Henry's eyes fluttered open, and the first thing he noticed was that he wasn't in pain. No searing agony in his spine. No blood in his mouth. No crushing weight of imminent death pressing down on his chest.
Just... nothing. Clean, sterile nothing.
He blinked rapidly, his vision sharpening to reveal a sleek, unfamiliar room. The walls were smooth and metallic, gleaming with a soft blue luminescence that seemed to emanate from the panels themselves. Everything looked impossibly clean, impossibly advanced... like he'd woken up inside a sci-fi movie set.
A low hum vibrated through the air, steady and rhythmic. Probably from a machine... or engine.
Henry pushed himself up slowly, half-expecting his back to scream in protest. But there was nothing. He twisted his torso experimentally, rolled his shoulders, flexed his fingers.
They were completely healed.
"What the hell...?" he muttered, running a hand down his spine. The skin was smooth, unmarked. No scars. No bruises. Not even a scratch.
His clothes had changed too. Gone were the mud-caked, blood-soaked rags from the forest. Now he wore a simple white tunic and black pants.
"Okay, so either I died and this is the afterlife's waiting room," he said aloud to the empty space, "or I got kidnapped by aliens. Both are equally plausible at this point."
Before his mind could spiral further into paranoid theories, the door slid open with a soft hiss.
Henry tensed, his instincts screaming danger even though his body felt fine. But the woman who stepped through wasn't a threat... at least, not in the conventional sense.
It was Jane.
She looked different now without the blood and dirt of battle. Her brown hair was pulled back neatly, and she'd changed into a sleek black jacket and combat pants that somehow managed to look both professional and ready for action. Her expression softened the moment she saw him awake.
"Henry," she said, relief flooding her voice. "You're up. How are you feeling?"
He stared at her for a beat, his brain still catching up. "Uh... good? Great, actually." He glanced down at himself again. "Which is weird because I'm pretty sure I had a broken spine like, ten minutes ago."
Jane's lips quirked into a small smile as she stepped closer, pulling up a chair beside the bed. "Try a few hours ago. You've been out for a while."
"Hours?" Henry blinked. "What happened after I... passed out?"
"We killed the beast," Jane said simply, as if discussing the weather. "Took a bit longer than expected... but Xavier and I managed. Then we brought you back to the ship, patched you up, and here we are."
Henry's eyes widened. "You healed all my wounds?"
"Yeah." She gestured vaguely at him. "You were in pretty bad shape."
"Wow..." Henry exhaled slowly, trying to process that. "My back feels fine. It's as if I never got hurt."
Jane chuckled. "Yeah, the health serum we used on you was high grade." Her expression grew more serious, though her tone remained gentle. "I'm just glad we found you in time. Your mum is gonna flip when she sees you."
Henry raised a brow. "I have a mum?"
Jane froze mid-sentence, her smile faltering. "Wh... of course you do. Felicity," she stated.
Henry blinked. "I have a mum named Felicity?" he asked, his confusion genuine.
Jane's eyes narrowed slightly, concern flickering across her face. Then she stood abruptly, her voice urgent. "Xavier! Pass me the brain scanner!"
A moment later, the muscular man from before... Xavier, appeared in the doorway, holding a sleek, handheld device that looked like a metallic tuning fork with a holographic display. He tossed it to Jane without a word, though his expression was skeptical.
Jane caught it smoothly and held it up to Henry's head. A soft blue light washed over him, and the device beeped quietly as data scrolled across its screen.
"Henry," Jane said slowly, her voice calm but firm, "do you know who I am?"
Henry hesitated, then shook his head. "No," he replied.
Jane's jaw tightened. She gestured toward Xavier. "Do you know who he is?" she asked, her tone laced with urgency.
Xavier scoffed before Henry could answer. "If he doesn't remember you, then there's no way he'd know who I am."
Jane exhaled through her nose, lowering the scanner. "Hmm. He seems to be suffering from memory loss." She frowned at the display. "But the scanner says his brain is fine. That's... weird."
"Maybe try giving him another health serum," Xavier suggested, crossing his arms.
