When Theodore returned to the capital, he had imagined fighting in the tournament, having difficulties with his family, meeting that mysterious woman he'd encountered on the sandship, and maybe learning about the origins of his purple fire. But nowhere had he ever considered the possibility that he'd be met with such a big revelation.

Theodore stared at his grandfather, his mind racing. How much did the old man know?

More importantly, what was Theodore going to do about it?

If his grandfather wanted, he could destroy Theodore without breaking a sweat. Theodore was under no illusions about his own strength—he was strong, yes, but not invincible. Theodore could feel the mana radiating off his grandfather, and it was like nothing he'd ever felt before. The pressure of it was enough to make him feel like his head was about to split open.

And yet, despite all that power, Theodore knew that his grandfather wouldn't harm him.

Still… What did he mean by "dam of memories would break"? A possibility entered his mind, but he dared not consider it. His grandfather though misunderstood the look on his face.

His grandfather laughed. "Don't be so tense, Theodore." He waved a hand, and suddenly the air seemed lighter, easier to breathe. "I'm not going to hurt you, no matter who you are now. You're still my grandson, and you've finally awoken the true potential of the blood that flows through your veins, and for that I'm proud."

Theodore was taken aback. "You knew?" he asked incredulously. "And what do you mean?"

"Of course I do. I'm not blind, Theodore. I could sense it the moment I saw you again." His grandfather chuckled. "I'm not sure why you thought you could hide it from me. I saw the seed of memories the moment you were born, little one."

A seed of memories...

Theodore's gut twisted as his suspicion was confirmed. He didn't want to believe it, but he knew his grandfather wasn't lying.

I didn't transmigrate... I reincarnated, but only regained my memories later in my life.

This was such a blow to his mind that he didn't know how to react to it. For long, he had thought of himself as someone from another world who had merely possessed the body of the original Theodore. He had never considered the fact that he might actually be Theodore himself, only with his previous life memories regained.

He had so vehemently denied being Theodore, and yet, now that it had been laid down in front of him, it made perfect sense. And he didn't know how to feel about any of it. Panicking, however, wouldn't help. He had to focus on the present.

"I..." Theodore couldn't find the words to say anything.

His grandfather leaned back on the bench, eyes returning to the ducks. "You want to know how I knew?"

Theodore nodded. Couldn't really form words right now.

"The moment you were born, I was there. Your mother had complications—nothing life-threatening, but enough that I wanted to be present. And when you came into this world..." The old man paused. "I saw it immediately. A soul carrying too much weight. Memories from another life, another world, compressed into this tiny seed inside you."

The ducks kept swimming. One of them quacked.

"It would have killed you," his grandfather continued. "An infant's body, an infant's mind—they can't handle that kind of pressure. Those memories, that other life, it was too much. You would have lasted maybe a few days at most before your soul tore itself apart."

Theodore's hands gripped the edge of the bench.

"So I sealed them. Compressed them even further, wrapped them in layers of my own magic, and buried them deep. Like planting a seed that wouldn't sprout until the soil was ready." His grandfather's voice was matter-of-fact. Like he was discussing the weather. "I knew eventually your body would be strong enough. Your soul would mature enough. The seal would weaken naturally over time, and when you were ready—truly ready—it would break."

Made sense, Theodore supposed. In a horrible, world-shattering kind of way.

"Your parents never knew. Nobody did. Just me and your grandmother." A sad smile crossed the old man's face.

Theodore stared at the pond. One of the ducks had caught a fish. Small one. Swallowed it whole.

"The child you were without those memories—he was always you. Just... incomplete. Like a book with half its pages missing. The cruelty, the anger, the way he lashed out at everyone around him... that was you too, in a way. A soul fighting against itself, not understanding why nothing felt right."

That was... Theodore didn't know what that was.

"When the seal finally broke, when you 'awakened' as you probably think of it, you didn't replace anyone. You just became whole. The Theodore who hurt Leona, who disappointed your parents, who struggled with magic—that was you. And the Theodore sitting here now, with all these memories and knowledge from another world—that's also you. Same person. Always was."

