11 Painful Memories

"Yes." Zell stated. "How do we activate it?"

"Well, I don't exactly know." Donovan explained. "This is a skill no one has ever had before, and skills require different triggers for activation. It could be as easy as just saying the worlds Activate Skill: Selective Memory, or even just thinking about activating it may have the effect desired."

"Alright I will try." Zell said. "Activate Skill: Selective Memory!" He waited for something to happen. "I don't think it worked."

"Seems that way." Donovan said with a sigh. He began to rub his chin hair as he walked back and forth. He was trying to think of another method of activation. After a few moments inspiration hit him, and he returned to his bookshelf. He found the book he was looking for; it was old and bound in stitched leather. He opened the pages and thumbed through them. "Ah ha!" He said gleefully. "Here is a spell that forcefully activates a skill. As long as I know its name, I can activate it for you. I need only place my hand upon you and speak the incantation."

"It's worth a try." Zell said.

Donovan walked over to Zell and placed his hand on his shoulder. "Ready?"

"Yes." Zell replied.

"From within I see a blinding light, to all those else a moonless sky." Donovan began the incantation. "I beseech thee oh gods of old grant to me the power of sight and sound. Allow this skill to activate upon my word so that we may experience its truth and purpose. Activate Skill: Selective Memory!"

Arcane symbols appeared below Zell's feet and a bright light emanated from them. The light grew and expanded until it completely engulfed the duo. Inside Zell's mind his memories came crashing back to him. He remembered his life as Gary, his family, his children, his grandchildren, he remembered all of it. His years of hard labor. All the choices he had made good and bad. He could feel all the emotions he once felt as if it were the first time. I felt the love he had for his wife. He felt the paternal instincts and pride towards his children. As his life flashed before him, he was filled with joy and happiness. Until he reached his retirement. He relived the moment of discovery of his families' corpses. Great pain and anguish replaced any other feeling. And he screamed out in unbearable pain. "No! My Family!" He yelled. Tears began to pour down his cheeks as he was losing control.

Donovan was unsure as to what Zell was experiencing and his sudden outburst deepened the confusion. "What's wrong with the duke and duchess?!" Donovan asked.

"Not them!" Zell shouted. "My family is dead! I saw their corpses! I felt the pain! I felt my own death!"

"Fascinating." Donovan said, intrigued by this latest development. "So, this is not your first life, were you originally from another kingdom? Who killed your family?"

"I don't know!" Zell cried out. "I just want them back!" He continued to cry.

"Before this ends, tell me where are you from?" Donovan said.

"A place called Earth it's a different universe." Zell explained. "After I died God sent me here. Argh! I just want this pain to stop! The pain from their loss is too much to bear!" The pain was visible upon Zell's face as it grimaced in agony.

Donovan tried to calm Zell down. "It will be alright that is all behind you in the past."

"The pain I feel is current and now." Zell said. "To have known my family and to lose them all over, it is a burden too great!"

The sadness and pain within Zell were causing him to lose control of Limited. His power kept slowly rising, as he neared fifty percent of his strength the entire building began to shake from the sheer amount of his mana.

"Zell you have to calm down!" Donovan pleaded. "The fact you hide your power is causing your mana to release at an unnatural rate. If you continue to raise your power it will cause a mana explosion and wipe out the school, that includes your baby sister."

Zell began to snap out of it. Deep down he did not want to be responsible for anyone's death, especially that of his baby sister. Try as he might though his emotions were too unstable, and he could not regain control. His power continued to climb. "I can't!" Zell yelled; eyes swollen from the tears.

"I hope this works." Donovan said. "Deepest dreamer sleep and slumber. Knockout!"

Zell fell to the ground and went fast to sleep. As he slept his limited stopped climbing.

*Skill Activation: Selective Memory*

Donovan picked Zell's body up and placed him in a chair. "What a horrifying child." He said. "I understand the purpose of that skill, it is protecting him from his past life. It sounds like his death was horrible, no wonder he needs to forget. Now the question is will he remember when he awakens or will his skill reactivate." Donovan thought about what the best course of action would be. He picked Zell up again and draped him over his shoulder. "From here nor there I go henceforth. Teleportation!"

Donovan and Zell vanished from the room and reappeared in a forest far away from civilization. Donovan placed Zell onto the ground. "Time for slumber has ended, be awake and rise again. Awaken!"

Zell woke up slowly and saw that he was surrounded by lush vegetation. He jumped up in surprise. "Wait, how did we get here?!" He asked loudly.

"Do you remember anything?" Donovan asked.

"I remember you were going to try and activate my skill." Zell said. "Then I woke up here a second later. Did something go wrong?"

"No, your skill activated lad." Donovan said. "It was horrible to see you hurt so badly."

"I was hurt?" Zell asked.

"Not physically, no." Donovan replied. "Your skill blocks memories that are too painful for you to process. When you have them, you are broken and sad, so your skill is protecting you from your past."

"What is my past? I want to know." Zell said.

"You really do not." Donovan sighed. "I would say that those memories within you are your greatest weakness. Even if you are the strongest on the planet, it would be impossible to withstand an attack by those memories."

"At least tell me something." Zell said. "It sounds like I suffered for this information."

"I got bits and pieces." Donovan said. "Perhaps if we do it this way you may be able to come to terms with it better and if not well, we are in the middle of nowhere if you explode."

"If I explode?" Zell was confused.

"Yes, you almost exploded." Donovan said. "So, it would be best to give you only small pieces of information at a time until you are able to come to terms with it. Who knows if that happens your skill may undo itself?"

"Alright, well tell me already." Zell said impatiently, his curiosity peaking.

"You are from another world." Donovan said. "Apparently you were reincarnated here on this planet, sent by God themself."

"Reincarnated?" Zell asked. "So, I died at one point in this other world?"

"Yes." Donovan said, preparing to try the waters. "You had a family, from what I gathered they all died with you."

"Wow." Zell said. "I had no idea."

"But you are, okay?" Donovan asked.

"A bit sad, but yeah." Zell said. "Since I can't remember it just feels like a story about someone else."

"That was the response I was hoping for." Donovan said. "If you think about that, your old life and your new life as two separate lives it should help you come to terms with your traumatic death and let you have your memories again. At least I think this is all new to me."

"Thanks then." Zell said. "Although I have a question."

"You may ask it young master." Donovan replied.

"What's that stalking us from behind the trees?" Zell asked.