Warning: This chapter contains content that may not be suitable for some readers

Cassandra was daydreaming as she stared at her latest creation; a long indigo evening gown that was made based on Ivy’s body measurement. If it weren’t for the mishap, Ivy would have worn the dress for the interview about the refurbishment of the old town in Manes. Cassandra missed her though it was a brief time spent with Ivy. She smiled thinking of the time Ivy was parading in front of her in style in her creations. She felt bad for Ivy as the once cheerful girl might no longer stay the same when she wakes up finding out that her lover has passed on protecting her.

Cassandra’s heart ached at the thought of Jin who was in the basement juggling studies and helping out her stepfather’s vengeance. She was trying to pull the family together but she knew she had her limits as she squatted to hug Daisy, the family’s retriever who had been her closest companion lately.

A chime of the doorbell alerted her attention as she saw a young couple enter in front of her. She beamed as she ran to hug Andrew and Sandra. Sandra squatted to pat Daisy’s head for a moment thereafter.

“Nice to see you dropping by after so long…” Cassandra greeted as Sandra smiled but noticed Cassandra looked exhausted.

“It must have been hard on you…” Sandra said as Cassandra shook her head and led them to the coffee table by the corner where she had her tea brewing.

She poured them both a cup of tea as Sandra looked at Andrew for affirmation of what they were about to tell Cassandra. “How’re things?” Cassandra asked.

“Not too bad… How’s everyone?” Sandra asked as Cassandra gave a sad smile.

“To say they are fine is a lie. Jin has been working closely with my stepfather and Ray is in Manes working with Marcel while Ryu is still being… Ryu.” Cassandra explained while sipping her tea as Sandra raised an eyebrow recalling Ivy had never mentioned Cassandra has a stepfather.

“Stepfather? Sorry, I think I am missing something here?” Sandra tried to clarify as Casandra chuckled.

“Uncle James is my stepfather. It’s a secret that I don’t share at a first meeting not even with Ivy.” Sandra and Andrew were surprised as they smiled and nodded understandingly as they looked at each other hesitating to tell the motive of their visit.

“What is it you both are hesitating to tell? Just let me know.” Cassandra noticed as she urged them to tell.

“We are moving out of the family house. No, in fact, we have moved out. We understand that times are hard and we both didn’t want to overstay…” Andrew explained as he swallowed his saliva while Cassandra studied both couples and knew they must have given a lot of thought to it.

“I understand…” Cassandra said solemnly and gave them a sad smile.

“We thought a lot about it and it was hard to tell the family members as none of them was always around. Sorry that we had to seek you to convey the message instead.” Andrew continued apologetically.

“Where are you both staying now? Renting?” Cassandra asked as they both nodded.

“Nearby the campus as it will be more convenient for us to attend classes,” Sandra explained.

Cassandra smiled and nodded. “Good. Do come by to check on Ivy when you’re free. Don’t worry I will let the family know about it.” Cassandra comforted as they both smiled gratefully as they enjoyed tea with Cassandra.

When Cassandra went back down to the basement to check on Jin, he was sitting deep in thought with his book opened in front of him. Cassandra went to give him a hug from the back as he shifted and rested his head on her stomach. She knew his mind was elsewhere other than studies. Daisy was obediently sitting next to Jin on the ground while he placed one of his hands on his lap and another he used to caress Daisy’s head while waiting for Cassandra to explain the purpose of Andrew and Sandra’s visit he saw from the CCTV.

“Andrew and Sandra dropped by. They said they had moved out of the house.” Cassandra updated but Jin stayed in her arms quietly. Deep in Jin’s thoughts, he knew it was for the betterment of the family’s situation as after all without Ivy, it gets awkward if they both were around.

“Shall we head home for once tonight and rest there? Let me cook you a nice meal?” Cassandra offered as she shifted to look eye to eye with Jin before she smiled and patted his head. She knew his quiet self meant he had no objection as she drove them home and switched on the lights to the entire house.

Jin slowly walked to the balcony and sat where Ivy used to sit with Daisy while Cassandra cleaned up a little on the house. She had noticed Andrew and Sandra had kept the upkeep well so it was a relief for her to not need to do much while she waited for her grocery delivery to arrive and quickly prepared dinner.

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When she was done, she found Jin asleep with Daisy on the balcony. She walked over to wake him up and have a meal with her as she led him over to the dining hall. Jin didn’t look like he had the appetite but he was feeling a little better as the home began to feel like home with home-cooked meals and coziness.

“I will come back to cook every night for you, alright? Just focus on your studies and I will watch over the household for you.” Cassandra comforted as Jin nodded and picked up his chopsticks to take the first bite of the steam fish when the service elevator sounded.

Ryu stepped into the well-lit house and felt the warmness of home the moment he inhaled the sumptuous smell of dinner. “Come over! I will get you a bowl of rice.”Cassandra quickly said as she rushed back into the kitchen while Ryu walked over to the table and sat opposite Jin solemnly.

Cassandra came back with a bowl of rice for Ryu from the kitchen and sat in between the brothers. As she sensed the tense dull moment between the brothers, she was trying her best to lift up their mood.

“Come home every night both of you. I will prepare the meals and ensure your home is in good condition. Focus on whatever you need to after this.” Cassandra reassured as Ryu looked at Jin who was finally smiling back at Ryu.

“Head back to nationals training. That would be what Ivy wanted for you.” Jin said before he took some vegetables from the serving.

