Slapping the water that had gathered on her open palm, she wiped her eyes. 

'It asked me if I wanted to recover my memories, and the rest was just...'

She had selected the option yes. 

However the process of recovering another set of memories she had never experienced left her with another splitting headache and nausea. 

"But there quite a few things I'm curious about."

_________________________

"Please place your hand here."

A woman wearing a white coat pointed over to a transparent sphere placed on a circular stand. 

Giving her a firm nod, Finn placed an open hand on the sphere, spreading his fingers all across it. 

'Well...even if I did lose the talent from my last life, I might get something great.'

—Beep 

"Welp, that's it kid. I'll bring the result, please wait outside."

"Thank you."

Making another firm nod, he left the room. 

Upon exit, he came to the large waiting room. 

Looking around, he found his guardian. 

Well, guardian only in the official sense as they had only met this morning. 

He sauntered over to Jack who had been sitting on the bench, his head tilted over to the left, eyes closed, napping. 

With folded hands, Finn sat beside him, but he did not wake him up, instead he simply sat there. 

'Hope it's something good.'

From a small moment of tiredness, he leaned onto Jack. 

His head bumped against his arms, resting it there. 

'Ha...soft.'

He thought, resting there for a moment. 

Even if he was an old man in a kid's body, he was still not the adult he used to be in his previous life. 

In his last life, Finn was forty seven years old, making him older than the man beside him.

'Am I older than this guy? Nah, he looks fifty.'

Jack did look older than his own age, with greying temples and wrinkles around at specific places around his face. 

"Finn Zen Tenebrion." 

The woman called out his name, holding a piece of paper. 

"Here."

Finn got up, raising his hand. 

The woman handed him a piece of paper which he quickly took off her hold, and read through intently. 

"Talent grade...C."

His voice dripped low, his eyes darkened at the letter. 

The woman slightly understanding the boy's frustration, spoke. 

"The rank of your talent does not matter, it's what you chose to do with it that matters."

"Oh...Ha, thanks!"

He bowed down slightly as the woman left. 

Sitting back down, he slid his eyes through the paper. 

"Rank C is not bad."

Sliding his finger lower, his eyes fell on the name of the talent. 

"Gelid Tenebris."

Tenebris.

The word struck similarity to his family name, Tenebrion. 

"Hm...element ice?" 

That was strange, since ice was part of the advanced elements. 

The four primary elements were Pyro, Aqua, Venti and Terra. 

An element such as 'ice' came in much later, an advanced elements that came as a result of the second awakening. 

But there are rare cases where the cultivator could potentially awaken it during the first stage of awakening; core formation, which Finn had already done. 

'I guess I am lucky, but in my last life I had the aqua element, but...could have been better had I formed the core the right way.'

He placed a hand over his stomach, pondering what could have possible happened had he remembered it. 

"How long are you going to sleep?" 

Tapping his elbow against the sleeping Jack, he folded up the piece of paper. 

—Yawn

Covering his mouth with one hand, he streched himself. 

"Done?" 

He asked the boy, still half asleep. 

"Yep. Would you like to see?" 

"Would I like to see? What kind of question is that?"

_________________________

"To what do I own this visit, Miss Shia?" 

The woman sat cross-legged, her gaze piercing through Shia. 

"It's nothing much, I'd like a small favor." 

"Oh! What is it, Mam?"

Her tone shifted. 

"Recommendation, I need you to recommend someone." 

She spoke, picking up the porcelain cup filled with tea. 

Steam rose from the cup as it hovered near to her lips. 

"You found a professor?"

"Yep."

She took a long sip from the cup, letting the faint scent of plum blossom linger. 

"Who is it?" 

The woman leaned forward with interest. 

Her gaze lingered on Shia, requesting her to save the suspense. 

"Someone in a similar situation as you." 

Shia's eyes made its way over to the woman's red hair. 

Understanding what she had just said, the woman placed her hand on the table, leaning in closer. 

"You don't mean him...do you?"

"Him? Are perhaps referring to someone?"

"Him...Jonathan Thorne?" 

"Ahh. You do know him."

Shia placed down the cup, staring straight at her. 

"Hailee, what I'm about to say is important. So, do you remember about how I wanted to change the current system?" 

With a perplexed expression, Hailee, the red haired woman looked at her. 

She was torn between the request, and the person she had to recommend. 

