**Back to the Present**
Kaia stared at her hands, the weight of her words pressing on her chest. "I remembered everything," she said, her voice heavy, dark eyes reflecting the weight of years of confusion. "I regenerated... like always."
Ananya raised an eyebrow, her arms crossed in front of her. "So this wasn't the first time, right?"
Kaia nodded slowly, her gaze still fixed on the floor.
Ananya continued, her tone clinical but sharp. "I've had you under observation for a while now... You survived a truck accident when you were a baby, a plane crash on your way here after quitting your last school... And then the fall from a building when you were eight, playing with your sister."
Kaia's expression hardened, lips pulling into a thin line. "Yes..." Her voice cracked slightly, betraying the weight of those words. "It was always considered a miracle... or just luck." She paused, a flicker of bitterness crossing her face as her fists clenched tight, her nails digging into her palms. "But... I've always felt... like there was something wrong with me."
Ananya's gaze softened for a split second, but she didn't back down. "Yeah. There is something wrong."
Kaia's breath caught, her jaw tightening as a sharp, painful sensation gripped her chest. Her heart raced. "A-and... what is it?" she asked, voice barely above a whisper, as if the answer might shatter everything she thought she knew about herself.
Ananya's tone shifted, dry and blunt. "You've got a screw loose, ma'am."
Kaia blinked, staring at Ananya as her words echoed in her ears. "What?"
Ananya rolled her eyes, exasperated. "Who told you to rush around, running with a kid on your back? What, were you planning on calling the police instead?"
Kaia's eyes widened, her breath sharp in her throat. "What was I supposed to do?" Her voice trembled with frustration. "Leave her to die?!"
Ananya leaned back, exhaling deeply as she rubbed her temples. Her words were slower now, more thoughtful. "Well, if you hadn't done that, the kid would be dead... But, who..." She paused, her expression darkening as something flickered behind her eyes. A flash of memory, maybe a ghost of the past. "…Who would in the right mind would help a strange little girl who's already on the verge of death? Why would you risk your life for someone else like that?"
Kaia's hands tightened into fists again, her knuckles white. Her breath was shallow, the words hitting her like a wave, but she refused to break. "...Because I couldn't live with myself if I didn't save her," she said, her voice low, almost hoarse with emotion. "If I didn't... I wouldn't be able to face myself tomorrow."
Cho, who had been quiet until now, scoffed, breaking the heavy silence. "How inspiring..." He chuckled, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "What a cliché."
Kaia's face flushed with anger, a rush of heat surging up her neck. Her teeth gritted as her fists trembled. (Damn Chinese worm! How dare he mock my words like that!) Her blood boiled, the sharp sting of insult making her vision narrow.
Ananya noticed her face flushing with anger, "You have a high esteem for an idiot like you." She narrowed her eyes in mockery.
"Well..." Her expression softens, "I do but..." She rubbed her head in confusion.
"Oh well..." Ananya rubbed her head, "The real question is .....why? Why do you regenerate?"
"I don't know, I only noticed when I was younger when my leg got injured and was bleeding, even the bones were visible. No one was around and I couldn't get up on my own. Then I suddenly took notice of how it slowly started to go into its original state. The blood splattered on the ground started moving slowly and going back to my body and the skin reforming.....and those incidents. I told my mother about this but she didn't take it seriously and thought I might be joking or might be imagining things because of the trauma."
"Trauma?"
Kaia suddenly looked a bit disturbed and worried. "What about that girl?" she asked, swiftly dodging the topic.
"She is fine, unscathed, her parents are grateful to you." Ananya's eyes narrowed as she didn't further question the trauma
"I am glad to hear that." She sighed. (Come to think of my family...they would probably be worried that I am missing for 5 days straight and also....) She turned her gaze to Ananya with an interrogated look. (Who the hell she is? A well-wisher?) She laughed in her mind. (What a joke!)
"You saved me didn't you?" She questioned Ananya with a mocking tone. "Even with those regenerative abilities, I would be dead with that brutal attack and to think of how slowly I regenerate... even a part, an organ or something of my body went missing. I doubt they would regenerate..."
"You do have a point from what I observed. Strictly speaking, this ability of yours can't be called regeneration exactly." She crossed her arms again, "I did save you by creating a void, especially for you to heal yourself with all your remnants there and as well as of the monster."
"Create a void?" Kaia moved her head to one side with a dumbfounded look on her face.
(She is still clueless?) Ananya thought, (Don't tell me after witnessing all that whole monster thing and regenerations ones....she still doesn't know that I may have some kind of powers or magic. She asked me if I had saved her right? Why....just why does she give that look? Did she seriously think that I collected all that filthy blood and parts one by one into my bag and just threw it into some void?)
"So you aren't a doctor?" Kaia asked,
"From what angle do I look like a doctor?"
"I see..." Kaia rubbed her head, still, confused whether is it a dream or not. "That monster? It was with me in the void too....what happened to it?"
"It is still the same as before - dead. I will convert its remnants into mana. I didn't do it back then because I had no idea who the hell...." She coughed, "No, WHAT are you exactly?"
"Mana? Do you mean magic? So you guys use magic?" Kaia wasn't all that surprised by it. "By WHAT you meant?" She appeared nervous as she tried to avoid eye contact. "You think I might be a monster as well?"
"There are several monsters with regeneration and without any mana. Despite you using regeneration and no mana within you. It might be possible that you are a monster." She didn't hold back her words. It felt like a dagger to Kaia's heart. She clenched her jaw and opened her mouth to speak but she couldn't think of any good response. She also agrees with the fact even though she deeply wants to deny it.
Ananya regretted her words but she knew that Kaia had the right to know about all the possibilities. But Ananya still couldn't hold back her words to comfort her, "I-I..." She stammered, "I can have your blood test to know if you are one or not. There is another possibility of you being a sorcerer..." (What am I saying? Damn, it.....she can never be a sorcerer...I can even sense any hidden or disguised mana no matter how hard or high-level sorcery it is. But this girl definitely doesn't have any mana on her...) She gritted her teeth.
Ananya pulled a card from her pocket and offered it with a warm smile. "You're free to head home now. If you ever need assistance, don't hesitate to reach out. My number is on the back of the card."
Kaia took the card quietly, her grip tightening on the blanket that enveloped her as Ananya and Cho walked away, leaving her in thoughtful silence.