She turned around instinctively, her gaze locking with a man not far away.

The man wore gold-rimmed glasses, his eyes deep and focused behind the lenses.

He wore a dark-colored combat base layer, covered by a medical officer's white coat, the collar buttoned to the very top, giving him a look of cold and restrained demeanor.

He stood tall, his waist and back straight, yet carrying a touch of indifference as if he had been in a high position for a long time, as if disaster had never left a mark on him.

In the moment their eyes met, time seemed to stand still.

The man looked straight at her, without the slightest evasion.

Selene felt a sudden, inexplicable tightness in her chest, her fingers gripping the communicator unconsciously.

Chapter 25

It was clearly late spring with warm, soft sunlight, yet there wasn't a trace of warmth on Silas Thorne.

Silas had imagined their reunion countless times, wondering what the scene would be like.

He had never anticipated that Selene Rivers would look at him as if he were a complete stranger, politely and lightly uttering a single sentence: "May I ask, is there something you need?"

Silas stood frozen, his fingertips trembling slightly. It felt as if a giant boulder were pressing against his chest, making it difficult to breathe.

The warm sunlight spilled over his shoulders, but it couldn't dispel the chill within him.

He had envisioned their reunion countless times—perhaps she would be surprised, perhaps angry, or even try to run away. But he never expected her to look at him with such strange, distant eyes and ask so nonchalantly, "May I ask, is there something you need?"

In that moment, it felt as if his heart had been pierced by a sharp weapon; the pain was so severe he could barely speak.

He forced down the bitterness in his heart, using every ounce of his strength to squeeze out a raspy, strained sentence from his throat: "I am a healing ability user. Could I get to know you? My name is... Silas Thorne."

His voice was low, carrying a barely perceptible tremor, as if each word were being dragged with difficulty from the depths of his heart.

He watched her, his gaze filled with intense emotion, hoping she would remember something—if only a tiny fragment.

But Selene’s reaction sent him plummeting into an icy abyss.

Her brow furrowed slightly, her eyes filled with confusion and unfamiliarity, as if she truly didn't know him at all.

Just as he thought she would shake her head in refusal, her face suddenly turned deathly pale, and fine beads of cold sweat broke out on her forehead.

She clutched her temple suddenly, her fingers digging in tightly as if enduring immense pain.

"You... what’s wrong?" Silas’s heart tightened; he stepped forward instinctively, wanting to steady her.

But before his foot could land, Selene had already crouched down from the sheer agony.

Her mind felt as if it were being torn apart by something, and a chaotic rush of fragments surged toward her.

She saw a little boy throwing himself into her arms, saying, "Mommy, don't cry. I’ll protect you."

She saw that same child shielding her, shouting angrily at the front: "Don't bully my Mommy!"

And then... a sea of fire, flames reaching the sky, billowing smoke...

"Pain..." She bit her lower lip hard, tears rolling down uncontrollably. The fragments in her mind were like sharp blades, stabbing at her nerves over and over again.

She wanted to grasp something, but she couldn't catch anything; she could only let those memories wreak havoc in her mind.

Silas watched her suffering, his heart twisted in agony. He could no longer care about anything else and stepped forward quickly to check on her. But, at the moment he was about to touch her, a hand suddenly blocked him.

"What did you do to her?"

Julian Vance’s cold voice rang out, his eyes filled with vigilance and accusation.

Silas looked up, meeting Julian’s sharp gaze.

He opened his mouth, wanting to explain, but when the words reached his lips, they became a weak defense: "I didn't do anything."

"Nothing at all?" Julian sneered, clearly disbelieving him.

He crouched down, supporting Selene’s shoulders, his voice gentle and concerned: "Selene, are you alright? Where does it hurt?"

Selene lifted her head, her face pale as paper, sweat dripping from her forehead.

Her gaze was slightly unfocused, as if she hadn't yet returned from those painful memories.

She shook her head with difficulty, her voice weak: "I’m fine... let’s go."

"Alright, let’s go." Julian didn't press further, helping her slowly stand up, his gaze remaining vigilantly fixed on Silas, as if he were a dangerous figure who would hurt Selene at any moment.

Silas stood where he was, watching helplessly as they left. His fingers were clenched into tight fists, his knuckles turning white; his chest felt as if it were blocked, making it hard to breathe.

He wanted to chase after them, wanted to explain, wanted to tell her everything—but seeing her pained expression, he couldn't take that step no matter what.

He stood in place, his gaze dark and complex, fixed firmly on Selene’s back until her figure disappeared from his sight.

His chest heaved violently, the emotions in his heart threatening to drown him. Those memories surged like the tide, overwhelming his reason.

He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, trying to calm his emotions.

He knew everything had started over, and he still had a chance.

The sunlight still spilled gently across the base, the breeze blowing softly, carrying the scent of early spring.

Yet Silas’s heart remained unsettled for a long time.

His gaze rested in the distance, as if he could still see Selene’s back.

He stood there for a long time, until the hustle and bustle faded away, until the afterglow of the sunset dyed the sky red.

The sentence echoed repeatedly in his heart—

Everything has started over; I will definitely win her back.

On the other side, inside the vehicle.

Julian watched the Selene in the passenger seat with concern.

"Are you feeling uncomfortable somewhere?"

Selene lifted her head, her gaze somewhat vacant, seemingly not yet fully recovered from the chaotic memories.

She opened her mouth, wanting to say something, but didn't know where to begin.

She could only shake her head, her voice weak: "I’m fine... just had a sudden headache."

Julian frowned, clearly not fully believing her, but he didn't press her, only gently patting the back of her hand: "If you feel unwell, you must tell me. Don't push yourself."

Selene nodded, though her gaze drifted unconsciously into the distance, as if looking for something.

Her mind continued to echo with those blurred fragments, memories she found hard to let go of.

Chapter 26

The next time she saw Silas Thorne was a month later, at the base's open examination for purification master qualification.

Selene had just finished her examination project and felt somewhat exhausted.

She walked slowly out of the examination room, her mind still ruminating on the test she had just completed.

However, the moment she pushed open the door to the lounge, a familiar figure appeared before her eyes.

Silas was standing there, holding a bouquet of white roses carefully cultivated from the greenhouse, looking at her with a burning gaze.

He was dressed in a dark combat base layer, his figure appearing tall and cold, yet there was a gentleness and anticipation in his eyes that she couldn't understand.

Selene’s footsteps halted, and an inexplicable sense of unease welled up in her heart.

She didn't know why, but every time she saw this man, her heartbeat would accelerate uncontrollably, as if something were tugging at her memories, making her want to both approach and flee.

"A gift for you. Congratulations, Purification Master Rivers."

Silas stepped forward, handing the flowers to her, his tone gentle yet slightly tense.

Selene lowered her head, her gaze falling on the bouquet of white roses; the petals were still dotted with crystalline water droplets.

Her fingers trembled slightly, but she didn't reach out to take them.

"Thank you, but I don't need them," she said softly, her tone polite and distant, before she walked around him and headed quickly outside.

She didn't want to be in the same space as him; that suffocating feeling made her afraid.

Silas stood where he was, his hand holding the flowers tightening slightly, his knuckles turning white.

He watched her back, a flash of pain in his eyes, but it was quickly replaced by determination.

He blocked her path, his tone urgent but not lacking in gentleness: "Selene Rivers, there is a lecture on advanced purification ability users this weekend. There are a few purification theories you seem interested in understanding, and I would like to invite you to attend with me..."

"No, thank you."

Silas’s throat felt as if it were blocked by something. He opened his mouth, but didn't know what else he could say.