Theodore felt like he should say something. Argue maybe. Deny it. But what was the point? His grandfather had literally been there. Had seen it happen. Had caused it to happen.

"I need some time," Theodore said finally. His voice came out rougher than expected. "To think."

His grandfather stood up. For a moment he just stood there, then he placed a weathered hand on Theodore's head. The touch was gentle. Comforting, somehow.

"Take all the time you need," the old man said. "We can talk more later. Or not. Whatever you decide."

And then he was walking away, leaving Theodore alone with the ducks.

Theodore sat there on the bench. The sun was getting lower, casting longer shadows across the garden. The ducks didn't care. They just kept swimming around, doing duck things. One of them climbed onto a log floating near the shore. Shook its feathers. Settled down for a nap.

He watched them.

The pond was quiet except for the occasional splash or soft quacking. A dragonfly skimmed across the surface, and two of the ducks immediately gave chase. They didn't catch it. Went back to swimming in lazy circles.

Theodore's hands were still gripping the bench. He loosened them. Flexed his fingers. Put his hands in his lap instead.

Another duck joined the one on the log. They sat together, apparently content to just exist in the same space. No conversation. No acknowledgment even. Just two ducks on a log as the afternoon wore on.

The shadows grew longer.

A breeze rustled through the oak tree above him, sending a few leaves drifting down onto the pond's surface. One of the ducks investigated, decided the leaf wasn't food, and moved on.

Theodore kept watching.

The duck on the log had definitely fallen asleep now. Its head was tucked under its wing. The other duck seemed unbothered by its companion's nap. Just sat there, occasionally preening a feather or adjusting its position slightly.

The sun continued its descent. The light turned golden, then started edging toward orange. The pond became a mirror of amber and shadow.

More ducks arrived. Five or six of them, flying in from somewhere else on the estate. They landed with small splashes, immediately joining the others in their endless patrol of the pond. Theodore shifted slightly on the bench. His back was starting to ache from sitting in the same position for so long. He didn't move much though. Just enough to ease the discomfort.

He sighed, diving into the rune on his shoulder and slamming a torrent of mana through the pathways. The lock mechanism resisted at first, but then it gave way. Just a little, a single layer. Theodore pushed harder. Mana flowed through this structure in intricate patterns. He could feel the rune's defenses bending, cracking under the pressure of his will. He put his clone back home to sleep, throttled [Parallel Processing] to full power, and focused on the rune in its entirety. Hours passed by, and it was nighttime, and he had gone through over a hundred layers. Mm. The latest one was giving him some trouble. It wasn't a block. More like a detour. The pattern was designed to divert any attempts to bypass it, leading them down a series of blind alleys and dead ends.

What if he—

Someone sat beside him, and Theodore returned to life, looking over at the person who had sat down with surprise in his eyes. His expression settled down quickly, however, when he saw that it was Freya. She didn't say anything for a moment. Just sat there, staring out at the pond.

Theodore waited.

"You've been here for hours," Freya finally said. Her voice was soft. "Your mother is getting worried."

"I'm fine," Theodore replied automatically.

She made a noncommittal sound, a sort of humph that could have meant anything.

Theodore didn't know what to say after that, and so he said nothing.

They sat in silence.

After a while, Freya reached out and took his hand. He didn't resist. Her fingers were warm. She held his hand gently, almost as if she was afraid of breaking it. He let her. It was nice. They sat like that for a while longer. Theodore didn't know how long exactly, but the stars had come out, and the moon was rising.

It was a clear night, and the sky was full of lights. It was a beautiful and peaceful night.

***

AN: Sorry about lack of upload last week. Stuff's been happening. I got a cat, been busy with her, and one of my relatives passed away so I had to juggle between the new cat and being there at the funeral. So yeah, it was a hectic few days, but I'm back again.

Read 10 Chapters Ahead on Patreon! - /itsnectar