"Please, help me find someone." As he pleaded, Forus' voice quivered. Despite the progress he made with his sorcery mastery, he had not made a single noticeable step towards his real goal.
Whenever he experienced happiness, a faint sense of longing would manifest in his mind. In there, Forus struggled to find his inner peace. Although Ocelia had partially filled his broken heart with her love, it was not enough; his heart would not let it.
"Who are they, then?" Florie was a little surprised when she heard Forus asked for something so... little. She reckoned that he would ask for wealth or knowledge. Alas, different people had different priorities. She still would not go against her promise.
"My lonely little girl— I need to know how she's been doing. She is always alone, and I'm worried about her." As he talked about his daughter, Forus revealed a rare happy smile. Just a faint memory was enough to warm his heart.
Knowing that Forus had immersed himself in his memory, Florie decided to take out a healing potion and drink it. Although it could heal her injuries and replenish her sorcery energy, it would take some times to have any effect, which was why she could not use it during the battle; only an instant was enough to determine the outcome.
When Forus gradually returned to reality, the pollens around both of them had already dispersed, revealing the inner area for the world to see. The sorcerers around them became shocked at the bloody scene.
They could not believe that two sorcerers would be battling against each other to the death with such ruthlessness. After all, this was in front of everyone.
As the shades of blue and red mixed, the battle got split into two sections, overflowing with a blending sense of repugnance and icy beauty. One part was bloody and dark, while the other remained cool and elegant.
If not for the two figures that stood at the centre of the battlefield, the onlookers would have thought that the scene before them came out of a painting of a renowned painter.
"... Her name is Matia, Matia Ander. She is my sole daughter." As the words left his mouth, Forus shivered in both anxiety and excitement. Bit by bit, warm tears began to form and fall from his face, dripping onto the ground before merging with the puddle of crimson blood.
At that moment, Forus felt as if someone had taken an enormous weight off of his soul. All this while, there was finally progress in his seemingly hopeless quest.
"Don't worry. I will." After witnessing his outbreak, Florie smiled as she looked up. Her gaze met with the feminine figure descending from the sky. Although her mind turned clouded and at the blink of exhaustion, she remained focused at her mentor and let out a wry smile.
Florie could never know that the lonely little girl named Matia was her mentor. Despite living in the same abode, Matia had never told anyone of her surname. Although Florie knew that her mentor's name was Matia, she could not connect that this mysterious Falsus would be her mentor's father.
In reality, there was never any news about anyone successfully reincarnated with their memory intact. The subject of reincarnation was mysterious and dangerous, involving the dark secrets of the Sorcerer World. There was no way for Florie to have any access to this information.
With her intelligence, after she calmly analysed the strange action that Forus displayed during the fight, she could deduce that someone was helping her in secret. If it was her previous self, she might have gone crazy in despair and bitterness. However, with her current temperament, she only let out a sigh and shook her head.
By observing her pupil's reaction, Matia felt bitter at the thought of her actions. She knew the risk of her plan, but as she only had one person whom she cared, she was willing to do anything for Florie.
As soon as her feet touched the ground, Matia gazed at Forus deeply before she sighed. Although she had only met this man only once, she still felt a sense of familiarity from him. If he did not clash with her pupil, she would never use her power to bully him.
Matia quickly put her strange thoughts at the back of her mind before she held Florie in her arms. Although the scent of blood and gore lingered in the air, Matia did not feel any disgust or dirty. She watched in silence as her pupil tried to speak something but fell unconscious before she could do so.
"You've done well. Just leave the rest to your teacher." Matia whispered to the sleeping beauty. Although Florie had fainted, in her eyes, she was still the most vivid-coloured person she could perceive.
Ever since she had lost her ability to discern colours, she could only see in the shade of white, black, and grey. Only Florie could make her world colourful again. Even though the dull world made her uncomfortable, she could not make herself hated it, for her mind felt that it was somehow very precious to her.
To everyone else, she was the cold-hearted Elder who only doted on her sole disciple. However, in her heart hid the deep longing and loneliness. The day she regained her memory still lingered in her mind after three hundred years.
"Young man, I've underestimated you. Nonetheless, thanks to you, Little Florie had successfully passed her trial and overcome her past." Aside from the first brief encounter, Matia finally got to observe the facial expression of Forus for the first time.
Forus had an average face, but his silvery hair made up for the mediocre appearance. Although dirt and filth were all over his clothing, they could not conceal his calm and chill vibe. Aside from the terrifying empty eye sockets, his figure seemed ordinary and unassuming.
Although Florie did not pay any attention to Forus' chilly vibe, Matia would never forget the same piercing aura that broke her peaceful fate apart. She formerly had no idea how to deal with this without letting her pupil knew the truth, but, since Florie had already fainted, Matia could do as she wished.
