"I am not Future Lia," she said.
Carter's eyes widened.
His voice trembled as he spoke. "Then… you… are… you…?"
"I am someone who carries the memories of Future Lia."
Even Ron's eyes widened.
"I was a normal girl, living a normal life. But when I turned eighteen, someone moved into the apartment next to ours." She took a deep breath, and a faint smile touched her face.
"I had a little brother. Our parents died when he was only a few months old. I raised him and took care of him all this time. I was good at studies, so I gave tuitions and used that money to support both of us—mostly him. He was my only family. I was always worried about him whenever I was away."
She looked at Ron and Carter before continuing.
"We never knew his name or where he came from. Most of the time he wasn't even in the apartment. He would show up once every few months and stay for only a day or two..."
Ron nodded in understanding, while Carter listened intently.
"Then one night, I felt someone's presence in my room. I opened my eyes and saw a hand directly above my face… and after that, I don't remember anything. When I woke up, I was with Dream… your wife," she said, looking at Ron.
"I didn't remember anything—not even my own name."
She paused for a moment.
"Those were the days when my little brother was so happy. He was about to start school."
Her voice turned sad as she continued.
"Then suddenly, my mind was flooded with new memories. I screamed in pain. Dream ran to me and healed me with her abilities… but she was already very fragile. After healing me, she collapsed unconscious."
Carter glanced at Ron.
Ron looked calm on the outside, but inside his blood was boiling. His fists slowly clenched.
Future Lia—or rather, Emma—continued.
"Days passed. I had no memories of my own, so I simply acted according to the memories I had. When we were rescued, I saw Carter and recognized him from Future Lia's memories, so I ran toward you. But..."
She paused.
"What happened then?" Carter asked.
"The moment I stepped into this place, my real memories started returning in fragments. And I remembered that my real name was Emma."
"Did all your memories come back?" Carter asked.
"No. I only remembered my name and my parents' names. I remembered that I had a little brother and even his name… but I couldn't remember their faces. That's all I remember—everything else I told you earlier."
She paused again. Her voice began to tremble.
"I'm all alone. I have no one. Dream—who was my only friend—passed away a while ago."
Emma's eyes filled with tears.
Carter nodded gently.
"Don't worry. We're with you now. You can make new friends—as Emma, not as Future Lia. You can meet my sisters and the other women in Hero Town."
Emma wiped her tears and nodded.
"I'm sorry you both had to see me like this."
"Nah, don't worry about it," Ron said as he dialed a number.
He stepped aside and waited for a moment before realizing he had dialed the wrong number. He tried again, and this time the call connected.
Meanwhile—
Emma quietly said, "I miss my little brother."
"We'll find him. Don't worry," Carter assured her.
Ron returned and handed her a small piece of paper.
Emma looked down. Two phone numbers were written on it.
She looked up at Ron. "What is this?"
"Those are the numbers of two women I know. You can become friends with them. I already told them about you," Ron said before turning away.
"We'll take our leave now," Carter said, following Ron.
The two of them walked outside and stepped into an elevator that was about to close.
Inside, Carter and Ron stood in silence.
"We have two goals now," Carter said. "First, we find that strange man who moved next door to Emma. Second, we find her brother."
"We also need to find Locki," Ron added.
Carter nodded before glancing at him.
"Hey buddy… how did you know she wasn't Future Lia?"
Ron looked at him.
"Why don't we sit somewhere and talk about it?" he said.
Carter nodded.
The elevator reached the ground floor and the doors slid open. Ron and Carter walked toward the exit.
As they passed the reception desk, Ron suddenly noticed a suspicious man standing there. The receptionist was trembling, her face pale with fear.
Carter noticed Ron's gaze and looked toward the reception.
A thief? In broad daylight? Carter thought.
"Hey you! What are you holding there?" Carter called as he walked toward the table.
Ron suddenly sensed something.
"Carter, wait!" he shouted.
But Carter had already reached the man.
He placed a hand on the man's shoulder and was about to turn him around when the man turned himself.
Ron rushed toward them.
The man held a small stick that suddenly extended toward Carter's throat. Carter quickly dropped down, barely dodging the attack.
A thin cut appeared on his cheek, almost reaching his ear.
Ron, who had just arrived behind Carter, was struck by the same attack and was blasted across several buildings.
Carter immediately kicked the man in the stomach, slamming him into the wall behind him.
"Who are you?" Carter demanded.