Memories

"Wh... what are these... m... memories...?"

Kieran was assaulted with pain as he clutched his head and gritted his teeth.

"Ugh... what the hell?!"

It was just a normal headache before, but now, it was as if the headache had doubled... no, doubled was an understatement.

Kieran didn't know why, but he had a feeling that he knew what was happening.

And well, he was right.

Memories... memories that weren't his started flooding his brain.

He could feel his head spinning, but he couldn't control it. It was as if he was drowning in a sea of memories.

In less than five seconds, Kieran started sweating buckets. His worn-out tunic immediately got soaked due to the way he was sweating profusely.

*Huff* *Huff*

In an instant, he started panting, making it clear that he was gasping for air.

He didn't know how a severe headache like this affected his breathing.

But of course, the headache wasn't ordinary at all.

The speed at which the memories were coming made it even more intense and more uncontrollable.

Kieran used his last bit of sanity to make sure that he didn't rip his hair out, as he was currently clutching his hair as if it were the last bit of hope he had.

While all this was happening, the system screen didn't even appear once, not like Kieran would've paid it any attention if it had appeared.

He was too occupied with the pain to focus on anything else.

"Ugh... ugh..." Kieran was letting out small groans as the rate at which he was sweating suddenly reduced.

The pain was still present, but he could tell that it was reducing, and he was slowly letting go of his hair.

He also noticed that he could now breathe well, and it was as if a huge block had been lifted from his chest.

Seconds later, Kieran was seated on the bed, staring at the floor.

He had stopped panting, and his tunic was slowly becoming dry again.

"What the hell was that just now?" Kieran couldn't help but mutter.

As he was seated, the memories he received were already organizing themselves.

[Memories have been successfully transferred to the host...]

The system screen appeared in front of Kieran, and he read the words written on it.

He definitely knew that the headache he was feeling right from the alley was related to the memories of the former owner of this body, but...

"So you were holding the memories before, huh?" Kieran asked.

[No, the memories just transferred on their own. I'm just simply notifying the host.]

"I see..." Kieran rolled his eyes, thinking there was actually no need for the system to notify him.

With a sigh, Kieran lay down on the bed and stared at the ceiling.

He had received too many memories, but they were slowly sorting themselves out, and he could now understand them perfectly as if they were his own memories.

It was as if he had lived those memories... as if it was his own life.

Kieran squinted his eyes as he opened his mouth, clearly about to say something.

The next second...

"Arden Nightshade..." Kieran muttered.

"That's my new name..." That name was immediately embedded in his mind, clearly showing that he had accepted it.

[A/N: From now on, the MC will no longer be referred to as "Kieran." Instead, he'll be referred to as "Arden." Thank you!]

Arden instantly raised his head and sat upright, diving into his memories.

"I'm Arden now. It's even better because most people still know that the prince's name is Kieran, so it'll look as if I'm disrespecting or trying to impersonate the Prince."

Suddenly, Arden had a thought, and a chuckle escaped his lips.

"What the hell am I saying? It's not like anyone will even believe or take it seriously. Moreover, nobody cared about me before, so it won't even be an issue," Arden said.

Knowing that, Arden completely accepted his new name, but his goal still remained unchanged.

His new memories had completely sorted themselves out, so he now knew everything about the former owner of this body.

He didn't know his parents; all he knew was that he was an orphan. At least, that was what people told him, and he had been the one catering for himself.

"The way he died is kinda mysterious, though," Arden muttered.

The former owner of this body found himself being pursued by three individuals with masks and cloaks.

From the memories, he knew that he didn't know anything about those individuals or why they were pursuing him.

In the end, since he was born with a broken Mana Core, he couldn't fight them, so they caught him and killed him in an alley without any explanation.

That was how he got reincarnated in this body, and that still explained the bruises on his body.

Arden sighed as he massaged his temples. "Seems this guy also went through a lot," he muttered.

He could feel the pain, the hungry nights, the insults, and all the hardships; after all, they were now his memories.

"That's done for now. System, where were we?" Arden asked.

[We were talking about Ability Energy.]

"Oh, I have never heard about that before," Arden said, waiting for the system to explain.

[Ability Energy is different from the Mana that the inhabitants of this world utilize.]

[Ability Energy is present everywhere in this world, but it cannot be sensed.]

"Hmm, so just like Mana, it's also present, I see..." Arden muttered, placing his finger on his chin curiously.

"But why can't it be sensed?" he asked.

[Because it isn't compatible with the body structure of the inhabitants of this world. It's foreign to their body.]

At this point, more questions were popping up in Arden's mind; it was a strange topic.

[The first energy in this world to be sensed was Mana, so since then, the inhabitants of this world began to absorb Mana and didn't bother to sense any other energy.]

[But if they have knowledge about Ability Energy and try to sense it... the worst might happen.]

"Huh?!"