Inside the room, which resembled a hospital with its standard bed and medical equipment, a man lay motionless, his eyes tightly shut, his lips trembling as if he were in the grip of a seizure. His eyelids twitched as though they would open at any moment, but this had been happening for some time now.
He wasn't alone in the room. Standing around the bed were five individuals, all with worried expressions. Elder Rooney, Peter, Caspian, Theron, and Cressida stood in silence, observing the man with concern. Peter, however, stood slightly behind the others, unable to move, his face tense from earlier events.
This was the aftermath of the incident in the hospital room when Alex and the others had been sent away, and Caspian, Theron, and Cressida had been summoned urgently. Stan had been placed on the bed where Alex once lay, and they had been watching over him ever since.
"How much of his memories do you think he'll regain?" Cressida asked, her voice filled with worry.
"I don't know," Elder Rooney replied, shaking his head slightly. "I'm not even sure if he'll remember anything at all. It could just be a flash." He held the Pendragon's Book of Knowledge in his hand, as usual, ready to be alerted of any strange occurrences.
"But isn't this a good sign?" Caspian asked hopefully. "I mean, if Stan starts to regain his lost memories, maybe he'll also regain his evolution. This could be the final piece to get him back to his full strength."
The others seemed somewhat hopeful at this thought, but Elder Rooney sighed and shook his head.
"First of all," Elder Rooney began, "Stan never lost his evolution. He's still just as strong as he was before the incident. What he lost was his path. The path of a warrior. That's why he can no longer move forward in his cultivation. If he wanted to, he could become a mage and evolve that way. But the real problem is, how is he supposed to become a mage?"
Caspian frowned, thinking for a moment before speaking. "But we have the Pendragon's Book of Knowledge. Surely it contains something that could help?"
Elder Rooney nodded slowly. "You're right. We have the knowledge. But what we lack are the people capable of using it. Although... there is one possibility we recently gained," he said, his eyes narrowing thoughtfully.
"You mean Alex?" Cressida asked, her voice curious. "Do you think his strange power can help with this too?"
Elder Rooney didn't respond directly, instead, he glanced down at Stan, who still lay unconscious on the bed.
Peter, who had been quiet this whole time, finally spoke up, breaking the uneasy silence. "You're all forgetting something important. Even if Stan regains his memory, there's a bigger problem. What will he be like once it happens?" Peter's voice was firm, his gaze serious. "You all know what he was like before he lost his memory."
His words brought a wave of silence over the room as they all considered the weight of what he had just said.
"I doubt he'll still go after that mortal woman after everything that happened," Theron said, his tone dismissive.
"Then you underestimate the power of love and how much charm that woman had," Peter responded sharply.
Caspian, who had been quietly observing, suddenly pointed at Peter. "Wait a minute, why are you just standing there all this time?"
Since they had all gathered in the hospital room, Peter had stood by the door, barely moving an inch.
"He's under a command," Elder Rooney explained, glancing at Peter.
"Can't you bypass the keybreaker command? I mean, you've done it before, right?" Theron asked, frowning.
"It's complicated," Elder Rooney replied with a sigh. "The command given to Peter is direct. I can only bypass commands when they're complex enough for me to work around them indirectly. But this one is too straightforward."
Even with the explanation, the others still seemed confused. Caspian, however, had a mischievous idea flash across his mind.
"So, if I hit Peter right now, he won't be able to do anything, right?" Caspian asked, rubbing his fists as he moved closer to Peter with a grin.
"You sicko, I can still kick your ass afterward!" Peter shouted, glaring at him.
Before Caspian could reach Peter, they were interrupted. At that very moment, Stan, who had been lying still on the bed, suddenly started shaking. His body convulsed, causing the bed to rattle with him.
"What's happening to him?" Cressida asked, her voice filled with panic as she rushed closer.
Elder Rooney was already flipping through the Pendragon's Book of Knowledge, his hands moving quickly as he searched for answers. The book was strange—by simply holding it, one could access its vast knowledge without even opening it. Moments later, Elder Rooney had his answer.
"It's a flash," he said gravely. "He's having a memory flash. His body's reacting because something violent is happening in his memory—he must be reliving a fight."
---
Inside his mind, Stan was confused. A moment ago, he had been in the hospital room, and now, he found himself in an entirely different place. His clothes had even changed. He looked around and saw he was standing in the middle of what was once a busy street, but now it looked like a war zone. Cars were on fire, filling the air with thick black smoke, and a few scattered people could be seen in the distance, either fleeing or lying on the ground.
Stan glanced down at himself. He was dressed in a crisp white suit and black tie, as though he were on his way to a formal event. But nothing around him made sense. The scene was chaotic—buildings were damaged, and debris was strewn across the street. Yet, he stood there, untouched by the destruction, confused and trying to piece together where he was.
Stan was engulfed in confusion. "The pain, it was after the pain I got here. Did something happen?" he pondered.
Bang!!
His thoughts were abruptly interrupted by the loud report of gunfire. In the next instant, Stan felt a sharp impact in his stomach. Looking down, he saw three bullet holes in his suit. Strangely, he remained unharmed.
Suddenly, a surge of anger coursed through him, and his body began to move on its own. 'What's happening? Am I not the one in control? Who are these people, and why are they attacking me?' These questions flooded Stan's mind as he watched his body fend off numerous attackers armed with heavy weapons.
He noticed that none of the assailants seemed to be Paragons. That is, until a bullet tore into his shoulder. Blood oozed from the wound as he spotted a distant figure wielding a rifle.
'That bullet was infused with qi, meaning the shooter is a Paragon,' Stan realized. Even though he couldn't control his actions, he could feel every sensation.
All around him, attackers lay sprawled on the ground. Those who could still fight were backing away, terrified of his ability to withstand bullets, calling him a monster. However, Stan sensed it wasn't over. Something else was approaching.
Emerging from the smoke, more figures appeared. Stan recognized them as Paragons, sensing the power flowing through them and the weapons they carried. They were dressed in black, with wide-brimmed hats concealing their faces.
"Who are you, and why are you attacking me?" Stan found himself asking.
One of them raised a katana and pointed it at Stan. "You've offended a powerful individual, and they're determined to eliminate you. Surrender now, and we promise a quick and painless end," the man declared.
Stan's resolve hardened. He chose to fight.
The group of seven rushed at him simultaneously. Before he could react, a blinding light erupted from their bodies, enveloping him completely.
Meanwhile, at the hospital, Stan awoke abruptly, sweat dripping down his face.
"It seems you've been through a lot in your mind," Elder Rooney remarked as he approached with others.