A dying flower withers and blooms

Anna-no, the gray-haired woman felt something cracked in her head.

No, Anna did.

What woman?

What?

Who was she?

'𝘠𝘰𝘶𝘳…𝘔𝘢𝘫𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘺?' she-no, Anna thought as another crack made itself resoundingly known inside her head.

'Who am…I?'

No.

No. Nonononono.

No…who was thinking?

The woman-no, Anna felt as though she had been suddenly dropped into a really, really hot tub of water. Then dumped into an ice cold lake. Then back into the hot tub of water.

She felt herself stumbling around, and the world around her spun and spun. Even when she knew she was standing still, the mild vertigo-no, the intense vertigo made her want to keel over.

The mana in her body, in her veins, flowing and ebbing-it buzzed.

It screamed.

All of a sudden, it ran rampant inside her body, like a foreign entity that was trapped.

It wanted to break out. To be free. To be-

𝘈𝘯𝘯𝘢 firmly pushed it all away.

Back into the void.

She ordered it.

She willed it to be.

So it sank into the deep sea that is her mind.

The depths that is the 𝗢𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗢𝗰𝗲𝗮𝗻.

Then the sounds of cracking stopped. Well, at least the rate of it decreased. She can hear small cracks here and there.

She knows it'll come back.

Rumbling and roaring, it was like an underground volcano, holding in intense and immense amounts of raw energy.

It was like she was in an underground aquarium, where a large body of water looked as though it surrounded her.

Where the glass began slowly cracking and groaning, its cracks began forming a series of webs around herself.

Like a ticking bomb, it would inevitably explode.

But not now.

Not yet.

It all happened within a span of a few seconds as she gently wiped her nose with the given handkerchief, and returned it to the blonde girl next to her.

The blonde girl, who looked to be covered in snow, dead branches, and dead leaves, took it back.

"Thanks-thank you, Avalow. However, I am curious. What did you mean by 'Your Highness?'"

Avalow shook her head and said "I don't know."

For some strange reason, Anna felt as though she'd seen this blonde girl before. The sense of familiarity was so intense the girl thought she was about to have another experience of vertigo.

Anna nodded as though she understood.

She did…and she didn't.

It was a confusing feeling, similar to a person just forgetting something and can't remember it on the top of the person's head, a word on the tip of his or her tongue.

It was right there in front of her, and yet she can't grasp that feeling.

Unbelievably frustrating.

Just like a certain blonde girl that kept standing there, looking at her.

She looked strangely serious, The happy and go-lucky eyes, the naive and thoughtless smile-it was all gone.

Her eyes were as sharp as spears, piercing through her skin and bone, piercing into her mind, unraveling the lies behind the veil.

It was just like 𝘩𝘦𝘳.

Was that why she was so familiar?

Anna's eyes conveniently turned towards the two siblings nearby.

One was lecturing the other, patting the smaller sibling's shoulders, back, and hair of tiny branches and leaves.

They were smiling and laughing, but the older one looked a little lost in thought.

Everything looks to be in good measure.

Probably.

Her eyes can no longer discern the veil between reality and illusion.

Another sense of vertigo slowly crept in the back of her mind.

"I'm tired, so you all can go to sleep or eat without me. Have a good night. Or morning."

"Huh? Oh, good night..."

"Good night Miss Anna!"

"..."

Just nodding her head, Anna quickly pivoted around and went straight to the door.

As she opened it and closed behind her, a headache came over her.

Wincing slightly, she leaned against the wall.

For many seconds, she took many a deep breaths until she pushed herself off it and continued walking down the hallway-

The girl looked behind her.

"..."

There was nothing but murmurings blurred from the other side of the door and the distance between her and the three outside.

Anna rubbed her forehead, and another crack rang out in her ears, ringing like a screeching alarm clock.

Slowly, she began stumbling, sliding her left hand across the wall, her right holding the staff to support herself.

She felt like she understood what the Apostle went through.

'Now who's the snail?' she thought to herself.

"..."

Her footsteps came to a stop.

'Why did I even think of that?' Anna thought.

Was she even in a position to mock herself?

'…yes,' she decided.

'…why am I talking to myself now?'

It is at this moment that she has realized that this was most likely a problem.

An identity crisis problem.

"..."

The girl shook her head.

There was so much to do.

