Little Eli, now conscious with his past memories flooding back, thought about the girl he'd met that morning, and instantly felt familiar, she was his beloved woman. Though he couldn't have seen her as a little girl back then, the distinctive crescent-shaped birthmark at the nape of her neck was unmistakable, a mark he'd known intimately. He saw the echoes of her past self in her tiny features, and the recognition was overwhelming. How could he not remember her!!! He usually shunned people outside his family circle, keeping to himself with a quiet wariness, but today he'd gone to her, talked to her, and hadn't liked the sullen pout on her baby face, it had tugged at something deep inside him. She was undoubtedly his girl.
However, A question lingered in the corners of his mind like a whisper, but little Eli pushed that aside, now wasn't the time to get lost in doubts. She'd mentioned she was leaving today. The thought of missing her again was unbearable, like a sharp pang in his chest. No, he couldn't let that happen.
Little Eli urgently summoned his Grandfather Felix and Granduncle Victor to his ward and revealed to them about his reincarnation, the regaining of his past memories, and his chance encounter with his beloved that morning. The revelation sent shockwaves through both bothers, and it took considerable effort for them to come to terms with the truth. Both Grandfather Felix, and Granduncle Victor exchanged weighted glances. They had known their uncle Elisha deeply and very closely. They both grown in his uncle hands. When Elisha was died Grandfather Felix was 14 years and Granduncle Victor was 12 years. So they both remembered the vivid memories of Elisha's agonizing death that still lingered in their minds. Now the possibility of little Eli being the reincarnation of his uncle both astonishing and overwhelming. With no choice but to believe, they struggled to process the information.
Grandfather Felix's lips parted as if to speak, but he hesitated, closing them again in a moment of uncertainty, struggling with how to address the little boy before him. He exhaled slowly, the wrinkles on his forehead deepening with thought, and decided to voice the question weighing on his mind without using a title or name. "But, if you reincarnated because of drinking the potion, then what about sister? Did sister also drink that potion?"
Little Eli's gaze narrowed intensely at Grandfather Felix, sending an unmistakable chill down the spines of both elderly men. The contrast was stark. Little Eli was now a little kid physically, yet the aura emanating from him was anything but child like. Both Grandfather Felix and Granduncle Victor exchanged uneasy glances. They had never felt such a piercing, faintly unnerving vibe from the young Eli before. Any lingering shreds of doubt they might have harbored in the corners of their hearts evaporated in that instant. "You address her incorrectly," little Eli said, his small voice carrying an unyielding weight. "She is your aunt, not your sister. Just because many decades have passed, have you forgotten the proper way of addressing her? I clearly remembered I told you to not call her sister anymore and she is your aunt. Or With the age did you develop forgetting memories?" The words seemed to carry more than mere correction, they held a quiet authority that commanded respect, leaving the two elderly men somewhat taken aback.
Grandfather Felix, seasoned by years of navigating life-and-death situations in the military, had faced down dangers without flinching. Granduncle Victor, was no less formidable, while Felix fought for his country, Victor had ruled the business empire established by their grandfather with a singular, capable hand. Both men had projected an aura of strength and command.
Yet, they both now trembled slightly before little Eli, a contrast stark enough to be jarring. Grandfather Felix, struggling to regain his equilibrium, spoke with a probing curiosity, his words reflecting a genuine questioning. "Fine, what about my pretty aunt then? And how sure are you it was really pretty aunt you met today? What if she was maybe related to the pretty aunt? We all don't know details about pretty aunt's family, but didn't aunt tell us she has a father and a brother? Maybe the girl you saw today might be aunt's family child, so she might be resembling her. It was possible for a descendant looking exactly like their ancestor "
Granduncle Victor stood beside his brother, observing little Eli's reaction with intent eyes, his expression a blend of curiosity and the lingering sense of awe he'd felt since little Eli's revelation.
After listening Grandfather Felix's questions, Little Eli's composure crumbled. The question he'd deliberately pushed aside before now loomed large, piercing his heart like a shard of glass. The fear he'd managed to keep at bay began seeping into his young chest, eroding the calm aura he'd emanated moments before. Every question Grandfather Felix asked swirled in his mind 'what if it's really not her?' His rationality deserted him, leaving raw vulnerability in its wake. His small body trembled beneath the weight of that doubt, he wanted to deny it, he wanted to insist it was her. But he couldn't, his grief was clouding his thoughts, overwhelming his fragile rationality. Memories flooded his mind, her limp body in his arms, her last whispered words, every haunting detail of that harrowing incident flashing like fragments of a painful dream. He didn't want to relive that agony again, didn't want to endure that grief again, didn't want to lose her again. His eyes brimmed with tears, and before Grandfather Felix and Granduncle Victor, little Eli broke down, weeping uncontrollably, his small frame shaking with sobs. Tears streamed down his cheeks, tracing paths of sorrow.
His voice shook as he spoke, words tumbling out in a mix of pain and bewilderment. "WHY?... WHY?... THEN WHY??.... WHY DID I BORN AGAIN? IF SHE WASN'T, THEN WHY ME?... I DON'T... I DON'T WANT THIS CURSED LIFE. I DON'T WANT THIS LIFE WITHOUT HER." The words were laced with anguish, reflecting a deep sense of loss and confusion. Little Eli's small frame shook with sobs, his emotions raw and exposed before the two elderly men who watched, taken aback by the intensity of the little boy's despair. Felix and Granduncle Victor exchanged somber glances, perhaps sensing the weight of the emotional storm raging within Eli. The two elderly men felt their hearts ache, pierced by the sight of little Eli's wrenching form, his vulnerability laying bare the raw pain they'd witnessed in the past. Once again, witnessing that kind of pain before them, from the same person, for the same women, Granduncle Victor's eyes moistened alongside Grandfather Felix. Little Eli looked even more fragile, his small body shaking with sobs.
