Dr. Azick looked at the Hoy River with a melancholic tone.
"No, Klein, you don’t understand. Divination can reach such levels only if conducted by someone else. Of course, my divination is just a facade," he said.
"Some people are special and possess strange abilities from birth. I should be one of them."
"Should?" Klein noticed the ambiguity in his wording.
"Yes, I’m not sure whether it’s something I was born with or if such powers come at the cost of forgetting myself—my past, my parents," Dr. Azick said with a somber gaze.
Klein became increasingly confused.
"Forgetting your past?"
Dr. Azick smiled without humor.
"Before joining the history department at Berkland University, I had an episode of amnesia. It was as if I woke up and forgot everything."
Taking a few steps forward, he continued, "After leaving Berkland, I started dreaming—of many strange things..."
Dreams? I'm skilled in interpreting dreams! Klein interjected, "What kind of dreams?"
Dr. Azick chuckled vaguely.
"Many different kinds. Sometimes, I dream of dark tombs, old coffins with corpses covered in white feathers. Other times, I see myself as a knight in full armor, charging at enemies with a three-meter-long spear.
Other times, I see myself as a lord with a prosperous estate and beautiful wife and three children. At other times, I dream of being a homeless person, cold and hungry on a rainy day."
Sometimes, I see myself with a daughter who’s different from the others—she has smooth black hair, loves to swing on my handmade swings, always asking for candy.
At other times, I dream of standing beside a gallows, calmly looking up at the hanging bodies," Dr. Azick said.
Listening to Dr. Azick's dreams, Klein realized he couldn't interpret them as they were contradictory!
Dr. Azick refocused and spoke more clearly.
"In the southern Fennporte Kingdom, the Earth Mother is worshiped. Her church teaches a concept: every life is a 'plant,' drawing nourishment from the earth to grow, thrive, and eventually wither."
"When it withers, these lives return to their mother’s embrace. Year after year, this cycle repeats for life as well," he continued.
"At times, I find comfort in believing that because of my uniqueness, I can dream of past lives—lives before this one."
Pausing to look at Klein, he sighed.
"Klein, these things are what even Dr. Kahn hasn’t heard from me. I told you because... I..."
Dr. Azick paused and smiled.
"I apologize for the inaccurate description earlier. Your fate isn't the only thing I noticed about you. I also observed another aspect."
"You're no longer a normal person, Klein. You possess extraordinary abilities that are very similar to mine," Dr. Azick concluded.