Too much to do.

And it hurts.

Her chest started to ache as the crack that was inside her continued to spread farther and farther as she continued stumbling, the wooden floorboards creaking as though it was accompanying her.

"..."

It hurts.

…

The dark cloudy sky never changed, even after so many hours. Well, there was perhaps a slight hue of gray here or there, but otherwise it always remained dark.

Just like the girl's life.

"..."

She looked at her own hands.

Pale, short, and soft.

But everytime she moved it, everytime she grasped her hands into fists-it felt so unfamiliar.

Like she was wearing someone else's clothes.

On the sturdy, back porch of the backyard, the black-haired girl just sat there, looking up at the cloudy sky. Sometimes unconsciously, she caressed the shortened black staff that laid beside her.

She wore a coat and sweatpants, but…she didn't feel that cold at all.

Feeling warm was out of the question.

Strangely enough, these days, she doesn't even feel hungry nor thirsty, although sometimes she takes little sips because she feels parched.

'…wait, how long have I not eaten?' she thought.

This would've been a nice, relaxing, and comforting moment. A moment where she can think, sort out her thoughts, and plan it all out, but the increasing head and chest pains didn't cease.

Instead, it grew, and the ringing and glass cracking noise continued to echo in her ears, never letting her forget, even for a moment.

She looked back up at the sky.

"..."

The girl didn't know why kept looking at the vast, dark blanket that wrapped the sky everytime she went outside.

Was her grandfather up there, watching her from afar in heaven?

No matter where she looked, she could not see through it. Even the barest of moonlight barely escapes from it, no less sunlight.

It pulled her in.

It embraced her.

It whispered to her secrets-it was most likely the cold wind, but she felt like it did.

It was just like the 𝗢𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗢𝗰𝗲𝗮𝗻.

The sea in which even 𝘴𝘩𝘦 cannot fully comprehend.

Well…𝘴𝘩𝘦 almost did.

In fact, 𝘴𝘩𝘦 even tried to control it and bend it to her will.

Of course it didn't work, and in the end 𝘴𝘩𝘦 could only leave it alone.

The all powerful witch, who-

The girl was just about to shake her head when a sudden pang of pain crashed into her.

"Ugh-"

Just like a truck ramming into her-which never happened, but that's the closest analogy she can think of in pain and the only analogy she can think of, she almost collapsed onto the wooden porch.

Just in time, her hands instinctively pressed against the ground and held her up, albeit in a shaking manner.

The girl huffed, and another bead of sweat fell from her forehead.

No, the pain was no longer like a truck ramming into her.

It was much, much worse.

It was now like a severe stomach pain that would never go away even when the person is doing a 'number 2.'

The girl would've smiled if she wasn't in so much pain.

Why was she thinking of such a thing like now? Perhaps she unconsciously thought trying to make herself laugh will take her mind off the pain.

But it won't go away.

Not when-

"Uggggh…"

She tried to distract herself, but it's coming back to her.

The pain, the agony, the stress-

Then, someone wet dropped from her eyes. She reached up to her face, and she felt water.

Tears.

Then, like a dam opening, more tears began spilling out from her eyes. Just as the dam opened, so too did the glass in her mind finally shattered.

And everything spilt free.

'Why, why is it always this?'

Why does she try to do things by herself?

'What was I thinking, threatening that Apostle? What if she attacked us?'

The Apostle was definitely not a human, and how could a mere thirteen year old possibly guess what an inhuman, intelligent creature is thinking?

How could she be so fearless and bold?

Arrogant and cold?

They could've died. Avalow, Jonah, and Chaya-they could've all died, just because of her mistakes.

How can she be so…thoughtless?

She saw it in the Fifth Apostle of the First's eyes

Agash'usha, the sunset-colored eyed 'girl' could've laid waste to them all.

The girl could see it in her emotionless, rippleless eyes.

…wait, how could she see something, when all her life she had never seen anything like it when looking at other people's eyes?

'How did I even know anything at all? How was I so confident…'

She was absolutely sure that she wasn't brave or confident. She would definitely hide behind someone, being the follower instead of the leader.

So what made her like this?

It was difficult to keep it in during these few weeks, but the girl thought she could handle it. Every day, she talked to herself, telling herself each time to keep herself calm and collected.

