Chapter 6

  THE ENIGMA

  A sharp pain jolted Max awake. He brought a hand to his forehead, trying to steady the disorientation flooding his senses. His heartbeat thundered like a drum, and every fiber of his being screamed that something was terribly wrong.

  Staggering, he made his way to the bathroom and faced the mirror. The reflection staring back at him looked more like a stranger than himself. His dark, tired eyes carried an emptiness he couldn’t explain. He swallowed hard and splashed his face with icy water, hoping to clear his head.

  He took a deep breath and, without a word, drew himself a long shower. Standing beneath the hot water, fleeting images of something he couldn’t remember tormented him. What’s wrong with me today? he thought, frustrated.

  Back in his room, he picked up his phone out of pure instinct, but once he unlocked it, he didn’t know what he was looking for. His finger scrolled through contacts and messages, as if expecting something to restore clarity. An uncomfortable feeling gnawed at him from the inside.

  —I must be losing my mind —he muttered, closing his eyes for a moment.

  The aroma of freshly brewed coffee filled the kitchen, but not even that calmed him. Something was missing. Something was… broken.

  Following an inexplicable impulse, he went upstairs to his parents’ bedroom. When he opened the door, he found the room empty. Everything was perfectly arranged, yet there was something unsettling about that perfection.

  —Where are you? —he whispered to the air, his hands brushing over the furniture as if searching for clues.

  Among their things, he found a necklace. The gift his mother had given him when he was ten, which he had stopped wearing out of teenage vanity. The black steel feather gleamed faintly in his hand, as if calling to him.

  —What are you doing here? —he said, almost trembling. He put it on, feeling a strange warmth bloom in his chest.

  He tried to act normally. He grabbed his backpack and headed to school, though each step felt heavier than the last.

  Class, as always, dragged on slowly and tediously. But that day he couldn’t even focus on the sounds around him. His thoughts were a whirlwind. The sense that something was terribly wrong refused to leave him.

  —Are you okay? —Tatiana’s voice pulled him out of his daze.

  She looked at him with concern, sitting beside him without waiting for an answer.

  —I don’t know —Max replied, still staring out the window—. I feel… like something’s wrong, but I don’t know what.

  Tatiana smiled, trying to reassure him.

  —Maybe it’s just stress. Sometimes my head plays tricks on me too. If you want, we can go out. A break might do you good.

  He hesitated for a moment, then nodded.

  —Yeah. I need to get out of here.

  As they walked toward the exit, a strange woman appeared in front of them. Her skin was pale, almost unreal, and her green eyes shone with an unsettling intensity.

  —Max Hotsson? —she asked in a soft, whisper-like voice.

  —Who’s asking? —Max replied, frowning.

  The woman smiled and leaned closer.

  —Sabine says hello.

  Before he could react, the woman touched his chest with an icy finger.

  —Libera animam obstructam. Libera donum… ut Hecate te iterum amplectatur.

  The world vanished. Every sound, every light, every sensation faded away. Then came the pain, as if something beneath his skin were breaking, burning, awakening. Max collapsed to the ground, gasping for air. Darkness wrapped around him. In that void, a lantern cast a faint blue light that, strangely, soothed his fear.

  Little by little, the gloom revealed the figure of a pregnant woman with a strong, solemn presence, gazing at him with sorrow. To her right stood a young woman with dreamy eyes, looking at him with hope, and to her left, an elderly woman with a gentle bearing watched him with curiosity.

  —My son, rise —the three women said in unison.

  —Where am I? —Max asked, rising to his feet and studying them, without feeling the fear he should have felt.

  —That doesn’t matter. Your destiny has begun to take shape. You’ve slept for too long, and today it’s time to awaken —the three voices replied together, echoing in the void. The pregnant woman stepped forward and gently caressed his cheek. The warmth of her hand chased away his fears, if only for a moment.

  —Follow him —they instructed, pointing to a large black dog with glowing blue eyes.

  Max followed the dog along a path of ancient stone, where keys of many shapes glimmered softly as the animal passed. As he walked, the moon began to shine behind him. He opened his eyes and felt the warmth fade. The woman who had cast the spell and the three figures were gone, leaving him alone with a sense of freedom.

  —Max! What’s wrong? —Tatiana helped him to his feet, but he could barely hear her.

  —Laura… Gabriel… —he murmured, his face pale.

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  —Who?

  He looked at her, desperate.

  —Laura and Gabriel! Where are they?

  —What are you talking about? I don’t know anyone by those names.

  —Of course you do! Laura, my best friend since I was eight, and Gabriel, the new guy. We’re always together!

  Tatiana stared at him with a mix of confusion and fear.

  —Max, I don’t know who you’re talking about. I think you should—

  But he didn’t let her finish. He ran toward his house, ignoring his friend’s words.

  Every corner of the house seemed filled with memories that assaulted him violently. Laura’s and Gabriel’s faces appeared in his mind with a clarity that terrified him.

  —Why doesn’t anyone remember them?! —he shouted, his voice thick with rage and despair.

  At that moment, his irises flashed briefly with a lavender glow, as if hiding a storm. A deafening crash shattered the heavy silence, making the walls tremble. Closet doors flew open with a sinister creak, while plates were hurled from cupboards as if by invisible hands, smashing across the floor.

  Max stood frozen, staring at the destruction around him.

  —What… what is happening?

  Without giving himself time to think, he grabbed his car keys and sped off toward the forgotten tunnel on the outskirts of the city. He needed answers.

  After an hour of driving along winding, dark roads—each kilometer making him more afraid of what awaited him—Max arrived. He stopped the car in front of a stone wall covered in moss and roots. It looked harmless, yet its presence radiated danger.

