The mory flowed again, this ti gentler, like dawn light warming the cold corners of her heart.
Liora watched Aeris—herself, younger—walking through the tall gates of the Spire Military Academy. The campus was vast, shaped in perfect symtry, with towering silver buildings and curved walkways stretching toward the skies. Everything glead under the morning sun. Drones flew silently overhead, and the scent of charged tal and polished marble filled the air.
Aeris stood at the threshold in her standard black cadet uniform. The collar was stiff. The boots were heavy. But she stood tall, a determined look in her eyes. She had left Eli safely in the care of her father and returned to the life she had once dread of.
She was no longer just a girl burdened with the weight of sudden motherhood. She was a cadet now. A fighter in training.
Her first weeks were a blur of early mornings, relentless drills, late-night theory classes, and more physical exhaustion than she had ever felt in her life. Yet through it all, she remained focused. Her instructors praised her endurance. Her simulation scores rose steadily. Her aim was precise. Her strategic thinking sharp.
She wasn’t the top cadet—not yet—but she was known for one thing: never giving up.
Then ca the first joint command simulation.
It was a high-pressure training day—one where both first-year cadets and upper-level commanders participated in mock scenarios. They were told it was a rare occasion and they have to seize the opportunity to learn from commanders.
And that’s when he walked in.
Aeris stood among her squad, fingers gripping her energy rifle lightly, when the simulation doors slid open with a soft hiss.
And in stepped a tall man in full black uniform, his steps quiet but powerful.
Liora, standing as a ghost within her mory, felt her breath catch before she even saw his face.
No. It can’t be—
Her gaze locked on him as he turned.
Xu Kai.
The sa sharp jawline. The sa cold, unreadable eyes. His hair neatly swept back. A Commander’s insignia glead on his chest—Spire’s First Commander, the youngest in its history.
The present Liora stumbled back inside the mory space, her eyes wide.
She had never seen this mory before.
Never rembered this mont until now.
And yet, here she was—watching herself fall in love for the very first ti.
Inside the mory, Aeris blinked rapidly, the rifle in her hand slowly lowering without her realizing it. Her heart had skipped a beat. Her entire body froze for a full second, the world going quiet around her. The weight of his presence pulled all her thoughts in one direction.
He didn’t speak.
He didn’t smile.
He walked past them like they were air.
And Aeris... stared after him like soone enchanted.
Liora, in the present, felt heat flood her cheeks. Her mind spun as her younger self stood there, absolutely smitten.
Was it really... this intense?
In the days that followed, Aeris’s interest in Commander Xu Kai only grew worse.
She had always been direct. Not one to hold back. So instead of admiring from afar, she marched up to him between drills and tried to strike conversations. He never responded. Not a word. Sotis he didn’t even look at her. Just walked away, silent as a shadow.
Still, she persisted.
"Commander, do you like coffee or tea? I can bring so to your office!"
No reply.
"Are you human? Because no one that perfect can possibly exist naturally."
Still nothing.
"You don’t smile. Is that a dical condition or just because we’re all beneath you?"
Silence.
Yet none of it discouraged her.
Liora in the present watched it all, mouth slightly open, completely frozen in place. Her hands trembled at her sides. She had always thought she t Xu Kai for the first ti months ago, when she found herself transmigrated in the apocalypse world. She had thought their bond had started there....
But now—
She saw her younger self chasing him like a lovesick puppy, day and night, sticking to his side during drills, mimicking his movents during sword practice, sitting one table across during lunch while pretending to read a manual upside down.
She was ridiculous.
Bold.
Utterly in love.
And Xu Kai? He had ignored every word, every glance.
But now, watching carefully, Liora noticed what Aeris had never seen back then.
The slight pause in his steps when she followed too closely.
The quick glance when she tripped during a sprint and got up without whining.
The quiet shift in his jaw whenever soone else tried to flirt with her.
Subtle things.
Unspoken things.
Liora touched her chest.
He rembered ... didn’t he?
All those monts recently when he looked at her with a strange softness. When he treated her wounds without a word. When he stayed outside her room at night, saying nothing, just... guarding.
The signs had always been there.
But she had forgotten. And he had never reminded her.
The mory blurred at the edges again, preparing to fade.
Liora blinked through the tears rising in her eyes, heart loud in her ears.
She whispered to herself, voice shaking.
"...Xu Kai, how long have you been rembering ?"
And why didn’t he ever say a word?
"Or maybe he just fell in love with her again, because she doesn’t look like Aeris at all. They have very different features, but Liora could tell that they actually have the sa personality.
He had recognized that part of her.
Not the face.
Not the na.
But the way she stood. The way she refused to back down. The way she stord into his life all over again, demanding space without realizing it.
Liora’s breath trembled.
Did you know it was ?
Or did you fall for a second ti?
Both possibilities made her chest ache.
She thought of all those quiet monts between them recently. The silent care he offered. The gentleness behind his sharp orders. The way his eyes always lingered a little longer than they should have, like he was rembering sothing—but didn’t know what.
And suddenly, her hands were cold.
Because either way—it ant Xu Kai had chosen her twice.
Once when she was Aeris.
And once now, as Liora.
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