Rhodes Island's Psychologist

Ch 79: Nightingale and Liz

After Lin Yie comforts Nightingale with Kal'tsit late into the night, Nightingale finally falls asleep. Then, Lin Yie follows Kal'tsit to her lab, but before he leaves, he notices that Nightingale's bed is drenched with sweat. He can't help but feel guilty and regretful.

"What happened?" Kal'tsit emphasizes her words as she questions Lin Yie in the lab, "Tell me everything."

Lin Yie tells her about his new ability. As she hears his description, Kal'tsit changes from being angry to be shocked. When he is done with his explanation, Kal'tsit is frowning. She falls into thought and stays quiet for a very long time.

"Is everything you said true?"

"Yes." Lin Yie smiles bitterly, "I just wanted to verify my ability, but I didn't expect her to react so dramatically."

Kal'tsit taps her desk, "Did you only find out that ability today?"

"Yes." Lin Yie says, "But it ended too quickly, so I wasn't sure it was real or not."

"It seems pretty real now." Kal'tsit holds her forehead. This new discovery is giving her a headache, "Tell me, what did you see in Chen's and Nightingale's worlds?"

Lin Yie nods. Chen's world didn't have much, so he is done explaining that part in a minute. On the other hand, Nightingale's world requires much more explanation. After nearly an hour, Kal'tsit is still frowning.

"I can't say much about Chen, but you were right about Nightingale." Kal'tsit says, "That's pretty much her past."

Even though he was mentally prepared, Lin Yie's heart still sank after hearing Kal'tsit's confirmation.

"Nightingale... No, what did Liz experience?"

Kal'tsit pauses, "Many years ago, Sarkaz's had a civil war."

"A civil war?"

"Yes." Kal'tsit says, "It was devastating for their race. To this day, they still haven't recovered from the damage. However, in Rhodes Island, there is only one person who knows the details."

"Is that person Shining?"

"Uhm, but even she doesn't want to mention that war, because it changed her. Before that, she was Sarkaz's sword saint." Kal'tsit says, "But after the war, she has kept her sword in its sheath."

"..."

"Alright. We can set that aside for now." Kal'tsit changes back to the main topic, "Is your head fine?"

"My head?"

"You said your head got smashed to bits by a Sarkaz warrior, right?" Kal'tsit looks at him, "But your head looks fine."

As she said, his brain is still intact. However, he can still remember the pain, as if it did happen for real.

"So there are several possibilities."

Lin Yie pays attention to what she is going to say.

"First, you were lying. Or, what you said was all an illusion, when in fact, nothing really happened."

"..."

"Of course, it's not likely. As I said, very few people know Nightingale's past. Even if you managed to deceive me, Shining can still tell if you are lying. Therefore, you really had no reason to lie. Then, assuming what you said really happened, and the real world was not affected, there is only one answer."

"A dream." Lin Yie says, "That's my guess."

Kal'tsit nods, "Yes, you managed to enter Liz's dream, not her past. Still, that sounds really incredible."

"But why didn't Liz recognize me?" Lin Yie asks, "That doesn't make sense. The Liz in the past doesn't know me, but the current Liz should recognize me in her dream."

"That's true." Kal'tsit says, "In her mind, you are probably more important than Shining, so even if Liz couldn't recognize you, you shouldn't have come off as a complete stranger."

"Then why?"

"Wait..." Kal'tsit seems to realize something, as she taps her desk, "Liz, Nightingale..." Kal'tsit talks to herself, "Sarkaz's Liz, Rhodes Island's Nightingale."

Lin Yie watches her confusedly, but he doesn't interrupt her thought process.

After a while, Kal'tsit says, "There is another possibility."

"What is it?"

"During Nightingale's treatment, we learned that her memory is fragmented." Kal'tsit says, "Before you came to Rhodes Island, she didn't remember anything."

"And?"

Kal'tsit pauses.

"Perhaps, she didn't lose her memory." Kal'tsit says slowly, "Rhodes Island's Nightingale, Sarkaz's Liz. If we consider her as two different persons, then everything is clear. Rhodes Island's Nightingale has always been there. She doesn't know where she is from or where she wants to go. And Sarkaz's Liz... has probably been kept in that tunnel all these years and unable to leave."