Jane tutted. "Good point." Then she retrieved a small vial from a compartment in the wall... a glowing blue liquid that shimmered like liquid starlight. She handed it to Henry. "Drink this. It might help."
Henry eyed the vial warily, then shrugged. He uncorked it and downed the contents in one gulp.
The liquid went down his throat. It tasted like mint and electricity.
A warmth spread through his chest, tingling down to his fingertips. For a moment, his vision sharpened, and he felt... lighter. Clearer.
But when Jane asked again, "Do you remember who we are now?" Henry could only shake his head.
"No. I'm sorry," he said.
Jane smiled, though there was a flicker of worry in her eyes. "There's nothing to be sorry about. We're all just glad you're safe."
Xavier leaned against the doorframe, his arms still crossed. "Mind telling us what you remember?"
Henry took a breath, organizing his thoughts. "I remember waking up in a pit," he began. "When I climbed out, a bunch of scary-looking wolves attacked me. But then that huge lion appeared out of nowhere. It chased me through the forest and was going to kill me... until you guys showed up."
"Yeah, we've been monitoring you with a drone since you ran off," Xavier said. "But earlier today, the drone suddenly went offline and we lost contact with you."
Jane nodded. "We found the drone in a pit, but you weren't there. So we searched the forest until we found you."
Henry processed their words carefully, but one particular detail snagged his attention.
"I ran off?" he asked.
Xavier raised a brow. "Is that supposed to be a joke, kid?"
Jane studied him for a long moment, then sighed softly. "Henry, do you not remember anything from before you woke up in the pit?"
He shook his head.
Xavier scoffed under his breath. "Of course you don't."
Jane shot him a look, then turned back to Henry, her expression softening. "You suddenly left your house three days ago, disappearing without a trace. You had us all worked up, Henry. Especially your mother... she was really worried."
Henry's chest tightened. Three days? What exactly what his predecessor up to?
"But yesterday we found you in the forest with one of the drones we sent out," Jane continued. "We were going to come get you, but your mother insisted we didn't. Because from what we saw, it looked like you had run away on purpose. That you didn't want to be found... you kept running and hiding from the drones."
She paused, her voice gentler now. "Your mother was devastated. She said you'd come back whenever you felt like coming back. That we should leave you alone. So we did... but we kept monitoring you. And after the drone went down, we came over as quickly as possible."
Henry's mind reeled. He was still confused, but he managed to speak.
"Oh," he said quietly. "I... I'm really sorry for causing you all so much trouble."
Jane smiled, placing her hand over his. Her touch was warm, grounding. "It's okay, Henry. You don't have to apologize for anything."
"Actually, he does," Xavier chimed in, his tone dry. "Because of him, I haven't gotten any sleep in days."
Jane chuckled, glancing back at Xavier. "Ignore him." She turned back to Henry. "So, do you remember anything about yourself? Anything at all?"
Henry shook his head. "No. Just my name," he replied. It was safe to say this because somehow, it seemed he and the previous owner of the body he occupied shared the same name. It was a perfect coincidence.
Jane raised a brow. "Hmm, what about your surname? Do you remember that?" she asked, watching his reaction closely.
Henry paused for a second. He didn't know the surname of his predecessor but he knew that of himself in his previous life. Though telling them that would be risky because him sharing the same first name with his predecessor doesn't mean it would be the same last name. So to play it safe…
He shook his head. "No. I don't."
Jane sighed. "Alright. That's okay." She squeezed his hand gently. "When we get you back to your mum, I'm sure she'll know how to fix you. She's an expert with the mind."
Henry nodded, though his curiosity was burning. Who was Jane to him?At first, he'd thought she might be his mother... the way she treated him with such care and affection. But clearly, that wasn't the case.
So what, then?
"Are you my aunt?" he blurted out.
Jane blinked in surprise, then smiled. "Yes, you could say I'm sort of like an aunt to you. But we're not related by blood." she explained.
Henry nodded slowly. "Oh..."
Jane's smile widened. "Yeah. But officially, I am your godmother."
Henry was a bit stunned, but her being his godmother explained a lot. The protectiveness, the way she cared for him... it all made sense now.
"Wow," Henry said.
