Eli spent the next few days recovering in bed. Though he had been able to stay awake and hold conversations, physical movements past turning his head were still painful. Showing concern, Ilkama ordered Eli to stay in bed until he could brew health potions again.

Instead of him leaving the room, Ilkama and Curtis visited Eli individually. Ilkama brought food and water while Curtis came by to offer more memories and generally converse. Though the young boy believed Eli could regain many memories from him, Eli declined the offer. If he were to recover memories, he would want to gain memories about his childhood and kingdom from Ilkama.

One day, Eli managed to sit up in bed and stare at his desk. There were still a few notes he had wanted to go through, especially if he were to surpass Ilkama. Sadly, Eli knew the impossibility of getting to his desk in his current state. If he struggled to sit up, getting to his desk and rustling through papers would be impossible. He sighed in defeat, hoping for Curtis's company.

As though a God heard his plea and wished to tease Eli, Ilkama entered the room, grinning with his left hand behind his back. "I have something that may interest you," Ilkama offered.

Eli curiously asked, "What is it?"

"The ingredients for a strength potion," Ilkama showed the man a small, brown pouch in his hand. "In a few hours, you will feel better," he continued. Light shimmered in Eli's eyes as he could finally plot his escape to the Bronze Foxes. He wondered if they had gone on their quest yet. If so, had they been successful? "Eli, is everything alright?" Ilkama asked, snapping Eli back to reality.

"Of course, I am simply excited to get out of bed! How long will it take?"

"It should not take more than an hour," Ilkama answered, pausing. "Would you like me to bring the materials here so you can watch the brew?"

Eli pondered the offer. Having never witnessed alchemy before, he figured it could be interesting. Though, the warrior realized he would not understand what would be happening. It would be more beneficial for him to study his notes instead. "No, thank you. However, could you hand me my notes from the desk?" Eli turned to face the table in the corner. Ilkama's gaze followed Eli's, finding papers in the corner.

"Of course," Ilkama quickly walked over to it and picked up the stack. "Who organized this desk? I recall seeing papers everywhere several days ago."

Eli took a moment to consider his response. He knew mentioning Curtis could threaten his life, so Eli lied. "S-Some guard came in and asked if I wanted anything. The papers bothered me, and I asked him to organize them," the bed-ridden swordsman played with his hands under the covers, anxious about the lie. Eli calmed down when Ilkama handed him the papers and stopped questioning him. While painful at first, he was able to hold them in place.

"Always studying hard," Ilkama chuckled. "Even without your memories, you are the same Eli as when we were young. Soon, we will be at the same level, and we will become unstoppable. Read well, Eli. I will see you soon," he quickly headed out of the room. Eli immediately started reading the papers, hoping to absorb as much as possible while waiting for Ilkama.

"Bursor," he started. Though he was familiar with the glyph, Curtis had proven there was more to learn about each glyph. Having skimmed through Memory several weeks ago, he missed the most crucial piece. Eli would start reading every word. "This spell multiplies the sword's strength. When used alone, this will make the sword sharper for five strikes or twenty seconds, whichever comes first. It can slice through almost any material, except for items forged by Mienards. Other exceptions may exist," Eli wondered why Mienardos items were immune. Perhaps it was their material or possibly an enchantment?

"Other exceptions may exist. Furthermore, this glyph may be chained with other glyphs to strengthen them. For example, chaining with Lunimus will generate a beam of solid light," Eli wished he had read that part before his sparring match with Ilkama; he could have prepared for it or even used it. "The cost of using this glyph is low. When chaining, low-medium," he finished. Loosening his grip for a brief moment, he allowed that paper to fall as he read the next.

"Sorida. Use this glyph against a durable attack. It protects the user's sword from damage. Upon a collision, the sword will shock the other item and absorb energy from it. Chaining Bursor before this will share this enchantment with any touched item for an hour. Chaining Bursor before and after will permanently enchant the other item. It does not work on anything living. The cost of using this glyph is high, and the cost of chaining is extreme. Use with caution," he read. Eli finally received another answer regarding the prison bars. Ilkama must have permanently enchanted that cell so he could not break through the bars. And yet, why give Eli the sword—a means to escape the cell?

As the hours passed, Eli continued reading more glyphs. Finding Memory, he read it better to understand the glyph and its chain. One of the glyphs, Profecti, he recognized from Ilkama's battle. It released a continuous stream of air from the blade tip, and its glyph resembled a lowercase alpha symbol.

