Yawning, Liam Calderon stretched and tried to shake off the remnants of sleep, mentally scrambling to piece together his thoughts.
"What a pity," he mumbled. The interrupted kiss just as he was getting to the good part had merely been a dream.
Returning to reality, Liam blinked, taking in his surroundings. He had awakened from his daytime nap in the auditorium of the Independent Magical University Eldoria Academy.
Although Liam was a freshman at Eldoria and technically attending the university's standard welcome orientation, he had only made it halfway through the Chancellor's speech before dozing off during the man's monotonous droning.
Not that Liam was a slacker or someone you'd call lazy he was focused, driven, and hardworking. But lately, for reasons he couldn't quite pinpoint, sleep had become elusive. More often than not, he found himself tossing and turning at night, only to drift into strange dreams during the day.
Swallowing a second yawn, he rubbed his eyes and slowly opened them only to freeze.
Right in front of him, filling his entire field of vision, was a striking face. Sparkling eyes, like starlight scattered over the ocean, gazed directly into his. They watched him intently as their owner leaned forward, her body hovering over his.
It felt like the dream was continuing. The setting and clothes were different, but those eyes those exact same eyes were reminiscent of Celestia's.
Liam took in the woman properly now. She was clad in the university-issued female uniform, and pinned to her modest chest was a name tag that read:
[Sabrina Raine (Solas) 1-1]
Same class as him Year 1, Class 1. Still, as obvious as it was, her name wasn't Celestia.
What the hell is going on?
Why is she so close?! What's with this invasion of personal space?!
While Liam sat frozen, the woman Sabrina moved even closer. Could it be…? Could that regretful, interrupted dream kiss be continuing in reality? Was that even possible? Just imagining the softness of those bud-like lips made his heart race. A tiny squeak escaped his throat as he reflexively closed his eyes, bracing for the moment.
BANG!
Sabrina swung her forehead back, then slammed it forward into his.
"What the?!"
The supposed dream kiss… had actually been a headbutt. What should've been lip to lip… was forehead to forehead. What should've been a tender moment… was a full-on declaration of war.
Overwhelmed, Liam let out a groan a blend of shock, disappointment, and pain.
"Are you awake now?" Sabrina asked sweetly. Her voice sounded soft, almost sugary… but the sarcasm was unmistakable.
She folded her arms, her single ponytail tied high to the left swaying like a whip.
"What are you trying to do all of a sudden?" Liam glared at her, still clutching his forehead.
"It's punishment," Sabrina declared, looking down on him with the intense pressure of someone who clearly thought she was better than everyone else. "For rude people who fall asleep just after the welcoming ceremony begins."
She radiated haughty energy like a mini tyrant.
"Everyone's already left for their classrooms, but you're still here dozing away. It's simply unbelievable."
Sure enough, the auditorium that had once held over a hundred freshmen was now completely empty.
"I hate people with no enthusiasm. Or gumption."
"Isn't a headbutt a bit much for that?" Liam grumbled, still rubbing the sore spot. Gumption? Who even says that anymore?
"I was also annoyed because you looked like you were expecting something else."
"About that… I apologize," Liam said sheepishly.
"That's right. And just so you know, I already have a boyfriend. So don't get any ideas."
Of course. No way in the world would a gorgeous stranger randomly lean in for a wake-up kiss.
Liam sighed, sincerely reflecting on his overly hopeful post-dream expectations.
"It's not that I lack enthusiasm or motivation," he muttered, and I'm still not saying the word gumption. After some inner debate, he figured he should at least explain himself. "It's just… the welcoming speech was too long. And I haven't been sleeping well lately. I must've dozed off without realizing. I swear I'll be motivated from now on, so please spare me any more headbutts or assaults of any kind."
"Her speech wasn't that long," Sabrina replied, ignoring his apology entirely. "It was inspiring! The things she said we could achieve, who we could become…"
Her voice grew more animated, practically glowing with admiration.
