Fate Line

Chapter 4

Elian opened his eyes and stared at the ceiling. His body felt heavy, as if filled with cotton, and a faint ringing echoed in his head. It took him a few seconds to realize, he was back in that same bed, in the house. Slowly turning his head, he whispered under his breath:

"She was so beautiful… do I know her?"

A cheerful voice replied beside him:

"You talking about me or what?"

He flinched. He hadn't noticed her sitting there.

She had striking green eyes and a soft smile. Elian blinked a few times and then muttered:

"Forget what I said… how did I end up here?"

The girl grinned, amused.

"Not gonna forget that easily. You've been lying here unconscious for three whole days, we seriously thought you were dead."

Elian sat up slightly, eyes wide.

"Three days? Seriously? I… I don't even know why I blacked out like that…"

"Yeah, it's weird," she said casually, then handed him a cup. "Here, I brought you tea. Just relax for now, okay?"

Elian hesitated. "Wait, but how.. "

"It doesn't matter," she cut him off gently. "Rest."

Then she stood up and walked out of the room, leaving Elian alone.

He sat in silence, thoughts racing.

Why was she so beautiful… but felt completely unreal?

Getting up from the bed, he noticed he was wearing a set of simple house clothes, just like the others in the house. He stepped out of the room and spotted the same boy who'd sat between Linnea and Kane at the table before. The boy looked at him, surprised.

"Finally awake, huh? Come downstairs, we're having lunch. Oh, and don't mind them too much, okay?"

Without waiting for a response, he headed toward the stairs.

Elian paused for a moment.

I don't even know any of their names… This is a good chance to fix that.

He went to the bathroom, washed his face, and then made his way downstairs.

Everyone was already gathered around the table. The green-eyed girl saw him first.

"Ohh, Elian! Come sit here!" She patted the empty seat between herself and Linnea.

He took the seat and, after a short moment, said:

"Thanks for everything… but, to be honest, I don't even know your names."

The green-eyed girl blinked, then laughed.

"Right! I'm Iris."

The boy sitting between Linnea and Kane added, "I'm Krais."

Across from Elian, another boy gave a short nod. "Silas. Nice to meet you."

Next to Silas sat a shorter girl with a sharp gaze, Elian remembered she didn't like him at first.

"I'm Mila. Try not to die in this house," she said, smirking.

The table burst into laughter, and Elian realized it was just a joke. He relaxed.

Linnea smiled gently.

"We're all between sixteen and seventeen. Basically the same age."

Everyone bowed their heads briefly as Iris cheerfully announced:

"Bon appétit!"

And just like that, they started eating. It was casual, light, full of chatter.

Midway through the meal, Iris leaned toward Elian.

"So, who were you talking about when you woke up, hmm?"

Linnea glanced over. "Wait, what are you two talking about?"

Elian waved a hand.

"Ah, nothing… she must've misheard me."

Iris gave him a teasing look but dropped the subject.

They continued laughing, sharing stories, until suddenly, Elian froze.

A cold sensation passed through his entire body, like ice in his veins. It only lasted a few seconds, then vanished. He looked around, confused.

"Did you guys feel that? That… insane cold just now?"

Kane blinked. "Cold? No. You okay?"

Elian hesitated. "Ah, no, forget it."

The topic changed quickly. Once everyone finished eating, they brought the dishes to the sink and headed to their rooms.

Only Elian and Krais remained in the kitchen.

Elian glanced at the stacked dishes. "So… what about them?"

Krais shrugged.

"Don't worry. We all take turns doing the dishes. Today's my shift."

"You want help?"

"Nah, I prefer doing it alone. You go relax."

Elian nodded in thanks and walked back to his room. He sat for a while, looked around, but got bored pretty quickly.

Eventually, he wandered downstairs and stepped outside.

In the garden, he spotted Iris sitting on a bench. She noticed him and stood up, walking over.

"Going somewhere?" she asked.

"I just wanted to breathe some fresh air… maybe check out the area a bit."

"Ooh, I'm coming with you. Who knows what could happen out there," she joked.

They walked along the sidewalk. Iris glanced at him thoughtfully.

"Linnea told us everything about you… But I still don't get how you lost only your memories of yourself."

Elian gave a half-smile. "Honestly, I don't get it either."

Iris narrowed her eyes. "Tell me—who was the girl you were talking about when you woke up?"

"I saw someone… in a white dress. She was beautiful, beyond words, but I didn't know who she was. I asked, and she said we knew each other. That's when I woke up."

Iris sighed. "Pfft. And here I was thinking you had a secret girlfriend. Oh well."

They stopped at a small playground and sat on the swings. Iris started telling him stories, funny things about their house, the people, how they all ended up together.

