"Welcome."
They looked up as a gentle voice drifted down from above.
A woman was descending from the tall tree, moving with an effortless grace.
Her black hair cascaded over her shoulders, and her eyes were covered by a strip of cloth, yet unlike the blank faced man, she had all her features,a soft mouth, a delicate nose, the subtle curves of a human face.
The man smiled at her arrival. "It's been a while," he said, placing a hand over his chest and bowing his head slightly.
Why is he doing that? Is she someone important?
The boy watched, amazed, as she touched the ground and began walking,not toward Arthur, who had greeted her, but straight toward him.
She ignored the man completely.
"Aren't you too young to be here?" she asked, her voice laced with concern.
"How did you consume the fragment?"
She paused, then shook her head gently. "Oh, forgive me. You haven't gotten your memories back yet."
She reached out and patted the boy's head, her touch warm and motherly. Her brow was furrowed with worry.
Is she also a fragment holder?
"Flora," The man called out, his tone light despite her coldness. "You don't have to be so distant with me. After all, we have been together for almost an eternity."
He stepped closer until only four feet separated them. "He is the Truth fragment holder. He hasn't digested the power yet. So please, Flora, give him his first memory."
The man gestured toward the boy, his blank face somehow expectant.
"Do not address me so casually," Flora replied, her voice sharp.
She turned her attention back to the boy. "And I was about to give him his first memory. But first…" She paused, her covered eyes seeming to look at both of them. "Shouldn't we introduce ourselves?"
The boy's stomach tightened.
I don't even know my own name.
How am I supposed to introduce myself?
As if sensing his distress, Flora placed a hand on his shoulder. "I know you haven't found your name yet. How about I give you one?"
The worry in his chest loosened. For the first time since waking in this strange place, he felt a flicker of warmth.
He smiled, and it felt like a small victory.
"Your name will be…" She tilted her head, considering. "Leo."
"Leo," she repeated, as if testing the sound. "It suits you."
She turned to gesture at the silent man. "He already has a name. It is Arthur."
Arthur remained quiet, observing the exchange with an unreadable stillness.
"As for your first memory," Flora continued, "go into the forest. Each tree holds a truth. Listen carefully. One of them will call to you. When you find it, place your hand on its trunk."
Finally! I can get my memory back. Then I can leave this place.
Leo straightened his shoulders.
"What should I do now?" He glanced between them.
Arthur stood in silence, waiting for Flora to answer.
"Go into the forest alone. Walk until you find the tree that calls to you." Her voice grew solemn. "And remember—in this forest, you can never lie. If you do, you will lose yourself."
What?! I could die if I lie?
The words hit him like a cold wave. When he had first seen her, he thought she was gentle.
But now she spoke of losing oneself so easily, as if it were nothing.
How could a twelve years old boy not be terrified?
"Will I be safe?" he asked, his voice smaller than he intended.
A moment of silence stretched between them. Then Arthur spoke. "Only the three of us exist in this place. There is nothing else to fear."
With that, Leo turned and began walking toward the forest.
**************
Two hours later.
Leo stormed through the dense undergrowth, his breath coming in sharp, frustrated gasps. His legs ached. His feet were sore. And he had found nothing.
He stopped and looked up at the trees surrounding him.
Each one loomed at least ten meters tall, their trunks like ancient pillars holding up the sky.
Compared to them, he felt like an insect, small, insignificant, easily crushed.
His fists clenched at his sides.
"I've been walking for hours!" he shouted into the empty woods.
No one answered.
The trees simply stood there, indifferent to his anger.
He kicked at a root jutting from the earth and immediately regretted it as pain shot through his toes. He hopped on one foot, biting back a curse.
This is useless. What if there is no tree calling for me? What if Flora was wrong? What if—
Then he felt it.
A pull. Small, subtle, like a thread tugging at the center of his chest.
It wasn't loud or demanding. It was simply there, waiting for him to notice.
Leo stopped hopping. He held his breath and listened.
The feeling grew stronger, nudging him to his left.
Without thinking, he turned and walked. The pull guided him through the maze of massive trunks, past roots that curled like sleeping serpents, beneath branches that wove together to block out the sky.
And then he saw it.
Among the giants, one tree stood slightly apart from the others.
It was still tall, taller than any tree he had ever seen before he came to this place, but compared to its neighbors, it was just a little smaller.
A little humbler. As if it knew its place among titans and was content with it.
Leo's heart began to beat faster.
The pull in his chest became a gentle hum, resonating with something deep inside him.
This is it.
He walked toward it, his earlier frustration melting away.
Each step felt heavier, more significant, as if the forest itself had grown quiet to witness what would happen next.
He stopped before the trunk.
The bark was dark and rough, etched with patterns that seemed almost like writing, though he couldn't read them.
The tree stood waiting.
Leo reached out.
His palm pressed against the rough surface. For a moment, nothing happened.
He wondered if he had made a mistake.
Then the world fell away.