Lost in his notes, Eli failed to notice Ilkama walking into the room. The man stood in the door frame for a minute, expecting Eli to look up. When he did not, Ilkama cleared his throat, making his presence known. Eli jumped.

"Is this a bad time?" Ilkama asked. Eli looked at the papers on the floor, not realizing just how much he read.

"No, of course not. Is the potion ready?" Eli asked excitedly. Ilkama simply smiled and held up the glass. Eli fidgeted in his seat, ready to finally get his strength back. However, he also knew this would be his one chance to get more information from Ilkama. Eli posed no threat in his current state. And if Ilkama was aware of his facade, he may not let a full-strength Eli use his sword against him. "Before I drink this, I must know more about my past. I found this glyph—Memory?" he asked. "I wish to use it and see my childhood."

Ilkama stared at the man, curious why he would wish to wait. Faking a puzzled expression, he lied, "I am not aware of that one. How does it work?"

"If I chain Bursor with Memory and touch you with the sword while I think of a memory we share, even just a name of an event, we will both live in the memory," Eli explained. Hoping Ilkama would have more on his mind than just the memory, Eli did not reveal memory corruption.

"Fascinating! What would you like to remember?" Ilkama questioned. Eli had not given much thought before offering the idea. He remembered the picture but had already relived through that day. As he considered his time with his childhood friend, the ideas began flooding his mind.

Eli spat out the first idea he could think of, "The tournament. I want to remember my second place."

"Very well," Ilkama handed Eli his sword. Though it felt heavy in his arms, Eli knew regaining his memories was worth the struggle, especially if it meant Ilkama could mess up and reveal other information.

*                              *                              *

Eli stood at the corner of a large, square-tiled platform. Leading up to the arena was a cobblestone path coming from a castle. The other three sides of the platform held rows of occupied birch seats behind redwood barricades. Behind him, just off the stage, was Ilkama.

"This guy looks like a piece of cake! How did he reach the finals? Beat him, and you will be the champion!"

"Too bad you lost against me," Eli looked back at his friend, laughing. "You could have beat him." When he turned to face his opponent, the man looked different yet familiar. His light-brown hair flowed past his shoulders over a deep-red uniform.

"Devon?" the Mienards asked, almost in unison.

"He should not be here. What is going on?" Ilkama asked angrily. Before Eli could discuss the corruption, he heard a loud gong, and Devon charged at him. Having been taken off-guard by the anomaly, Eli could only prepare his stance to parry the strike. Recovering from the shock, Eli took a deep breath. Devon had quick reflexes; carrying his momentum from the swords' collision, he struck again.

Knowing he had to get further into the arena for safety, Eli searched for an opening between Devon's predictable strikes. Each strike had been parallel to Eli's parries, forcing a quick shift. When he found Devon's guard lowered, Eli kicked the man in his stomach. Before Devon could recover, Eli ran to the other side, closer to the arena's center. When his opponent stood up, his strikes became more sporadic, desperately trying to land a hit.

"Take him down, Devon!" he heard a familiar, feminine voice from the stadium. "We may not get another chance like this!" Distracted by another friend, the Mienard faced her.

"Sarah?" he asked, dropping his guard entirely. Devon found his opening and rammed his shoulder into Eli, knocking him back. The crowd cheered for Devon. Eli quickly got up and shook off the hit. Looking back at the stadium, he no longer saw Sarah.

"Where is your Mienard honor? Knock him out!" Ilkama yelled. Eli knew this was supposed to be a memory, but he did not wish to hurt Devon. Eli drew Bursor followed by Profecti on his sword, sending a powerful blast of air in Devon's direction, knocking him off his feet and out the arena.

The crowd went silent for a moment, not expecting a sudden and anticlimactic conclusion, before Ilkama proclaimed, "We have a winner! Champion Eli Sholam!" As the crowd began to cheer, Eli felt an uneasiness in his stomach. His friends were not supposed to be there.

The memory was corrupt.

*                              *                              *

Eli felt nauseous, his head spinning. Not only did the memory turn out poorly, but the enchantment drained his memory. Thankfully, the potion was still on the table beside him.

"What went wrong? Why were Devon and Sarah there?" asked Ilkama.

"I do not know. Please give me a moment," Eli held his head. "I was not thinking of them, were you?"

