Free Web NovelChapter 45: The Woman in the Memory
Silas returned to his dormitory but did not enter the Time Mind World immediately. Instead, he sat down and practised the meditation technique Laros had taught him.
The experience was no different from before.
His vision split in two, with one perspective travelling through his body, while the other became a chaotic torrent of memories. freewebnoveℓ.com
Many of the same scenes appeared again, but this time Silas focused on the memories instead of the strange journey through his body. Adapting to the divided perception remained difficult, yet when he finally opened his eyes, a complicated mixture of emotions lingered within him.
"That woman..."
He frowned.
"Why do I feel so attached to her?"
That was the most puzzling part.
The scenes from the orphanage stirred almost nothing within him. However, the final memory was different. The woman, the strange place she was in, and the towering structure covered in runes and saturated with Mana all felt strangely important.
It felt important enough to leave an emotional imprint that had somehow survived until now.
"That doesn’t make any sense." ƒreewebηoveℓ.com
He had been nothing more than a baby in that memory. By all logic, he should not have remembered any of it, much less retained such powerful feelings. Yet he could still recall the warmth he had felt in her presence, and the sight of the tower still left him unsettled.
"Can she be... My mother?"
Silas’ thoughts froze here.
"I... Can’t tell... I never knew how kids love their mothers feel like..."
For a reason, he felt more attached the more he thought about this. But weirdly, it didn’t feel like she was the person he suspected.
"Putting her aside, that tower... What I felt wasn’t just disturbance; it felt more like... Fear..."
Silas narrowed his eyes, as the feeling he got from that tower felt at first as if it was seeing something unsettling. But again, when he tried to deeply recall it, it didn’t feel like that. If any, he knew such a feeling; he had experienced it before.
It felt like how scared he was when he first met with the Shadowheart. The same helplessness, the same anxiety, the same fear... That was what he felt towards that tower.
And yet, he couldn’t wrap his mind around any clue regarding that weird tower, or why a baby like himself would feel this terrified of it.
"Why is everything always so vague? First, the Gaia Callings, and now these strange visions. Can’t something just be clear for once?"
Rubbing his temples, Silas abandoned his futile thoughts and headed for the shower. The moment warm water cascaded over his body, his consciousness drifted away and entered the Time Mind World.
’Damn! You’re awake!’
The instant he arrived, a terrifying sight greeted him. A pair of crimson eyes stared directly into his own. They were so close that he could almost feel the creature’s breath.
Without hesitation, Silas leapt backwards and created as much distance as possible between himself and the Shadowheart.
’I should’ve known. There’s no way I would’ve been so easily disturbed, enraged, and anxious if it weren’t because of you.’
He glared at the creature, while the Shadowheart remained motionless, its crimson gaze fixed upon him.
Then it slowly raised a hand, while the red glow in its eyes intensified. The next instant, an overwhelming pressure descended upon Silas like a storm gathering above his head.
Yet before it could fully take hold, a strange clarity swept through his mind and shattered the pressure completely. His thoughts became calm, and his body remained under his control. It felt like a cube of ice met fire, melting and evaporating, setting him free.
Startled, Silas looked around himself. Yet he saw nothing was wrong there. He still had full control over his body, luckily. Then he raised his head, looking in a cold way towards the entity upfront.
Surprisingly, the Shadowheart stood only inches away, its hand hovering above his head. Its eyes were gradually dimming, as though whatever it had attempted had failed.
’I didn’t even sense you coming. Screw you!’
This time, Silas didn’t just retreat. He immediately turned and ran. Even if he was terrified of the Shadowheart, there was still a piece of good news he gained from this brief encounter.
’Looks like the meditation worked! If this had happened before, I’d already be under its control.’
Even so, he did not feel safe, not even close.
He continued running until the Shadowheart had become nothing more than two tiny red specks in the distance. Only then did he finally stop, and a tint of confidence returned to his face and looks.
’I finally found a way to resist your mind control, you freak. Keep dreaming about taking over my body.’
Silas snorted and sat down cross-legged. The realization the meditation worked was encouraging. The Shadowheart could no longer casually manipulate him.
At the same time, that only highlighted how important meditation had become.
’I need to spend more time practising.’
Unfortunately, time was precisely what he lacked.
Their mission was approaching quickly, and he needed to train alongside his teammates if they hoped to survive whatever awaited them. Not to mention, once he started the mission, he knew he would barely have time to meditate.
Understanding how little time remained, Silas wasted none of it. He began with the original meditation technique, intending to strengthen his mental defences and recover from the clash with the Shadowheart.
’As if mental power is even a real thing.’
This time, six hours passed without him realising this. Without his wristwatch, he barely noticed the passage of time inside the Time Mind World.
’It’s a good thing that you know your place.’
The moment he finished meditating, he immediately looked around. He had half-expected the Shadowheart to be standing over him again. Fortunately, the distant crimson dots remained where they were, as tiny as they had been.
Seeing how the Shadowheart dropped the idea of taking control over him only made his confidence grow a little more.
’Now let’s try the new meditation.’
