Indifferent, Cassie pulled her blindfold down.
“Keep your silence. There is no need for you to speak, sir."
The man's struggles slowly ceased, an entranced expression appearing on his face. Cassie invaded his memories, searching for the secrets of the Great Clan Valor... However, in the process, she found something strange.
It was a memory of them meeting on the walls of Bastion before the Chain of Nightmares. There was nothing particularly odd about that memory — besides the fact that Cassie did not remember that conversation at all.
Her memory was absolute, but at the same time, most of it was gone — at least most of her memories as an Awakened.
So, it was both peculiar and normal to discover a memory of herself that she did not remember in someone else's mind.
The conversation itself, though, was a bit strange.
‘A man named Sunless?’
Why would Cassie seek out a man with such a peculiar name, and on the day of the winter solstice no less? Was it some kind of wordplay?
Or some kind of code?
Before all that, why had she blurted that odd sentence out, unprompted, to a complete stranger?
None of it made sense.
Unless...
Cassie's hands trembled.
‘It has to be.’
Unless she had known that she would forget that conversation, that she would capture this Knight one day, and that she would see herself while reading his memories.
Unless she had been sending her future self a message.
The memory came to an end, leaving Cassie confused.
And then, the memory of Cassie being confused ended, as well, leaving her thoughtful.
Still incomplete, she extended the tendrils of her Will to a shard with a similar scent. In that memory, Cassie was a Master once again, entering a modest cafe in NQSC. There was a line, so she stood at its tail, behind a tall man.
Well, all men seemed tall to her, considering her own petite stature.
As if sensing her presence, the man in question turned around and looked at her. Then, he did a double-take.
There was a long bout of silence, and then he asked in a startled tone:
“Excuse me... aren't you Lady Cassia? Song of the Fallen?"
Cassie smiled.
"Yes. Nice to meet you."
The man's mouth hung open. A few moments later, he composed himself and bowed.
“Wow! It's an honor to meet you, Master Cassia."
She could not see, but she suspected that there was a silly kind of smile on his face. The man coughed.
“I can't believe I just ran into a celebrity. My wife won't believe me."
He fell silent for a moment, and then added in a happy tone:
“Oh, my name is Yutra. Awakened Yutra. Actually, my wife and I went to see your movie on one of our first real dates..."
He was probably talking about that horrid propaganda piece about the events of the Forgotten Shore.
Cassie chuckled.
“Well, I'm glad to know that it worked out for you."
She exhaled slowly, and then added in a clear voice:
“Actually. I've been thinking..."
The memory ended there.