Rainer lay sprawled, face buried in sand as strong island winds blew silt all over his hair. With a groan Rainer steadily pushed himself up, sand coming off his white and gold jacket.
He sluggishly looked at himself, then around at the coconut trees. His eyes soon lit up with realization.
"This...is my mind space."
"That is so." A soft, voice answered in a dignified tone.
Rainer looked up at a boulder before him, and above it sat a black cat with neutral green eyes.
"Oh..." Rainer gave a lethargic blink and looked away, carefully shaking sand from his head.
"It's you, Era."
Era leaped down and walked toward him.
"You lost consciousness while training. I had completed the task you gave, and judged that it was appropriate to bring you here."
The winds brushed across her fur, buffeting her ears about, and she absently brushed a paw across the sand. Immediately, the winds eased.
Rainer sat back and looked down at her. He beheld her with a thoughtful gaze for a moment, then smirked.
"Damn... You really have changed." He chucked softly in disbelief.
"You've mellowed down. No longer as edgy, nor as spiteful of me and everything in existence."
He reached out a palm and she instinctively walked into it, easing into his fond touch.
Through eyes hooded in pleasure, she confessed.
"Hate no longer hath place in me. To enact a vengeance, unknown. I must tend a calm mind."
Rainer smirked and guided her backward.
"Never mind. It seems you've only relocated stat points from your bark to your bite."
She gave Rainer some space and sat down, expression back to neutral, though her tail waved a little more animatedly than it did a few seconds ago.
"Such an arcade-level analogy oversimplifies my mental state—but is apt, nonetheless."
"Sure." He drawled and looked at her paws. "The books?"
Era blinked and then sighed, seemingly in disappointment. Then she glanced back at the sea of memories and brushed a paw forward across the sand.
At once, torrents of memories shot up from the sea in a wide, swirling arc that soon came crashing down before them. Upon contact with the ground, they burst out in a plume of rainbow powder dust, covering Rainer.
He shook the dust off, eyes twitching. Before him now were three beautiful books.
He rested his face on a hand while observing the books, three thick volumes that looked like they leapt out from a 'My Little Pony' cartoon.
"You know... There are cleaner ways to give these books form."
Rainer drawled, unamused as his eyelashes glittered. But Era kept a placid front.
"There are cleaner ways to end a conversation."
Rainer's palm shifted to his forehead, feeling a headache come on.
'Aye, women. I can't even understand my own feminine side.'
He nagged within himself, however, the words echoed out like his head had become a boombox.
This time, Era's eyes twitched.
"...This is your mindscape, Rainer. Your thoughts dwell here. It sometimes escapes me how dull you tend to act at times."
Rainer grabbed a book and shrugged.
'Well, I do try...'
Upon closer look, the book didn't seem to have pages... Just a flat white block within a candy-coated cover. The cover, however, had an illustration of two silhouettes frozen in time, apparently locked in an intense combat.
This was a 'book', an organized piece of his past, essentially packaged into a—skill book of sorts. Unfortunately, once used, the memories vanish forever upon death in his current life.
Rainer's hand on the book trembled, momentarily.
"This one contains my martial art memories, right? Then the others are..."
His eyes drifted to the other two. One with an illustration of a herbs and insects in a bowl, and another with a spear and shield.
"I have gone to great lengths compiling these from your least favorite memories." Era consoled, seeing Rainer's thoughtful gaze. "Yet, the memories you spent in combat were amongst your best. This will be a loss regardles—"
"Then I will make more." Rainer cut her off, shattering the gloomy atmosphere. His grip on the book hardened, literally cracking the cover as an excited smirk rose.
"I sense an exciting life ahead of me. The winds there carry whispers of an encroaching doom. I may yet be able to leave behind a lasting legacy."
Era stared him in silence for a moment, then nodded.
"At the activation of these memories, you will recall them as though you lived through them yesterday. You will not forget them while you live, but they do not make you a master either. Much practice is demanded for the mastery of the skills of your past."
Rainer took a deep breath.
"Gotcha. Let's get this done."
Era's eyes slowly shut, and when she opened them again they were brighter. All at once, all three books shot up into the sky and exploded like fireworks in a ridiculous bright flash that put the daylight to shame.
Soon, dust slowly rained down, and upon reaching the ground many drifted and swirled together, coalescing into colorful, animated shadows all across the island.
Rainer's breath hitched.
"These are—"
"Your past selves." Era noted, running back up the boulder.
A shadow stood on one hand, pushing himself up and down; another ran past, executing a quick and clean combo of kicks and punches. Amidst the quickly forming crowd of shadows, swirling into being, a spear was tossed from one end of the island somewhere ahead, flying high above him then past, beyond the other end of the island into the sea of memories.
He felt something and turned.
Beside him, a shadow sat. Grinding something on a pestle. It then added a little bit of spice but it exploded in his face.
Rainer chuckled lightly at this.
"Oh, I remember this moment. I was preparing medicine for the King of Poisons. That bastard ate more than he could chew, literally."
Rainer looked away with a reminiscent smile, his eyes reflecting the scenes unfolding before him.
For him, he didn't just see colors masquerading as people. He saw himself across various lifetimes, the memories vivid and as certain as the dawn.
Era lay, silently watching him. Just then, she drew herself up and stretched.
"Activation complete."
Rainer hesitated but glanced at her.
"W–what?"
"The day hath come, Champion." She sat and offered what passed as a genial smile.
"I pray that by the end of this life—you hold no regrets."
Rainer frowned slightly. Why did it feel like a goodbye? Like she wouldn't have him return here for even a chat.
"Era—"
"Till we meet again, Rainer." Era swept a paw against the stone and his eyes widened.
"Wait! Er—"
Immediately, Rainer reached out but saw himself flung back so fast, his body melted into the background.
His vision blurred and he shut his eyes.
—
–
-
«Whu—»
Rainer opened his eyes and a tear fell from a single eye. Shocked, he lay sprawled on the ground as tree leaves danced in the wind.
It was morning.
He sluggishly tried to rise, but was suddenly hit by the memory of his defeat at the hands of the Bructeri woman. With a grimace, he slumped back down.
"Fargh!!!"
He groaned in embarrassment, a feeling amplified by clearer recollections of his past exploits.
The prior versions of himself would have never lost there.
'Oh, the downfall! With my memories revived I no longer have an excuse to lose anymore! The pressure is real!'
Curling over, he rolled about in frustration.
"Hahaha! Look at him squirm like a worm! Useless!"
"Why don't you run into your spear! Maybe then you could be useful as bait for the fishes, slave!"
'What!?'
Rainer stopped and glanced up at the patrolling soldiers with a slight furrow to his brows. He noticed he recognized one of them.
The soldier who fled back at the grave site: Cormac.
He sat up with a certain glint in his eyes.
'It appears I am being bullied. Well, what kind of guest would I be if I don't reply in—kind.'
With his confidence at an all-time high, a smirk tugged at the side of his lips, like a cat finding new toys.