Chapter 250: Threads of the Past
Liora lay still with her back facing Xu Kai, eyes shut, but sleep did not come. Her body was calm, but her mind churned like a storm. That memory—it hadn’t just been a dream. It was too clear, too vivid. And the pain when she tried to push deeper... it felt too real.
She swallowed hard and opened her eyes slowly, staring at the wall of her small hut, barely lit by the soft glow of the night light outside. Her fingers clenched slightly over the sheet as she whispered into the silence, "System... was that really my past life? Was I truly Aeris? And... was Atlas really my brother?"
The voice that answered came gently, almost like it had been waiting for the question.
[System: Affirmative. Atlas was your real brother. And you were Aeris.]
Liora froze. Her breath caught in her throat.
It wasn’t a dream. It wasn’t a fragment of someone else’s memories.
It was her.
She was Aeris.
Aeris—the stubborn cadet who chased after Xu Kai with reckless heart. Aeris, who trained hard and smiled brighter each day. And Atlas, her brother—the cold, unreadable one who always lingered near her, who shielded her like no one else ever did. She had always wondered why he was so good to her, even when she didn’t understand him. There were times she thought he might’ve been a relative of the original body’s owner. But it wasn’t that.
He had protected her because he was her brother.
Her real brother.
Liora closed her eyes again, and her chest ached. She had spent so long confused, doubting, even feeling guilty for never truly connecting with Atlas. And now she knew the truth—he had known who she was the whole time. And he had chosen not to tell her. She remembered the countless times she had asked him why he was always there, always watching her, always saving her.