Dazed and Confused

A couple days later, Kai stumbled out of the alleyway, dazed and disoriented. He had no memory of how he had ended up there, or even where "there" was. He looked around, but nothing seemed familiar.

The buildings around him were tall and imposing, made of gray stone that seemed to absorb the light rather than reflect it. The streets were narrow and winding, with a maze-like quality that made it difficult to get his bearings.

Kai shook his head, trying to clear his thoughts. He felt like he had just woken up from a long sleep, and his mind was sluggish and unresponsive.

As he walked, he tried to piece together his memories. He knew that he had been on a mission with a group of other people, but he couldn't remember any of their names or faces. He couldn't even remember what the mission had been about.

Kai's head began to throb with a dull ache. He felt like he was missing something important, something that he needed to remember. But no matter how hard he tried, the memories remained just out of reach.

He continued to wander aimlessly, hoping that something would trigger his memory. But the more he walked, the more lost he felt.

Eventually, Kai came across a small park nestled in between two towering buildings. He made his way over to a bench and sat down, trying to calm his racing thoughts.

As he sat there, a woman approached him. She was middle-aged, with kind eyes and a warm smile.

"Are you alright?" she asked.

Kai shook his head. "I don't know," he admitted. "I can't remember anything. I don't even know where I am."

The woman's expression softened. "That must be scary," she said. "But don't worry, we'll help you figure it out."

She introduced herself as Sarah and offered to take Kai to a nearby café where they could sit down and talk. Kai agreed, grateful for the kindness of this stranger.

Over coffee and pastries, Sarah patiently listened as Kai explained his situation. She didn't seem at all surprised by his memory loss, which only added to Kai's confusion.

"It's not uncommon to have memory loss after a traumatic event," she explained. "Sometimes our brains try to protect us by blocking out certain memories."

Kai felt a sense of relief at this explanation. It made sense, in a way. But the question remained: what had happened to him? And where were the rest of his team?

As they talked, Kai couldn't shake the feeling that there was something familiar about Sarah. He couldn't quite put his finger on it, but there was a sense of connection between them.

And then, suddenly, it all came flooding back. The mission, the team, the pocket dimension. The hellish observer, Lirien's disappearance, his own sudden appearance in this strange city.

Kai felt like he had been hit with a ton of bricks. How could he have forgotten all of that? And why had it all come rushing back to him now, in the middle of a café?

He looked up at Sarah, but she was no longer there. In fact, the entire café seemed to have vanished, replaced by a swirling vortex of light and darkness.

Kai braced himself, unsure of what was about to happen. But before he could react, he was sucked into the vortex, hurtling through time and space once again.