Liam shook his head. Beautiful? Sure. But she's clearly been brainwashed by the university brochure. Probably one of those overachieving lecturer's pets. He gave up trying to argue and instead began mentally strategizing how to escape. But
"The Chancellor said this," Sabrina began with sudden theatrical enthusiasm. "'We are the <
She quoted with so much fervor her hands started waving dramatically in the air, as though she were some grand general rallying her troops.
Liam stared at her in stunned silence. She's mad. Completely mad. Bonkers.
He bit his tongue to avoid blurting that out, but the look in his eyes must've said enough.
Sabrina abruptly coughed, noticing his pitying stare. She straightened up, regaining composure then promptly pointed at him, clearly not done.
"So, in conclusion… since you're a <
It was a totally enthusiastic statement and surprisingly wholesome. For someone who had just headbutted him awake, she sure seemed like a kind person at heart. She even wanted to build a good relationship with someone she clearly thought was a slacker.
Liam scratched his head, and just like that, his irritation faded.
"If you fall asleep again, I'll have to start scolding you," Sabrina warned, though this time with a dazzling smile. "Can't promise there won't be any more headbutts or… 'assaults,' though."
She giggled at her own joke, and that smile—bright as the sun, overflowing with boundless energy was disarming. Anyone would've been charmed by it. Liam certainly wasn't immune.
"So? Let's make it through this together, okay?" she added, stretching out her hand.
Liam took it without hesitation.
The moment their hands touched something happened. A strange sensation surged through him. Familiarity. Comfort. Peace. Like collapsing onto the couch after a grueling workout… like coming home.
What is this? Liam blinked, confusion washing over him.
Sabrina's smile faltered. Then her face flushed, her eyes softening as if caught in a dream.
"My… someone special to me once said…" she murmured, almost in a trance. Her voice was low, reverent. "No matter how difficult the battlefield… no matter how strong the enemy… no matter how far apart we are… even if fate tries to tear us apart…"
Before Liam even realized it, the words spilled from his lips without thought, without pause:
"I will always be victorious and return to your side."
A deep silence fell over the empty auditorium.
They stared at each other completely still.
Like lovers, torn apart by time and fate, now reunited across lifetimes… they simply stared.
Then the university bell rang, breaking the silence.
"You're Celestia, aren't you?" Liam asked confidently.
That strange sense of familiarity… it all made sense now.
Sabrina's eyes widened, voice hoarse. "Are you… Alaric?"
Just by saying each other's names, hope turned into certainty.
"Alaric… Alaric…" Sabrina repeated, as if she were saying the name of a dream come true.
Her tear-filled eyes burned with longing as she looked at him.
"I had a feeling I'd find you here…"
She pulled Liam's hand gently to her chest, cradling it like it was something precious. But Liam's expression turned somber.
Looking at Sabrina who had completely shifted into maiden-in-love mode he spoke gently, "Sorry, but… I don't really have much recollection of my past life."
He couldn't lie to her. It wouldn't be fair.
"Eh?"
Sabrina abruptly let go of his hand the same hand she'd been holding like a priceless treasure just seconds ago.
"Really? You seriously don't remember?" Sabrina asked, her voice rising. "How you were praised as the best in swordsmanship and mana infusion mastery? The Sage of the Seven Sword Forms? Wielder of the Divine Blade? How you destroyed the Empire's armies almost single-handedly?"
At her frantic questions, Liam could only shake his head.
All of that sounded so ridiculous, so far removed from reality, that he'd never paid any attention to the rumors or claims.
Sabrina paused, then whispered, her face horrified, "Did you… forget about me?"
"I'm sorry," Liam replied softly.
Sabrina's face went pale.
"They explained it at the ceremony, didn't they?" Liam tried to ease the tension. "That how much someone remembers from their past life depends on the individual. For me, I've got almost nothing. Just vague impressions at best."
The <
"In a certain sense," Liam continued, "you're right to say I'm a stranger. I mean… was I Alaric, in my past life lovers with you?"
