After spending some time with Rex, Doctor Jim returned to the monitoring room.
As he opened the door, he was greeted by a striking figure—black hair, pale skin, and a face so perfect it could make a supermodel seem average. Standing there in a nurse's uniform was Rose Heart—the one assigned to Rex's ward.
To the right of the room was a large monitor displaying live footage from Rex's hospital room. A speaker had also been set up, letting them hear everything from inside.
"Madam Rose, how was it?" Jim asked, bowing a full 90 degrees in greeting.
"Hoho~ You almost blew your cover," Rose chuckled, a small smirk tugging at her lips. "Which doctor directly tells a patient they're going to die? You need to work on your acting skills, Jim."
Jim could only rub the back of his head awkwardly.
"But it's confirmed—he really lost his memories. When you asked about his family, I could tell, even without the sensors. There was only confusion in his eyes. That's why the memory extractor didn't work on him," Rose said, her eyes briefly glowing a bright crimson. "Even his current behavior matches the symptoms of Soulfade. What's interesting is… no one has ever survived it."
Jim nodded along silently.
"Madam," he finally asked, "there's something I've been meaning to ask… why didn't you—"
"—use my charm on him?" Rose finished his sentence. "Well, to tell you the truth… I did. But it didn't even daze him for a second."
Jim's eyes widened in disbelief. His master's charm was powerful—extremely powerful. And yet it didn't work on a weak patient who could barely walk?
"Anyway, I don't think he's useful to us for now. He doesn't even remember anything from his time in his clan. Just keep tabs on him from a distance," Rose added coolly.
A beep sounded from the digital watch on her wrist. She glanced at it, then turned away.
"Let's go. Those dogs are causing trouble again."
Jim, still stunned, followed her out.
---
Meanwhile…
Rex, now Ray Mortal in name, had only fragments of Ray's memories—just enough to know who he was supposed to be and some history of world. When Jim mentioned his family, he realized he didn't even know their names.
After thinking it through, Rex relaxed back into bed.
'Just take it slow. No use overthinking. Family or not, we're strangers now. At least no one's paying too much attention to me… less chance of them discovering I'm not the real Ray. Crap… I don't even know where Ray lived!'
Frustrated with the jumbled memories he had received, Rex sighed.
Later that afternoon, he was moved to the general ward. The doctors had told him he'd need to stay for 15 more days. Being bedridden for three months had severely weakened his legs. With nothing much to do, Rex spent his time stretching, gradually walking small steps around the room with a cane, and occasionally using the bathroom with the help of a robotic assistant.
That was when it happened.
After transmigrating, Rex had avoided mirrors. But finally, he faced one.
He had hoped—just maybe—that his luck had maxed out and granted him an above average face.
But what stared back at him…
"…a zombie… with a glowing head," Rex muttered.
Something about the way the nurses avoided direct eye contact with his head had felt off. But he was too tired to care—until now.
It was fine to look like a zombie after everything this body had gone through. That part was acceptable.
But what wasn't acceptable was his hair.
A large section of hair on top of his head was missing—cut in a perfect circle.
On many occasions, Rex hadn't touched his patient cap, just as Doctor Jim advised. During baths, robotic nurses cleaned him while he kept his eyes shut out of embarrassment. So he never noticed.
With tears in his eyes, Rex slowly ran his fingers along the bald patch. There were no roots—the hair had been ripped out completely.
'...'
His expression dimmed as he realized he had only two options now: Wear a cap forever… or fully embrace the bald lifestyle.
"…There should be solution, right?" Rex whispered, staring into the mirror, mentally broken. He stood there for ten straight minutes, unmoving.
He snapped out of his daze only when a beep came from the hallway robot.
There were many things he needed to sort out in the next 15 days—finding Ray's home, fixing his appearance, and most importantly…
"If only the memories included the password to this stupid digital watch" Rex muttered.
In this world, mobile phones were outdated. Digital watches now held a person's most important data—contacts, health records, locations, finances, even social IDs.
Too bad Ray took the password to the grave."...I can't even check the weather without him."