(MC POV)
"For starters, why don't you sit down first? I'll explain what I know to you," I suggested, gesturing to the bed.
She looked at me like she didn't understand what I just said at all.
That's when I realised I was speaking Japanese all this while so it would make sense she didn't understand. I discreetly activated a language inscription for her so that she could both understand and speak the language without any problems.
I cleared my throat and repeated my question once again, gesturing for her to sit down.
Lian Li looked at me with mistrust clear on her face but she obliged anyway.
"Your name is Lian Li, does the name ring any bells?"
She shook her head.
I continued, "This might be hard to believe but you're from another world and over there, you were my disciple."
Her brows furrowed, showing she had doubts about my words.
"Disciple? Other world? Are you… Crazy?"
Somehow hearing Lian Li say that to me hurts quite a bit.
At least it shows that she does have some semblance of common sense even if her memories are gone.
I snapped my fingers and summoned a ball of light in front of me, letting it float around the room before stopping in front of me.
Honestly, I was prepared for Lian Li to be shocked, awed or even horrified at the display, but the last thing I expected was for her to look at me with wide eyes and whisper one word.
"God…"
I frowned and dispersed the light ball, "No, I'm not some deity or god. I was your teacher and you were my student, you could do something like this easily too."
"Me… Me too?" She gasped. "Who… Who am I?"
"You are Lian Li, my first disciple that I took under my wing. Do you have any memory of that? Learning under someone? Maybe a mentor figure or something?"
She scrunched up her face, concentrating on trying to remember before shaking her head slowly.
I sighed, I might need to dive into her mind in that case. I'm not even sure if this will work since she's not physically here and this should just be a manifestation of her consciousness.
Oh well, I guess I'll just need to try.
I reached out my hands with my palms facing upwards, "I will try and see if I can restore your memories. Do you trust me?"
She hesitated for a second before nodding her head.
"Then place your hands on top of mine."
She reached out her hands and just when she was about to place them on top of mine, the door to the room opened, causing her to flinch back.
"Aniue~ I brought the wat-- Oh, she's awake."
Lian Li's eyes darted between Tsuki and me, sending me a silent query on who she was looking at.
"Lian Li, this is Tsuki, my little sister. Tsuki, this is Lian Li… Umm… I suppose it's better to just tell you everything. Lian Li is my disciple in my other life."
Now both girls were looking at me with confused expressions on their faces.
Ughhh… This is why I didn't want to tell her, I'll need to explain everything and I don't want to do it…
I gestured for Tsuki to take a seat on the bed and my little sister obeyed, passing the glass of water she prepared to Lian Li who received it with a nod.
"Ok… Where do I begin… I suppose I'll just start from the beginning… Or at least one of them."
Thus I spun the tale about my reincarnated life, the one where I met Lian Li.
If I were to tell them of the one I ascended and crippled myself too, we'd probably be here all day.
I had also realised one thing while I was recounting my memories, it does not seem like I was getting any more of it.
Right now I can only recall my life with Tsuki and the entirety of my second life including the memories I lost as Elaria's brother. For some reason, I was unable to remember my life before Tsuki at all, even though I knew instinctively there was more beyond that but I just can't remember it.
Either something's preventing me from remembering or the memory recollection just slowed down tremendously.
Well, I figured that since it's something I don't remember, it's probably not that important anyway.
The sun was just beginning to dip below the horizon when I finished my tale with Tsuki and me finding Lian Li in the dungeon, the two girls still looking at me with stunned expressions plastered on their faces.
"So Aniue… Led such a life before coming back here…" Tsuki murmured.
I left out the part where this was me trying to restore my memories and just explained it away that I somehow got transported back in time. I don't know what this Tsuki might do if she figured out she might just be something created for this alternate world and not actually the real one.
Well, whether something is 'real' or not is kind of subjective anyway in the grand scheme of things. Let's just avoid giving her an existential crisis for now.
I also suggested that Lian Li was here because of the same reason and not because she was in my mindscape. When she regains her memories, I'll explain to her the reason then.
"I am… Lian Li?" Lian Li finally spoke, her cup of water untouched all this while.
"Yes."
"And… You are… My Master…"
"Yes."
"I see… Ummm… Forgive me, but this will take some time for me to digest…"
I reached out my hands again, "Like I offered you before, do you want to let me try and see if I can restore your memories here?"
Lian Li looked at my proffered hands, her own hands hesitating in reaching out.
She considered the proposition for a few moments before finally shaking her head, "I'm sorry… Umm… Could you please give me some time to think about it?"
I smiled gently at her, "Of course. I know how it's like to suddenly be dropped into another world without your memories. You don't need to rush, we can do it anytime you are ready."
Lian Li shook her head, "Umm... No, that's not it. I just…"
She stopped herself, closing her eyes to take a deep breath before exhaling, then repeating that action a few more times.
The golden haired girl opened her eyes again before staring right at me with a resolute expression, "I'm ready."
I raised an eyebrow, "Are you sure? I told you there's no need for you to rush."
"I am sure. I… I still don't know if what you told me is true, nor if you were just trying to trick me with your story. My logical mind is telling me that this is too good, too farfetched to be true… But yet my heart… My heart feels so at peace when I look at you. Like there's no way you could lie to me and I… I feel so safe when with you… I'm ready, please help me remember."
Hmm? I suppose those are her instincts speaking to her.
I nodded, and offered my hands again, this time Lian Li placing hers on top of them without hesitation.
I closed my eyes and concentrated, directing my own consciousness to hers in order to search for the suppressed memories.
It should be an easy thing to do since she was… Eh?
There's… No memories?
This isn't a factor of suppressed or missing memories then, it's more like she had none in the first place.
What does this even mean?
Did her own memories get obliterated when she came into my mindscape?