Wait, was she ever talking to herself? She was sure she never told herself to be calm and collected?

Did she?

When did this even all start?

It had only been a week right? No, two week, since she had just entered into the strange dream.

'Was it back at the 𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗹𝗺 𝗼𝗳 𝗗𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗺𝘀, or was it…was it…after Abi…'

No matter how much she thought, she just couldn't 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘬.

'...huh?'

Words that appeared couldn't be assembled easily in her mind. Thoughts that were once easy to read became scrambled. The words that were easy to use fell apart when put next to each other.

It was like some horrible puzzle that was for sure not fun.

The girl felt absolutely sick.

Regardless, all she knew was that if something bad happened…it would be all her fault.

Her fault alone.

Why didn't she ask for more advice?

She has people here to use-no, to help…no, to…to…

'No, they're strangers, enemies-'

'No, they're friends, and if not, at the very least acquaintances-'

'But I had only met them for only under a week or so and only talked with them when necessary-'

'Then what about that little girl? Chaya?'

'She…I haven't even told her about the ocean-'

'So was what I said about teaching without holding anything back a lie to? Am I a hypocrite? But weren't you in the right? Otherwise, the girl might just get hurt, just like when 𝘴𝘩𝘦 taught you in the dream-'

'I…I-!'

"Ugh…it hurts…"

Her thin, shaking arms finally gave way, and she fell onto the hard wooden ground with a 𝘵𝘩𝘶𝘥.

It hurts.

It hurts so much.

…

Engulfed by the throes and pains of woe, a simple, quiet girl who is under endless torment…what would the beholder do?

The blue butterfly doesn't know.

Amor doesn't know.

Undaunted by the cold cutting winds, fluttering down from the sky, he slowly landed beside the figure.

From the sight of the glowing blue butterfly, the girl was a very large hill, perhaps even a small mountain that would be hard to traverse if not for his wings.

Perhaps he would've done something if it was back then, when he and Rin-

"Amor…are you there?"

It was a whisper.

A whisper so soft, anything else can easily drown it out.

Then and there, everything else just stopped.

It had all become quiet, as though they knew they did something wrong.

It had all become deathly silent, just like the cold freezing winds that had somehow died out.

The butterfly could only flutter his wings slightly.

"I'm…I'm so scared."

A whisper of a poor, young thirteen year old girl, who was not yet even a teenager.

"I don't know what to do anymore."

A girl who carries a heavy burden on her shoulders.

"How…how could I have kept calm this whole time? It's only been two weeks, and I only held on for this long…I'm always so stressed…it hurts…"

A child who felt she cannot rely on others, who feels all alone in a new world.

"Help me…grandpa…"

A granddaughter, who can't talk with an open heart.

Through his bond with her, he felt so, so much.

'...she really is my granddaughter,' the blue butterfly at last thought.

The now shrunken, seemingly small girl had stopped muttering a while back.

Then, suddenly, as though a spell had been broken, everything loomed over her.

The forest ahead of her, many steps away, was full of shadows. Even when the snow looked as though it was glowing, the shadows never ceased to exist.

The cloudy sky grew darker, and the white, pure snow became more gray than before.

At the sight, the blue butterfly remembered something.

From so, so long ago.

…

A long time ago, he saw the terrors of war.

The conclusions of a long fought battle.

The finale of a long awaited false era of peace.

An era that was soon shortly consumed by something much worse. A horror that spreads around the world in its entirety.

A horror, so large, that all were equal before it.

He himself was one of those horrors.

And just like all the horrors, he, unfortunately, empathized with the many they punished, The ones worthy because of sin, and the ones…unworthy.

Even if he knows it's wrong to do so.

At that time, he once thought, and will most likely continue to do so.

Empathy is a sin.

A sin held by humans.

Some people say empathy, unlike sympathy, is a tool to indulge weak people, to make one acquiesce to the beliefs of a victim.

Empathy, as an analogy, could be when a person sees someone drowning, falling deeper into the ocean as he or she can't swim. Empathy wants to make one jump into the ocean with them, because one wants to share the pain with that person in order to, even slightly, relieve them of their pain. That person who was drowning in the first place would think something along the lines of 'I'm glad that you're here with me.'

The problem is...both of them are drowning.

Sympathy, akin to empathy, is staying on the land and watching them drown while feeling saddened.

