please?"
"Tell me what? What is he talking about?" Erin turned on Jayden, demanding answers.
"It's not important, Erin. You had a bad fall, you're exhausted and you need to rest. The suns are going to set soon. We need shelter." Jayden's eyes lifted toward the sky, but not because he was tracking daylight, but because he couldn't bring his eyes to meet Erin's.
Eira, on the other hand, stared straight at Erin, unwavering, as if daring her to blink first.
The fact that the suns were setting sent a chill down their suns, they remembered very well. Nightfall here wasn't like anything on Earth. It was a freezing, worm-attacking nightmare. Or worse.
---
The glow casting against the halls of Ashen Piller was almost blinding, but not for its occupant.
A man walked down the corridor, each step of his boots landed with a measured thud against the ground. His eyes were a sharp dark green and his hair was equally dark, and his pale skin stood out distinctly against the all-black uniform he wore. On the collar rested a crest: the letter A, etched through with strange markings that ran like veins across the symbol. It was the sigil of Ashen Piller and HE, was an Ashen Piller scout.
He arrived at his destination, a booth that overlooked the wasteland. A massive monitor hung in place, it displayed endless stretches of cracked terrain and distant ruins. The same translucent keys floated in the air, tapping out commands as the controller worked continuously across them.
"Any update?" He spoke, his voice carried the weight of authority. One could tell from his tone that he was high ranked
"Yes, sir." The controller replied but didn't look away from the monitor. "We detected a massive surge of Riftlight Energy near the old ruin. It's her."
"If she released that much energy, she would have lost her memory. Good thing she's not alone. But it will take us three cycles to reach her, and they'll be gone before then. We need a way to draw her to us. We need to find her before the other houses do." He spoke as he somehow kept his expression unreadable.
He paused, then added simply, "Get to it."
Turning from the booth, he walked away. As he moved down the corridor, he tugged at the sleeve of his uniform, revealing a mark on his skin. It pulsed faintly, a soft purple glow that seeped through the fabric before he covered it once more.