When he finally finished farming, he wiped his hands on a towel and walked back toward the house.
A quick bath later, he joined everyone for dinner.
The dining room was warm, lit by soft golden lights.
The table was filled with food Emily and Alice had helped prepare.
Isaac ate, but his thoughts were somewhere else.
"Alright. You guys go sleep. I have some work," he said suddenly.
Emily blinked. "Work? At this hour?"
"Is it about the Sinkhole Worms? You said you were going to test something tonight." Alice asked.
Isaac shook his head. "Not that. I just need to talk with Professor Catherine."
"Huh?" Celia leaned forward with a smirk. "What kind of work are you two going to do at night—mmph!"
Isaac didn’t even look up as he used telekinesis to shut her mouth.
Celia made muffled protests and waved her hands dramatically.
She knew how Alice reacted when she heard stuff like that, and she still said it just for fun.
Isaac decided to leave her for that for a while.
"Isaac?" Alice called out to him.
He met her eyes. "It’s not what you think. Some of my memories... they’re missing. Professor Catherine’s going to help me with that."
Emily’s fork paused mid-air.
"Missing memories?" she asked, her voice soft and worried.
She had experienced missing memories, and knew how that felt.
Alice’s expression changed too.
She frowned, looking more serious now.
Even Celia stopped struggling and gave him a concerned look.
"It’s nothing serious," Isaac said quickly, waving his hand. "Just some gaps I want to check."
Alice stared at him for a few seconds. Then spoke, "If there’s a problem, tell us. Don’t try to handle things alone."
"I know," Isaac said with a nod.
After dinner, he hugged both Emily and Celia before sending them to rest.
Emily and Celia went to sleep inside the Soulbind Pendant. Emily liked sleeping with her summons, and Celia claimed it felt more luxurious there.
Alice didn’t go inside the pendant. She preferred her own room in the real world.
She said she liked it better there, but Isaac knew that wasn’t the full truth. She refused because of her anti-social personality.
Alice just didn’t enjoy the attention the maids gave her in the Cradle.
It made her uncomfortable, so she chose the quiet instead.
After Alice left, Leora went into her room too, leaving the hallway empty and quiet.
Isaac followed behind Professor Catherine.
As they stopped in front of her door, she turned slightly, her expression teasing. "Are you sure you want to come into my room? I’ll have to put you to sleep for the memory recovery. Aren’t you worried I’ll take advantage of you?"
Isaac rolled his eyes. "Please. Just open the door."
She smiled faintly and stepped aside.
He entered the room, and the faint scent of lavender reached him.
The place was neat and organized.
"Here, drink this," Catherine said, taking out a small vial from her spatial ring.
Isaac raised an eyebrow. "What’s this? Something to make the process smoother?"
She smiled, almost too sweetly. "No. It’s the antidote to the poison you’re inhaling right now. You must have noticed the lavender smell? That’s the poison."
Isaac froze mid-breath, lips twitching.
"Why," he asked slowly, "is this the first time I’m hearing your room is poisonous? What if someone entered by mistake?"
"You shouldn’t enter a lady’s room without permission," she replied, smiling without the slightest guilt. "If you do, you should be prepared for the consequences."
Isaac gave her a look but decided it wasn’t worth arguing.
He took the vial and drank it.
The sweet taste lingered on his tongue.
"Lie down on the bed," she said.
Isaac walked over.
The bed looked soft, and there was a small nightstand beside it.
A photo frame lay face down on top of it.
He noticed it but didn’t ask about it.
He removed his shoes and sat down, then slowly lay back.
Catherine pulled a chair close to the bed and sat beside him.
The light in the room was dim, and the angle of the lamp cast shadows across her face.
"Are you sure you want your memories back?" she asked quietly.
Isaac looked up at the ceiling for a moment, then nodded. "Yes."
She watched him carefully. "...I see."
Silence hung between them.
Isaac wondered what he would see once his memories came back.
His childhood wasn’t exactly something he liked remembering.
He was a reincarnator, but unlike the s he read in his last life, he didn’t regain his past life’s memories all at once.
They came to him slowly over the years, appearing in pieces and fragments through dreams.
Those dreams had always left him uneasy. Sometimes they were clear, like watching another life.
Sometimes they were broken, distorted images that made no sense.
He had seen flashes of a world of steel towers, gunfire, and a sky choked by smoke.
Then the next night, he’d see a quiet room.
Every time it happened, he woke up feeling like two people at once.
It tore apart his mind, and caused his personality to be messed up.
His irritational behavior was why no one liked him at the orphanage, and their cold response to him instead of helping him was why he disliked them.
Isaac felt Professor Catherine’s hand rest lightly on his forehead.
Warm energy pulsed through her palm. It spread across his temples, then down the back of his head.
His eyelids grew heavy.
The faint sound of her breathing mixed with the soft ticking of a clock somewhere in the room.
"You’ll feel sleepy. Don’t fight it," she said.
Her voice sounded distant now, like it came from far away.
Isaac tried to speak, but his words came out slurred. "Did we know each other... before?"