  Max swallowed.

  —How was it? —he murmured, trying to remember the exact words Cristina had spoken—. Ah, right… “While darkness endures, light shall emanate from every sister.”

  The wall trembled at the sound of the words. Cracks spread rapidly until the structure collapsed into dust that vanished as it touched the ground.

  Max slowly drove into the dark tunnel opening before him. The instant he crossed the threshold, darkness wrapped around him like a heavy cloak, and the silence was so thick he could hear his own heartbeat. Suddenly, a cracking sound made him flinch—roots burst from the ground, coiling like serpents around the vehicle.

  —No, no, no! —Max shouted, helpless as the car was completely ensnared.

  After several eternal seconds, the roots withdrew as quickly as they had appeared. Before him stood a vast hall lit by floating torches, their flames dancing without consuming wood. The walls were covered in arcane inscriptions and symbols that seemed to move when observed. He recognized the place immediately: it was where he had been enchanted.

  —This is where it all began… —he whispered, stepping out cautiously.

  He hadn’t taken more than two steps when a group of women emerged from the shadows. Their eyes glowed with an intensity he couldn’t interpret. Some stared at him in confusion; others held fireballs in their hands, ready to strike.

  From among them, an imposing elderly woman stepped forward. Her skin was pale, but her dark, piercing eyes radiated authority.

  —Identify yourself. —Her voice echoed like a storm, firm and powerful.

  —I—I’m Max Hotsson —he replied, his voice trembling.

  The old woman studied him as if reading his soul.

  —What are you? —she pressed coldly—. Identify your species, or my girls will make sure nothing remains of you.

  —I’m human. —Max raised his hands, showing he wasn’t a threat—. I don’t want to hurt anyone. I just want to see my friends.

  The mention of his friends made the woman tense.

  —Who do you mean?

  —Laura Silva and Gabriel Berht —Max answered, steady despite his fear.

  For a moment, the old woman showed no emotion. Then her gaze hardened.

  —They… —she whispered, lips pressed tight. She looked toward one woman who had remained at the back—. Cristina, come here.

  Max immediately recognized the witch who had enchanted him. Fury flared in his eyes.

  —You! —he snapped, stepping toward her.

  —Max? —Cristina looked genuinely shocked—. How…?

  —You said you erased his memories —the old woman cut in, clearly angry.

  —I did, Madame Liona —Cristina insisted, even more confused than Max—. I did.

  —Well, it seems it didn’t work. Are you losing your touch? —Madame Liona sneered.

  Cristina frowned, crossing her arms as she tried to process what was happening.

  —What witch would be stupid enough to make a human remember our world? —she asked incredulously.

  Madame Liona fell silent, watching Max with a mix of interest and suspicion.

  —I don’t know. But you know there are still traitors from the War of Shadows at large. Perhaps this is mockery—some miserable way to cause trouble.

  Max stepped forward before they could decide his fate.

  —I want to see my friends. Please. I won’t leave until I speak to them.

  Murmurs rippled through the witches. Madame Liona raised a hand, silencing them.

  —You’re brave, boy. —She studied him—. Very well. You may speak with them.

  Relief washed over Max, though the tension remained.

  —Cristina, take him to them, and then bring the three of them to my office. We need a private conversation.

  Cristina nodded stiffly.

  —Follow me —she said curtly.

  They walked through a long corridor lined with large portraits of women whose eyes seemed to follow them. Cristina stopped at a door labeled Laura Silva.

  —Go in.

  Max burst through the door.

  —Laura! Gabriel!

  He rushed forward, hugging them tightly.

  —You remember us! —Gabriel said, overwhelmed—. How did you break the spell?

  —It wasn’t him —Cristina interjected—. His memories were restored by someone else.

  Laura looked at Max, worried.

  —I’m glad to see you, Max, but… I don’t know if I can control my other form.

  —You’re fine, Laura. It’s only been a day —Max said.

  —A day? —Gabriel repeated—. Max, it’s been a week.

  —A week?! My parents have been gone for a week?! —Max slammed his fist onto a table—. Damn it!

  —Why are you still here, Gabriel? —Max demanded.

  —The portals to Paradise aren’t working —Gabriel replied calmly—. Madame Liona let me stay. And I’ve been good company for Laura.

  —Having Gabriel here has given me hope —Laura admitted softly.

  —It’s time —Cristina said from the doorway.

  They followed her to Madame Liona’s office, filled with floating books and magical instruments. Madame Liona gestured for them to sit.

  —Be honest —she said.

  She questioned Laura, then Gabriel. Both denied any involvement.

  —She’s telling the truth —Cristina confirmed.

  Madame Liona turned to Max.

  —Have you met anyone strange?

  —Answer —Cristina warned.

  —Yes. A woman approached me and said, “Sabine says hello.”

  Madame Liona’s expression changed.

  —Sabine…

  —A witch broke my spell —Cristina said, relieved and furious.

  —How did you enter the Grand Hall? —Madame Liona asked.

  —The roots didn’t hurt me —Max said.

  —Impossible —Madame Liona snapped.

  Cristina closed her eyes.

  —He’s telling the truth.

  —What does that mean? —Gabriel asked.

  —The entrance only opens for witches —Madame Liona said gravely.

  —Is Max a witch? —Laura asked—. Are you trans?

  —What?! No! —Max protested.

  —Enough —Madame Liona said—. For now, Max will stay here.

  —I need answers —Max insisted.

  —So do we —Madame Liona replied—. And we’ll find them.

  As they were led out, Madame Liona and Cristina remained behind, searching ancient books for answers to the enigma that was Max.