Three women stood by the door. Two of them looked remarkably alike, though one was clearly older than the other. The third was an old woman.
The sheer emotion on their faces was evident and directed at him.
"J-Jul...is that you?" The middle-aged woman muttered between sobs.
"Who—"
He was about to ask who she was talking to when an unbearable pain suddenly struck his head.
The patient groaned in pain and began to shake violently, but for some reason didn't keep his gaze away from the new figures in the room.
His grip on the pair of scissors grew tighter, straining his gaze, unwilling to give in to whatever was happening. 'Argh! What the hell'
That was when his head began to be filled with images. Flashes and fragments of past experiences, faint memories of laughter and joy, and the simple life of a child.
He had never experienced anything like this, not even after inheriting the kid's body.
The woman in the middle, noticing something amiss, rushed over to him, worry flashing over her face.
Her voice sounded like a distant shout drowning in the background.
She instantly turned and shouted at those at the door. Immediately, the young lady present rushed out to get a doctor.
The rest happened in a blur. From when the doctor arrived until the pain subsided, he wasn't fully aware of what happened.
Minutes later, the man stared into the space, understanding suddenly dawning,
'Kid, are these your memories?' He asked, expecting the usual tremble; however, what happened this time was different.
It was a voice. A light, soft, and cheerful voice, resembling that of a child.
-You fulfilled my greatest wish. Now I can leave the rest to you.
At that moment, a certain grip he always felt clutching his body tightly vanished. It was almost as if the blinding pain ramming his body vanished with it, though it was only brief relief. The pain was still very much there.
After staring for a while, he sighed, 'Till the end, kid...the things you make me do for you.'
He lifted his head.
During that brief space, the doctor had placed various equipment around his body to test his pulse and heart rate.
While all that went on, his eyes never left the older woman.
She shared his deep grey hair. Despite her age, she was remarkably beautiful. Only the exhaustion in her eyes and the weight she carried made her seem older than she truly was.
Even now, it seemed like she had just donned her clothes to appear here.
His lips parted,
"Mo...ther?"
The middle-aged woman froze in place at the call.
"My…son." She fell by the bedside and grabbed hold of him, tightly, crying louder.
Tears gathered around his eyes. Whether they belonged to him or to the memories that now lived in him, even he couldn't tell.
The doctor had taken a step back, noticed nothing strange, and left the room.
The younger woman stepped closer to assist the older woman while the old woman remained by the door. Her gaze was fixated on him, not daring to look away.
While tears fell from his eyes, he glanced sideways at the other woman.
The younger of them, who also had white hair with black strands, was beautiful and donned a grey suit. He instantly noticed the resemblance between him and her.
'She must be the kid's sister. And seeing as his father is absent, he must be either dead or not present.' He thought, wondering when the sobbing would end.
Then the lone old woman by the door, standing without the support of anything, wearing a simple white blouse, skirt, and pearl necklace. Her face, though old, wrinkled even was carried the weight of someone who was in authority and power.
'I don't know where, but her face looks familiar.' Jul mused and shifted his gaze back to those with him.
After what seemed to be minutes, the younger lady calmed her mother down, and they both took a seat beside him, though the mother didn't intend to let his hand go.
"Hey, Jul. It's been a long time." The younger lady spoke, trying to keep her tears in place and forcing a smile. "Remember me. I am your twin, Jada."
The man called Jul stared at her and nodded slightly.
"I know this is strange, and I am sure you are having a hard time understanding what is going on, but I will try my best to explain."
Jul nodded. 'Right! All of this is still news to me. I don't mean to be that guy, but this wasn't the plan. Who found me in the river? How did this kid's family find me? And what's with the kid's memories? How am I related to them?'
"Jul…I don't know how much you remember, but you should know this about yourself."
'Myself? Yes, tell me.' He thought in his mind. He nodded.
"Whatever happened to you, whatever you've gone through…you don't have to worry anymore."
"Why?" Jul asked in a low tone, his eyes narrowing. His other hand still held the surgical scissors, and he was ready to use them.
Jada looked straight into his eyes and finished, "Because…"
"… you are a Mercer."