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[AUTHOR NOTE — So I am a fucking idiot. I forgot to publish this chapter that I had written. Sorry for the inconvenience; it happened because I didn't see it in the draft, as it was on the second page. Sorry, guys.]
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As the surroundings rippled violently, the colors bled, forming images, causing me to see something other than colors for the first time in this forsaken place.
Images started to take form, and what I saw were the memories of my past life.
My vision got occupied by it, and it became the only thing I saw—the memories that were playing in front of me, like a play orchestrated by a puppeteer.
Some of them were hazy, which I had forgotten, and the rest of them were clear, which I still remembered.
There was one more thing about what I was seeing: that all the memories playing before me were blinking like a light bulb getting switched on and off, while all the space still kept rippling as usual—but not violently.
I continued to watch the memories that were in my POV.
I didn't feel the flow of time, and I also didn't feel melancholic or anything by watching the memories of my previous life playing before me, as my mind was still blank—without any thought.
Even if my mind was not blank, I was not sure if I really would feel, as I was just ignoring my past life till now.
It was not because I hated my previous life or anything; it was just that I didn't feel any reason to mull over it.
Why I did that, even I don't know.
The memories continued to play before coming to the last part—where I had died.
After that, it blinked one more time before vanishing completely.
Followed by the vanishing of my memories, memories of this life—or may I say memories of Eden in this life—came into view.
This time, the memories were in a chaotic mess.
They were playing perfectly, but they were blinking, rippling, breaking, vanishing, and whatnot.
I watched these memories too, before they vanished, ending just before Eden went unconscious.
After these memories came memories of myself that I had spent in this world.
As these memories started to play, the surroundings stopped rippling, coming to a standstill.
Making it look as if my eyesight had improved, as these were the clearest I had seen in this place.
As these memories started to reach this point in time, they started to come towards me, matching my eyesight, before aligning with my vision.
Just as this happened, darkness enveloped me.
...
Some moments later, the darkness ceased, and I could see again.
This time, my surroundings were all white.
There was no end in front or back, there was no depth or height, and there was no ripple.
I was suspended in this weird place—still in the earlier sitting position.
My mind was still blank, and my eyes still stared in front, as if trying to understand where I was.
"Ding...!"
A chime came, echoing everywhere, and there was something in the sound that made me feel something for the first time in this place—uneasy.
And then my bluish holographic system came into my view.
But... there was a difference in the system; it was melting.
Yes, melting.
The whole system was melting with something or somehow that I didn't know, except for the part where my fourth element [???] was displayed.
I stared at the melting bluish hologram, my heart starting to beat faster, unease growing more and more.
My eyes kept staring at the system displaying my fourth element, the only thing that was not melting.
Then, the white place started to darken, and the surroundings started to constrict as if the whole surrounding was an open palm till now, and now the palm was curling into a fist.
All these things started to increase my confusion and unease.
And then, suddenly, a hand tore through the part of the screen that showed my fourth element.
But before it could touch me and my eyes could comprehend how it looked, my vision darkened, and I heard the sound of a heartbeat echoing.
"Ba-dump...!" "Ba-dump...!"
...
"Gasp...!"
Eden opened his eyes again with a sharp gasp, his eyes blurry, his mind still blank, and his emotions numb.
Then the memories of what had just happened came to his mind, making him confused and uneasy.
He didn't know what had happened.
He didn't understand how he suddenly was somewhere else... how different memories started to show up.
How those weird things happened, he didn't know... not even a single fucking thing.
While he was busy brooding on these thoughts.
"Eden," Came a voice, gentle and soft, bringing him out of his confusion and unease.
Eden blinked his eyes, his vision adjusting as he looked at the person calling him—his sister.
He was back in the jungle once again.
And his sister and her master were both staring at him.
Seeing him confused and feeling uneasy, Seraphine spoke up.
"Don't get confused, kid; what you just felt was your elements, nothing else."
Hearing her words made Eden more confused.
'The fuck?'
Didn't he just teleport or whatever somewhere else... what does she mean that it was a feeling of his element, nothing else?
But seeing no surprise or anything in her expression, and his sister's, that could tell that he teleported somewhere or something weird happened.
Eden threw these thoughts into the back of his mind, not wanting to think more in the presence of her, and replied with a hum.
"Hm."
And then, suddenly, his system blinked in—but he just closed it.
'I don't want more surprises.' He thought, not wanting to think about anything, until he was out of his sister's master's presence.
Clearing his thoughts, he looked at his clothes, which were wet once again.
And once again, Aurelia helped him, after which he stood up.
As Eden stood up, Aurelia gave him the golden bracelet, which he wore to keep his awakening secret from everyone else.
"Don't remove it if you want to keep your awakening secret," Seraphine spoke, looking at Eden wearing it.
"Okay."
"Don't slack off either, just because you have potential."
"...Okay," Eden replied a few beats later.
He was not going to slack off anyway.
Why?
There were many reasons behind it.
First, he knew, in any world, power is a privilege, and it gives people authority. Which is even more evident in this world—Aelmyra.
How the previous Eden died or whatever happened, due to someone's desire, was just a small example.
It can happen again, and he didn't want to go through that.
Second, he would need some power to protect his women.
And the third and last one, he was a transmigrator.
Who knows what will happen in the future, when, just moments ago, weird things happened with him?
That's why he was not even thinking of slacking off, but it didn't mean that he was going to become an emo kid who is running for power.
Hearing Eden's reply and seeing a delay in his response, and seeing the emotions in him, Seraphine spoke up again.
"Don't misunderstand me, kid. I am not doubting you; it's how people with great potential become. They think having great potential means everything will be easy for them. But it's the opposite; "potential" only means they can reach a higher level. It doesn't mean that they are going to have an easier time reaching that potential."
Hearing her words, Eden nodded in response.
Seeing him nodding, Seraphine smiled a little, and she spoke up, looking at him.
"Good, from tomorrow, come here every morning till your awakening ceremony."
She didn't want him to waste his potential, didn't want to pressure him, and also respected his thoughts about keeping his awakening secret.
That's why she gave him leeway and wanted him to only train in the morning, but after his awakening, that was not going to be the same.
Or will it... who knows?
After saying the important things, she parted her lips.
"Okay, now it's time to go home for you both." She spoke again, before looking at Aurelia and adding, "And you, don't be late today."
Before Aurelia or Eden could respond.
All of them vanished from the spot, causing the eerie silence to once again return to the dark forest.