"LORD FORRESTER, is there a way for me to remember the life that I had before the reset?" Julian asked the former saint while he was walking him back to his room. Well, it wasn't like he needed to do that. He just wanted to talk to Lord Forrester without Winter. His brother was a worrywart and he didn't want him to unnecessarily worry about him. "The memories that the Sun God showed us didn't include mine."

"I don't want to say this but…" Lord Forrester stopped when they reached his room. Then, he faced him and pointed at himself. "Lord Julian, I'm pretty useless without my Holy Scepter. A few years ago, I was a little more useful because back then, I could still use my divine power. But after my deadly match with Aku Moonchester and the Golden Tiger, the remaining divine power in me had been drained."

"But you're the son of the Sky God," he said, confused. "You're supposed to be overflowing with divine powers. How did yours get drained?"

"I know, right?" he agreed with a firm nod. Then, he raised one finger. "But Lord Julian, don't you remember what kind of weapon the Holy Scepter is?"

"A living weapon that feeds on its owner's divine power…" He trailed-off when he realized that it was the answer to his question a while ago. "Oh."

"Yes, the Holy Scepter fed on my divine power a long time ago," the former saint said. "When I said my divine power was sealed, I mean it was sealed inside the scepter. I can only freely use it if the Holy Scepter is in my hands."

"Ah, I see."

The former saint fell silent for a while before he spoke again. "You're practically a god because of who your parents are, Lord Julian. Having your memories intact despite how many times you get reborn is supposed to be the privilege of someone like you. But because of your mother's punishment, you practically lost that privilege. Even your mother and father had their memories erased. That's probably the price they had to pay to get what they wanted in the past."

"I understand why Mother lost her memories," he said. "But what about Father? What did he do to lose that privilege?"

Lord Forrester let out a deep sigh. "Lord Julian, your father used to be a very difficult person in the past. He didn't know how to communicate properly and he did things on his own without even consulting your mother. To simply put, he pulled some strings in the past to have your family safely reborn into this lifetime. But it seems like even the Black Serpent has forgotten the things that he had to sacrifice for it to happen. For a god, losing their memories is like suicide."

Yeah, that was the cause of all their problems: missing memories.

"Lord Forrester, when humans are reborn into a new lifetime, the memories of their past lives are wiped off," he said carefully. "Where do those memories go? Do they just disappear? Or is there a place where they are kept?"

"There's this place called 'Plane' where some gods usually reside to watch over their favorite humans," the former saint explained. "The Plane is also the world between the living and the dead. The souls or the spirits of those who have died stay there while they await for their reincarnation. There are 'officers' in the Plane that collect the memories of the humans who are about to get reborn."

"Have you been there?"

"Yes, since I already died a few times," he said. "Humans forget about their time in the Plane when they get reborn. But since I'm a son of the Sky God, my memories of it stay with me. Although I'm not supposed to talk about it to other people."

"But you just did."

The former saint laughed it off. "It's fine since you have divine blood in you."

He is so easy-going.

"Lord Forrester, is there a way for a living person like me to enter the Plane?"

"Why would you want to enter the Plane, Lord Julian?"

Sharp.

"I don't believe that the only reason that our family has been reborn without our full memories is because our parents were punished," he explained. "I have a feeling that someone is purposely messing with us– someone who can manipulate memories without being caught by my mother and father. The only time I can think where they could steal the memories of the Supreme and the Black Serpent is during their reincarnation."

"That's a valid point."

"Then, please help me."

"Like I said, I'm useless without my Holy Scepter. As long as I don't have the value that I gain when I have my weapon, the gods won't listen to my prayers," the former saint said. "But I know someone who has a strong connection with the Plane."

His ears perked up. "Can you introduce me to them?"

"You already know her though."

"I do?"

"There's only one person I know who can get reincarnated as the same person again and again," Lord Forrester said. "She's dubbed as the 'Fire Princess' but she rarely uses that title these days." He paused before he snapped his fingers. "Your brother often calls her 'little brat princess' though."

Julian's eyes widened in surprise. "Are you talking about Lady Solenn?"

***

"WINTER, go and make hot chocolate for me."

Winter glared at Solenn. He was sitting on the floor while creating little snowmen (as part of his training to control his ice Mana) when the little brat princess bossed him around. Only the two of them were left in the tea room after Lord Forrester and his brother Julian left together. "Why should I? If you want to drink hot chocolate, then make one for yourself. I'm not your servant."

"It's your fault why this room is extra cold," Solenn, who now sat on the sofa while wrapped in a thick blanket, complained. "Why the heck are you making snowmen in this room? If you want to play, play outside."

"I'm not playing," he snapped at the little brat princess. "I do this to practice my Mana control. If these little snowmen melt easily, that means I'm still weak."

"I don't care. Go to another room."

"Why are you cold anyway?" he complained. "Your dominant Mana is fire, and you're the daughter of the freaking Fire Archmage. Can't you warm yourself or something? Mommy never gets bothered by the cold, you know?"

"You're a child so you wouldn't understand even if I explain to you why my body is weak against the cold."

He was about to give a retort when they heard a knock on the door.

And then, Julian entered the room with a mug of hot chocolate in his hand.

"Julian, please tell me that hot chocolate is for me," Solenn said while giving his older brother a creepy puppy dog eyes. "I'm so cold."

"Of course, it's for you, Lady Solenn," Julian said politely, then he handed the mug to the little brat princess. "Do you want me to accompany you to the living room?"