"Perhaps subconsciously," Ilkama answered. Eli opened his mouth to ask about the tournament, but Ilkama quickly recalled, "The setting was accurate, at least. That was the correct castle and arena. However, you should have narrowly lost against your opponent, and I was supposed to yell at you."

"Still, it was good to see them again. I hope to see more someday," Eli looked out the window, dreaming of the day he would finally return home. He remembered Ilkama's description: west of the ocean, south into the forest.

"If you wish to learn more, we could try again, or you could read in the library," Ilkama offered. "Many of the literature there were written by Mienards, and some detail our culture and history!"

Eli shook his head, saying, "It's not the same. I wish to see it in person. See my family if they survived the conquest. I wish to fight in a tournament and live like a Mienard."

"You do not wish to stay here?" Ilkama asked, jokingly offended.

"I-I do," Eli lied, "but only because you are here. It would be more fun to go home together."

Ilkama walked over to the window and sighed. "I cannot simply leave my people. They need me to keep them safe and to settle disputes. The kingdom will delve into chaos without my rule," he insisted.

Eli realized he had to prolong his act to avoid suspicion, inquiring, "Could you not train someone to become ruler here? Surely there was peace here before our conquest?"

Ilkama sighed, not wanting to admit Eli was right. "Why return to civilian life when we are already kings?"

"Why live with so much responsibility? As a civilian, you would be free from worry about your people!"

"The people serve me. I do not wish to serve another."

"Yet you claim you protect them from chaos. Is that not serving the people?"

"Yes. But the kingdom prospers for the king, not for the civilians. A prospering kingdom can expand its rule, which is why the Mienardos Conquest was successful. We trained as kids. We risked our lives and devoted everything to our kingdom while our king sat atop his throne. We deserve to be kings!"

"It is nobody's birthright to become a king but a prince himself," Eli retorted, not realizing what he had said. Ilkama's eyes widened, turning back to face the bed-ridden warrior. Eli felt the heat of Ilkama's stare before he stomped out of the room.

Oblivious to his situation with Ilkama, Eli finally slouched. Breaking the facade, he could relax. The debate made his head spin more. Looking at the table, he noticed the healing potion that Ilkama had left behind. He slowly and painfully reached for it. After drinking the potion, Eli felt nothing. However, as the minute passed, he felt the energy returning to him. Sudden shocks became present in his body, but each quickly passed. He held his hand up and turned it effortlessly; he was back to full strength.

Hopping out of bed, Eli noticed the papers he had dropped onto the floor. Though he had planned to escape soon, he decided to pick them up. As he calmly placed the notes on his desk, he heard Ilkama's screaming for the guards from downstairs. Worried about him, Eli peered out the door, watching as every guard around him sprinted downstairs.

Following carefully and quietly behind, Eli headed for the throne room. As he waited around the corner, he saw more guards enter the hall. When he saw Curtis coming down the opposite corridor, the two made eye contact and shared a nervous expression. Throughout their time in the castle, neither had heard Ilkama call out to the guards with such urgency. Knowing he could not stay hidden for long, Curtis put up his facade again and rushed into the room. Eli could barely look in without giving away his position.

He could not see Ilkama. Instead, he saw several rows of guards. Over the last few weeks, he had never seen them sit on both their knees while bowing perfectly straight. Generally, they responded by either standing or kneeling on one knee. Each guard had been under Ilkama's spell yet still exhibited fear of their ruler.

"There is a traitor in our midst!" Ilkama bellowed, sending a shiver down Eli's spine. "A wolf in sheep's clothing! You have defied my orders and have broken free from my spell. You have not been taking the elixir, and you have reminded Eli of the revolution. Whichever one of you helped him, step forth!" his voice echoed through the castle, the intensity overwhelming. Ilkama stared directly at Curtis knowingly. Eli's heart began racing as he trembled. "Perhaps you did not hear me the first time: step forth!" Ilkama ordered. Watching Curtis, Eli worried for his friend's life. However, the boy had been able to maintain his perfect posture. Eli was envious of his bravery and strength.

When nobody moved, Ilkama sighed. "Look up, all of you," he ordered. All the soldiers sat up. "I know who did it. It is the same person who has visited Lord Sholam for the last week. The same person who brought him to the feast. If you do not step forth, well, you already know the consequences."

Curtis's eyes widened, understanding the futility of his situation. Not complying would result in his innocent family's death, but complying would condemn him to death. There was a simple answer. Curtis stood up, saying, "It was me."