Nova woke slowly. Light pressed against his closed eyelids, and something soft and granular shifted beneath his face. His consciousness drifted up through layers of sleep, making him aware of the unfamiliar texture below him.

'...Sand?'

A rough, sandpaper-like tongue scraped across his cheek. Nova turned his face in surprise and opened his eyes.

A white cat with fur as pristine as fresh snow sat beside Nova. He blinked, trying to process what he saw. The cat stared back with unblinking intensity, swishing its tail slowly across the strange surface.

Nova pushed himself up on his elbows. The ground stretched outward in all directions, like a vast plain of perfect white sand extending into infinity. The horizon formed a crisp, unbroken line in every direction. Above him, dominating the dark sky, hung a massive planet with blue oceans and green landmasses wrapped in white clouds.

'...What? This does not feel like a dream.'

While Nova stared upward at the impossible view, the cat grew impatient. It pressed its full weight against his arm and rumbled with a deep, insistent purr that vibrated through his skin.

"What the hell is going on?" Nova tore his gaze from the planet and looked down at the cat. The creature's blue eyes sparkled with intelligence, and its pristine white fur triggered a distant memory. "...Mittens?"

The cat meowed once in response, staring up at him with its sapphire eyes. Then it bumped its head against his arm with familiar affection.

"It really is you..." Nova felt a strange mix of comfort and confusion. "But what is this place?" He glanced up once more at the massive planet hanging in the black sky. "Is that the planet I was just on? I don't even know its name..."

"Meow!" Mittens headbutted his hand with greater urgency, almost knocking it aside with the force of her impatience.

Nova sat up fully and crossed his legs in the white sand. His mind raced with possibilities while his fingers automatically found their way to Mittens' head. "Are you the one who started my reincarnations after all? I always suspected..."

She simply purred in pure contentment as his fingers scratched behind her ears, closing her eyes in joy. Each time his hand paused or moved away, she tracked it down instantly, pushing her head beneath his palm.

"You're not going to tell me anything?" Nova asked.

The cat offered nothing but silence and more purring.

"Then no more petting." Nova lifted his arm high above his head, well beyond her reach.

Mittens' demeanor changed instantly. Sharp claws extended as she growled, making a sound far more threatening than any house cat should be capable of making.

'I'm not getting anywhere here… Maybe negotiating will help?'

"...What if I pet you for ten minutes, then you answer ten questions? Sound like a deal?"

"Fifteen minutes." The voice that emerged from the cat was unmistakably feminine. Light and ethereal, yet clearly human.

'Okay, at least I'm not crazy… No, I guess thinking cats talk to me is a step above talking to cats. But I suspect this is a moment I've been waiting for all my life. An explanation to my life.'

"Fine. Fifteen minutes."

He started petting her with passion, not wanting to be called out for doing a bad job. His fingers found the perfect spots behind her ears and under her chin. The white sand shifted beneath them as Mittens pressed closer, her purring growing louder with satisfaction.

Petting cats was a skill Nova had mastered long ago, like many others. It felt strange to use it after so many lifetimes—back when petting cats had been a regular part of his daily routine.

'What should I ask? Ten questions? Is that enough? Will she allow another round?'

He mentally drafted his list while his hands worked automatically, stroking from head to tail in long, smooth motions. The questions piled up in his mind: origins, reincarnations, plans for the children, Annelie's nature, methods for gaining power quickly... Plus whatever follow-up questions might arise.

'I think we're on the moon, so that question would be wasted. Better focus on things I can't figure out myself.'

As the time neared its end, he felt almost grateful that she had demanded fifteen minutes instead of ten. It had given him more time to plan.

"Are you keeping track of the time?" Nova asked.

Mittens remained silent, eyes closed in bliss as she tilted her head to guide his fingers to a new spot.

"Too bad, because I am. Fifteen minutes is up." He stopped petting, but kept his hand close.