He asked delicately. His powers had awakened, but not his memories a rare, though not unheard-of, occurrence. What was even rarer was two reincarnates meeting who had shared a past connection.
Sabrina's expression turned even paler. Such a waste, Liam thought. She's so pretty… But still, her childish sulking was oddly cute.
"No! We were nothing of that sort," she snapped, turning her head away.
Her side ponytail whipped along dramatically.
"You were JUST some knight, and I was JUST a princess you looked after," she muttered, her voice low but sharp clearly refusing to admit what their relationship actually was.
"I see. So… we didn't have a more personal relationship?" Liam asked, trying to recall the vivid dream he'd just woken from.
"That's not true!" she blurted before catching herself. Then she quickly added, "I mean—we were JUST a normal pair! A lady and her protector! That is all!"
She emphasized the word "JUST" with the kind of insistence that only made it more suspicious.
Pretty sure what I saw in the dream said otherwise, Liam thought, squinting at her. His expression clearly betrayed his doubt.
Sabrina must've seen it because she exploded.
"Irritating!" she shrieked. "We were NOT in that kind of relationship!"
Just when Liam was about to comment that she was finally facing him again, her eyes narrowed with fury.
She went full denial mode clenched fists, squared shoulders, voice booming with righteous indignation.
"ABSOLUTELY NOTHING!" she yelled. "THERE IS NOTHING! WE DIDN'T GO OUT ON DATES WHEN WE HAD FREE TIME! WE DIDN'T KISS…"
She paused for a half-second too long before finishing, eyes blazing: "…AND WE ABSOLUTELY DIDN'T FALL INTO A FORBIDDEN LOVE!"
Liam's mind went blank.
He wasn't looking for trouble but he had definitely stepped on a landmine.
Now he was stuck in one very awkward situation.
Liam could only think that the world was playing some kind of joke on him.
This is definitely not the time to be fantasizing.
But then he looked at Sabrina still steaming, both hands clamped over her mouth, her eyes wide with a look that screamed Oops, I just confessed by denying it and that dream scene flashed through his mind again.
They stood there in awkward silence, both stealing glances at each other… then quickly looking away.
Sabrina's face was flushed crimson. Liam, for his part, was staring intently at everything except her.
The atmosphere was painfully awkward embarrassing, suffocating, and impossible to escape cleanly.
Liam darted his eyes around the room, desperate for something anything to rescue him from this emotional minefield.
Then he saw it. Just beyond where he'd been sitting, further in the back of the auditorium… there was someone.
A woman another student was slumped over in her seat, clearly asleep.
Wait… the hall wasn't empty?
"Umm, hey. Look over there," Liam said, nudging Sabrina and pointing toward the sleeper. He was fully aware that he was using this mystery girl as a lifeline an excuse to throw Sabrina's attention elsewhere and escape the rising tension.
"Ah! Another rude person!" Sabrina gasped. "I need to go wake her up!"
Without hesitation, she sprang into action, leaping toward her new target. Like a pair of unspoken partners in crime, both Liam and Sabrina understood each other in that moment this was their mutual escape plan. No need to talk it out. Just go.
The two of them quickly moved toward the sleeping woman at the back of the hall.
As they got closer, it became clear that the sleeping woman was a beauty who could easily rival Sabrina. If one were to compare, Sabrina would be the bubbly, energetic, and cheerful type while this woman gave off a calm, graceful, and serene aura. Even now, seated on a cold metal chair in the back of the auditorium, she exuded quiet charm.
Her long black hair spilled over the backrest like silk, and her appearance was enough to make someone sigh in appreciation. She looked like a sculpture crafted by a master artisan flawless and still.
The name tag on her chest read:
[Lilith Snow – 1-1 (Noctis)]
So, she was a classmate as well.
