Chương 110: Centuries Without Memory

"Who…who are we?" Leah asked, confused. Xia slowly stood up, carefully studying them one by one, as if she were trying to read something in their faces. They were looking at her as though they knew her, but she had never seen their faces before. They were complete strangers. She nevertheless tried to remember. Nothing.

"Yes", she finally said.

"I've never seen you before". Leah turned toward Felicity. Felicity looked back at her.

"The legendary sword and the dagger didn't work while I was fighting that guy. I think it's because Xia did something. That's why she disappeared while we were fighting. Whatever she did…something happened to her in order to achieve it", Felicity explained. Xia looked at her, even more confused.

"Legendary sword? Dagger? I have absolutely no idea what you're talking about".

"And what happened to her was that she lost her memory?" Ethan asked.

"So it seems", Felicity said.

"But that's terrible…" Leah said. Felicity looked at Xia.

"What do you remember? Actually…introduce yourself to us as if you were seeing us for the first time, since that seems to be exactly the case with you". Xia nodded.

"My name is Xia Sun. I'm thirty years old and I'm a magic arts instructor at the High Institute of Magic Guardians". She hesitated for a moment.

"I'm a mage". Xia frowned.

"You already knew that, didn't you?" Felicity crossed her arms.

"Yes, we know quite a few things about you. I'll try to tell you what you told us and everything we've done so far… it'll be a long story, but I'll try not to leave out anything important". This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it And so, together with Leah, she told Xia everything: their first meeting, their journey, and the legendary swords. Their ultimate goal: to gather them all together in order to summon a deity capable of granting three wishes.

Her wish to bring her deceased son back to life. When they finished, Xia ran a hand over her face, visibly shaken.

"So…" she murmured.

"I apparently lost a son. And I'm trying to gather these swords to bring him back to life".

"Exactly", Leah said. Xia shook her head.

"This is absurd. All of this is absurd. And why don't I remember any of it?"

"Because you did something to help us obtain the fifth sword", Felicity explained.

"A sword capable of stopping time. Whatever you did…it took your memories away". Xia took a deep breath.

"I really hope you aren't making fun of me. I have no way of verifying that what you're telling me is true". She took a step forward.

"Now, if you don't mind, I need to return to the Institute. They're probably wondering where I've gone. Though I certainly ended up very far from where I was". She raised a hand and tried to summon a portal. Nothing happened. She tried again. Still nothing.

"Strange…" she murmured.

"What's wrong?" Ethan asked. Xia slowly lowered her hand.

"I can't summon the portal". She turned toward Felicity.

"Do you think I did something to stop the power of that sword, and that whatever I did came at a price? Am I right?" Felicity nodded.

"Did I break the laws of magic? No…I wouldn't even be capable of that if I wanted to. I'm a fairly decent mage, after all".

"A fairly decent mage? You're one of the most powerful mages I've ever seen", Felicity said. Xia looked at her with a bitter half-smile.

"Then you haven't seen many…Felicity, right?" She nodded.

"It seems your memory stopped at the age of thirty", Felicity continued.

"But I suppose you've lived much longer than that. What year do you think it is?" Xia thought for a moment.

"289, obviously". Silence fell over them. Her answer completely stunned them. It was so absurd that it almost sounded like a joke.

"289?" Leah repeated.

"Are you sure?"

"Of course".

"We're in the year 1300", Felicity said. Xia's eyes widened.

"1300?" she whispered.

"I'd appreciate it if you didn't make fun of me".

"We're not making fun of you". Felicity watched her carefully.

"I imagined you were older than you looked, but I didn't imagine you were that much older. It means you've lost centuries upon centuries of memories. And, apparently, your powers as well". Xia lowered her gaze to her trembling hands.

"My memories…my powers…" she murmured.

"None of this makes any sense". Far away, in much warmer lands, Teresa, the gnome and the royal guard were climbing a rocky mountain. Despite being on horseback, it was still an extremely exhausting endeavor. Not only because of the steep, rocky terrain, but above all because of the suffocating heat. The dry air burned their lungs. Teresa wiped the sweat from her forehead. Her skin was slightly sunburned, despite her face being covered with wet cloth.

"Are you sure this is the right path?" the gnome asked, panting.

"If the Green Dragon is still in this region", Teresa replied, "then it lives high up. Where no other creature dares to go".

"That could make sense…but you have no proof". Naomi turned toward him sharply.

"Stop complaining and keep walking".

"How am I supposed not to complain…only a madman would climb these mountains in this heat".

"To find a legendary creature like the Green Dragon, we have to do crazy things. We can't expect it to just fly down to us like it did with Ugly…keep moving". The gnome huffed, but resumed the climb alongside them. The summit was still a long way off. And the heat remained as relentless as ever.