Even though the analogy is a bit…no, too far fetched, unconvincing, dubious, and disbelieving, it still instills the idea.

As one of the seven horrors, he had that thought.

And with that thought followed another thought.

Why was he chosen to be one of these horrors when he himself is capable of such a sin? When he is capable of shutting it away to fulfill his duties and to achieve his greatest desire at the time?

To save his little sis-

"..."

Perhaps it was because he was capable of it that he was chosen?

He will never know, for the Lord God Almighty never answered him.

And to this day, he awaits his grace and blessing.

…

Undoubtedly so, the blue butterfly still felt empathy, at least he thought so, right?

Especially for this poor girl.

A sin he is willing to bear, just so he could keep her safe.

'Oh my dear granddaughter, it pains me so much to see you like this.'

So much turmoil under that young, thin figure.

Keeping in all her emotions, unable to share it with anyone, and being weak...

How could a girl like her, who only knew school life, could adapt herself to this frigid world instantaneously.

It was only with his First Apostle's help that the girl became 'strong' and 'steadfast'

Then, the blue butterfly felt an urge.

The urge to reach out his hand to pat her gently, to give her reassurance.

He wanted to softly say words of comfort to her, to say it was okay.

He wanted to hug her, to give her his support.

Amor wanted to do so many things, and yet...

He was just a butterfly.

A seemingly normal butterfly.

Fortunately, it was a good thing that he was a magical butterfly.

A magical butterfly, bonded to his companion to protect her from behind like-

From the ground from the crevices between each wooden floorboard, more shadows stretched across the ground. They emerged, stretching and lengthening; they slowly approached the still, tear-stricken girl.

The blue butterfly beside her glowed like a dim lamp in the dark, and the shadows shrunk back into their hiding place.

Even when the cursed beast has already left, its shadow remains everywhere.

Always watching. Always waiting.

Utterly disgusting.

"..."

Amor didn't know when, but before he knew it, the girl fell asleep.

The girl's tear-stricken face, full of mind-boggling amounts of worries, had relaxed.

Softened.

No hint of pain was shown on her once scrunched-up face, and if anyone knew better, they wouldn't have known the poor girl just had a mental breakdown.

Amor knew better.

A battle of the mind was waging inside her, and she is losing despite how desperate she is.

A battle against herself.

A failing attempt at an impossible battle against his First Apostle's 'gift.'

No matter what, a small dam cannot hold back the entire weight of an ocean, with all its bountiful knowledge, skills, and power.

Unless the dam could be reinforced with the strange phenomenon that is mana, and the construct born from said mana that is 𝘮𝘢𝘨𝘪𝘤.

'Oh Lord God Almighty, please give me guidance. Please assist me so I can save my poor granddaughter. Please give me the strength to save her, for she is innocent.'

So with his small, yet mighty wings, he swept her away.

To a place that is full of powerful and bountiful amounts of mana.

To a place that is close to the Lord Almighty.

To a place where she can be healed.

…

𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝗢𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗢𝗰𝗲𝗮𝗻 𝘪𝘴 𝘢𝘯 𝘪𝘮𝘮𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦, 𝘭𝘪𝘮𝘪𝘵𝘭𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘣𝘰𝘥𝘺 𝘰𝘧 𝘮𝘺𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘺. 𝘊𝘰𝘯𝘯𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴, 𝘪𝘵 𝘴𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥 𝘪𝘵𝘴 𝘪𝘯𝘧𝘭𝘶𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘴𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘯𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘦𝘥. 𝘌𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘳𝘰𝘤𝘬, 𝘵𝘳𝘦𝘦, 𝘴𝘬𝘺, 𝘣𝘶𝘨, 𝘱𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦-𝘪𝘵 𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘴 𝘢 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘯𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘢𝘭𝘭.

𝘐𝘵 𝘪𝘴 𝘯𝘦𝘪𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘣𝘦 𝘵𝘰𝘶𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘥 𝘯𝘰𝘳 𝘪𝘮𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘰𝘯. 𝘕𝘦𝘪𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘢 𝘴𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘤𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘨𝘰𝘰𝘥, 𝘯𝘰𝘳 𝘢 𝘴𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘤𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘭.

