Samuel struck out with an attack spell before he knew what was happening. The mere fact that the stranger had used his name indicated to him that it was able to access his mind. The idea that it could be remembering him from a past that he’d forgotten didn’t occur to him at all. Suspecting some creature that could read his mind and was attempting to lure him into a trap, he reacted instinctively.

The attack took Edri by surprise, and Samuel was able to slip past him before he registered what had taken place. Even if he could process the thought, his body was stunned, with little arcs of electricity running against his skin, so he couldn’t move. Samuel took advantage of this to let out a powerful blast of Ki, shoving Edri back towards Inka and the other five, silent Enari. His stunned body slammed into two of those who couldn’t speak, knocking all three onto the island where they lay for a split second, and Samuel put a burst of speed behind him.

“Samuel!” That was Inka’s voice. Samuel saw her leap off the edge of the massive island, heading straight for him. She was covering far more distance than him, and caught up in no time, moving to block his path. “It’s you!”

“Out of my way!” He snapped, raising his hands. She instinctively raised her arms to protect herself, and he jumped to the right. But now one of the five lesser Enari was in front of him, reaching out to seize him. Its eyes, the only identifiable feature on its blurry humanoid form, were glowing with intense light. Samuel coated his body in Ki at once and deflected the hand. But then another flew in from behind, and wrapped its arms around his torso, trapping his arms to his sides.

“Don’t attack him!” Edri was shouting out now, which gave the Enari in front of him pause. It had gathered quite a lot of energy into its fist, prepared to strike, but hesitated, glancing back in silent question. Samuel took advantage of the hesitation to teleport several feet backward, towards Edri rather than away, and fired off two quick bursts of Ki. Edri blocked them with relative ease, surprising Samuel. He’d never seen an Enari who could survive contact with physical energy before.

Before he could consider the bizarre ability any further, Edri lunged forward and grabbed his right ankle, faster than Samuel could blink. He appeared to disappear mid-attack, becoming solid just in time to grapple the mage. He yanked hard, throwing Samuel further inland, where he bounced off the hard ground. He grimaced in pain, but recovered his poise quickly, and charged the tall Enari again. As he rushed forward, he wondered why none of his mana had been drained during their brief contact. His feet had been unprotected for a half-second, which should have allowed the Enari to devour a huge chunk of his mana, if not all.

“Will you stop?” Edri said, sounding more exasperated than angry. “Why are you attacking your friends?”

“You’re not my friends!” Samuel yelled, coating his hands and feet in Ki before unleashing a barrage of kicks and punches. “I don’t know you strange creatures!”

A look of pained shock crossed Edri’s thin face, and that hesitation allowed Samuel’s first two strikes to connect. His blows, enhanced with Ki as they were, had a substantial effect, and Edri staggered under the rush. Then anger showed in his face for the first time since he’d appeared, and he let out a rebellious shout. “Enough!” A blast of energy and Samuel was sent flying several feet further inland. He landed on his feet this time, and, glancing back, could see the curious faces of at least a dozen more Enari appearing. They varied widely in appearance as most humans did, though there were a few featureless Enari mixed in as well.

Samuel heard his name echoed in several places among the crowd of approaching Enari, and his unease increased. They, like Edri and Inka, looked happy to see him. Several even called out his name in friendly, welcoming voices, grinning broadly and rushing forward. Samuel raised his ki shroud once again, even as Edri called out to the crowd.

“Stay back!” he shouted. “Something’s wrong with Samuel! He doesn’t recognize us!”

The crowd halted, and Samuel looked back at Edri. This was going a bit far for a ruse to get him to lower his guard. His apprehension started to ease away, and he began to feel that he was missing something. He still kept his shroud up, but relaxed his hostile stance somewhat, and took a few steps towards the tall thin Enari. Edri appeared to recognize his hesitation and lowered his own hands.

“Do you know me?” Samuel asked. “This isn’t a trap to get me to lower my guard?”

Inka and Edri both looked puzzled and shared a glance. It was Inka who replied. “Do you not remember us, Samuel?”

Samuel shook his head slowly, wondering what was going on here. Sure, there were nearly a hundred years he couldn’t remember, so these people might have known him. But still, beings made from chaotic mana could have abilities that messed with his memory. He had to be absolutely sure. “Were we friends or something?”

Edri recognized the test, and replied at once, with no uncertainty in his words. “Not at first. You were a foreign creature to us when we met, and it took a long while for us to trust each other.”

“He doesn’t remember,” Inka said. Her sadness seemed convincing. “And we attacked him when he reappeared, just like last time! I’m so sorry, Samuel.”

“Don’t be sorry,” Edri said firmly. “He attacked first. We just defended ourselves.”

You just defended yourself, Samuel thought but kept the thought to himself. Inka hadn’t done anything wrong. “Tell me something I can verify.”

Edri thought about that for a moment or two, his face twisted into a thoughtful frown. Then it cleared. “When you first came to us, you were mad with pain. We never identified what it was, but you screamed that something was burning you alive. It seemed to be your own mana fighting you as if it weren’t compatible with your body. But eventually, it settled, and you came to.”