After reading the name tag, it became impossible not to notice something else. This beautiful, doll-like girl had a figure that tested the very limits of the school uniform. Generous curves strained against the front fabric, creating a contrast that was both distracting and strangely elegant. Her voluptuousness didn't clash with her quiet beauty it enhanced it.
Altogether, her look could only be described as slim but curvy.
Liam, against his better judgment, found himself glancing back at Sabrina… comparing.
Technically, yes Sabrina had some curves. But after seeing Lilith, those curves now felt like the faint memory of curves. An afterimage.
"What exactly are you comparing, Alaric?" Sabrina asked, frowning.
How... how sensitive!
"I'm called Liam."
"Don't dodge the question! And Alaric is Alaric."
"Sabrina, I won't reply to you unless you call me Liam."
"…If I call you Liam, can I go berserk?"
"I sincerely apologize. Please have some mercy WAIT."
Liam's tone suddenly sharpened, his eyes narrowing with focus.
Sabrina froze mid-pose, sensing his seriousness. She lowered her raised fists.
Liam was staring intently at Lilith.
Ummm, ummm, Liam? Th-this woman…" Sabrina's voice trembled slightly.
She had noticed it too.
They both turned their full attention to Lilith.
Her eyes were closed, but something was off. Completely off.
Her chest… wasn't moving. There was no visible rise or fall. No sign of breathing.
Liam's heart jumped. No way…
Forcing down the rising panic, he stepped forward, leaning in close.
Bracing a hand on her chair, he brought his face in front of hers.
Her neck was so pale, so porcelain-like, it was hard to believe there was blood flowing underneath.
You're joking… This isn't happening, right?
No breath, no movement that would mean…
Liam, without hesitation, tilted his head and brought his ear close to Lilith's lips, straining to listen.
Then, softly
"Emery…"
A faint breath. A whispered word.
She was alive.
Relief surged through him but before he could react further, her hands suddenly reached up.
Gently, but firmly, Lilith placed her palms on either side of Liam's face and pulled him toward her.
She was awake. No dramatic gasp, no sudden motion just a quiet, steady awareness.
Her eyes were already open deep, dark orbs staring straight into Liam's.
The only unnerving part was her ice-like expression. While asleep, Lilith had looked like a beautiful young woman at peace. But now, awake, her face was serene still and emotionless.
"Good morning… Flameheart," she whispered.
Then, Lilith's face slowly began to lean in.
Oh god. Is this going to be another headbutt? Liam braced himself. What a lousy day this is.
He tried to pull back, but with Lilith's hands still firmly gripping his head, he couldn't move an inch.
At the very least, he prepared himself for impact except
"Mmm…"
Lilith's lips gently pressed against his.
Not a headbutt.
A kiss.
It took Liam a few seconds to register the reality of the situation. Instead of another attack… he had just been kissed.
His mind went blank.
For a brief, suspended moment, he found himself lost in the soft allure of her lips, the unexpected temptation, the surreal feeling of it all until
"WHATWHATWHATWHATWHATWHATWHATWHATWHATAREYOU DOINGGGGGGGGGGGG RIGHT IN FRONT OF YOUR PRINCESS?!?!?!?!?!"
Sabrina's furious shriek echoed through the hall as she suddenly seized Liam from behind. Her intent was clear: to physically rip him away from Lilith.
"Wait! Wait! Look both of you, just keep away from me!" Liam yelped, pulling himself free and stumbling backward, managing to slip out of Lilith's grip too.
No time to dwell on the lingering feeling of that kiss, he thought regretfully, trying to put some space between himself and the two dangerous women.
But a furious Sabrina was not someone easily ignored.
"How dare you! In front of me! And with another woman! K-k-k-kiss?! You… you unfaithful playboy!" she shouted, storming up to him, her finger jabbing toward his chest like a spear of betrayal.
Liam raised both hands in defense. "What do you mean, 'in front of you'? If our relationship is just that of a knight and princess, then there's no need for you to get angr"
"This is this and that is that!"
Her voice cut through his protest like a sonic boom, threatening to rupture his eardrums.