Eventually, Elian asked:

"So how do you guys make money?"

"We support ourselves through social media," she answered.

"Doing what?"

"Well… we run an account. A pretty big one. We've got a lot of fans. Makes it easy to live."

"Without showing your faces, right?"

"Obviously."

Just then, five unfamiliar boys around their age approached, surrounding them. One of them, clearly the leader, smirked.

"Hey there. Don't think I've seen this guy around here. Who is he?"

Iris crossed her arms. "What do you want?"

The guy grinned. "You I've seen. You live with Silas, right? But this guy, never seen him before."

Elian stepped forward. "I live with them now. Name's Elian. And you?"

"Did I ask for introductions, idiot?" the boy snapped. "We're not here to chat."

Iris narrowed her eyes. "And who is Silas to you?"

The boy shrugged. "We're... acquaintances."

Elian cut in. "Well, if you're not here to talk, we've got nothing to say."

The boy stepped closer, sneering. "Do you even know who I am?"

One of his friends laughed. "Look at his face, he's basically asking us to break his arm."

More laughter.

Elian stood firm. "Then go ahead. Try."

The leader leaned in close. "You gonna back that up?"

"You're the one who started this," Elian said coldly. "I'll finish it."

Iris stepped in. "Elian, stop. You don't even know who this guy is…"

Elian looked at her calmly. "After this, he'll learn to introduce himself properly."

They formed a circle. The boy charged. One second and then he was on the ground, groaning.

Nobody saw what happened.

Everyone stared, speechless.

"What the hell…?" someone muttered.

Elian walked over to Iris, who was frozen in place.

"Tell me on the way home," she whispered.

They walked in silence for a while.

"Okay, seriously," she said. "How did you do that?"

Elian replied without hesitation. "He was incredibly weak. I felt it."

"You felt it?"

"Yeah. Guys feel this instinctively. Ask the others—they'll get it."

"…Are you sure you lost your memory?"

"I said I forgot myself, not everything else."

Back at the house, they noticed an ambulance parked in the yard.

Inside, they found Krais lying on the floor, with blood on his head.

Elian and Iris froze.

"What…?" Iris whispered.

She ran to one of the paramedics. "What happened to him?"

The man in the white coat sighed. "He was found behind the store. Looks like someone lured him there and hit him with a rock. The bloody stone was still lying next to him."

Elian's voice was tense. "Is he going to be okay?"

"We've stopped the bleeding. He just needs rest and care. That girl over there offered to take responsibility," he added, pointing at Linnea.

They all gathered around.

Linnea said calmly, "Don't worry. I'll take care of him."

The medic handed her a list of instructions before leaving with his team.

Elian looked at her. "You sure you'll be okay alone?"

Linnea nodded. "Absolutely."

Iris turned to Silas. "Hey, Silas. That bald guy who keeps causing trouble in the neighborhood, who is he to you?"

Silas narrowed his eyes. "No one. He just… knows who I am."

Iris frowned. "How does he know you?"

Silas looked away. "Why do you care?"

Iris smirked. "Turns out he's a total weakling. We didn't even see how he hit the ground."

Silas blinked. "Wait. You fought him?"

"Elian did. And won."

Silas looked shocked. "I always thought that guy just ran his mouth… didn't think he could actually fight."

"Apparently not," Iris said. "Guess the rumors were wrong."

Linnea stood up.

"Guys, you should go rest. Krais needs a quiet room."

Mila nodded. "Agreed."

They all headed to their rooms, except Elian.

"I've got nothing to do anyway," he said. "I'll sit with you. Maybe help."

Linnea smiled. "Don't worry. There's not much to do."

Elian sighed. "Alright, fine. I'll go nap or something."

He went upstairs, then decided to explore the third floor. There, he spotted Iris standing by the hall.

He walked up. "Iris, which one of these rooms is yours?"

She smiled playfully. "Wanna see? I'll give you a tour."

"Sure. That'd be nice."

She led him to room 04.

They stepped inside.

It was spacious, clean, and bathed in natural light. The walls were soft cream, the bedsheets pastel. A small vanity stood by the window, its surface perfectly organized. White candles, dried flowers in a glass jar, and a few minimalistic posters adorned the room. A woven beige rug lay beneath a sleek wooden desk with a matching chair. Everything smelled of lavender and soft perfume.

"Wow," Elian said, genuinely impressed. "This place is amazing… so neat."

Iris giggled. "Thanks."

Just then, they heard a voice from downstairs, Linnea calling for them.

They rushed down, joined by Mila and Silas.

Linnea was sitting on the couch, remote in hand.

"Guys," she said. "Look at this, something is going on in the news…"