The girl's vice grip loosened, and she took the seat beside Eric's bed. Next, a smartly dressed man with a clunky and retro-looking stethoscope walked over and cleared his throat.

  "Good evening, Mr. Collins. Your injuries have healed faster than expected. I'll have you out of here within the week." The Doctor said

  "What? Where am I?" Eric asked

  "You're in the hospital, silly." The lady beside him giggled

  She and Maverick looked at each other, and a dreadful realization dawned on the woman. 'He doesn't recognise me?' she thought. The Doctor connected the dots, then asked Eric.

  "Mr. Collins, how much do you remember?" The Doctor knelt next to the bed and started looking over his injuries.

  "Nothing after waking up in that dark, wet dungeon."

  As Eric said this, the lady put her hand over her mouth and walked out of the room. Now crying for an entirely different reason. The doctor finished his examination and left the room. He and the lady met in the hall.

  "Miss Collins, I believe that your younger brother is suffering from a form of amnesia."

  "What is amnesia, doctor Gillian?"

  "It is a form of memory loss that can occur when a person receives a strong blow to the head. Luckily, it seems that only his memory before the incident was affected, so he will still be able to live like a normal person after an adjustment period."

  "You talk as if this is permanent." She asked anxiously.

  "That's not necessarily the case. I have read some cases where the patient recalled everything with enough time and reminders."

  "Please Harry just tell me straight. Will my brother ever recognise me again?" Miss Colins asked the doctor.

  "Mary...It's best to balance hope with pragmatism in situations like this." The doctor replied.

  Mary then turned away from the doctor and covered her eyes.

  "Miss Collins, we need to have a word with you." Mary looked back and saw two officers holding up badges.

  Back in Eric's room, he was trying to sort his thoughts and asses the situation. Eric picked up a silver tray resting on the nightstand, the bottles resting on top clattered down. Then he looked at his reflection. 'I really am in a different body. Let's think this through. I don't think this is a dream or an illusion. I'll treat everything as if it's real for now.' Eric turned his head trying to get used to his new face. 'Back in that dungeon, a bunch of information got into my head. Most of it is foggy. Two things stand out right now. A name, Maverick Collins and a word, conquer. What's the significance of conquer?' Eric looked down at the mess he made and reached his hand down to pick it up. He couldn't quite reach it, but then the invisible tendrils from his back reached out and picked up all the bottles. Eric was taken aback, but directed the bottles onto the nightstand. 'That's freaky,' Eric thought.

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  Then the door opened, and two police officers came in. One was clearly older than the other. The older one still had a young face but had greying sideburns and an experienced disposition. Both were dressed in trench coats and ties like something out of an old spy movie. The older one had a scowl on his face as he sat on the bed against mine. He crossed his legs and made himself at home as he whipped out a pencil and paper. The younger one leaned on the door and had a jovial smile on. He had the darkest black hair Eric had ever seen and grey eyes. Looking at him closer, Eric found him rather charming.

  "Mr. Collins, my name is Inspector Clawford. My associate over there is Officer Fairen. I am aware that you are experiencing trouble with your memory due to the incident you were in, but it would be greatly appreciated if you could give us a statement of what happened." The older officer said.

  "Of course." 'How much should I tell them?' "I...uh"

  "It is all right to take your time, Mr. Collins." Inspector Clawford encouraged

  Eric hesitated a few more moments and gathered his thoughts. "I woke up in a dungeon, screaming. I'm sure why. Then two masked men came in and bowed to me. I took the opportunity to run. During the chase, one of them stabbed me. Then something invisible tore the two to shreds, and I ran into the woods." Eric decided to tell the truth. Internally Eric thought 'Lying won't get me anywhere, and if these two know anything more than what I just told them, then they would instantly be able to tell I'm lying. Also, I don't know if I still have my poker face or not.'

  The Inspector was writing on his pad. The officer leaning on the door was listening intently. Then the officer at the door spoke up. "You said that the two men bowed to you. Do you have any idea why they would do so?"

  "No, I don't, but they did call me Zallen and mentioned a place called Novara."

  The two men shifted uncomfortably before composing themselves. The Inspector cleared his throat and looked at his pad before scratching something off. 'They know something more,' Eric thought.

  "Inspector, do you know who the men were and why they kidnapped me?" Eric asked

  "No, we do not, and if you have nothing to add, we'd best leave you to your rest." The Inspector responded.

  The Inspector and the officer left the room and got in a carriage. Inspector Clawford placed his hat on the seat next to him and then let go of a sigh of resignation. Officer Fairen sat across from him and stared intently at the building they came from. 'That was terrifying. Who does that kid think he's fooling? There is no way someone can have that much Demonic energy without being up to something.' Fairen thought.

  "What now, sir?" Fairen asked

  Inspector Clawford took a long look at Fairen's face and sighed again, exasperated. "We watch and wait. There are plenty of reasons someone can have that much demonic energy. In any case, we don't know everything yet. The kid may be telling the truth. If that's the case, it would mean the demon that attacked him lost. And even if the poor boy is dead and a demon is driving his flesh around, we don't know which demon he is or what he wants." Clawford rested his head on his hand. "I'd be so much simpler if the cultists from the woods were still alive."

  Fairen thought about what the Inspector said and then responded under his breath. "What about Zallen of old Novara?"

  "That is the tricky part." Clawford shifted in his seat. "I'll report the mention of Zallen to the higher-ups. Any other response is beyond our capabilities." Clawford rubbed his eyes from fatigue. "If he really is Zallen, then this whole town will become his feeding ground no matter what we do. Under no circumstances interact with the kid or his sister unless they come to us."