What the hell does that even mean?!
Liam was completely overwhelmed. Nothing was making sense. The situation had spiraled way too fast, and he had no idea what was happening anymore.
"Alaric, that bastard! What did he do to you in your previous life?" Liam demanded, grasping for answers. There's no way this is about me... right? It's gotta be that guy my past self!
"It's easier to list what he didn't do to me!"
"Alaric… that bastard. Don't tell me he was a villain?" Liam paled. Was I was he some kind of fiend who took advantage of Celestia?
"That's right! My past self cried so many times because of him! And honestly, I feel like crying right now!"
"Really? That's… that's awful. What an evil"
"Don't talk like it's none of your business!" Sabrina snapped, jabbing her finger into his chest. "It's you who did all those things!"
"I already said I don't remember!" Liam protested.
Luckily for him, the law regarding Reincarnates clearly stated that a person couldn't be held legally responsible for actions committed in a previous life. A lifesaver, really some reincarnates had done atrocious things to their enemies, their subjects, or even innocent bystanders. Acts that were technically legal in their time, but completely criminal by modern standards.
"And I can't be held responsible for something my past self did!" he added firmly.
"You're talking like a politician!" Sabrina snapped. "Are you trying to act dumb, you heart-breaker?!"
Liam felt his patience wearing thin. First she headbutts me. Then gives me a whole speech like she's at a theater audition… And now this? He didn't know what else to do, and he definitely didn't want to escalate things with this emotional whirlwind of a woman. All he could do was sigh and let her keep ranting, praying she'd burn herself out soon.
Peeking past Sabrina's flailing arms, Liam spotted Lilith.
She had already slumped back in her chair.
And was asleep. Again.
With a groan, Liam gently pushed Sabrina aside and called out, "Don't go back to sleep!" He dragged a hand across his face. "I got into trouble because of you."
"Hey! Wake up, you succubus!" Sabrina snapped, instantly redirecting her fury toward Lilith. She marched over and started shaking her awake none too gently. "You! What were you trying to pull, seducing my Alaric?!"
My Alaric? Liam blinked. What kind of relationship did my past self and Sabrina even have?
At this point, Sabrina was giving off so many mixed signals, Liam had long since abandoned any hope that she was in a normal, healthy relationship with anyone.
"I mistook the person," Lilith replied flatly, her face emotionless as Sabrina's roar roused her from sleep.
"You'd kiss someone you mistook?!"
"I was half-asleep."
"You'd kiss someone while half-asleep?!"
"Why are you so agitated?"
"It's scandalous and unseemly for a young woman to just kiss strangers! And with my Alaric!"
Liam was fully expecting another outburst. Instead, Sabrina's rage seemed to short-circuit collapsing into full-on despair as she curled into a shivering, crying lump.
What a temperamental woman, Liam thought, watching her mood swing from fury to tears in less than a heartbeat.
"Really?" Lilith remained cool, unfazed. Then she turned her unreadable gaze toward Liam.
"And you?"
"Me…?" Liam blinked and pointed to himself.
Lilith gave a small nod.
"How were my lips?" she asked. "Did you find the kiss scandalous… or unwelcome?"
"…Are you asking me for feedback?" Liam asked, baffled. What is happening right now? Is this normal at university? Or is this just how reincarnate university is supposed to be?
"It's for future reference."
"What are you trying to practice for? And why aren't you… I don't know, shocked or something?"
"Not really. It's not like I lost anything," Lilith replied coolly.
Liam's face stiffened.
Come to think of it… she just went right back to sleep afterward like it was no big deal. He stared at her cautiously, like he was facing some kind of fearsome beast.
"The kiss was… nice," Liam admitted, "but, er… Sabrina is right it's not… er, it's not appropriate."
He stammered, trying to be polite without sounding harsh or judgmental. Liam was a decent Southern boy, raised on manners and modesty. As his mom would've put it: Girls don't go around kissing boys willy-nilly.