He felt relief knowing Ryu was still coping well as Ryu nodded knowing it was true. “I will let Ray know and make arrangements for you to stay over at your grandma’s house when you have training.” Cassandra offered as Ryu finally managed to relax and nodded in agreement as both brothers enjoyed dinner quietly with Cassandra gratefully that night. They both had never known a simple home-cooked meal was all that they had missed in the midst of the chaos.

Cassandra only remembered Daisy’s meal in the midst of dinner halfway when Daisy whined from the balcony. She quickly went to fetch her bowl to place it next to their table on the floor and fed him some kibbles.

“Can I take him along too to Manes during my training?” Ryu asked as Cassandra looked at Jin who smiled lovingly at her and nodded.

“Go ahead. Save my girlfriend’s time.” Jin said as he continued eating dinner. Cassandra smiled knowing it was Jin’s way of showing his affection while Ryu cheered happily in his heart while he patted Daisy’s head.

That night, he rechecked his nationals schedule and posted a picture of him and Daisy on his social media with the caption “Back in action! Train hard!” Instantly his posts garnered plenty of likes and supportive comments as Melody sent him a direct message.

“I will be rooting for you my idol! Keep it up!”

He smiled as he decided if he should have a fan event during the next national game. That way he wouldn’t have to face another rise of fan harassment.

“Could you arrange something for my fans during the next national game? Whether I win or lose maybe just a small signing session to appease them?”

Melody's eyes were beaming with delight at the request as she quickly agreed and told him she would update him on her plans.

“Alright, get to sleep now! It’s too late for a high school girl to stay up so late!” Ryu replied.

“I’m not exactly required to attend class that early. I am in my last year of high school.”

Ryu couldn’t believe she was older than him by a year yet she was adoring him like a little girl as he chuckled. “Alright then. Hope to see you in my next match. Goodnight.”

Ryu then went offline as he stared at the ceiling with Daisy sleeping by his side, hoping Ivy would quickly wake up as he slowly drifted to sleep.

Back in Ivy’s paracosm, Ivy began to shift her sleeping position in Jason’s arms. Jason was thinking to himself of the fate the next room, 26 would bring them. Jason didn't want to wake her but his curiosity was killing him. Therefore, he carried her to the aisle heading toward room 26.

He took a sharp inhale before he turned the doorknob and entered the room. Before he knew it, they were back to the first place they met when he lost his memories; the plain of irises.

Jason felt great relief dawn upon him as he freely walked around the plains and saw his magic harp humming the tune he once played to Ivy as a confession at a client’s event. As he felt a little relaxed, he noticed the cloudiness was not something he should be taken lightly of so he remained alert of his surroundings as he gently laid Ivy on his lap near a cliff.

Moments later, the gentle soothing tune and the refreshing fragrance of irises woke Ivy as she found herself lying on Jason’s lap. She instantly got up and was delighted to be back to a familiar scene as she trailed around but noticed she couldn't find her dogs or her grandma anywhere in the plains. She tried to ignore that thought first as she twirled around the plains feeling delighted to finally be home again. It slipped her mind how she entered the plains as all that mattered was the warm feeling of being home.

Jason was so distracted by Ivy’s happiness that it slipped his mind he had to remain vigilant of his surroundings. They were in an illusion room where they must not find out that all they saw was an illusion created from their memory else the room’s guardian would gobble them up and they would be stuck in the room for good.

As they continued to enjoy the sunset and strolls, Jason decided to take the chance and spoke with Ivy about how she had felt.

“Ivy…” Ivy stopped walking as Jason placed his hands on her shoulders while looking into her eyes.

“How have you been feeling?” Jason asked as Ivy looked away. She was scared of telling him the truth that she only could remember bits and pieces.

“You don’t have to shy away. I know you drank the memory loss potion.” Jason said as he pulled Ivy’s chin to face him.

Ivy looked at him shockingly. “I was scared… I am still afraid… That… I would forget all about you and us. I don’t want to...” Ivy was nearly in tears when she said that as Jason caressed her face.

“I too, once forgotten about you when mom wiped away my memory. This was where I had a good chance to change our destiny. I remembered you again too. So, I believe whatever fate awaited us, you will always remember me no matter how hard it was going to be.” Jason said as his eye reddened when Ivy hugged him. Ivy was glad they could finally be honest after all this while enduring all by herself.

With that, they decided it was time they move on to another room but they just couldn't find the door to exit after walking around for some time. She began to wonder where their grandma’s cottage was and where her grandma or even her dogs were but none of those existed. She realised something was not right.

Jason pointed out the cloudiness when they knew it was not the plains of irises they used to be in. At that exact moment, the serpents they once fought appeared from the skies turning the environment dark and gloomy. Only then, they realised it was all an illusion as the exit door appeared ahead of them before they ran for their life after it.

They closely made it to the exit when the door closed behind them before the two-headed serpent caught them. Instead of stalling, they both decided to head to the next room. Room 13, their sixth room; hearing the number from Jason, Ivy didn’t like such a taboo number.

They both were already preparing themselves for the worst. At the entrance of room 13, they had to stop for a moment to catch their breath while Ivy endured the piercing pain in her throbbing head. It felt as though Jason was ripping his own heart each time he watched Ivy’s memories dispersing again towards him.

He couldn’t stand a moment of it as he quickly gripped her hand and entered room 13 without hesitation as Ivy who was recuperating was in shock. All they could hope was for whatever was ahead of them to be kind and for whatever memory Ivy was losing to slow down till they solved the mystery of their past.