(6th moon, 8th day, 459 Lu)
"Geez... The rate at which you memorize things is amazing..." Sarah said as she quizzed Alphonse on the characters he's learned so far.
"There's a reason for that..." Alphonse said pathetically.
"What's the reason behind it?" Sarah asked. Alphonse looked up from the scroll he is working on.
"I'd rather not talk about it." He said. "Talk therapy with Huang Fei is already almost too much for me." Alphonse said with a slight break in his voice.
"I-I see..." Sarah said as she tried to change the subject. "What was your past life like?" Sarah asked.
"Normal. Or so I'd like to say... But talking to you has made me realize that's not the case. My looks were pretty average though. Brown hair, brown eyes, thin build. I remember I was really interested in physics and martial arts." Alphonse said as he continued working on the scroll.
"That's... A weird combination..." Sarah said.
"Well, I did say that normal was not the case." Alphonse said. "Plus, physics plus martial arts means that I can use physics to my advantage because I have a deeper understand of how objects interact." Alphonse explained. "What was your life like?" Alphonse asked.
"I was actually pretty normal. Had friends, a family, and I had a fairly average build as well, blonde hair, green eyes, fairly thin build. I was interested in track and history more than anything." Sarah said.
"What about now? There aren't any schools to teach anything, what have you been interested in ever since this life started?" Alphonse asked.
"Up until recently, I was a normal child from our clan, but I just wanted to be with my family for as long as possible... Maybe because of the way I died." Sarah thought to herself with a melancholic expression. "What about you?" Sarah asked
Alphonse thought about Cedra and how she died for a moment but pushed the thought away. "Nothing, I never had time." Alphonse said blandly. "If you don't mind answering my question, how did you die?" Alphonse asked.
"I remember I was at the lake with my family, then I felt something hit my head... I woke up somewhere dark, it felt like I was paralyzed, unable to move, alone and cold. I don't know how long I was there for, but I'm pretty sure I starved..." Sarah responded. "Are you willing to say how you died?" Sarah asked.
"Which time?" Alphonse responded.
"What do you mean which time?" Sarah asked with confusion visible on her face.
"Exactly what I said. While in this body I died twice and was resurrected by an angel." Alphonse said.
"Past life death..." She said, unsure of if it would be okay to ask about the others.
"I was walking across an empty street when suddenly a car appeared out of nowhere, and I mean nowhere, it looked as if it was a glitch in reality and it hit me, all I remember after that is a burning heat in my side along with the pain of fractured bones." Alphonse said. "Nothing as bad as what you went through though..." Alphonse said, trying to be sympathetic.
"A few days of starvation are nothing compared to a lifetime of torture..." Sarah said.
'Yeah... You're curious, aren't you?" Alphonse asked.
"About what?" Sarah asked in response.
"The other two times I died." Alphonse said.
"I am... But it seems insensitive to ask." Sarah said.
"I died due to heat... Raeloph built a chamber where he could control the temperature, I guess he wanted me to be able to withstand heat, or just wanted me to be in pain, either or... Anyway, it only took a few hours for me to die I remember my skin melted, must've been a mess to look at..." Alphonse thought to himself.
"Raeloph never acted like a true father to you, did he?"S Sarah asked.
"There is one memory I have of him where he isn't terrible... I was probably 5 months. He and my mother were trying to teach me and... My twin to walk." Alphonse said with slight hesitation towards the end.
"I see... We should probably focus on learning for right now..." Sarah said unsure of how to continue the conversation. The rest of the lesson went in near silence, aside from the occasional directions and fixes that were directed by Sarah.
Sarah left the building with her bag and supplies and went to her house. 'He... Went through a lot...' She thought to herself. Sarah walked into her house and grabbed her cultivation technique and started cultivating
'Why am I still thinking about him? I need to focus...' Sarah thought to herself as she realigned her posture. 'Focus... Focus... I wonder what else he went through... No, focus!' Sarah thought to herself. 'I feel bad for him though... He went through so much...' Sarah thought to herself as her chest tightened. 'Just... Focus me! I need to cultivate!' She thought to herself as she tapped both her cheeks with her hands, trying to get herself to focus.
(6th moon, 9th day, 459 Lu)
Sarah knocked on the door, and after a few moments Alphonse answered. "Please tell me you slept." Sarah said.
"I prefer not to lie, so..." Alphonse said.
"Don't... Don't continue that." Sarah said. "Today there won't be any writing lessons, but I heard about a place that is great for cultivation, so I figured I would invite you." Sarah said.
"I... I would rather not leave..." Alphonse said as he closed the door a little. "Not if I don't have to..." Alphonse said as he began to feel sick to his stomach.
"Are... Are you sure? It would be rather beneficial." Sarah said.
"I still don't quite trust anyone..." Alphonse said as he hid behind the door a bit. "I'd rather stay away from people don't know... Who knows what they might do... I'm a good fighter... But unless I'm sparring I don't know how to fight back..." Alphonse said as he began to close the door.
"Okay." Sarah said. "I'm going to go, if you ever want to go to the cultivating spot, just come to me, I'll tell you where it is." Sarah said.
"O-okay..." Alphonse said as he closed the door fully.
{Are you sure you do not want to go? It would be quite beneficial to strengthening yourself.} Prism said.
'No... I want to... But not with her... Something about her puts me on edge... I don't know why. I realized I've felt this since I met her, but with everything that was happening I didn't really notice too much.' Alphonse responded.
{Would you like me to search your sub-conscious for the reason?} Prism asked. Alphonse nodded. {Searching.} Prism said. After a few moments a ding was heard. {I have finished and know why you feel on edge... Though you may not like the answer...} Prism said.
'Just tell me.' Alphonse said.
{You... Seem to like her... It puts you on edge because you aren't willing to trust anyone and are too cautious.} Prism said.
'I have a hard time believing it.' Alphonse said.
{You aren't even fully trusting of me, and I've been with you and helping you survive for over eight years...} Prism said.
'Prism... You're saying something I have a hard time denying.' Alphonse said. 'I should confirm it for myself... The subconscious mind isn't always right, right?' Alphonse asked himself.
{Just dwell on the new information.} Prism said. Alphonse nodded.