"Not appropriate?" Lilith repeated.
"Yes. Your, uh, your value as a woman could decrease. Please take more care… and don't kiss strangers." He blurted it out before he could stop himself.
Lilith stared at him.
"…Your words are very amusing."
"In any situation," Liam muttered, "I think it's your words and actions that are the funny ones."
Lilith's calm expression didn't change, but her mouth twitched, revealing a set of unexpectedly adorable dimples. Though she looked like a quiet introvert, that mischievous glint in her smile hinted at something far more dangerous.
"Then… if it happens again, I shall try to be surprised."
"Please do."
"Like this?" she asked, then clapped both hands to her cheeks and gave a wooden, monotone: "Ahhhhh."
Mock shock.
"That's great. Perfect," Liam deadpanned, clapping a few sarcastic beats. "Then my value as a woman didn't decrease, right?"
"It went up in a straight line," Liam replied, smiling.
The banter, strange as it was, turned out to be surprisingly fun. Liam found himself genuinely enjoying it.
And then
"Why are the two of you acting like you're having such a good time?" came a voice thick with displeasure.
Liam turned, wincing.
Sabrina stood nearby, pushed out of the spotlight for too long. Tears shimmered in her eyes angry, dramatic tears only a furious young woman could conjure.
"How are you going to recompense me?" she demanded, turning her reproachful gaze on Lilith.
"Ask him," Lilith replied without a care, casually shrugging. As if the whole situation had nothing to do with her, she turned away, completely ignoring the fuming Sabrina.
That's when Liam realized too late that he'd been set up.
Lilith had deliberately deflected Sabrina's wrath… straight at him.
"Ah. No. That is…" Liam scrambled, trying to explain away the mess.
"Why are you so heartless to me?! Alaric is an idiot! A dummy! A two-faced shapeshifter!"
"…Two-faced shapeshifter?" he echoed.
"If you like that woman so much, then just marry her!"
And with that final cry, Sabrina spun around and ran out of the auditorium in tears.
It had been a complete disaster from beginning to end.
"A person as tempestuous as a storm," Lilith commented.
Liam could only nod in agreement.
Then
"Shall we go?" she asked. "Since we're in the same class, there should be a class meeting after this."
"I'll stay here a little longer."
"You'll be late."
"That's my intention," Lilith replied calmly, reclining back into her chair.
"Everyone rushed off earlier. Are you the same type as them?"
"If possible," Liam said with a sigh, "I'd like to spend my university life in an orderly manner."
It wasn't easy to get into a university that provided free tuition and full amenities. Liam knew that well and he wasn't about to let this opportunity go to waste.
That was his honest opinion.
"I see. It's the opposite for me," Lilith replied.
Her words surprised him, but despite what she said, Lilith didn't seem like a delinquent. If anything, she came across as someone extremely indolent more specifically, someone weary of the world.
Hmmm… oh well.
Liam didn't feel like nagging her. That wasn't his style.
"So, I'll head out first," he said. "By the way can I ask you something?"
Lilith nodded silently.
Those words… from earlier, in your sleep. Did you mention the name Emery?"
Lilith paused. Then, after a short hesitation, replied, "It was just meaningless sleep talk."
"Really? Still… although it's embarrassing, can you hear me out without laughing?"
Liam raised a hand to scratch his head but changed his mind. Shifting into a more serious tone, he looked her straight in the eyes.
"Were you… the <
Lilith's expression didn't change.
Her face remained frozen like a porcelain mask. Cold, unreadable. You couldn't tell what she was thinking, no matter how hard you looked.
Still, Liam pressed on.
"In my dreams… I'm called Emery, the <
Liam often dreamt strange dreams. According to Eldoria Academy, such dreams were fragments of past-life memories.
And in those dreams sometimes, he was called Alaric. Sometimes, he was known as Emery.
That's right. Even if only in fragments… it was undeniable.
Liam carried the memories of two past lives.