He opened his mouth to say something before quickly snapping it back shut, recalling the conversations he had with Squalo in between duets and more private activities. The visions and dreams, they had determined, were too realistic to be anything but memories from another life-- a fact that was corroborated by his scattered interactions with Kouen before he departed.

"...I've already suspected that," he admitted. "But I've been keeping it quiet, and I've been more focused on putting the puzzle together than finding the root cause.

Kouen-- Hongyan Lian as you would have known him. He's my brother...and my king."