"The knights are gathered in front of the fireplace," the little brat princess said while holding the mug in her hands. No matter how hot the hot chocolate was, it wouldn't burn a Fire Mage like her. "If we come out, they will excuse themselves. Even if we tell them that they can stay with us, they wouldn't listen since their duty to serve us is very strong."

He raised a brow at that.

The little brat princess bullies me a lot but she's considerate to other people.

"You're kind, Lady Solenn."

"I'm not. I was just raised by my father to be a good leader," Solenn said. "Do you need anything from me, Julian?"

"Hmm?"

"I know that you're a natural gentleman unlike your unsophisticated younger brother–"

"Shut it," Winter snarled at her. "I'm a gentleman just like my father."

She turned to him with a dired look. "The Black Serpent is only gentle to the Supreme."

Dammit, he couldn't refute that.

"Anyway, as I was saying…" the little brat princess continued, then she turned to his older brother again. "Julian, I can see in your eyes that you want to talk to me alone."

Julian's face turned red, then he scratched his cheeks as if he was suddenly shy. "Lady Solenn, would you like to have a walk with me?"

Solenn laughed softly. "Only if it's a date."

His brother's whole face turned tomato red.

"Gross," Winter complained. God, he got goosebumps while watching and listening to Solenn and Julian's exchange. But he also had to admit that he felt a painful thump in his chest while watching Solenn and Julian get closer that he'd like. He just dismissed it as an annoying feeling that one would feel when their sibling was being taken away by an outsider. "Please don't copy Mom and Dad."

***

WINTER was irritated.

Solenn really went out for a walk with Julian.

So right now, he was standing in front of the tea room's window while gently patting his chest. For some reason, his heart was hurting.

Why can't I see them? Where did they go?

"Winter, what are you doing there?"

He flinched in surprise when he heard his mother's voice.

Winter turned around and was greeted by his parents. "Mom, Dad, why didn't you knock?" he asked while walking towards them, then he hugged her mother's waist. "You surprised me."

"We knocked several times," his mother said while gently ruffling his hair. "What got your attention for you not to hear or feel us coming?"

"Brother Julian is taken away by Solenn, Mom," he snitched. "My poor brother was seduced by the little brat princess. They're on a date now."

His mom laughed. ""Seduced?" I know that you have an old soul. But hearing that from a five year old boy sounds so funny."

"Are you not worried, Mom?"

"Solenn teases Julian a lot but I don't think they'd want to have a romantic relationship with each other," her mother said seriously. "Plus, Julian and Solenn are second cousins."

"Is that a problem?" he asked, confused. "Cousins can get married to each other."

Her mother flinched at what he said. "Julian is my son and Solenn is the daughter of my cousin. Don't forget that Solaris is my brother's son."

He didn't really understand what the problem was.

"Little rascal, your mother lived in a world where being married to your sibling is illegal," his father explained. "Even cousins marrying each other is frowned upon."

"It's called i/ncest," his mother added carefully. "There are still cultures that allow first or second cousins to be married to each other in that worled. But it makes me uncomfortable if I imagine Julian and Solenn having a romantic relationship."

He gasped at that. "Does it mean you're going to get in their way, Mom?"

His mother looked horrified by that as if she suddenly realized the possibility of her becoming a villainess to his brother's love life.

"Winter, don't jump to conclusions," his father told him strictly. "Your brother wouldn't go on a date while there's an impending battle. I'm sure he has a reason for talking to Solenn in private."

"Oh, that's true," he agreed, then he looked up at his mother who looked calm now. "I'm sorry for saying something carelessly, Mom."

"It's fine, baby," his mother said with a smile. "Anyway, I want you to get ready. Once your brother returns, we're leaving."

Winter's brows furrowed in confusion. "Where are we going?"

"To where your Uncle Winchell is," his father said. "We're going to end the frozen Nystrom clan right here."

***

"I HEARD from Lord Forrester that you have a connection with the Plane," Julian said. Thank god he didn't stutter even though he felt so embarrassed at the moment. After all, Lady Solenn linked her arms with his while they were walking to the Frozen Woods. He wasn't comfortable with skinship but he couldn't say no to the young lady. He was the one who asked her to have a walk with him in the cold after all. "I'll get straight to the point, Lady Solenn," he said, then he turned to her. "Is there a way for a living person like me to enter the Plane?"

"I knew you wouldn't ask me to walk with you without a proper reason," Lady Solenn said while clicking her tongue. Then, she turned to him with a serious look on her face. "The living doesn't belong to the Plane, Julian. If you want to enter it, you have to die first."

"I know that," he said gently. "But I don't want to die early in this lifetime. Still, I'm determined to enter the Plane. I have a feeling that I could find the answers that I'm looking for in that place. But I want to get there without dying."

"What are you worried for, Julian?" she asked, then she tilted her head to one side as if she was confused. "You're the son of the Supreme. You're a Rosenberg like me. It means we can reincarnate even after we die."

"Are you suggesting that I kill myself?"

"No. You can't hurt yourself that way," Lady Solenn said, then she smiled at him. "I can burn you to ashes though."

Julian gulped hard. For some reason, despite Lady Solenn's angelic face, he could see a glint of wickedness in her glowing eyes. But he wasn't scared of her. He actually liked the look on her face right now. "Lady Solenn, you're bad for my heart."

***

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