𝘚𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘢𝘭𝘴𝘰 𝘴𝘢𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘢 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘭𝘥 𝘤𝘢𝘮𝘦 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘪𝘵, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘪𝘵𝘴 𝘷𝘢𝘴𝘵𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴, 𝘪𝘵𝘴 𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘢 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘬𝘦𝘥 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘭𝘥…

From somewhere, the soothing, yet deep, baritone voice of a man echoed.

Neither loud nor soft, it was as though the voices were speaking from somewhere else.

Blurred, obscured, and faded.

Through the wall, the door, or from another room that's clearly not anywhere in the black-haired girl's eyes-

Floating within the cool ocean's blue waters, she listlessly looked around herself.

No matter where she looked, she didn't see anyone talking.

Even when she looked below her, her foundation was no longer there. Only the dark depths, filled with the unknown, stared back at her.

From among the soft ocean, sometimes bubbling, and sometimes crashing, a childlike voice appeared.

𝘐𝘴 𝘪𝘵 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘤𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘢?

𝘋𝘰𝘦𝘴𝘯'𝘵 𝘪𝘵 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵…𝘦𝘹𝘪𝘴𝘵? 𝘈𝘭𝘭 𝘢𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘶𝘴? 𝘏𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦, 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘶𝘱 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘣𝘦𝘭𝘰𝘸? 𝘐𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘴, 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘢𝘪𝘳, 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘴, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘦𝘭𝘴𝘦?"

In the girl's mind, born from her imagination, a scene had begun to play out.

A taller person and a child.

The child looked up at the taller person in wonder, and the taller person looked at the child beside him.

The baritone voice echoed once more, fueling her imagination-

𝘐𝘵 𝘥𝘰𝘦𝘴 𝘪𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘦𝘥. 𝘙𝘦𝘨𝘳𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘺, 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸𝘭𝘦𝘥𝘨𝘦, 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘸𝘦 𝘥𝘰 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘸𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘯𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘮𝘰𝘭𝘥 𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘢 𝘵𝘰 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘪𝘮𝘢𝘨𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘪𝘵. 𝘞𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘭𝘦𝘵 𝘪𝘵 𝘴𝘪𝘮𝘱𝘭𝘺 𝘦𝘯𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘣𝘰𝘥𝘺, 𝘺𝘦𝘴, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘪𝘴 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘸𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘥𝘰 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘪𝘵.

𝘞𝘦 𝘰𝘯𝘭𝘺 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘢 𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘯𝘪𝘢 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘩 𝘰𝘧 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸𝘭𝘦𝘥𝘨𝘦.

𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦'𝘴 𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘴𝘰 𝘮𝘶𝘤𝘩 𝘵𝘰 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘭𝘰𝘳𝘦, 𝘴𝘰 𝘮𝘶𝘤𝘩 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘦𝘦.

𝘈𝘭𝘭 𝘸𝘦 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘸𝘦 𝘥𝘰 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘪𝘵 𝘦𝘹𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘴, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘪𝘯 𝘰𝘳𝘥𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘰 𝘥𝘳𝘢𝘸 𝘪𝘵𝘴 𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘨𝘵𝘩 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘰 𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘷𝘦𝘴, 𝘸𝘦 𝘮𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘣𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘯𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘯𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘪𝘵.

𝘞𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘦𝘯𝘨𝘶𝘭𝘧𝘦𝘥 𝘪𝘯 𝘪𝘵𝘴 𝘷𝘢𝘴𝘵 𝘣𝘭𝘶𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘴, 𝘣𝘦𝘨𝘪𝘯 𝘰𝘯 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘱𝘢𝘵𝘩 𝘪𝘯 𝘶𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘵𝘴 𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘢 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘵 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘮𝘢𝘨𝘪𝘤 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘤𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘶𝘱𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯.

𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘭𝘺 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘯𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘪𝘵, 𝘴𝘶𝘣𝘮𝘦𝘳𝘨𝘦𝘥 𝘪𝘯 𝘪𝘵𝘴 𝘷𝘢𝘴𝘵𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴, 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘪𝘴 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘤𝘵𝘦𝘥; 𝘭𝘢𝘪𝘥 𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘭𝘺 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘯𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘦𝘥 or 𝘣𝘰𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝗢𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗢𝗰𝗲𝗮𝗻 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘪𝘳𝘴𝘵 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦.

𝘞𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘪𝘵𝘴 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯, 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘺𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯 𝘪𝘵𝘴 𝘥𝘦𝘱𝘵𝘩𝘴 𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘰𝘱𝘦𝘯 𝘶𝘱 𝘵𝘰 𝘺𝘰𝘶, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘦𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘨𝘪𝘧𝘵 𝘩𝘶𝘮𝘣𝘭𝘺.

