With Hanna still in seclusion, us only has to spend time with his mom and Miriam. His mom didn''t really need to go into seclusion. All she had to do was drink Mountain Dew, which Ohema made sure she had in abundance before bing unreachable.


    She asionally absorbed monster cores to raise her cultivation base. us didn''t understand how his mother, who hadn''t been able to level up for many years, had not only now leveled up but also broken through to the Ascended stage.


    He couldn''t wrap his mind around it. But he wasn''t too concerned—his mom was finally leveling up, which would increase her lifespan, something us dearly wanted for her.


    They spent the day doing all sorts of things. us knew that once he went into seclusion again, he wouldn''te out for a month, so he wanted to take care of a few things first.


    As the sun was about to set, us left to handle something outside,ing backter in the night. He had promised to meet up with Luna and her twin sister, so he went to leave a sign for them.


    When he came back, dinner was ready. They ate,ughed, and joked about many things. When it was time for bed, Miriam tried to slip off to her room, but us quickly pulled her into his room, and despite her strength, she didn''t bother to resist.


    Of course, us didn''t want to make her feel ufortable since this was their first night together, so after sharing a few kisses, they went to bed, cuddling together.


    us drifted off to sleep quickly, his face nestled between Miriam''s breasts only covered in her nightwear —a dream he had longed for. He had finally managed to fulfill it.


    A whileter, us felt a gentle tap on his shoulder. He tried to ignore it, but after a bit, he felt another tap. Slowly, he gave in and opened his eyes.


    However, once his eyes were open, he couldn''t find anyone around—just Miriam quietly sleeping beside him. He wiped his eyes and decided to go back to sleep. But after a little while, he felt the tap again.


    This time, us opened his eyes immediately and even sat up in bed. He wanted to curse whoever was doing it, but before he could speak, a voice interrupted.


    "Tea?" us turned to see a familiar figure—a Monk with violet hair, handsome features, and unusual eyes—sitting in the air to the right of the bed, holding a teacup.


    us stared in shock. "Fruity, what are you doing here? And more importantly, what am I doing here?" he asked, narrowing his gaze.


    The fact that Miriam hadn''t woken up despite the stranger''s presence made us suspect he wasn''t in his room anymore. he was somewhere different.


    "What I''m doing here isn''t important. You should have some tea first," Fruity said.


    "I''m not drinking anything. Tell me, what am I doing here?" us asked again, his voice colder this time. Something felt off, and he didn''t like it one bit. He could sense something terrible was about to happen.


    "You tell me, why are you trying to forget your past?" Fruity asked.


    "Who said I''m trying to forget my past?" us responded, puzzled.


    "Then why aren''t you remembering the rest? You made sure you''d remember everything when you reincarnate, so why hold back?" Fruity asked again, twirling the tea in his cup.


    "I don''t know what you''re talking about," us said, clearly lost.


    "Then why don''t you want to drink the tea?" Fruity pressed.


    "That has nothing to do with anything. I''m just not ready yet," us replied, his tone growing slightly angry. He hadn''t finished processing the first memory, so he wasn''t keen on adding more.


    He already knew that uncovering those memories was leading somewhere dark, and for once, he understood that once those memories came back, his life would never be the same.


    "Well, us, you don''t have much time. Trust me, you need to remember, even if you''re not ready," Fruity said.


    "And what if I''m not ready to remember?" us shot back. He knew that drinking the tea would bring back the memories of his past, and if he didn''t drink it, he''d never remember.


    us expected Fruity to say something, but instead, he waved his hand, and the scene changed from the room to a new ce that us immediately recognized.


    It was arge castle, built from the rarest jade and gold. Everything about it felt graceful andforting. It had been his home in his past life as Haus—or Fruity, or the renegade monk.


    "You remember when you were happy within these walls? How Mom made sure you had everything?" Fruity began.


    "Stop," us said, not liking where this was headed.


    "How Haniva used to take you on walks through the gardens."


    "I said stop," us repeated, his tone rising.


    "How you always had everything you ever wanted. How you''d cause trouble with the others and run to Mom for protection, love, and care."


    "I said stop it!" us snapped.


    But Fruity didn''t stop. He waved his hand, and the scene changed again. us now saw himself as a 7-year-old, standing inside a formation, looking back at his mother. It was the moment she sacrificed herself for him.


    "You want to forget, us, but you can''t. You need to remember. Even though it''s painful, this is who you are, and it''s what will shape you into who you''re meant to be."


    "You didn''t lock these memories away to move on with a clean te. You need them, us. They are a part of you. The sooner you remember, the closer you''ll get to understanding your true self and your purpose."


    "The memories are inside you. All you have to do is reach out and unlock them. I know it''s scary, but you made a promise to yourself. You have to fulfill that promise, or everything will be lost in the end. And trust me, you don''t want that,"


    The scene then shifted back to us''s room, with Miriam still sleeping beside him on the bed. us knew he was dreaming, but instead of enjoying the dream, it became more like a nightmare to him.


    Fruity set down the cup of tea and vanished, leaving one final sentence: "You need to remember, and do it fast, because you''re running out of time."


    us stared at the cup of tea, his thoughts swirling. He knew what had to be done, but he also knew he wasn''t ready—or rather, he didn''t want to face what woulde next.


    Drinking the tea meant being pulled down another painful memoryne.


    "Ha, I guess he''s right... or more like I''m right. Damn, this past self thing is getting on my nerves," us muttered as he took the cup of tea holding his memories.


    "I must remember," he whispered to himself. Then, with a single gulp, he drank the tea and swallowed. He let out a sigh, waiting for his vision to darken. But after five minutes, nothing happened.


    He looked inside the cup—it was empty. Puzzled, us wondered if he had done something wrong. Thest time, he felt dizzy and then cked out when he drank the tea, so he was expecting something simr. However, no matter how long he waited, that dizziness never happened.


    Suddenly, he felt a hand touch his chest. The moment it made contact, his vision darkened.


    When he regained his sight, he found himself back in his room, drenched in sweat, with Miriam holding onto him.


    "us, are you alright?" Miriam''s voice reached his ears.


    He raised an eyebrow in response.