Future's Reality

Alina threw her phone on the couch. She dashed upstairs to her room and came back after some minutes.

"Should I take my phone with me?" she asked herself, but then shook her head and said, "It's better if I don't take anything with me."

Alina took off the ring and placed it on the table but wore it again, saying, "Let's not be that stupid."

She rushed to the garage and turned on the lights.

There was a new car parked in the garage with the name, "To Lina, From Sally."

Salina gifted a car to Alina on her last birthday. And because of that, Ziro started hating Salina as she stole the spotlight from him. If Ziro wanted, he would have given Alina ten cars, but he prioritized Alina's safety more than anything.

Alina sat in the car and placed her hand on the steering wheel.

"This would be my first time driving a car, but the future me had driven before, and I have her memories. So I should be able to drive," Alina reassured herself.

She turned on the car and set her destination to the Edens' palace in the next city. She drove a little and turned on the auto-pilot mode.

"Let's not be that stupid."

Alina reached the palace in about 40 minutes. She parked the car outside the main gate of the palace and got out of the car.

The guards tried to stop her, but they immediately recognized Alina and let her pass.

Alina entered the gate and made her way to the cemetery. There was no light in the cemetery, and the entire path was dark except for some streetlamps here and there.

"If I knew that, then I would have brought a flashlight." Alina couldn't bring her phone because she was afraid that Ziro might be tracking her.

It was true that Ziro tracked Alina's location once in a while to make sure she was okay, but he only did that using Lily, and later informed Alina then he tracked her.

Alina was okay with that, and Ziro never kept it a secret from Alina.

On her last birthday, the ring Ziro gave to Alina was filled with various security mechanisms, and it was trackable. But right now, Lily's data was corrupted, so there was no way Ziro could know Alina's location.

Alina recalled the memories of the future Alina and walked to the place where Ziro's parents were buried. She reached the spot and stood there.

"So it was real. Everything is true," Alina teared up as she found the grave.

The gravestones weren't named, but there were fresh flowers on the graves.

Alina's eyes widened as she realized something.

'If… if I had gotten the future memories some hours ago before Ziro's parent's death, then I could have saved them.'

'Why the future me didn't do that? If she had just done that, then Ziro's parents wouldn't have died, and none of this would happen.'

'There would be no need for me to keep this a secret from Ziro and everyone.'

'Why didn't she do that?' Alina wondered. "Wait, should I believe her in the first place?'

Alina started doubting the future Alina.

'What if she was lying? What if everything she said and showed was fake? What if…' Alina stopped and placed her hand on her heart. "But the feelings and emotions I got from her memories were too real.

Alina was in a state where she couldn't tell what was real and what was fake. She even thought that this was all a dream or a hallucination. She started doubting the dream and the reality.

She crouched down, trembling in pain and fear.

"I can't," she shook her head and repeated again and again, "I can't do it."

SWOOSH~!

Alina heard a rustling sound from the bushes around her. She came back to her senses and stood up as she glanced around.

'Is it because of the wind? Or is there an animal like a rabbit or squirrel or anything?' she wondered.

Suddenly, a bright light shined in front of Alina. Alina closed her eyes in reflex and tried to step back, but someone pushed Alina to the ground.

"Who are you?!" the voice yelled.

"That voice… Nier? It's me, Alina."

"Alina…" Nier turned off the flashlight from her phone and helped Alina get up.

Alina hugged Nier tightly and started crying.

"Alina, what are you doing here so late? And where is Ziro? Why did you come here at the funeral?"

"Nier... Ziro..." Alina stammered while crying.

Nier was wearing a long jacket and a hat. She took Alina to the gazebo in the palace's garden. They sat there under the dimly lit lamps as the cold breeze swayed from the trees around them.

She handed Alina a water bottle and said, "Calm down, okay?"

Alina drank some sips and grabbed Nier's hand.

"I need your help; what should I do?"

"What's wrong? And why isn't Ziro here?" Nier questioned.

"He can't come.. he doesn't know about all this."

"What do you mean he can't come? He has to come!"

"Listen, Nier. He should not know about his parent's death for at least three months."

"Why?" Nier couldn't comprehend what Alina was saying because, according to her, a son should know about his parent's death, no matter what. And Alina was asking not to tell Ziro about his parent's death.

"I can't tell you that, but please keep this a secret from Ziro. And tell everyone about this that Ziro shouldn't know about his parent's death."

"...!"

"Tell G'San, And your father too. I will tell Sera and my parents. Don't even mention about their death in front of Ziro."

Nier was still confused, but she could feel the panic and fear in Alina's voice.

"I understand. I will inform everyone."

"Thanks—"

"But, if he gets to know about this from someone or somewhere else, then you are on your own. I am sorry, but I won't be able to back you up when that happens, because Ziro matters to me the most," she added.

"I understand," Alina nodded.

SIGH!

Nier sighed and placed her phone beside her.

"No wonder you and Ziro didn't show up at the funeral. Even Sera showed up after the burial. I was getting worried and couldn't think straight."

"I thought you two might come, so I waited and waited," she added.

"Wait, you were waiting the whole time? It has been like 11 hours since the burial, right?"

"Yeah, but I— wait," Nier furrowed her brows and asked, "how do you know about that? You weren't even there. In fact, there was no one other than G'San, his team, and me. So how do you know about the funeral?"

Alina gulped down in panic, but she didn't let it show on her face and said, "My parents were talking about that, so I heard them."

Nier stared at Alina for a while and asserted, "I know you are hiding something, but it's fine. If you think you are okay, or maybe it's just something you can't tell me or anyone about, it's completely alright. But I want you to know that I am with you, no matter what happens."

"Unless Ziro happens," Nier shrugged.

"Thank you, Nier. I am glad that my love rivals love Ziro as much as I do."

Nier moved her hand to her pocket and took out a knife. She placed it beside Alina and said, "G'San warned me to carry weapons with me when I am alone."

She then took out a gun from her pocket and placed it beside the knife.

"He also wanted me to carry some more weapons, but I said no. And besides, mom and I are moving to the palace," Nier informed.

"Your mom is pregnant, right?" Alina asked.

"Yeah, did Ziro tell you about this?"

"Oh… yeah. He did."

"And because she is pregnant, we haven't told her about aunt and uncle yet. The doctors said that it would be risky to put her in shock during pregnancy, so we are waiting for the right time to tell her."

Alina and Nier talked for a while, and then Alina went her home.