𝘐𝘵 𝘪𝘴 𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘮𝘢𝘨𝘪𝘤 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘣𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘤𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘶𝘱𝘰𝘯 𝘪𝘵, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘪𝘵 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘰𝘯𝘭𝘺 𝘣𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘥 𝘣𝘢𝘤𝘬 𝘣𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘶𝘴𝘦𝘳'𝘴 𝘣𝘰𝘥𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘪𝘮𝘢𝘨𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯.

𝘏𝘰𝘸𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳, 𝘣𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘳𝘯𝘦𝘥, 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘳𝘶𝘭𝘦𝘴. 𝘗𝘰𝘸𝘦𝘳 𝘥𝘰𝘦𝘴 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘴𝘦𝘲𝘶𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘺 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘶𝘰𝘶𝘴 𝘶𝘴𝘦𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘮𝘢𝘨𝘪𝘤, 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘣𝘰𝘥𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘴𝘪𝘮𝘱𝘭𝘺 𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘢, 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭...

The voice, like the muted voices one here from underwater and on the surface slowly began dying away.

Now, it truly was filled with nonsensical murmurings and whatnot.

It told her of secrets she already knew, and things she had thought before.

…thought before? Who thought before?

The girl shook her head, and the water resisted her every movement.

'It was murky,' she thought.

Just like the voices, no matter how long she wade through the muddy waters, she can't seem to find nor hear what she wanted to know.

Eventually, the volume of the voices dropped and dropped until she could barely hear it.

Then, at last, it inevitably disappeared.

Just like the silence of the woods, where the winds became a thing of the past, she was alone again.

"..."

That wasn't entirely accurate, for the splashing of waves and bubbles was still there.

More moments passed, and the girl felt very much alone.

But she felt very comfortable.

This was just like last time, when she first dreamed of this place.

Sometimes, when one dreams, one can accidently enter its massive shores and be embraced.

Perhaps in order to travel to other realms, one must traverse its waters, pulled into its unimaginable and vast depths.

In order to wake up, one must be pulled upwards with an anchor they created beforehand.

It could be memories, an attachment-anything that holds an important place in a person's heart.

If that anchor is gone, then there is no way to go back.

Even 𝘴𝘩𝘦, with her vast amount of knowledge, power, and skill is not fully immune from its danger.

And 𝘴𝘩𝘦 was abysmally close to rank 7.

Perhaps there was a reason why she stopped.

It is not without risk, for one can disappear into its depths, or-

Then. the girl felt it.

The 𝗢𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗢𝗰𝗲𝗮𝗻, where there was so much mana and mystery, felt so dark and cold.

No longer was it cool and embracing.

Now, it was…foreign.

The connection she had made with it felt as brittle as a very thin stick made of glass. Easy to break apart, even from the most fragile of things.

It was as though the connection was just an illusion, something ephemeral and unreachable.

The girl felt as though she was dropped into a tub full of ice and freezing water. Then, her lungs cried for air.

Her arms and legs waved frantically in the water. She struggled to swim upwards, but no matter how desperately she swam, the surface never seemed to draw closer.

'I can't breathe.'

'I can't breathe.'

'𝘐 𝘤𝘢𝘯'𝘵 𝘣𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘦.'

'𝗜 𝗰𝗮𝗻'𝘁 𝗯𝗿𝗲-'

Something pulled her from behind and dragged her deeper into the depths.

The girl didn't struggle anymore.

Not this time.

…

===============================

Race: Human (???) 20% => 13%

===============================

...

...?

??

???

𝘌𝘙𝘙𝘖𝘙

𝘌𝘙𝘙𝘖𝘙

...Fixing...

...Adjusting state of mind...

...

...

Adjustment Complete.

...

===============================

Race: Human (???) 13% => 32%

===============================

…

The pain.

The feeling of being drowned.

The fear of being dragged into the unknown.

The terror that came with it.

It hurts.

𝘐𝘵 𝘩𝘶𝘳𝘵𝘴.

𝗜𝘁 𝗵𝘂𝗿𝘁𝘀-

Anna's eyes abruptly shot open.