Samuel took a half step back in shock. He hadn’t shared the detail of that pain with anyone. Part of it had been an effort to make his representation of Arcana easier, but mainly he didn’t want to publicly admit to that pain. He’d spent most of his life since returning pretending that it hadn’t happened. He’d rather fight a hundred enemies at once than remember the sensation of his body, mind, and soul tearing apart, even if the end result was something stronger. He took a full step forward, and let his ki shroud drop.

“Did I mention the names of any other people I might know?” He asked. “Just to be sure.”

“You mentioned quite a few,” Inka said, stepping forward. “You told excellent stories during your time here. But the person you spoke of most was your mother, Elena.”

That settled it for Samuel. Even if they were able to see into his mind, the accuracy of their information, and the obvious sincerity of their words, of their expressions, convinced him they were telling the truth. Now he felt guilt rush through him for attacking Edri and the others. Heat was rushing to his face, and he lowered it a bit. “Sorry.”

Edri finally abandoned his fighting stance, looking highly relieved. “It’s okay, Samuel. We owe you a great debt anyway. This is nothing by comparison.”

“A debt?” Samuel’s head snapped up, his embarrassment forgotten. “What did I do?”

Edri opened his mouth to reply, but another voice rang out before he could speak, and Samuel whirled around to view its source. “It is better if we show you, friend Samuel. Please, come with me.”

The speaker was an old woman. Even though her back was hunched, she radiated a great deal of power. If Samuel was at his full potential, their fields of mana would be nearly equal, he thought. But her wrinkled face was a kind one, and the smile was inviting. He knew he was safe in her presence, and stepped forward willingly. She glided away down the path and around the outcrop of buildings he’d used as cover, beckoning him along.

The city he’d noticed before became more evident now, as did the people. If it weren’t for the potent chaotic mana radiating from every one of them, he could have mistaken them for humans, elves, and dwarves. There was even one, a small child hiding behind her mother, who had the appearance of a Draul. It was as if a more diverse Milagre were before him, where a member of every race lived in harmony. They even had fine clothing. Samuel stared at them in wonder as he followed the old woman. How could chaotic mana form beings so complex and evolved as this?

The woman led him along the main road of the city, a straight path that led to the core. Samuel quickly began to realize that this city actually was Milagre, but a copy. Did the Ethereal Plane mimic the material plane from which he’d come? If so, how had he traveled so far in such a short time? Not that he could accurately mark the passage of time, he told himself. He could have been in here for months without realizing it.

Despite the sheer size of the city, they seemed to reach the center in no time at all. There was no gravity weighing them down, so they glided easily along, their feet a few inches above the surface of the street. Samuel had a distinct impression that the woman, as well as Inka and Edri, were restraining their pace to avoid letting him fall behind. He was both grateful and ashamed. I’ll have to figure out how to move more quickly in this space.

At the very center of the city, instead of the Royal Palace, there was one large building. It was equally as large as the palace but had the design of a church or cathedral. Tall stained-glass windows adorned the white stone walls, and unless he was very much mistaken, there were large etchings on the face of the stone, depicting a large creature and an army of Enari swarming it, trying to kill it.

“Is this the history of your people?” Samuel asked. When they seemed confused, he gestured at the largest of the etchings. “You seem to have fought some terrifying beast. I assume you won, or you wouldn’t be here.”

They still seemed confused, and Inka spoke up. “We didn’t kill the Leviathan.”

“The only way for you to learn is to look closer,” Edri said. “Follow me, Samuel.”

He rose higher into the air, making the movement look effortless. Samuel noticed that he didn’t use any mana to achieve it. Maybe that was the difference, he thought, as he propelled himself forward in Edri’s wake. The Enari led him to the top of the first floor of the building, where the windows began. The paintings themselves were part of the story, he noticed. It showed a great snake-like creature, nearly large enough to wrap around the island they were on. Such a behemoth would have no issue destroying this city and all who lived in it.

“It’s name was Menikos,” Edri said. “It existed since the time our people were born and was responsible for the destruction of many of our homes.”

Samuel inched forward to touch the carving. Even in this colorless depiction, he could imagine the terror of the beast. “It’s name was Menikos? It died?”

“Yes,” Edri said. “Follow the path.”

Samuel slid to the right at once, watching the story unfold before his very eyes. Menikos flew throughout the Ethereal Plane, destroying and devouring Enari cities. It killed thousands and was the unchallenged ruler of the Sea of Chaos. Wherever it appeared, it devoured an entire civilization, thousands of Enari, and shattered the island that they called home. Many efforts were launched to kill the leviathan, though all failed. Unable to kill it, the Enari were forced into hiding.

The Elders of the Enari used their power to push their islands to the very edges of the Sea of Chaos, weaving great nets of magic that made them invisible to the beast’s eye. Many times it passed them, unable to notice their presence. At last, the Enari people had achieved peace. A barrier was erected, and a law was passed to prevent the people from leaving the island, lest the beast find them once more.

Then, one fateful day, a stranger appeared in the city. He was depicted appearing in a flash of light, his face twisted by pain. Samuel recognized himself at once and marveled at the history of his interactions with the citizens of this island. He was depicted in slumber for quite a while after the pain ended and then awoke. He interacted with the Enari people, had some minor fights, and then became their close friend.