Yes, the person she had to recommend. 

"Yes, I remember. It was an absurd idea, but I suppose he'll be our first step towards it?" 

"Glad you agree. And what's your relationship with him?" 

Leaning back on the sofa, she unbuttoned the top of her suit, letting it sprawl out, revealing the deeper shade of blue inside. 

"You could say we were friends...for a long time, until he disappeared without a trace. I could have found him had I searched, but I felt he wouldn't need any more reminders of his past life...after the issues with his elder brother."

"The scandal?" 

Shia raised her head lightly, looking at Hailee who seems to have found herself at a vulnerable state. 

"I don't think he's one to do something like that. I knew him myself, and the man...the boy I knew would never do that. But his brother, he's something else indeed."

Her teeth ground against each other as she recalled the sourness of the incident, 'The Thorne Scandal.' 

"The entire incident was a coverup, and the real research he had presented was taken off his hands. He seemed to have faced misfortune all his life. Only if I went for him earlier..."

Shia muttered absent mindedly. 

"Miss...when can I meet him?"

"Ha. That would be tomorrow." 

"Really?" 

"Yep. By the way, can I get some more of that tea!" 

She got up, picking the cup once again. 

"Oh. Sure." 

"What is this? Plum blossom?" 

"Mum brought some."

"Courtesy of Mount Hua I suppose."

_________________________

'A funeral has more life compared to dinner with this family.' 

Daniela held the fork, poking at a piece of vegetable, her features clearly expressing her disinterested expression. 

Occasionally the sound of silverware clinking against the porcelain plates could be heard, but it wasn't constant. 

The mood was down. 

It was as if they never held any type of conversation with each other. 

Uninterested, and minding their own business perhaps? 

But that's not how family's are supposed to be, right? 

Or so Rose thought. 

'If I had a family, I'd cherish every moment with them. Whatever this is, I must change this.'

She had thoughts about throwing in some spice to stir the scene, but nothing came to her mind. 

Until...

"How was your day, Daniela?" 

'Huh? Did he just talk to me?'

She was momentarily stunned by the sudden question, but she replied without much delay. 

"It was great."

"I suppose you achieved your goal."

She raised her head to meet with the owner of the voice. 

It was the Emperor. 

She had some trouble calling him father, but their relationship seemed formal, formal than it was supposed to be. 

But she knew why the relationship was formal. 

It was something the real Daniela had told the Emperor after the Empress's death. 

It left a great wound on the Emperor's heart, and she had never tried to reconcile with him either. 

"Yes, father." 

"Might I know the purpose of your visit with Miss Shia?" 

He asked nonchalantly, looking for an answer while trying to make a conversation. 

It came as quite a shock for Daniela who never thought he would indulge in 'small talk.' 

"I helped her, quite a bit with something. She's been struggling with it for some time."

"Oh. I didn't know..."

The words faded as her eyes fell on Thaddeus, the older brother. 

Since she had recieved the memories of Daniela, she found out the four of them never really had any sorts of conversations or do things people did as a family. 

"Yes, father." 

She replied absent mindedly, having only heard half of what her father said. 

"Yes?" 

He asked, confused at the abrupt reply. 

"I mea-n, the Manakai class, there was a student who requested to be part of the Manakai class this year, but they couldn't find a professor." 

Her tone was brass. 

"I see, so how did you do it?" 

He asked once more, but almost as if he was quitting, noticing how she seemed uninterested in the discussion. 

'He's quite chatty. Did something happen?' 

Daniela felt it was quite unusual for him to be asking her things as if he was interested, but then she discerned it. 

"Well..."

Her tone lightened. 

"...there was one, right here in our continent."

"Here?" 

The words were lively once again, just as Daniela had suspected. 

"He's quite the famous figure, Jonathan Thorne." 

"Him?!"

Placing down the cutlery, he looked at her. 

"It's alright father. Despite the bad rumors around him, he's a great person."

"Great person? Why do you say so?" 

"If he were as bad and cold as the rumors made him out to be, he wouldn't have rejected a chance like that." 

"Rejected? Him?"

"Twice. He rejected Miss Shia twice."

The conversation gained energy as it went on. 

Gabriel and Thaddeus couldn't help but watch it unfold, but both of them were equally confused at the same time. 

"That's a first. I'd like to meet him once."

"I do think you two will be great friends." 

_________________________