Grandfather Felix, unsure how to alleviate the little Eli's torment, felt a twinge of guilt for having voiced his doubts without considering the impact. Unable to bear the sight any longer, he gently reached out and drew little Eli into his arms and patted little Eli's back in a soothing gesture meant to calm him. But little Eli was far from calm. Little Eli's tears continued to fall, his body trembled in Grandfather Felix's embrace, lost in a maelstrom of pain and grief.
Granduncle Victor knew it wasn't the time to dwell on past grief. As Grandfather Felix tried to calm little Eli, he tried to think of a way to stop him from crying. Then he recalled little Eli's earlier words and a thought suddenly stuck in his mind. once he believed it might soothe the little Eli's anguished heart, without hesitation, he stepped closer to little Eli, who was cradled in Grandfather Felix's arms, and called out sharply, "Enough, Eli!!!!!" The abrupt shout cut through the heavy air, making Grandfather Felix's eyes widen in surprise, his hand, which had been gently patting little Eli's back, paused mid-motion.
However, little Eli's grief showed no signs of subsiding. His small body continued to shake with sobs, tears still streaming down his face. Granduncle Victor hesitated for a fleeting moment, his weathered face etched with worry. It wasn't that he wanted to yell, but he sensed that only by raising his voice could he pierce the veil of little Eli's overwhelming sorrow. Drawing a quick breath, Granduncle Victor spoke again, his words urgent and laced with conviction. "It's possible... it's possible for aunt to reincarnate like you. Did you hear me?...." He paused for a moment and roared again to let little Eli could hear his voice "Uncle Elisha!!! It's possible, aunt also reincarnated, just like you...."
Little Eli's sobs ceased abruptly, and he looked up and gazed at Granduncle Victor with eyes brimming with a fragile hope. As their gazes locked, Granduncle Victor felt an unspoken pang, a mix of empathy and a raw echo of little Eli's pain reflected back at him through little Eli's eyes. He struggled to steady his own swirling emotions, then nodded softly at the little Eli before him.
His voice gentled, as Granduncle Victor spoke again, "Yes, it's possible. Did you forget the words the lady who gave the potion said to you, the ones you told us just before? She said the potion would mix with your blood and part of your body." Granduncle Victor's weathered face conveyed a tender reassurance. "And did you forget, how you met aunt? you donated your blood to aunt at your first meeting." he continued softly. "Wasn't that enough to suggest she might reincarnate again, like you? Not only that, when aunt was... died, she was carrying your child. Don't you think having your blood and flesh in her body gave her a chance... a chance to come back in some way?" Granduncle Victor's expression was contemplative. "Maybe we don't particularly find what was the definitive reason. We only have these theories to consider, to believe," he said with a thoughtful pause. "But unlike us, you could tell if she was her or not. You love her, don't you? Then can't you identify if it's her or not?" His words hung delicately in the air, appealing to little Eli's emotions and innate sense.
Granduncle Victor paused briefly, his expression earnest and imploring as he urged little Eli further, "So please, please stop crying and let go of this turmoil that's clouding your thinking. Where's my Uncle Elisha, who thinks deeply and finds answers and unravels complex solutions? His fighting spirit was as formidable as his intelligence." Granduncle Victor's voice blended stern encouragement with profound affection, his eyes locking onto little Eli's tear-stained face.
"But where is your fighting spirit? Where's the sharpness of your intelligence? Are you really our Uncle Elisha we knew? Only you know, if it's really her or not. So tell us, was it her or not? Not our speculations, not our theories, what you really felt? Was it her or not? Tell us." He posed the questions with a gentle yet palpable challenge, aiming to stir something latent within the little Eli, to rouse the remarkable capabilities Granduncle Victor knew Elisha possessed. "Don't let your grief and pain shroud your thoughts. Don't let sorrow dictate your clarity." Granduncle Victor's words seemed to slice through Eli's overwhelming emotions, attempting to reconnect him with his innate resilience and the qualities of his nature evident before.
Little Eli finally emerged from the depths of his grief, though a hint of pain still lingered in his eyes. He realized it wasn't the time to sit and cry, consumed by thoughts of loss. He needed to calm himself, to think deeply and clearly, untangled from distress. With a newfound resolve, little Eli gently slipped out of Grandfather Felix's comforting arms and stood up.
He walked purposefully towards the restroom connected to the ward, his small steps carrying a quiet determination. Inside, he washed his tear-stained face, letting the cool water soothe his flushed cheeks. He took a moment to calm himself, breathing steadily as he composed his thoughts. When he came out, he returned to his ward.
Grandfather Felix and Granduncle Victor waited for him, their faces etched with worry and concern. But little Eli looked better now. His expression was more composed compared to the raw anguish he'd shown before. For a good five minutes, he sat quietly in his bed, not uttering a word. The silence seemed to hold a gathering strength within him. When he finally began to speak, his voice was steady and firm, a contrast to the sobs that had shaken him earlier. The words he spoke carried a newfound calmness, as if little Eli had indeed managed to gather his inner resources, ready to address what lay ahead with a clearer mind "I am sure, it was her I met today. I don't know if your theories are true or not. But I'm sure it was her." His words carried a quiet certainty, his eyes reflecting a sense of inner clarity.
"I don't think it was just a coincidence that I met her today and regained my memories. I regained memories because I met her, it's nothing to do with my injuries." Little Eli's tone was thoughtful, underscoring his confidence in the connection he felt. "When I was with her, it was the same old feeling I always felt whenever I was with her. And I didn't fall entirely because of slipping my foot."