"Mnnnnoooo..." The sound was half-purr, half-protest.

"Are you ready to answer questions?"

The cat stretched, arching her back dramatically before settling into a more dignified posture. "Ask away. Unless you want me to answer without you asking."

Nova's brow furrowed. "How would that work?"

"I am the cat from your life on Earth, and also the goddess of knowledge, Silico." Her voice flowed like clear water, carrying neither pride nor apology for the revelation.

"What?!"

'She read my mind? She's the one that brought me to this world? Earth is connected to the Goddess of Knowledge of this world? The Goddess Tuck served?'

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He kept quiet so the questions wouldn't be wasted, but it was a challenge not to ask further. Questions burned in his mind like wildfire, but he forced himself to stay calm, taking a deep breath.

'What connection Earth has to this world would be a good question. But I should focus on the most important things first—my nature, my purpose, the children.'

"Then I guess you know my next question as well." He tried to keep his voice steady despite the multitude of emotions swirling within him.

"No, that one changes every time." Silico's tail swished lazily through the fine white sand, leaving delicate patterns that quickly filled themselves in.

Her words sent Nova into another spiral of thought. 'I've been here before? But I forget every time? Is this related to dreams? How many times have we met before? Don't tell me she's just bringing me here to get petted?'

The massive planet hung unmoving in the black sky above them, casting a faint blue light across the moonscape. It felt so real—too real to be a mere dream.

"Why have I lived nine lives so far?" He finally asked, breaking the silence.

"The question makes incorrect assumptions, so I cannot answer. But that is also an answer, so the next time that happens, I'll count it as a full question."

Nova frowned. The sand shifted beneath him as he adjusted his position, trying to make sense of her cryptic response. Did that mean he'd lived more than nine lives? Or fewer?

"Okay… Why does my memory include several lifetimes of memories?"

Silico nodded slightly. "There you go. Because your soul is special, making you capable of remembering past lives even beyond death."

"That's not a very good answer." His voice held a sharp edge of frustration. "You're telling me what I already know."

"I know." The cat watched him with those unblinking blue eyes. Something in her tone suggested she found his irritation amusing.

Nova took a deep breath. "Okay, fine. Should I change my current plan for saving the children in the kingdom?" The question felt more grounded, more practical. Something he could act on regardless of his true nature.

Silico's ears flicked forward with interest. "Your plans aren't perfectly decided yet, but what you should do going forward is take your time to gather strength in Collport, ignoring the other children in the country for now."

Nova's jaw tightened as he looked away across the endless white plains. "...Because I would take on too much risk by going after the others." The words felt like stones in his mouth. "That will be hard to live with."

"The world has tens of millions of unfortunate children, Nova." Silico's voice softened, almost gentle now. "Logically, your focus should be only on growing in strength until you can make real change."

"Yes, logically. But we humans—even me—are so rarely logical creatures." His fingers traced absent patterns in the sand. The memory of small faces looking up at him with hope burned in his mind.

"I know." Silico's whiskers twitched with what might have been sympathy.

"Of course you do." Nova shook his head with a rueful smile. "Okay, next, is Annelie the same type of soul as me?"

"Not exactly. She has gained her special characteristics from you. If it wasn't for that, she would never remember you."

"Hmm... That's a lot to take in." His voice came out quieter than intended.

"That's understandable." Silico moved closer, leaving delicate prints in the sand. "You seem to have grown quite close."

A faint warmth crept up Nova's neck. "Yeah. More than expected." The admission felt strangely vulnerable. He quickly changed topics. "What's the most efficient way for me to grow in power when I return?"

Silico's blue eyes gleamed with sudden mischief. "Kill everyone in Collport."

"You know that's not the answer I was looking for."

The corner of Silico's mouth curved upward in what looked remarkably like a smirk. "I know."

"Come on, give me that much!" Nova leaned forward, spreading his hands.