Jane chuckled. "What? You don't believe me?"
He shook his head quickly. "No, it's just... I'm really lucky to have such a beautiful and caring godmother."
Jane froze. Xavier's jaw dropped.
For a moment, there was only stunned silence.
Then Jane recovered, letting out a soft, genuine laugh. "Oh, aren't you the sweetest thing ever. Come here." She pulled him into a warm embrace, and Henry melted into it despite himself.
Over her shoulder, he saw Xavier shake his head in disbelief.
"I can't take any more of... this," Xavier muttered, clearly not pleased with Henry's behavior. "I'm gonna go somewhere else." He turned and walked out of the room without another word.
Henry watched him leave, confused. "Why is he upset?"
Jane pulled back with a smile. "Xavier? No, he's not upset. He just needs a nap," she giggled.
Henry kept his gaze on the door. "Yeah, but... why is he so uptight?"
Jane's expression softened, tinged with sadness. "Xavier's been like that since the mutant incident. It's hard to get him to even smile these days."
Henry blinked. "Mutant incident?"
Jane's eyes widened slightly, as if she'd forgotten. "Oh. Right. You don't remember." She sighed. "I'm sorry, Henry. I keep forgetting you can't remember anything."
He smiled wryly. "It's fine. I'd love for you to tell me more things."
Jane chuckled but shook her head. "Alright. But not right now. You should rest some more. I need to go monitor the autopilot system and make sure the ship's on course."
Henry nodded, though he wanted to ask more. "Okay."
Jane stood, brushing a strand of hair from his forehead. "Get some sleep. We'll have your memory condition checked when we arrive at the guild HQ."
She left, the door sliding shut behind her with a soft hiss.
Henry lay back down, staring at the glowing ceiling. His head felt... fuzzy. Heavy. Like static was building up behind his eyes.
He tried to shake it off, but exhaustion dragged him under before he could fight it.
This world was an uncharted territory for him. He didn't know if Jane and Xavier were just kidnappers pretending to be acquainted with him. And he didn't know if they were truly who they said they were. He was conflicted.
But on the other hand, they had saved him from a perilous fate, and he saw no lies in Jane's eyes. All he could see was the gentle affection of a mother. She probably even had children of her own.
So with this assumptions, Henry relaxed and decided to put a little bit of trust in his rescuers.
But as his consciousness faded, a faint whisper echoed in the back of his mind... a strange male voice laced with contempt, muttering the word:
"Pathetic."
Henry furrowed his brows, but he later discarded it as the system's ai probably just trying to tell him something.
Meanwhile....
Jane stepped into the ship's cockpit... a sleek, spaceship-like bridge lined with holographic displays and glowing panels. Xavier was already there, leaning back in the pilot's chair with his arms crossed.
"He's asleep," Jane said, settling into the co-pilot seat.
Xavier grunted. "Good. He needs it to get his head straight," he said sharply.
Jane glanced at him. "You're suspicious of him, aren't you?"
"Damn right I am," Xavier said bluntly. "That kid just complimented you like he's never met you before. And you're acting like it's normal."
Jane sighed. "He has memory loss, Xavier. Of course he's going to act different."
"Different?" Xavier turned to face her fully. "Jane, I've known Henry for years. He barely speaks to us. Now he's calling you beautiful and acting like a lost puppy? That's not memory loss. That's a personality transplant."
Jane frowned. "He's just a kid. One we've known his whole life. Try and be nice for once," she scolded.
Xavier scoffed. "We don't know him. None of us do. He never let us."
Jane's expression softened. "Maybe this is his chance to start over."
Xavier shook his head but said nothing more.
About an hour later, they finally arriving at their destination... a futuristic urban metropolis.
The ship hummed as the city came into view... Iris City, the capital of the Atlas. One of the five continents in the world.
It was breathtaking.
Towering skyscrapers stretched toward the sky, their surfaces gleaming with holographic advertisements and bright lights. Hover cars zipped between buildings, weaving through aerial traffic lanes. The streets below glowed with bioluminescent pathways, and massive digital billboards projected images of celebrities, news, and corporate logos.
