I didn’t react strongly to those words because I knew that no one around us could hear anything. However, I knew that Zale was most likely the only person in the world who knew about my past and why I was hiding it.
“Were you able to see everything that happened back then?”
He smirked. “In which life…because both of your lives were honestly depressing to look at.”
I nodded. I had a strong feeling that he was able to access my memories from both of my lives, but I had never been sure.
“I can see why there is so much hatred within you and why you are trying so hard to keep it in. However, if you are to meet with Zero, you will need perfect control over your emotions. Demons are the best at making use of those emotions, so be careful around them. Don’t show your anger too easily, or things could go wrong.”
I knew that much. I had fought against demons for the better part of my life. I knew just how sneaky they were, and I knew how easily they could rile up someone.
“It’s different this time, Caedrel. You aren’t going against a normal demon. The more you release negative energy, the more you will strengthen Zero. That’s why it’s crucial for you to stay emotionless during the fight.”
I opened my mouth to say something but couldn’t. Staying emotionless while facing a demon was something that I had never managed to do. I couldn’t change that easily.
“I don’t know. I don’t think I will be able to do that.”
Zale smirked. “Why do you think I sat next to you?”
I frowned. “To talk to me because I looked bored out of my mind.”
“It was to talk about those emotions of yours that you managed to hide from everyone from you.”
Zale released a small sigh as he uttered those words as he stood up just as fast as he sat down, looking at me from high above.
“Come on, follow me. I want to show you something that I’m sure you will like. Well, maybe not, but that’s not relevant.”
I frowned as I stood up and followed Zale. I had no idea what he wanted to show me since, after two months of being inside this small village, I knew pretty much all there was about it. I had seen everything, and I had heard everything, as far as I knew, at the very least.
Within a few minutes of walking, we were back to where it had all started, Zale’s house.
“You want to show me something inside your house? Is it about Phoebe?”
Zale shook his head. “No, not at all. You will save Phoebe after the tournament is over. Just stay silent and follow me. I’m sure that this is unlike anything you’ve ever seen before.”
We walked inside his house and passed by the living room where we had gotten our first conversation, then we passed by the red curtain which hid Phoebe’s body from others and continued walking in the narrow hallway, which only had a simple wooden door at the end of it.
Zale clarified the situation before I could even open my mouth. “No, this isn’t a subspace like what happened with the secret auction house. It’s not related at all, so don’t worry.”
We reached the door and he opened it, revealing a very plain room without practically nothing inside it. Actually, there was nothing apart from a strange sculpture in the middle of the room. It seemed to be a structure that could welcome quite a large quantity of liquid, and as I walked over to it. The recipient seemed to be of a purple color, just like the Aether.
“What is this?” I asked as I looked at the liquid with a frown.
“A way for you to relive your past for a second time. Or at least parts of your past.”
I frowned. “And why would I even try to do that in the first place? I don’t want to relive my past even if someone begged me to do so.”
“I understand. But if you don’t do this, Zero will have a chance of winning. You need to accept your past. You need to let go of that burning anger that is hidden deep inside you for everyone who wronged you over the years.”
I frowned even more as he uttered those words.
There was a reason I had erased my past, and Zale knew it very well. It was because I wanted to forget about it, too. I didn’t want anyone to talk about it, and I didn’t want to be reminded of it. That’s the decision I had come to at the time when I had erased all traces of myself.
“Can I choose the memories that I want to explore, or will I simply be thrown in there without any choices?”
“The memories and scenes you will relive will be those which left the deepest impact on you as a person.”
I shook my head. I didn’t want to do this. I knew that it would just make me feel emotions that I had wanted to forget for many years. What if I regretted what I had done back then…after all, my life hadn’t been the easiest. Even my previous life hadn’t been the easiest.
“How does this thing even work?” I asked. “Will I stay in there for a long time?”
There was still the tournament that was going on outside and even if I found boring to just wait around for my turn. I preferred such a thing to this memories thing.
“Well, you won’t stay in there for a long time from my perspective. However, for you, it could last…a few hours I’d say, that’s the most I’ve seen someone last using this device.”
“So, while it would last hours for me, it would only last a few seconds for you?”
He nodded with a smirk. “Yes, that’s exactly it. As for how it works, you will need to use your Aether.”
FYI: This whole sequence might take several chapters.
