Chapter 412:Past life?
He lowered his arm to find a table in front of him. Atheline stared at it in confusion. A computer sat on one side, a notebook lay open near the center, and there was a pen in his hand.
A clock hung on the wall, several framed certificates were positioned behind him, a bookshelf stood in the corner, and directly opposite his desk sat a woman.
Atheline couldn’t breathe.
’Where am I?’
This was...
"Doctor?"
Atheline looked at the woman. She was watching him expectantly. For several seconds, he couldn’t remember her name.
His thoughts felt strangely foggy. Not because he had forgotten what he’d just witnessed, but because another set of memories was trying to surface at the same time.
A life so distant that it felt as though it belonged to someone else; his previous life. Atheline looked down at himself.
He had human hands. He slowly touched his face only to find human ears.
His heart began beating faster.
"Doctor, are you okay?"
The woman’s voice pulled him back. He looked at her again, and finally remembered.
"Sera."
She smiled.
"Yes?"
Atheline stared at her. He remembered she had been his last client before he died but the memories surrounding her were fragmented.
He remembered sitting in this office several times. He remembered her talking, constantly. About her family, her isolation, her interests, and books.
Atheline leaned forward. Sera had been speaking this entire time.
"...which is why I don’t think Lilith was actually written very well as a villainess. I know everyone hates her by that point, but if you go back and actually look at the earlier Chapters, some of the things don’t make sense."
Atheline’s blood ran cold.
Lilith.
His attention snapped fully onto her.
Sera paused.
"You look interested today."
Atheline said nothing. She laughed.
"You usually let me ramble whenever I start talking about it."
Atheline frowned at those. He looked at the notebook. There were notes about Sera. Clinical observations, behaviour, mood, and relationships.
Books had apparently been something she frequently discussed during sessions, but his past self hadn’t cared enough about the story to retain every detail.
Sera continued.
"Anyway, I still think Klaith is suspicious."
Atheline went completely still.
"What?"
She blinked.
"Klaith."
Atheline leaned forward.
"Say that again."
Sera looked confused.
"Klaith?"
"Who is Klaith?"
She stared at him.
"The librarian."
Atheline’s fingers tightened around the pen. Sera laughed nervously.
"You really weren’t listening the other times, were you?"
Atheline barely heard the teasing.
"What happens to him?"
Sera began explaining. Atheline concentrated harder than he had on anything since the vision began.
"The weird thing is that he barely appears directly. He’s just always around when someone needs old records or information. There was this whole theory online that he knew more about the Sovereigns than he admitted because of something he said about the old war."
Atheline’s pulse accelerated.
"What did he say?"
Sera answered but part of the sentence disappeared. Atheline heard her voice clearly until she reached a particular name.
"...and that connects Klaith to the █████████ because the Sovereign of Fire..."
Nothing.
Atheline shot out of his chair causing Sera to jump from the surprise.
"Doctor?"
"What did you say?"
"About what?"
"The Sovereign of Fire."
Her expression became confused.
"I said that the Sovereign of Fire..."
Again, there was only silence. Atheline stared at her mouth. She was speaking and he could see the words being formed but he couldn’t hear them.
"Why can’t I hear you?"
Sera frowned.
"What?"
"Say the name again."
"What name?"
"The one connected to Klaith."
"I just did."
"No, you didn’t."
"Yes, I did."
Atheline pressed both hands against the desk.
"Again."
Sera became visibly uncomfortable but she repeated herself. The same section vanished the moment she said it.
Atheline stepped backward. His head began hurting, something was blocking it. Something inside his memories was blocking things, so he couldn’t remember.
He had known this conversation once, sat here and listened to her. Perhaps only partially, but he had heard the words.
Why couldn’t he remember them now?
The room flickered. For a fraction of a second, Atheline saw flames behind Sera, then the office returned.
He stared at her. Sera had stopped speaking.
"Doctor, I think maybe we should end today’s session."
Atheline looked at her, then the world moved without him. His body sat down and his hand picked up the pen. Atheline suddenly realized he was no longer controlling the scene.
He was watching himself, his past self. The man at the desk smiled professionally.
"That’s fine, Sera. I think we’ve covered enough for today."
Sera hesitated before standing.
"Same time next week?"
"We’ll discuss scheduling."
Something about his tone made her expression fall. Atheline watched her leave and the door closed.
Silence filled the office. His past self remained seated for several moments, then he opened the notebook.
Atheline moved closer. He watched himself write.
Recommend transfer to another therapist.
The pen stopped, then continued.
Client has developed inappropriate romantic attachment toward therapist. Continuing treatment may reinforce dependency and interfere with therapeutic boundaries.
Atheline stared at the sentence. Memories surfaced at that. Sera liked him,not simply as her therapist. She had become emotionally attached.
He’d noticed it gradually. Starting with the gifts, the unnecessary messages, and the way she extended sessions with unrelated conversations.
The book had been one of those subjects. Something she enjoyed discussing because he’d once shown mild interest.
Atheline closed his eyes.
"That’s why I remembered the story."
Not because he’d read every Chapter obsessively. Sera had talked about it. His past self had heard enormous amounts of information without deliberately trying to memorize it.
The world shifted and Atheline found himself outside. It was now evening. The city stretched around him, people passed on the pavement, and cars moved along the road.
Atheline stood beside his past self as the man walked away from the office. He tried to remember what happened next but nothing came, then he heard an engine.
Atheline turned.
A car had crossed toward the pavement, his eyes widened.
"Sera?"
She was behind the wheel, her face wet with tears. Atheline saw himself turn but there wasn’t enough time. The car struck him.
Pain hit him. For the first time since entering the ruin, Atheline screamed. His body flew from the impact.