No matter how unbearable or unwanted certain truths might be, real life never leaves room for mercy. It presses people forward, forcing them to accept what they least wish to face.
This was the lesson Vira had come to understand during the many days since she lost her memory.
At this moment, she was sitting in her own room, wrapped in a red feathered shawl. Beneath it, she wore a soft blue blouse and a pair of relaxed golden trousers. The colors reflected faintly in the lamplight, giving her a gentle, almost dreamlike presence.
Compared to the monotony of her former bedroom, the space had transformed completely.
Crystalline decals of a phoenix, a black tiger, and a vermilion bird shimmered across the walls, catching the light whenever she moved. Several crystal spheres were neatly arranged on a shelf by the window. Some contained miniature glass dragons, others held qilin figures suspended in swirling light. There were also small crystal lamps shaped like black and red dragons, glowing faintly like embers trapped in glass.
Dr. C.C. sat across from her in a crimson ergonomic chair, designed to cradle the body in perfect balance. She surveyed the room slowly, her gaze lingering on each decorative piece.
"You know," C.C. said with a faint smile, "you never used to listen to my advice. But now look at you. You've turned your room into something that actually has artistic atmosphere."
"That's because you said decorating my room nicely would help lift my spirits," Vira replied. A smile slowly returned to her face, though a trace of sadness still flickered in her eyes like a shadow that refused to fade. "And besides… I feel like all of these things are objects I really like. They feel strangely familiar, too. Maybe they can help me recover my memories, so I bought them!"
Dr. C.C. lowered her gaze to the notebook in her hands. Her pen moved quickly as she scribbled observations about Vira's current condition. The handwriting was messy and rushed, recording the subtle differences between the present Vira and the Vira from before the accident.
Before losing her memory, Vira had never actively bought any of the items that now filled her room.
She had never mentioned phoenixes or black tigers, nor had she shown any interest in mythical beasts.
Yet now, Vira claimed these things felt familiar to her.
Dr. C.C. twirled the ballpoint pen between her fingers, deep in thought as she weighed different possibilities.
Could it be that after fainting, her brain had been stimulated in some way, causing her to feel a false sense of familiarity toward these new objects?
Or… were these things something Vira had encountered long ago, perhaps during her early childhood, or even the very first things she saw when she was born into this world?
After a moment of hesitation, Dr. C.C. told Vira she needed five minutes on her phone. Vira nodded obediently, gesturing for her to take care of her most urgent matters first.
Dr. C.C. sent messages to Vira's parents.
Both Fu Gui and Ling replied almost immediately:
"Ever since Vira was born, we raised her surrounded by the works of Mozart and Shakespeare, among other great artists and writers. We've absolutely never bought her any of those things."
"And honestly, if we had let that silly girl come into contact with things like that too early, I'm afraid she really would've believed she could learn how to fly or started imitating all kinds of mythological stories."
"Dr. C.C., you know Vira. She's the kind of person who admires Einstein and believes in learning through experimentation. How could we possibly let her get exposed to that sort of fantasy stuff too early?"
When the five minutes were up, Dr. C.C. closed her phone.
Vira's gaze drifted toward the book Dr. C.C. was holding. Her eyes sparkled with curiosity.
"Um… Dr. C.C., do you believe in past lives and reincarnation?"
Dr. C.C. lowered her head and brushed her fingers over the book's cover. The title was clearly printed in gold letters:
Past Lives and Present Lives: Regression Therapy Across the Cycles of Life.
With a quiet sigh, she decided to explain the whole story.
"Vira… recently, I met a man dressed in a black-and-gold long robe. People say he's an extraordinarily skilled physician in the mortal world. No matter how strange or difficult the illness, he can always cure it."
Vira's face immediately filled with concern. "They say doctors can heal others but can't heal themselves. Don't tell me…"
Dr. C.C. raised her hand gently, signaling Vira not to interrupt. "I'm fine," she assured her calmly. Then she continued, "After I told him about my troubles, he gave me this book. He said he's read it many times himself and hoped it could help resolve what I'm currently struggling with."
Her gaze shifted toward the glass dragon mask Vira had been holding tightly all day.
"Vira," Dr. C.C. asked softly, "is that glass dragon mask famous or something?"
It felt as if a soft thorn had pricked Vira's heart.
Her voice dropped, heavy with a quiet sadness. "Even if you ask me… I don't know…"
Dr. C.C. quickly apologized. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make you feel down. It's just that the man who gave me this book was wearing the exact same mask."
Vira tightened her grip around the glass dragon mask and lifted it up for a closer look.
For a fleeting instant, she felt as if the mask shimmered with a sudden clang-like brilliance, as though something deep within it had briefly awakened.