At the heart of it all stood the Pegasus Guild Headquarters... a massive complex shaped like a phoenix in flight, its wings arcing outward into twin towers that glimmered gold in the sunlight.
The ship descended smoothly, landing on a private platform atop one of the towers.
As the ramp lowered, guild members rushed forward, their expressions a mix of relief and urgency.
"Lady Jane!" one of them called. "Welcome back!"
Jane stepped off the ramp, her demeanor shifting instantly. Gone was the warm godmother. In her place stood Commander Jane Carter... leader of the Pegasus Guild, one of the most powerful organizations under the Phoenix Faction.
"Hello, Jax," Jane replied the guild member. "Please get Henry to the clinic immediately and have the doctor run a full body scan. I'll be with you soon."
The man bowed respectfully and quickly did as instructed.
Henry, still groggy, was escorted off the ship by Jax and two medics in white uniforms. They treated him with reverence, like he was royalty.
"Easy now, young master," one of them said gently. "We'll take good care of you."
"Young master?" Henry blinked in confusion, but he didn't resist as they guided him through the gleaming halls of the building.
Jane watched them leave and let out a soft exhale. Then she turned to Xavier. "Xavier, go contact Felicity. Tell her we have Henry."
Xavier nodded and left, complying without question.
Jane continued into the building. She moved with purpose, heading to the clinic as guild members saluted and scrambled in reverence as she passed.
.....
The guild clinic was pristine... white walls, advanced medical equipment, holographic monitors displaying vital signs. Henry was laid on a cushioned bed while a doctor in a sleek white coat scanned him with another device.
Jane stood beside him, arms crossed, watching carefully.
After a few minutes, the doctor lowered the scanner and turned to Jane. "His vitals are stable. No internal damage, no neurological anomalies. Physically, he's in perfect condition."
"And the memory loss?" Jane asked.
The doctor hesitated. "It appears to be temporary. Likely caused by psychological trauma rather than physical injury. I'd estimate full recovery within a few weeks."
Jane nodded. "Alright. Thank you, Doctor."
The doctor bowed slightly and left.
Jane turned back to Henry, her expression softening. "Alicia's going to be devastated when she hears about this."
Henry opened his mouth to ask who Alicia was, but before he could, Xavier entered the room.
"Already contacted Felicity," Xavier said. "She'll be here soon."
Jane straightened. "Good. We should prepare a report before she arrives."
Xavier chuckled dryly. "We both know Felicity isn't someone who cares about formalities."
Jane laughed. "I know. But it's still protocol."
She turned back to Henry, smiling gently. "I need to take care of some things. Your mum will be here soon." She squeezed his shoulder. "Take care, okay?"
Then she left, Xavier following closely behind... but not before giving Henry one last piercing look.
Henry lay there in silence, staring at the ceiling. Now that he was fully recovered, he could properly reflect on his actions and get a full scope of his situation.
"I almost died. "The thought hit him harder than he expected. "If Jane and Xavier hadn't shown up..."
He exhaled slowly, pushing the thought away. "Focus, Henry. What do I know?"
Jane was his godmother. Apparently an important one. She was respected, and probably very influential.
His mother was someone named Felicity. Both Jane and Xavier spoke about her with a strange mix of respect and... something close to fear. Or awe.
The world seemed different too… he had just seen a city that looked like it belonged three centuries ahead of the timeline he knew.
And finally, according to Jane, he'd run away from home three days ago.
Why?
Henry let out a sigh. "Well… this is awkward."
He wanted answers. And maybe the mysterious AI in his head could give him some. But before he could call out to her...
The door suddenly slid open, and Henry's thoughts scattered.
A woman stepped into the room.
Elegant. Beautiful. And commanding.
She had long white hair that cascaded down her back like freshly fallen snow, framing a face that could only be described as angelic. Her eyes... sapphire blue, were sharp, intelligent, but softened with worry as they locked onto him.
She wore a formal white blouse and black skirt beneath a pristine white overcoat, her heels clicking softly against the polished floor.
But it wasn't her appearance that stole Henry's breath.
It was the look in her eyes.
That look.
The look of a mother who thought she'd lost her child.
There was no doubt.
This was Felicity.
His mother.