“Son, what are you doing?”

I jolted back to reality . Mom grabbed my hand the moment my finger was going to come into contact with the spring . I looked at Mom in a hazy state, whereas Mom looked at me in a tense state . She nervously asked, “Son, what did you come here for at this hour?”

“I… I… Why did I come here again?”

I looked back at the spring, confused . I scrubbed my head, thinking, “Yeah, why did I come here? I should’ve gone… gone and done what again…? Why did I come here…? What happened? Why did I come to the spring and s.p.a.ce out?”

Mom nervously clasped my face and turned it to face her . She looked into my eyes and questioned, “Son, what exactly happened? Why are you here? Why are you in a daze? What exactly happened? Son, can you recall what happened? Did you touch the water in the spring?”

“I… I don’t know… i… I don’t think so…? I myself can’t remember why I came here… I think… I think… it was because I heard the spring call for me? I remember… That’s all I can remember . I’ve forgotten everything in between . ”

Mom shouted, “Son, look into Mommy’s eyes! Did you touch the water or not? Yes or no?!”

I rarely saw Mom so tense . I’d say that she was excessively tense . Could I have somehow changed, I wondered . The feeling of not knowing was perplexing . I didn’t feel that way because I didn’t know what happened but because I was worried . I was worried because I went through something but had no idea what it was .

Mom gently caressed my face with her hand then quietly chanted something . I felt the mana in my body, particularly my brain, slowly circulate . I felt my body and memory alter, especially my memory . It was a strange feeling that felt as though my brain was undergoing data repair . I think something went awry, though .

I mused, “What in the world happened? Why is Mom so tense? And what happened to my brain? Mom looks a lot more relaxed now, nonetheless . ”

Mom pulled me away from the spring and warned, “Son, you must remember to never come to the elven spring alone, understood? Mommy will seal it for you . If you don’t plan to succeed the throne, you shouldn’t come here . The spring has a conscious, understand? It seems the spring has plans for you; in other words, the former G.o.d is interested in you . Son, you must remember that it’s very dangerous if it harbours an interest toward you . What G.o.ds need are never friends or elves . They want sacrifices . If Mommy isn’t with you, never come near this place in the future!”

“Ah… Okay…”

I was honestly shaken . I randomly appeared there . I randomly lost lots of memories . I almost touched the elven spring water, as well . Consequently, I figured it was better for me to stay far away from the spring .

I stood up and looked at the spring . The gurgling spring water reflected my appearance . I blankly looked at my face and silently asked, “That’s me . That is, indeed, me . Why do I feel strangely distant, in the sense that I haven’t seen this face in a long time? That’s me?”

I stared into the water, but Mom quickly pulled me away . She dragged me out without an explanation . Then, she aggressively slammed the door shut . Mom sighed . She then chanted a spell on the door before turning around to look at me: “Son, do not ever come near here, understood? It’s dangerous . ”

I nodded, but Mom still looked concerned . A moment later, however, she revealed a consoled smile and then pulled me along in tow .

“It seems that I won’t be able to find this door again once I leave . If I s.h.i.+ft my gaze away, I’ll never see it again,” I thought .

I gazed at the flower garden outside the window and s.p.a.ced out . When I went up to the window opposite the pillar, I suddenly saw my reflection in the window .

Disturbing thoughts started to gush into my head: “This is my reflection and my face, but it’s totally different to the reflection I saw in the spring water . This is Troy’s face, while my reflection in the spring is my own face . I jumped into the water as an ordinary human to save a drowning child . I was just an ordinary human . As a matter of fact, nothing about me stood out, and I didn’t have anything I enjoyed . You couldn’t be any more ordinary than I was . The life here never had anything to do with me . If I didn’t transmigrate here after my death, I never would’ve appeared here . Despite having appeared here, this still isn’t me . I’m merely borrowing Troy’s body . I’m only living on in Troy’s body and use his body to gain everything I have .

I had forgotten about that . I felt that I couldn’t detect our difference, but why? Why? I had already forgotten about it . I could no longer detect this difference; I felt I had completely acclimatised into this place and no longer felt that I didn’t belong . In addition, Nier and Lucia didn’t fall for Troy, because he was Troy . They fell in love with Troy owing to everything that transpired, which is why I didn’t feel any guilt . Why, though, has it come back to the forefront of my mind?”

“Is something the matter, Son…?” Mom seemed to think there was something bizarre about me . She looked outside the window then softly laughed . She touched my head: “Lucia may be pretty and gentle, but Mommy will get jealous if you’re always looking at Lucia no matter the occasion . ”

I returned to reality . I s.h.i.+fted my gaze away from my reflection and saw Lucia standing in the flower garden . Lucia was crouched down next to the flower garden with Vera in her arms . Vera looked at the flowers in front of her . She desperately reached out with her tiny hand to pluck a flower . Lucia kissed her daughter on the cheek .

Lucia appeared radiant captivating underneath the sunlight . She wore a warm and gentle smile an angel would have . I looked at her and Vera . A rea.s.sured smile crept up onto my face . Mom rubbed my head . Her laughter contained a hint of sadness: “Come to think of it… I should be the one holding Vera, right…? Mommy once held you the same way, too…”