Silico's ears flattened slightly against her head. She looked away across the moonscape. "...Use your diving spell to go hunting in the ocean, and use a sound with intertwining A3 and #D3 notes." Her voice took on a more formal tone. "That will summon a bunch of old and mighty whales that will die if you use a powerful electric spell."

"Oooh, that's useful info! Thank you!" He clapped his hands together, already planning the hunt in his mind.

"I'm sure you'll find a use for it." Silico's tail flicked with what seemed like amusement at his sudden enthusiasm.

'That could potentially give me several hundreds of thousands of Soul Power. Not enough to take on the king, but a great start. Let's see, what other questions…'

"Oh, I just remembered a relevant question." His voice grew more serious. "Do souls that are gained after killing something contain the being of the killed thing? Does that make sense?"

"It makes sense. And no, they do not. As you surmised earlier, the ones you know only contain the power that remains, and an echo of their personalities."

Nova breathed a sigh of relief. The weight of possibly trapping and consuming countless souls had pressed on him for longer than he cared to admit. "That's good. Great, even."

"You have four questions remaining."

Nova nodded, thinking carefully. The strange planet above cast shadows that stretched across the sand. The silence hung between them, broken only by the soft sound of his breathing.

"Earlier, you spoke as if I've been here before, and like I've asked you questions many times already." His eyes narrowed slightly. "Will I forget all these answers?"

Silico met his gaze steadily. "You will."

Nova stared at her for a long moment. The revelation didn't surprise him as much as it should have. "Are you lonely?" His voice softened, filled with genuine concern.

Her ears drooped slightly. "I am."

Nova studied her closely. The goddess of knowledge, only meeting people who would forget her each time. 'Of course she would be. But why can she only meet people in this dreamscape? I thought all gods were endlessly powerful.'

"Do you want me to stay here and pet you?" He shifted closer, already reaching toward her.

Silico's tail twitched. A look of surprise crossed her face before she composed herself. "...You usually ask other stuff, even though you know you won't remember."

Nova smiled gently. "Maybe I've changed. Or maybe you seemed less lonely back then."

Silico looked away. For a moment, she appeared uncomfortable with his perception. "...What is your final question?" Her voice came out quieter than before.

Nova took a deep breath. His eyes traveled up to the massive planet hanging in the sky, then back to the white cat before him. "...Why me?"

The question had many meanings. Why was he the one visited by her in his first life? Why was he the one she picked to pet her when she was lonely? Why was he special?

"Because… you remind me of someone I lost. Someone I cared deeply for." For a brief moment, something ancient and vulnerable flickered in her eyes. Even Nova felt outclassed.

He tilted his head, suspecting she was talking about him. "Someone who lost his memories?"

"Not exactly." Silico straightened her posture, composure returning. Her tail swept a perfect arc through the sand. "But that was one question over the agreed-upon number, so you'll have to pet me five minutes more than planned."

Nova smiled. The massive planet above them cast strange shadows that stretched and shortened as clouds moved across its distant surface. "I wasn't planning to leave before I had to." His fingers gently scratched behind her ears. The familiar motion felt right somehow, like completing a circle that had been drawn countless times before. "But why would you limit the number of questions when I will forget either way?"

Silico leaned into his touch. Her eyes closed halfway in contentment. "Because it's harder to say goodbye if you ask much more."

The simple honesty in her answer struck something deep within Nova. He looked out across the endless white landscape stretching to meet the black sky. Somewhere beyond this dreamlike realm, the real world waited—with its dangers and duties, its children needing rescue, and its battles to be fought.

"Oh… I'll remain ignorant, then."

He settled more comfortably into the sand. In this strange place, suspended between worlds, the weight of nine lifetimes seemed to lift from his shoulders. His hand moved with practiced ease through Silico's soft fur, finding the spots that made her purr the loudest.

Nothing was required of him here. No dangers to be guarded against, no rush to obtain knowledge, and no constant push to grow in power. Only an old soul petting his cat-goddess.

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