Finally, at the third tier of the building, just below the central tower, Menikos appeared once more, drawn by the disturbance that Samuel’s appearance had caused. It came directly for the city, whose camouflage had been lost by his teleportation spell. In its first attack, many Enari perished, trying to defend themselves. Even Edri was depicted here, rushing to defend his home alongside several other strong friends. But they were no match for the beast, and after a brief encounter, Edri was rescued, as the others were devoured.

Now Samuel saw himself reappear in the scene, rushing out to confront Menikos. He was depicted to have a massive glowing field of mana around him, the same kind of mana that had surrounded Edri. Had he mastered how to make his mana chaotic at some point? He met the beast head-on and drove it away from the city. Samuel’s eyes were wide as he traced the story around the edge of the building, and up onto the tower. It showed both him and the beast rising high, high above the city. And then it ended.

“What?” He spluttered the sharp pang of disappointment stabbing into him. “Where’s the rest of the story? I have to know how it ends!”

“Allow me to share the memory with you,” Edri said. “I saw it all myself. It was my memory that was used to make the monument.”

Samuel felt his mind touch him, but unlike when Knarlick made contact, it was a firm but gentle presence. Reluctantly, he allowed the connection, fully aware of how vulnerable he was at that very moment. If he wanted, Edri could have taken his life in that instant. All he’d need to do was clamp down, and he could have snuffed Samuel out at once. But instead, a flow of images came to him, filling his mind. In response, memories that he knew to be his own flared to life.

He had to get the beast away from the city. His best friend Edri and his beloved Inka were at risk. He wove around and around Menikos’ head, challenging the beast with bursts of energy as it chased him, trying to snap its jaws on the tiny speck that was evading it. It let out a roar of fury, and he knew that he had it properly hooked. With all his might, he rocketed upwards. Menikos let out another roar and followed him.

Samuel met him head-to-head several thousand feet higher, flipping around and shooting straight back down. The memory shifted to Edri’s perspective as he flitted to the right, just barely avoiding the maw as it snapped down. He drew his blade then, which erupted with bright white energy, and struck at the beast’s head. He carved three great wounds in its flesh, releasing bright blue blood that dissolved outside its body. He dove again, flying in a tight spiral around the leviathan’s body, his sword carving deeply into its flesh as he went down its body.

When the thick white line wrapped around the long body of Menikos in its entirety, Samuel came to an abrupt halt, less than a hundred feet from the highest point of the island city. Menikos let out a roar that was equal parts fury and pain now, and whipped around, charging for him. Samuel did not attempt to dodge or deflect. He simply rose his free hand, pointing one finger at the beast as it descended. He could see his lips move, but not hear the words. A thin, nearly invisible white line shot from his finger, straight into Menikos’ throat. A second later, it appeared behind it, piercing through the beast perfectly.

The explosion of white light that followed blinded nearly all, but Enari’s eyes just managed to catch the leviathan’s body disintegrating into fine dust inches from Samuel’s body. The fine dust scattered over the city and seemed to be absorbed by the city’s residents, making them healthier and stronger. No sooner than the beast was gone, Samuel dropped from the sky, falling with alarming speed towards the city center. Edri tried to rush over to catch him, but he hit the ground too hard, shattering both it and his body with the impact.

Edri and Inka found him there, bloody and beaten, laughing at his victory. Edri ran over to kneel at his side, as did Inka. “Samuel! You killed him. I can’t believe you actually did it.”

“Neither can I,” Samuel said wryly, grinning even as his eyes were milky with pain. “But I’m afraid that’s the last thing I’ll do. There’s no healing from this.”

“Please don’t go,” Inka cried, her voice sobbing, even if her eyes could not produce the tears. “Please don’t go. I love you. You have to stay!”

Samuel looked away from Edri to stare into Inka’s pained face. She was almost whimpering with grief. “Why did you have to do this? We could have fled.”

“There was nowhere to go, Inka,” he replied, raising one hand to cup her face. “You know that. If this island fell, your people would have been wiped from existence.”

She gave no reply to that, only lowering her head to his own, whispering something in his ear. His lips moved in return, though Edri couldn’t hear the words. “I cannot survive this,” he said. “I know this now.”

A faint blue light began to encapsulate his body then, and he looked at it in faint surprise. He smiled widely. “Of course he knows where I am.”

“Who?” Edri asked. “Who is doing this?”

“Isip,” Samuel said. He didn’t seem to be as pained as before. “He let me stay here as long as I could. But now it is time for me to return.”

“Will you come back?” Inka asked, her fear replaced with a little hope. “Will you return to me?”

“Of course,” he said, his purple eyes locked onto her face, memorizing every detail. “I will come back for you. I love you.”

Samuel blinked, back in his mind once again, facing Edri beside the top of the cathedral’s tower. “I was quite powerful.”

“Yes,” Edri said. He could recognize Samuel’s acceptance of the memory as real, and a broad grin stretched across his face. “You can learn it all again. Are you ready to train?”