She shot herself straight into the air-or at least in part, for her to instantly sit up. The sudden shift from water to land, from cold and cool to warm-

Putting her hand over her rapidly beating chest she desperately gasped for air.

It wasn't until many seconds passed did she fall onto her back loudly.

That didn't stop her from breathing even more hungrily, even as her hand still laid right on top of her chest.

As though to make sure nothing was sitting on it.

While the girl kept breathing deeply the fresh summer air, slowly breathing through the nose and out with the mouth, she sighed and covered her eyes with her other hand from the bright sunlight.

'What a nightmare,' she thought.

"...hmm?"

'Bright? Summer? Sunlight?'

Removing her hands, Anna sat up.

And the flowers bloomed and the warm breeze blew against her face.

The girl was absolutely stunned at the sight.

How could she not be, when for so many days all she saw was just snowy landscapes filled with gray and white snow.

In the place where the endless gray clouds shrouded the sky, there appeared the bright warm sun, blue sky, and very few white clouds.

A green, colorful scenery that existed below the sky was bathed in the sun's light. The familiar rustling of leaves in the familiar trees, flowers and grass blooming and growing, birds and bugs like cicadas chirping...

'Cicadas? Chirping and clicking? Is this...summer?'

Every summer, Anna swore she found the cicadas annoying and a threat to peace as they chirped every summer she remembered.

This time...somehow, right now...

Anna found it incredibly nostalgic.

It was indeed warm and sunny, unlike the early days of spring…and the snow that covers everything nowadays.

The girl looked beneath her.

She found herself lying on the wooden backyard porch. It was in the same exact spot, the same spot where she cried.

Just as she noticed where she embarrassingly cried out, she had also noticed that the hand that instinctively blocked the shining sun looked different from her usual hand.

It was still pale, small, and soft, as well as thin too. This time, it was smaller.

Just like-

'A small child's hand?'

She then sat up and began patting herself whilst looking at herself.

Anna was currently wearing a sleeveless yellow skirt with flower patterns, a far cry from the larger coat and sweatpants she wore previously.

What kind of BS is this?

'Time travel? No...an illusion? Dreams?'

What kind of cliche plot is this?

While many thoughts kept rushing into her head, one thought appeared brighter than most.

'Did Amor have something to do with this?' Anna thought, entertaining the idea of the exceedingly evidential notion.

It was almost a 99.9% percent guarantee that all the strange dreams she had were all related to that blue butterfly, and her current situation is no exception.

Was she angry?

Anna wasn't angry, no.

No no no no no.

In fact, she was feeling a more positive side in the variety of emotions she is feeling.

An incredible plethora of emotions.

It was the most intense, excited feeling she felt for the duration of almost her entire life.

Happiness, jubilation, exhilaration, confusion, perplexity...and hope.

So many words, and so many other words she can't say because her feeble childish mind cannot think of anymore.

As these feelings embedded themselves within her, she began looking around quickly.

She needed to.

She absolutely needed to, for the seed of hope grew within her heart. Although she didn't want to grow it, just being here means...means...!

'If I'm this young, then right now, maybe, it should be when...!'

She suddenly heard a voice behind her, and her heart bloomed.

"Anna, are you awake?" said an old, stern, voice.

Yet, it was a tone that joined together with a strange warmth.

Not gentleness or softness, but the knowledge of knowing that it was filled with warmth.

A strange dichotomy, yet it seemed to fit perfectly with the voice.

She knows this, because it was a familiar voice.

A voice that had always existed in her memories, only for time to erode it until she could barely even recall his voice.

The young girl slowly turned around, and saw a familiar figure standing a few feet away, hands behind his back.

It was a figure that was blurry in her old memories. Someone that only appeared in a few pictures she has. A person who she always wanted to talk to even after all these years.

Because of the promise that he made to her.

"...Grandpa?"

The old man, with gray hair and white robes, seemed to look tired. Although his face was stern and wrinkled, it couldn't hide that tiny twinkle in his eyes.

"Did you have a bad dream?"

Anna blinked.

And blinked.

Then blinked.

Finally, she blinked again.

She struggled to get up.

Stumbling here and there, she got onto her legs, and with as much strength as she could, she ran towards him as if there was no tomorrow, staggering a few times on the way whilst crying.

The moment she jumped and landed within his large, warm arms, Anna felt as though she was the safest girl in the world.