"Because you helped my pupil broke through her bottleneck, I won't pursue that matter anymore." After all, Matia did not wish to betray her pupil's promise. Although it was only until the end, Forus and Florie somehow managed to gain each other's respect, and she did not want to break it apart so soon. The more allies her pupil had, the safer her journey would be.
"Now, tell me. Who is your mentor? Where is he?" Matia's voice turned sharp as she channelled her sorcery energy, causing the ground surrounding Forus to tremble and break apart. From the rift, vines and roots shot towards him and locked him into place. The crushing pressure weighted on his body like a mountain, threatening to annihilate his entire being.
"... Who is he?" Even if Forus utilised his Death Aura, he would never be able to break free from the experienced second-ranked sorcerer, let alone when he got injured heavily. Naturally, Forus could only struggle in vain as the torture intensified.
"Young man, don't try to test my patience. You have his aura in your body. Choose, your life, or his whereabouts?" Although Matia knew that the man was dying, she specifically made sure that he would never faint and continue to experience more and more pain. With her meticulous control, Forus would inch closer to death but never crossed the line.
The pain began to fill his mind as Forus remained constrained by Matia. Although his consciousness was blackening, there would be an abrupt pulse that shocked his mind, forcing him to remain awake. He could do nothing except searching his memory, trying to understand what the sorceress was talking about.
Seeing that Forus was lost in his thoughts, Matia stopped her torture and stared into his dark abysses. Her hands caressed Florie's face as she injected more sorcery energy into her, helping her recovered from her exhaustion.
"Stop!" A series of soft footsteps echoed forth as a figure quickly closed in. From the distant, her silhouette was messy yet calm. Although her clothing got ruined by her careless actions, her disposition remained steady.
Without any hesitation, the figure extended her hand forwards before conjuring a few spears. She shot them towards Forus, aiming precisely at the roots and vines. She spared almost no attention to Matia as she ran across the field of blood towards her beloved.
Before Forus' body could hit the ground, a pair of delicate hands supported his weight, causing a soft noise to resound. Ocelia collapsed onto the bloody soil as she prevented Forus from landing onto the dirty pool of blood.
At first, Matia gestured her hand and prepared to capture both Ocelia and Forus. However, just as Ocelia ran past her without any second glance, she felt a sudden urge to reach her hands to touch the lady's back. The ever so familiar feeling rushed through her body as a blurred memory resurfaced.
In her vision, a faint pinkish colour manifested on Ocelia for a moment before it dissipated into dullness again. The pink shade struggled to remain, yet, it could not resist the darkness of the skeleton clock. In the end, it got devoured by the impossible curse and faded into obscurity.
The change happened too fast, and Matia could not detect anything. All she knew was that a feeling of longing emerged from witnessing the scene similar to her memory.
As Matia watched the two in envy, she gazed back at her only pupil for a long time. Her eyes turned gentle and caring as she hardened her will. No matter what, she would always protect her last connection to the colourful world.
"Miss, please forgive me for being so impolite, but, if you wish to bring harm to him, you'll have to kill me first." Without any intention to conceal her unique ability any longer, Ocelia revealed her mystical eyes. The blazing red and the icy blue intertwined as they merged and separated, forming a dynamic shading that changed over time.
"Ocelia, don't worry. I can handle this." Although he had not recovered yet, Forus did not want to impose on Ocelia too much. He forced himself up and smiled at his wife before placing his attention on Matia.
Looking for the distance, Forus finally gained an impression from the sorceress before him. Although he could hardly stand in front of her frightening pressure, he could feel the vague feeling of longing and regret in her strong outwards silhouette.
"If you're talking about the sorcerer whose foundation I've stolen from, then he's long dead." Forus spoke as his body trembled at the mention of the blue-robed sorcerer. Even if he had passed through many strange and surreal experiences, he could never remain calm thinking back at the lowest depth of his life.
Just like how he had changed Florie, the gruesome experiment at the dark hideout had altered him. If one grim fight could shake a sorcerer apprentice's mind, then a despairing mortal would never be able to endure the tens of years of complete darkness.
Just as Forus was losing in his depth of memory, Ocelia reached out her hand and held his. Her warmness travelled from their connected palm along with the veins, rushing straight into his fragile heart. As if she had cast a healing spell on him, Forus gradually calmed down.
Matia froze in her place once she heard the unexpected answer. Without any explanation, tears manifested on her face, dripping from her eyes and caressed her cheeks. When she closed her eyes, its warmness reminded her of a hand that once pampered and spoiled her every time she begged to go out and play.
"Then, do you know where he was hiding? Does he mention anything about anyone else?" Matia spoke as quick as lightning as she tightened her hands. Although it had been so long, she still remembered the scene where her father and mother crumbled into the ground.
Since the day she regained her memory, Matia swore to never call herself Matia Ander before she avenged her father and mother. Due to this reason, no one knew about her surname, not even the green figure who brought her to Flying Green Garden.
