"So, you're the one they call Jormungandr," said the man with a wide smile, staring at Soren a bit too long. He seemed to be waiting for an answer, and Soren finally gave him one.
"Huh?"
The tension in the room dropped instantly. All three of them stared at Soren, each showing the same look of confusion. "What do you mean, 'huh'?" the man asked. "Who even are you?" Soren replied.
The man turned his head toward Akyo. "You didn't introduce me?" he asked. "Didn't really get the chance," Akyo replied flatly.
"Well then, let's start over from the beginning," the man continued. "My name's Tachi. The tall guy next to me is Akyo and the girl over there is Ana. And you are?"
Soren hesitated for a second before answering. "Soren," he said, staring straight at the one whose face was starting to look like a punching machine to him. "So your name's Akyo..", he said. He didn't show it, but inside he was thinking which piece of furniture inside the room could fit perfectly into his head.
His good intentions were interrupted when Tachi spoke again, noticing Akyo getting uncomfortable under Soren's intense glare. "Hey, I'm still here. I heard he roughed you up pretty bad. Don't worry, you'll have time to settle your score later," he said with a laugh.
'That bastard's bragging about beating me up?' Soren thought, furious, even if it was true.
"Alright, Soren," Tachi said. "Do you know why you were in a mountain?"
That question instantly caught Soren's attention, making him forget Akyo for a moment. "What do you mean, 'in a mountain'? I remember waking up in this huge hole, but nothing before that," he said.
"What do you mean, nothing? You remember nothing at all?" Tachi asked.
"No... The only thing I remember is my name. I heard someone calling me that before I opened my eyes."
He lowered his head and clenched the blanket in his fists. Hearing that frightened woman's voice calling his name made him feel uneasy.
"Mmmh, that's worse than I thought," Tachi said. "But tell me, you do know what you are, right?"
"What do you mean?" Søren asked.
"You're a god, I can't blame you, you're not making it that obvious," Akyo said.
"A divine being," Ana corrected.
'They're mocking me, that bastard,' Soren thought. It was the last straw. He suddenly stood up, face to face with Akyo, who didn't even flinch.
"A god? Stop messing with me, you smug boy. Don't try to take advantage of my amnesia," he said.
Ana, who had been standing next to Akyo, stepped aside. The tension in the room rose sharply.
"We'll have time to settle this later. Step back," Akyo said calmly.
"Why not now?" Soren shot back, throwing his fist toward Akyo.
But he stopped dead mid-swing. Nothing separated them, yet he couldn't move forward.
He felt a hand on his shoulder and turned his head. It was Tachi, smiling. "I said not yet," he said.
"You're the one doing this?" Søren asked, furious, turning toward him instead.
With a simple flick of Tachi's finger, Søren was slammed to the ground as if several tons had fallen on him. 'What the hell?' he thought. Then the pressure vanished, and suddenly Søren began to float. 'What the—?'
A second later, he was thrown back onto his bed like a ragdoll.
He lay there, speechless, staring at Tachi in shock. He had just been controlled like a puppet. But instead of anger, he felt something closer to fascination.
Ana stayed back from the group, calm and confident, as if she had expected all of this.
Søren realized he hadn't really paid attention to her before. Her hair was long, wavy, and the same color as Tachi's. Her eyes were green, and a scar ran from her right ear down below her eye. Her skin was lightly tanned, and she wore a white blouse with a black skirt. She wasn't very tall, but she was elegant and beautiful. 'She looks a lot like Tachi', he thought.
Tachi spoke again. "Listen, I expected this. You're lost, tense—I get it. But Akyo's not mocking you. Well… maybe a little," he said with a smile.
'You're not helping', Akyo thought, slightly exasperated.
"But he's not lying," Tachi continued. "Gods are real." His tone turned serious.
'What?' Soren thought, now listening carefully.
"Since ancient times, humans have always worshipped gods. Every region, every people had their own pantheon. Today they're seen as myths—old stories to explain what people couldn't understand. But the truth—
they are real. And not just gods — mythical creatures too. And you, Søren, are one of them. As for us three, we're part of the Foundation. In this world where gods exist, we're an organization in charge of preventing divine conflicts from destroying humanity," Tachi said.
"Maybe tone it down a bit," Ana muttered, sighing.
Soren didn't know what to say. That was a lot to take in — insane, even. The Foundation? That's barely even a name… he thought. And what gods is he talking about? He knew what a god was, but couldn't remember a single one by name.
Then he remembered what Tachi had called him earlier. Jormungandr… The name echoed in his mind. He suddenly looked up, his eyes locking on Tachi, his expression a mix of determination and confusion.
"Then who am I? Who is Jormunga—"
He stopped mid-sentence when Tachi covered his ears with his hands and said, "Blah blah blah, I can't hear you."
'What the hell?' Soren thought. Akyo and Ana both sighed silently. They were clearly used to this kind of childish behavior from Tachi.
"Listen," Tachi said, lowering his hands. "You want answers? I've got them. Or maybe I don't. But either way, if you want them, you'll work for me."
Akyo rolled his eyes, thinking, 'As if you're giving him a choice.'
"But first," Tachi continued, pausing dramatically, "before I answer all your questions, there's something way more important…"
Soren frowned, tense again. More important? What could possibly be more important than this?
Tachi smiled. "It's lunchtime."
Akyo facepalmed, Ana laughed softly, Tachi who didn't seem to really care about their reactions started walking toward the door. "In about thirty minutes, we'll meet at the cafeteria. You'll find it on your own," he said as he stepped out.
Ana followed, glancing at Soren on her way out. "See you later, Soren," she said with a warm smile.
Akyo was the last to leave. Before closing the door, he turned back toward Soren. "All this must sound insane," he said. "I'm not even sure you understand half of what he said. But if there's anyone who'll do everything he can to help you get your memories back, it's Tachi."
Soren lifted his head, surprised to hear Akyo talking to him normally for once. Maybe he's not such an asshole after all, he thought.
"Under that carefree attitude," Akyo continued, "that guy's way more important than he looks. Honestly, you might even owe him your life." Then he closed the door behind him, leaving Soren alone with his thoughts.
'I owe him my life?' he wondered. 'Who wanted me dead?
I'm Jormungandr? Who even is that?'
Countless questions rushed through his mind. He wanted to understand, to know more.
For the first time since he woke up, he had a real lead — something that might finally help him reach his goal, recovering his memories.