Aden suddenly woke up in an unfamiliar bed, in a room he didn't recognize.
He had just opened his eyes, but immediately jumped up in alarm to check where he was.
He didn't recognize the room.
He grabbed a stick that had been placed nearby, opened the door, and stepped into a living room - also unfamiliar.
"Could it be that we're still under Zaya's influence?
Or should I call her the Great Witch…
No… Mom saved us, I'm sure of it."
While he was caught in a spiral of anxiety and thoughts, the house door suddenly opened.
He stood there, sweating and tense, ready to face the mysterious visitor with the stick in his hand.
But it was his mother.
"Mom…" he said with tears in his eyes, relieved it was truly her.
He dropped the stick and hugged her tightly.
She gently stroked his head for about a minute until he calmed down.
"Mom, I..."
He didn't know where to start, but in the end, one important question slipped from his mouth.
"What about Alain? Do you know where he is?"
"He's probably still sleeping, in the room next to the one where I placed you."
Aden sighed in relief.
"I'll go wake him up. I want to talk to you about a few things and for you to explain what's going on. I don't think I fully understand what's happening… maybe I'm dreaming."
His mother smiled gently and replied, "Don't worry. You're not dreaming.Most likely, someone tampered with your memories - yours and Alain's."
"So Zaya really wasn't one of us…"
"No. In fact, she's a person, or rather, a mythological figure that hasn't appeared in the world for over 600 years."
"What? What does that mean? And wait, why was she called the greatest witch?And why-"
"Whoa, slow down… I have to get used to the fact that your memories of this world are gone.I'll need to teach you everything from the beginning."
Aden was distressed. It was as if he had entered a new and unfamiliar world, even though he realized this was the world he'd been living in all along.
Suddenly, Alain woke up.
He ran out of the room, startled, holding a mirror he had grabbed ready to defend himself if needed.
But the moment he saw Aden, he relaxed.
He dropped the mirror and hugged Aden.
"Where are we?" he asked, still sweating and panicked.
"And who is she?" he added, pointing at their mother.
"You don't know who she is?" Aden asked in surprise.
"I… don't…"
"That's Mom. Our mom."
Their mother looked at Alain with a gentle, sympathetic smile.
"Mom…? You're… really our mom?" he asked, tears starting to fall.
"Yes, Alain," she answered with a smile and immediately embraced him in her arms.
He didn't know this woman, but he trusted Aden completely.
"I don't understand… why are all our memories so blurry?"
"Mom just started explaining that to me," Aden said, trying to comfort him with the fact that they were in the same situation.
"Go wash your faces and calm down. I've put out some food and drink for you on the table. Eat, and then we'll talk. You need to be in a good mental state," she said, and then left the house to give them some time alone.
As she stepped out, they noticed how in the last moment, her face turned somber after she had tried the entire time to radiate warmth.
"She must be feeling terrible…" Aden said immediately after she left. "Her sons lost all their memories."
Alain didn't respond. He still couldn't quite process the situation.
They entered a room filled with water, washed their faces, and sat down to collect themselves.
They ate and talked a bit, and afterwards, their mother returned and immediately began her explanation.
"Okay, I gave it some thought. I don't think I can explain everything at once, but I'll start with some basic information.
First of all, you need to know that my husband - your father - died a long time ago,and the three of us lived as a small family for many years.
After a certain incident, you found yourselves at the center of the world, so I came as quickly as I could to save you.
There, I saw the Great Witch Zaya - a mythological figure who wasn't supposed to exist for over 600 years.
She's most likely the one who tampered with your memories. That's an advanced technique that only a few people are capable of using. I recognized it in you immediately when I took you."
Aden and Alain struggled to process all the information flooding them, but their mother continued.
"The center of the world is a place where no kingdom exists, a desolate land that has been considered the most dangerous for the past 600 years."
"Kingdom? Center of the world? I don't think I understand," Alain asked in confusion.
"Yes, I think you'll need an explanation about the world you live in. I suppose this really is like starting everything over… but don't worry, I'll be by your side the whole time," she said with a reassuring smile.
She then stood up and walked to the dirt floor beside them.
She moved her hand and shaped the ground in a particular way.
"You can control earth?!" Alain reacted immediately in shock.
"Wait, let her keep explaining," Aden, who was also in shock, tried to hush Alain in order to understand the general picture more clearly.
She continued to explain while shaping the ground into a circle divided into 16 equal segments.
"Each one of the triangles in this circle represents a kingdom in our world. Each kingdom has people and warriors who control a different types of power."
"So we're in the Earth Kingdom right now?"
"Almost, Alain. We're in the Passive Element Kingdom - a kingdom where people control every natural element that doesn't move on its own," she said, then raised her hand upwards,causing a piece of earth to detach and float next to her like a hovering rock.
"So water is part of it too?" Alain asked.
"Yes, among other things."
She continued sketching on the ground using her power.
In the center of the large circle, she drew a smaller circle.
"This small circle in the center is a place where none of the kingdoms exist. It's the forbidden zone I was talking about, and that's exactly where you were - right at its very center, in the 'House at the Center of the World' - a legendary place surrounded by myths and tales that have persisted for centuries."
"Wow," Alain said, awestruck by the explanation and the new world unfolding before him.
"Okay, so if we're in the Passive Element Kingdom, what are the other kingdoms?" Aden asked.
"I'll tell you everything in time. I think that's the foundation you need to know for now.
In any case, after witnessing Zaya the Great Witch returning to this world, I believe it's necessary to warn all the kingdoms so they can cooperate and form a defense force against her."
Aden and Alain had grasped the basic understanding of this world, and right after the conversation,their mother took them to the neighboring kingdom the first one they would visit in the attempt to form an alliance against Zaya.
They approached the border of their kingdom, where they saw an immense wall of light obscuring what lay beyond. It was so wide and tall, they couldn't see its end.
Near the wall flew several ravens and oddly shaped birds that Aden and Alain didn't recognize.
When they reached the wall itself, it suddenly opened before them, and from within emerged a dignified old man, dressed in white and yellow robes, with a long beard and slightly glowing eyes.
"Welcome to the Kingdom of Light."