(Warning: there is going to be a graphic scene of stabbing starting with "Without hesitation")

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

"Wake up!" The alarm clock rang.

Jake sat up in his bed with a smile. He climbed out to cleanse himself, put on his work suit, and feed his stomach, then walked to his office to spend his energy. After that, he went back home to recharge.

~~~

"Wake up!" The alarm clock screamed.

Jake sat up in his bed with a smile. He climbed out to cleanse himself, put on his work suit, and feed his stomach, then walked to his office to spend his energy. After that, he went back home to recharge.

~~~

"Wake up!" The alarm clock yelled.

Jake sat up in his bed with a smile. He climbed out to cleanse himself, put on his work suit, and feed his stomach, then walked to his offi—

A large and heavily cloaked figure landed violently from the sky on his feet and caused the ground to quake. The figure's bones crackled as he slowly stood straight and in front of Jake with a deep growl. Woah, this man is about nine feet tall! Jake thought surprisingly.

"How many times do I have to call you, Arminus?" the figure leaned towards Jake, squinting his colourless cold eyes. Revealing several scars that ran across his face.

"G-Good morning, sir! H-How can I help you today?" Jake stuttered.

"Don't you try fooling us with your enchantment, Arminus! Your deception had gone long enough."

"I-I'm sorry, sir, but I don't know what you're talking about—"

"For once wake up and face the consequences! You are wanted at the High Council at once!" The figure pulled out his giant axe from underneath his cloak.

Jake didn't have the chance to speak further when the giant man grabbed him by the collar and swung the axe in the air. Causing the very fabric of reality to be sliced by that blade and reveal another world beyond.

Jake struggled and begged the man to let him go, desperately explaining that his words didn't make sense to him. But the giant didn't budge nor listened to his pleas.

The man went inside this strange opening he created along with Jake in his grasp. Once on the other side, this realm not only silenced Jake's screaming and struggles, but also filled his heart with dread. Yet he wasn't sure what to make of it.

He found himself in a large and dark hallway where large pillars held the high ceiling, with little but green ominous torchlight that hung and swayed to guide their way.

The giant's heavy footsteps echoed as he walked towards the double doors covered in dark thorns, and they slithered away at his arrival. To Jake's surprise and disbelief, he found himself in what seemed to be a courtroom but... Darker and somehow familiar as well.

A row of high seats and round desks circled the entire chamber. The middle chair was the highest of them all. The individuals wore the same dark and green uniforms with similar expressions of reproach and disapproval on their faces. Creepy glowing eyes from the shadows joined this meeting by watching him behind those who sat at the desks.

Jake couldn't think any further when he was quickly shoved into a chair that held his hands and feet tight with thorny binds that dug into his flesh. That chair was in the middle of the courtroom but at the bottom. He couldn't help but grunt loudly in pain.

"Arminus Phasimos," a deep voice boomed. "Because of your heinous crimes and the use of forbidden enchantments, you have crossed the boundaries and your appeals shall be rejected! If you ever made one."

"C-Crimes?! Enchantments?! Please sir! I don't understand what you are talking about! Y-You must have mistaken me for someone else—"

"Silence!" the man who sat on the highest chair quaked the chamber with his voice. Jake then felt his lips close shut by some kind of invisible force.

"You really think you can escape the High Council by erasing your own memories? And claim yourself as innocent?" the man spoke, followed by the snapping of fingers.

A couple of armoured men marched into the room and towards Jake with an object in one of their hands. Upon a closer look, Jake's eyes widened. It was a glowing dagger that seemed to emit a haunting aura around it.

"You might have made it impossible for us to track your whereabouts, but we have proved otherwise. We sent people to search for your memories that you scattered all over Gwandlya, gathered them all and reversed your invented enchantment." The man explained and added.

"Maybe this will help you remember your past. We shall pierce these memories that you tossed, back into your mind. Just like how you pulled them out with a hook."

Jake struggled aggressively as the two men approached him with the weapon. Once they did, one of them held the poor man while the other held the blade in the air.

Without hesitation, Jake let out a muffled scream of pain as soon as the hot blade went through his skull. But no blood came out, instead, memories flashed into his mind.

Of images of an elderly man in his robes with a dark crooked smirk drawn on his sunken face, and strangely enough, these memories were showing him the events through his eyes. These moments went from him speaking to what seemed to be people of the undead, to him fleeing a battlefield and into an opening. The same opening that the giant created a few moments ago.

This can't be... Jake thought.

The heat faded from his head when the dagger was finally pulled out, leaving him panting, sweating, and shivering from the pulsating pain that still lingered in his head for a while.

"Well then," the same voice spoke again. "Do you still consider yourself innocent, Phasimos?"

Jake breathed for a moment when his lips unzipped. "Y... Yes..."

The people in the council murmured at his response.

"How could you make such a claim even though we have provided evidence?!" one of the members cried.

"B... B... Because... That wasn't me," Jake answered tiredly.

"Your deception is no longer working on us, you old fool! Just admit it already--"

"Silence!" the same deep voice boomed again, and quietness filled the chamber for a short moment. "Why do you insist that you are innocent?"

"One... One of those members said it... 'Old fool'... I'm not old," Jake said. "When you gave me these memories... I saw this Phasimos guy, he has w-wrinkles and l-long nails... So clearly, I'm not him." Jake slowly regained his energy when the pain finally faded.

"You're disguising yourself as a different man! So sto—"

"Will you shut your statements and let the accused speak, Welvius?!" the man cried at one of the members.

The member shrunk and apologised. And the man returned to Jake. "Can you explain further?"

Jake swallowed before he continued. "W-Well, c-can I ask a few questions so I can understand what is happening? Because as I said before, you might have mistaken me for someone else. Please?"

The members of the council exchanged looks and murmurs with one another before they looked back at Jake.

"Very well then," the man sighed. "We will let you, but you have only three questions and no more than that. Now proceed."

"Okay... Okay... So, did this old man perform any other... Uh... rituals other than erasing his memories and going to another world?" Jake asked.

The members exchanged looks again.

"No, we don't believe he performed anything else," he answered.

"Okay, cool. And do you have a... Primary witness?" As soon as Jake asked this question, a new voice joined in.

"Yes indeed." All eyes landed on the person who entered the chamber, and the murmurs grew louder this time.

"Luna! What are you doing here?" the man cried.

"Father, how many times do you have to jump to conclusions?!"

"Luna we are in the middle of a trial! You cannot just barge in like—What are you doing?!"

"I apologise for the inconvenience my father had caused," the woman spoke as she waved her glowing hand and the thorns released Jake's joints. She turned to her father again.

"For Aylias's sake, I told you that Arminus Phasimos was meaning to flee to this human's realm and scatter his memories there, so you wouldn't be able to track him. But my husband prevented him, leaving his memories here, I witnessed the entire moment!"

"But all the evidence led to this man! He could be our fugitive!" her father cried.

"That warlock did not disguise himself as a human! What you could do instead is ask this man kindly since these memories led to him."

"Does this mean I'm innocent?" Jake blinked twice.

Luna turned to Jake again. "Yes, you are. However, since Phasimos's magic has led to you, we need to ask you some questions and maybe you can show us where he is in your realm. Will you help us?"

Jake stared at her for a moment, then at her father from the high chair who stared back at him with dissent.

"Okay, since you're nice, I'll help."