The Last Beacon

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Without a moment of hesitation, Decius had teleported the three of them to a new area.

Despite it still being dark outside, the tall house stood out in the black surroundings. The full moon peered out from behind the clouds, illuminating the landscape and allowing Sascha an opportunity to take in her surroundings.

Without thinking, her legs carried her towards the house, her entire body being pulled towards it. She couldn't recall the building vividly, but she knew that it was the place. In her heart, she felt nothing but a sense of home.

She could see the farmhouse was painted white, but it was weathered with age and lichen. One of the windows was boarded up, and the wood of the porch was worn down and loose.

She could also see an old greenhouse beyond the main house. The glass was intact but dirty and clouded, with tall weeds swathing the structure inside and out.

Although she couldn't remember it directly, there was something about the property that felt right to Sascha. She couldn't quite place the feeling, but somehow, she knew that there was something about it that was familiar.

This is it. I'm home, I just know it, she thought.

As she got closer to the house, the feeling in the pit of her stomach grew. Being around the faded farmhouse felt so wrong to her, yet it felt so right at the same time. It was as though she belonged there but wasn't meant to see it again.

As her foot hit the porch, the wood creaked and groaned beneath her. The boards that covered over the broken window were crudely fastened, and the cracked edges of the window beneath could be seen.

Sascha carefully made her way over to it, cautiously running her fingertips over the wooden boards. She knew she recognised it, and it was as though a memory had been unlocked within her mind.

It all came back to her in a flood, the memories swarming into her mind. She could not tell whether it was Decius feeding the memories into her mind or whether they were returning on their own. As far as she was concerned, though, she didn't care. She was too eager to remember her childhood to bother with determining the source.

Then, she could no longer see the world around her. Instead, she was greeted with a montage of memory within her mind.

At once, she saw everything.

First, it was a young Decius breaking the window. She recalled him hurling a ball too hard, sending it straight into the window and shattering the glass. She then saw Renata, scolding him and making him help her board up the window and sweep up the shards of glass.

Then, she saw the three of them playing together, chasing one another and hiding out amongst the scant vegetation the property offered. She saw a grin on young Decius's face. A look of joy like she had never seen before.

We really were all happy back then, weren't we?

Sascha saw Decius struggling to learn to cook under the watchful eye of their mother. She couldn't help but laugh at the memory as she saw him set the pan on fire.

More and more memories flashed through her mind, and after a few minutes, she had seen everything she had to see.

Her childhood was no longer a mystery, and her life was no longer a secret. She finally knew who she was.

After all this time, she thought, I know who I am. I don't have to live my life in ignorance anymore. It seems so simple, but it was far more powerful than anyone could know. Getting my memories back means so much to me. I feel like I'm complete now, like I've been fulfilled.