With that, they continued in silence, until they made it out of the forest in a few minutes.
They met a few people along the way, all dressed in strange kit, which just seemed to verify that he wasn't in the world he knew every time his doubt sprouted.
They strolled through the plain, empty expanse before they got to the gate.
By the left side of the huge gate was a narrow opening which people walk in and out. Meanwhile, the center of the gate bore a big opening that had few off-road vehicles going in and out after a short search.
The tall dull ash fence was rugged, and marred with many hairline cracks.
'How long has this existed? Now I'm sure this is not Earth. Maybe… Earth changed after I blacked out,' Jareth thought.
"Good to be back." Nadia stretched.
"Yeah. The dreadwood isn't as scary as they made it. Tomorrow, we will continue. I need to fill my core," Nadia added.
With that, they joined the people and walked through the small gate.
Jareth looked around upon entering, seeing few structures with many weirdly dressed people, which he assumed were the military, patrolling the area.
Not too far, were parked cars with people entering, and the car driving off into the city.
Jareth trailed behind them as they walked up to the car park.
"I will take this fire wolf as we've planned. See you guys tomorrow," said the blonde haired boy beside Nadia as he waved at them before walking towards a car.
The spooky boy gave a nod at the girls before walking up to another car.
"It's just us now," Liana said before turning to face Jareth with a smile. "Now that I've shown you the way, I would have left you to yourself, but since you've lost your memory, maybe taking you for a check up will be nice. Good samaritans have good endings."
Jareth shook his head with an easygoing smile. "I think I've troubled you enough. You just need to take me inside the city and I will find out for myself."
"See, he's lying," Nadia butted in. "He wants to avoid a check. Maybe his aim was to use you to sneak into the city."
Jareth was dumbfounded and annoyed at Nadia at the same time.
"I just wan—"
Nadia interrupted him. "Why don't you follow us somewhere to prove your innocence."
Taking a deep breath to calm his nerves, Jareth replied calmly, "I think I've had enough of you."
She smirked at his response. "If you don't follow me, I'll call the attention of those officers. After all, you're behaving suspiciously. If something is wrong with you, Liana will be the one to be held responsible. You don't want something bad to happen to your benefactor, right? So, are you coming?"
Nadia squinted.
Liana watched the drama from the side with knitted brows.
Jareth's heart pounded as he quickly thought things through.
After a few seconds, he answered, "Yes."
Nadia nodded and led Liana and him towards a taxi.
His heart was thumping as he wasn't confident of his identity, but he had no choice. Who wants to fall into the hands of adults instead of teenagers? Worst of all, the adults are in the military. Even though he was clueless about their methods, there was no way the 'officers' methods were friendly. Besides, he had seen some hints about this world, especially in that cavernous chamber.
***
Jareth leaned against the car's window, his expression composed and his gaze fixed on the fleeting street. But his thoughts were in turmoil, and he didn't have the time to admire the city. His current predicament was still disturbing him. He only knew that as they went deeper into the city, the more bustling and modern structures he saw.
Nadia sat beside him, her eyes watching him like a hawk stalking its prey, and Liana sat beside her but had her focus on the window.
Jareth felt his identity wasn't clean, so he was tempted to escape. But he remembered that he saw Liana shooting fire spears from her palm and Nadia throwing knives. So he ditched the idea, or he might get toasted and pierced like a barbeque.
He just gave in to his fate, and maybe a miracle could happen. But the more he thought of it, the higher his budding hatred for Nadia spiked.
After twenty-five minutes of the awkward journey, the car parked in front of an imposing single-story building.
Jareth saw a big signboard beside the gate that read, 'The Parliament Court, Terminis Dominion Branch.'
"Here we are. Get down," Nadia said to him in a whisper.
Taking a deep breath, he alighted from the car, followed by the girls. He caught a glimpse of Liana paying the bill with a watch on her wrist, but didn't have the time to think about it.
With that, Nadia led him through the gate with Liana following behind him, which made him feel she was blocking his exit. They walked into the building. There were other people walking in, including a few kids, dressed in attire ranging from formal to regular.
Although there were few dressed in strange kits, like Liana and Nadia.
But he didn't have the heart to observe them.
His heart was beating wildly along the way. His eyes subtly darted around, but he didn't see any way out.
On the way, Jareth spotted a reflective wall surface to his side that made him slow down. His eyes widened at the face he saw in his reflection.
He saw a young teenage boy with short, messy burgundy hair and a pair of hazel eyes set in a sharp oval face. His athletic frame was accentuated by his form-fitting, dull black attire.
'I-Is that me? Th-This is not my face.'
"Are you coming?" Nadia's voice snapped him from his thoughts, and he quickly caught up.
Soon, they stopped at a wide door that had the word, 'ID registration/retrieval' at the top.
His breath seized.
Nadia gestured for them to wait before she walked in.
She returned two minutes later after keeping Jareth waiting on his toes, with Liana glaring at him like she had a hidden grudge against him.
"Follow me," Nadia said and walked inside.
Jareth walked in as she led him into the brightly lit spacious room with few people inside. They walked up to a lady standing in front of a glass door that led to another room.
The lady smiled at him and opened the door before saying, "You can go in, and I'll remake your comm band in a few minutes."
Jareth could only enter the room with a silent prayer.
As the door shut behind him, the white light above turned green. His heart thumped.
He prayed silently as he stood in the corner. His brain was already combing through his head to manufacture a foolproof lie.
The silence in the room made the stay unbearable for his hanging heart, but he could only suppress his anxiety and feign calmness. It lasted for ten excruciating minutes before the door opened, and the green light turned white.
Jareth turned to see the lady holding the door, with Nadia and Liana beside her.
With a trembling heart, Jareth walked up to them like he was going to an execution.
"I've found your identity," the lady said sternly.