She smiled faintly.
It was a smile full of longing.
The warmth Isaac felt grew heavier, like a blanket pressing him down.
The lavender scent still lingered in the air, but it didn’t feel dangerous anymore. It just felt... slow.
Isaac’s vision started to blur.
He saw her face fade in and out of focus.
Her golden eyes seemed to glow faintly in the dim light.
Her voice was the last thing he heard before slipping under.
"Sleep, Isaac. When you wake up, your past will no longer hide from you."
The edges of his mind went dark.
For a moment, he saw something else, a flicker of light.
A corridor. A boy running. A voice shouting his name.
...
Past
An Orphanage of [Three Colors], Fortified City 50
"Come here, you brat!"
A loud roar echoed through the orphanage halls.
Isaac laughed as he ran, his bare feet slapping against the wooden floor.
Behind him, a tigerfolk boy—Jack—was chasing with a red face and clenched fists.
Jack looked furious, and for good reason.
Someone had drawn messy black mustaches all over his cheeks while he was asleep.
"Hahaha! You’ll have to catch me first!" Isaac shouted, dodging between chairs and tables.
The orphanage’s dining room was filled with long wooden tables, benches, a few stools, and a stack of metal plates drying near the wall.
The smell of breakfast —porridge and bread — still lingered.
Jack growled, pushing through the narrow space between two tables.
Being a tigerfolk, he was faster and stronger, but his broad shoulders made it hard to squeeze through the clutter.
Isaac, on the other hand, was small and quick.
He slid under a table, crawled past a bench, and ducked behind a shelf full of books and toys.
"I’m going to eat you today!" Jack shouted, his tail swishing behind him in pure anger.
Isaac grinned, his breath coming out short. "You’ll get indigestion!"
He darted out from behind the shelf and ran toward the hall.
His small hands brushed against the walls as he ran.
He was panting now.
His legs were burning, and he knew Jack was catching up.
"Got you—" Jack lunged forward, but Isaac slipped to the side and sprinted toward the next room.
It was the main hall, where a few older kids were cleaning.
Brooms leaned against the walls.
A few buckets were lined up near the door, and sunlight filtered in through the dusty windows.
Isaac spotted someone ahead and quickly ran behind her, hiding himself.
"Sis! Jack is bullying me again!" he yelled, pointing dramatically.
Jack stopped right in front of them, breathing heavily. "Don’t lie, you damn brat!"
Isaac peeked from behind the girl’s back, smirking.
The girl turned around slowly.
She had soft brown hair tied loosely, fox-like ears, and a single bushy tail that swayed gently behind her.
Her golden eyes caught the sunlight, making them look even sharper.
"Jack," she said with a small smile. "Are you bullying Isaac again?"
"I’m not!" Jack shouted, gritting his teeth.
His voice cracked a little, and his ears flattened in frustration.
Even though he looked ready to punch something, he didn’t dare make a move.
Catherine might have looked calm, but everyone in the orphanage knew she wasn’t someone to mess with.
She was clever, strong, and always found a way to make you regret causing trouble.
Jack’s tail twitched as he glared at Isaac.
But Isaac stood proudly behind Catherine, making faces at him.
In the end, Jack just stomped his foot.
"Catherine, you’re spoiling that brat!" he yelled, then stormed off toward the washroom.
He needed to clean his face before morning classes started.
The sound of his footsteps faded down the hallway.
Isaac was still snickering when Catherine turned to face him.
Isaac froze mid-laugh.
"Ah, s-sis, about Jack—"
Catherine chuckled and placed her hand on his head, ruffling his messy hair. "It’s fine. Come on, let’s have breakfast. We don’t have much time before classes start."
Isaac relaxed a little, smiling. "You’re the best."
"Mm-hm. But don’t bully Jack too much, alright? All of us are siblings here."
Isaac pouted. "But he always calls me short. And weak. And annoying."
Catherine tilted her head, pretending to think. "Well, you are short."
"Sis!"
She laughed, brushing his hair again. "I’m joking. You just shouldn’t start trouble every time he teases you. You’re both boys, you’ll grow out of it."
"I doubt it," Isaac muttered, folding his arms.
Catherine didn’t answer right away.
She simply smiled and walked toward the dining room again.
Isaac followed, holding her hand.
Inside, a few of the younger kids were already eating.
The smell of food filled the room again, and the chatter was loud but warm.
They sat down at the end of one of the long tables.
Catherine handed Isaac a bowl of porridge. "Eat quickly. Classes start in fifteen minutes."
He nodded, spooning some into his mouth.
"Hot!" he hissed, waving his hand in front of his mouth.
Catherine laughed quietly. "Blow on it first, silly."
"I was too hungry," he said, puffing air at his spoon before eating again.
For a few minutes, they ate in silence. Isaac glanced at the door, half expecting Jack to come running back for revenge. But he didn’t.
Instead, a bell rang outside, the signal that morning lessons were about to begin.
Catherine stood up and stacked their bowls. "Let’s go."