14. The Crystal Lily!

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Darkness.

Silence.

Stillness.

'Eh?' Celia looked around but could see and hear nothing.

'Isn't this the void after death?!'

'How?!'

'Did the mind spell fail?! Did I die in the process?!'

The absurd thought that she had accidentally killed herself in this life flashed through her mind, but she quickly dismissed it.

"I can't dwell on that right now!" She said, surprised to hear her own voice echo.

On reflection, this felt different from the void after death. In that place, she couldn't move or speak, and had no sense of form.

Here, she stood on her two feet, could walk and look around, and could even speak!

She cast a flame spell, but nothing happened. She tried a few other spells but couldn't even feel a spark of magic.

'Magic doesn't work here!'

"So I'm lost!" She couldn't smell anything, and the floor beneath her feet felt smoother than marble.

There was no way of knowing which direction to go or if she might walk off a high cliff!

Master Sylva may have been right. This spell was far too advanced for her age!

And without the spark of magic, how was she to cast the exit spell?!!

She tried going in on direction, gingerly sticking out a leg to make sure there was still ground before her.

Then she tried going back and in other directions.

Eventually, she flopped into a sitting position, a frustrated sigh escaping her lips.

What was she to do now?

It felt like minutes, then hours, and then days had gone by... She wasn't sure how much time had passed, and though she couldn't feel things like fatigue, sleepiness, hunger or thirst in here, a vanilla cake and hot tea would be nice to collect her thoughts!

'What thoughts?! I'm currently trapped in them!'

She was beginning to despair...

But then a green light suddenly flared, brightening the dark void!

'Eh?!' The light flared and vanished as quickly as it came, but she quickly ran in that direction.

She might be running towards danger, but it was better than the oppressive stillness around her.

She slowed to a halt in the darkness, unsure of what she waited for, but when the green light flared again, she ran toward it with a silly giggle.

And as it happened a few more times, she began to feel the rush of wind in her hair and ears and smell the crisp, fresh scent of nature.

Which is why she wasn't too surprised when she suddenly burst into bright daylight, standing in an unbelievably beautiful garden!

The garden was alive with vivid colors, and Celia could see almost every fruit and flower known in their realm.

"Wah!" She spun around in delight, admiring the sheer beauty of the place. But she froze when she heard:

"I'm glad you like it."

She swiveled in surprise and gasped to find a familiar face.

"T-Taze?!"

But the Taze look-alike cocked his head. "Is that my name? I don't know who I am. I've merely existed here, braving the harsh winters..."

'Harsh winters?' Nothing about their surroundings resembled 'harsh winter,' but as the thought crossed her mind, Taze and the garden vanished. She found herself standing before a giant ice wall with a large crack across it.

It was freezing cold, and snowflakes dusted her hair and cheeks.

But she was a child of winter who never feared the cold. Wasn't ice her core strength?

She was more interested in the wall before her.

'It's that wall!' She realized. The same wall in her vision from five years ago... The first time she met Taze's alter-ego.

She felt a pain in her chest - a familiar yet unfamiliar ache. As if her heart was breaking, and she wanted nothing more than to turn away and run back into the bliss of darkness and silence.

Surely Master Sylva would find a way to awaken her!

But her hand lifted on its own...

'No!!!' Her mind protested with far more vehemence than she imagined she ever had. 'Don't go further!!!'

Still, her hand persisted, and her palm pressed flat against the wall.

It was surprisingly warm, but that was the last thing she registered before the wall disappeared, and the floor gave way beneath her, sending her falling deep into unknown depths.

She squeezed her eyes shut, bracing for a brutal impact, but landed safely and gently on extremely soft linens!

Celia opened her eyes and found she was in the familiar confines of her room. She eyed the decorations and groaned in annoyance.

"I've gone back in time! Am I going to watch my life play out again!"

Her eyes fell on something glinting on her desk, and she saw the beautiful crystal lily, just as her nine-year-old self stretched and yawned awake.

Child Celia looked right through Teenage Celia, and beamed brightly at the Lily on the table.

"Ah! This is my first life!" Celia realized. "Tsk tsk tsk! Don't get attached! It will soon be stolen!"

But surprisingly, Child Celia leapt out of bed and dashed for the Lily. "It's so wonderful!" She practically sang, spinning with the flower. "He was tall! He was dashing! And oh so handsome!"

There was no crash.

Nor did Child Celia suddenly fall asleep.

In fact, Child Celia placed the Crystal Lily back on her table, and followed Sara to prepare for studies, leaving a stunned Celia behind.

An hour passed, and then two... The Crystal Lily still hadn't been stolen!

'Who's Life is this?!!!'

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At the same time, Taze was shaking his head.

"The Celia I know doesn't seem like the type to do such a thing!"

"You met her as a child, and then vanished for five years... What do you know?" He shrugged lightly, but an air of bitterness surrounded him. "I've known Celia far more than you can boast, and I saw the spell cast with my own eyes..."

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Meanwhile, a dazed Celia followed her nine-year-old self around the Scarlett estate, watching a familiar, yet unfamiliar life!

'The Lily wasn't stolen! How is the Lily still not stolen?!' Almost ten days had passed!

"Cece!" It was the tenth day, and Lord Scarlett suddenly called her over, and Teenage Celia gasped when a little green-eyed boy with midnight hair strolled into the room with a few Palace guards.

'Taze!' When did Taze ever meet her before Elfsworth?!

It was as if something unraveled within her, and she suddenly found herself back in that flower field, with the blond, blue-eyed boy giving Child Celia the Crystal Lily.

But there was something different... Something a child wouldn't notice, but was clear as day to her...

'A spell!' There was a magical aura surrounding the boy, and though magic spells were common in a magical world, this one was far too powerful for a child.

It didn't feel like a protective spell, or even a curse... In fact, it was a spell meant to affect those around, not the person it was cast on!

And it was also a close range spell, which meant a powerful mage was nearby!

She glanced around quickly, and noticed another familiar face, just at the edge of the trees.

'Grand Mage Sidian!!!' The Palace's Grand Mage! The elf looked a bit younger, but Celia had studied under him for twenty-five lifetimes! She would recognise those features anywhere!

But why would Vitav be under the Grand Mage's spell?

Before Celia could process any thoughts, she found herself back in one of the Scarlett gardens. There, Taze was handing Child Celia another Crystal flower, this time an orchid.

"Tch! There's no way you're the person I met! It was a handsome older boy with fair hair and blue eyes!" Child Celia folded her arms petulently. "Hmph! So what if you also have a Crystal flower?! I bet anyone could make them!"

"Ehehe, I'm sorry I fooled you..." Child Taze nervously scratched the back of his head, in an all too familiar motion. "I had reasons for changing my appearance that day!" Then he proudly put an arm to his chest.

"I'm Crown Prince Tazeus! And I'm the only Elf in Luxia who can make these flowers!"

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