The veil of hearts

•Reflections of a forgotten life•

16
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The bustling streets of Almira faded into the background as Felix stood in his hotel room, phone pressed to his ear. His friend and fellow operative, Lim Sooho, was on the other end of the line.

"She's in Finland, Sooho," Felix said, his voice a mixture of concern and resignation. "Of all the places..."

There was a pause on the other end before Sooho's voice came through, clear and thoughtful. "Maybe it's not a coincidence, Felix. You always said she belonged there."

Felix moved to the window, gazing out at the unfamiliar cityscape of Almira. His mind raced with memories of Aina, of snow-covered Helsinki streets, of promises made and secrets kept.

"Things reach where they are meant to be reached," Felix murmured, more to himself than to Sooho.

"What are you going to do?" Sooho asked, concern evident in his tone.

Felix's grip tightened on the phone. "I have to go to her. If she's in Finland, if she's starting to remember... she could be in danger."

"And what about her father's wishes? The promise you made?"

Felix closed his eyes, feeling the weight of his responsibilities and his own conflicting desires. "Some promises are meant to be broken, Sooho. Especially when keeping them might cause more harm than good."

There was a moment of silence before Sooho spoke again. "Be careful, Felix. You're not just risking your own heart this time."

"I know," Felix replied softly. "But I have to do this. For Aina. For the truth."

As he ended the call, Felix's gaze drifted to the small photo he kept in his wallet – a younger Aina, smiling brightly in front of Helsinki Cathedral. Her eyes, so full of life and promise, seemed to call to him across time and distance.

"I'm coming, Aina," he whispered to the empty room. "Whatever it takes, I'll keep you safe. Even if it means facing the past we both tried to forget."

With renewed determination, Felix began to pack. The journey to Finland loomed ahead, fraught with potential dangers and long-buried secrets. But as he prepared to once again enter Aina's life, Felix couldn't shake the feeling that this time, everything would change.

The game was entering its final, most crucial phase. And as Felix booked his flight to Helsinki, he knew that the collision of past and present was about to shake Aina's world – and his own – to its very core.

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A/N: Listen to the music above

Aina's POV

The heavy snowfall blurs the lights of Helsinki, each flake a fragment of a past I can't fully grasp. I wander the streets, my heart pounding with a mixture of anticipation and dread at what each corner might reveal.

As I pass a small café, the scent of cinnamon and coffee wafts through the air. Suddenly, I'm not here anymore.

Laughter echoes in my ears. I'm sitting by the window, a steaming mug warming my hands. Across from me, a blurry figure leans in, their voice warm and teasing.

"You and your sweet tooth, Aina. One day, you'll turn into a cinnamon roll."

I hear myself laugh, feel the warmth of affection spreading through my chest.

I blink, and I'm back on the snowy street, tears freezing on my cheeks. "Who are you?" I whisper to the phantom memory. "Why can't I remember your face?"

My legs carry me forward, each step bringing a new assault on my senses. A park comes into view, the swings swaying gently in the winter wind.

"Higher, Papa!" My own childish voice rings in my ears. Strong hands push me on the swing, a deep chuckle resonating behind me.

"Alright, my little snowflake. To the moon we go!"

A sob escapes me, echoing in the empty night. "Papa?" I choke out. "But... I never... I don't..."

My mind reels. I've never been to Finland before. I grew up in Korea & Turkey with my parents. Didn't I? But these memories feel so real, so vivid. The taste of cinnamon on my tongue, the exhilaration of soaring on that swing - how can I imagine something I've never experienced?

I stumble on, my vision blurred by tears and snow. A bridge looms ahead, and with it, another memory crashes over me.

I'm leaning on the railing, the water dark below. Someone stands beside me, their presence both comforting and electrifying.

"I am not doing this as a burden," a voice says, thick with emotion. "No matter what happens, remember that I'll always be your side.

I turn, desperate to see their face, but it's just out of reach.

"No!" I cry out, falling to my knees in the deep snow. "Please, let me see you. Let me remember!"

But the memory fades, leaving me hollow and aching. I curl into myself, the cold seeping through my clothes, matching the chill in my heart.

"What's happening to me?" I sob, my words muffled by the falling snow. "Am I going crazy? Are these real memories or just... just my mind playing tricks on me?"

A passerby stops, concern etched on their face. "Oletko kunnossa?" they ask in Finnish. Are you okay?

I look up, my vision blurry with tears. "I... I don't know," I reply in English, my voice cracking. "I don't know who I am anymore."

The stranger kneels beside me, their hand gentle on my shoulder. "Can I call someone for you?"

I shake my head, a bitter laugh escaping me. "There's no one to call. The people I remember... they might not even be real."

The kindness in the stranger's eyes only makes me cry harder. They remind me of someone, but I can't remember who. Another fragment of a life I'm not sure I lived.

As the stranger helps me to my feet, I'm hit with a wave of dizziness. Memories and reality swirl together, a kaleidoscope of confusion and pain.

"Thank you," I manage to say to the stranger. "I'll be... I'll be fine."

But as I walk away, my steps unsteady in the deepening snow, I know I'm far from fine. Every street sign, every building, every face I pass holds the potential for another memory, another piece of a puzzle I'm not sure I want to solve.

I find myself back at the park, collapsing onto a snow-covered bench. The city lights shimmer through my tears, a beautiful backdrop to the turmoil in my heart.

"Who am I?" I whisper to the night sky. "Who are these people I remember? Papa, the man I loved, the friends I laughed with... were they real? Am I real?"

The snow falls silently around me, offering no answers. I sit there, lost in the echoes of a life I'm not sure I lived, torn between the desperate need to remember and the fear of what those memories might reveal.

As the night deepens, I make a silent vow to myself and to the ghosts of my past:

"I will find the truth. No matter how much it hurts, no matter how much it scares me, I will uncover who I really am. Because this... this half-life, caught between memory and reality, is unbearable."

I stand, my body heavy with exhaustion and emotion. The journey ahead is daunting, filled with potential pain and confusion. But as I take my first step forward, I feel a glimmer of determination cutting through the fog of uncertainty.

I am Aina. And I will remember.

AUTHOR'S NOTE

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