Unchain

As I look back on that fateful night, I can't help but feel a twinge of regret for not fully comprehending the enormity of what had just taken place. It was a truly breathtaking encounter. It definitely left me feeling both awestruck and humbled.

That was the very moment that I came face to face with a being unlike anything I had ever encountered before. It was a guardian from another realm, and its presence was nothing short of awe-inspiring. Its form was both ethereal and solid as if it existed simultaneously in multiple planes of existence. Its eyes held a wisdom and depth that seemed to extend far beyond the confines of this world.

At the very least, those were all the details that I can remember. All but her name...

At first, I was overwhelmed by a sense of wonder and uncertainty. But then, almost imperceptibly, I realised, there's a huge part of me that is missing. But that look in her eyes, it feels like it was telling me that everything's gonna be alright—that there was a greater purpose to our existence than we could ever hope to comprehend.

Or is it just me? I really felt she was trying to tell me something that night.

Looking back, I can't help but still feel the same sense of wonder and curiosity. The encounter with the realm guardian was a reminder that even the most unexpected things can happen, and the impossible can be in fact, possible.

"I've already told you everything, Quilya. Can you now answer my questio—"

"Stay put, Riah. I'm going to show you something. Please close your eyes," Quilya requested.

Why are they so fond of cutting people off mid-sentence?

Having no idea what she was thinking, I felt her place a hand above my head. I didn't know what she was doing—or what she had just done—but for a brief moment, I noticed a gentle light pulse from her palm. Seconds later, a wave of drowsiness washed over me.

—

An endless meadow bathed in golden sunlight. A gentle breeze. The scent of soil and grass.

I could feel the cool blades of grass beneath me, the dampness of morning dew brushing against my cheeks and fingertips.

I was lying on the ground.

"Where... am I?"

I took a moment to sense my surroundings before slowly getting to my feet.

"This feeling..." I ran my hands over my arms, down to my legs, confirming my own presence. "Am I dreaming?"

I scanned the vast landscape, taking in every detail.

I knew it.

What exactly did Quilya do?

This place—this familiar scene—I was certain I had never been here before. And yet, I knew it.

All the more reason to believe that this was a dream. A strangely pleasant one, at that.

I wandered through the sprawling field, not knowing where I was going, letting my feet guide me. The landscape stretched endlessly, a sea of grass swaying in the breeze, dotted only by delicate dandelions.

A classic setting in almost every book I'd ever read.

No—wait… I remember now.

This was a scene from that book.

"Quilya, what have you done?" I murmured, biting my lower lip.

With no clear direction, I continued walking. Hoping to find something.

And to my surprise, I did.

In the distance, atop a small hill, stood a lone tree. Beneath its shade sat a woman—a silhouette against the sun's golden glow.

A middle-aged woman, sitting in silence.

"Hello?" I called out.

The woman turned her gaze toward me the moment she heard my voice.

"You've come," she said with quiet confidence, as if she had been expecting me all along, as if she knew exactly when I would arrive.

Wait—who is she?

"Um..."

"Come, sit here," she beckoned.

I hesitated, remaining where I stood.

"Don't hesitate," she reassured me.

Okay, this is weird. Something about this felt… off.

"This doesn't feel like a dream," I muttered under my breath.

But in the silence of the moment, she heard me.

"Something wrong?" she asked.

Her voice didn't carry concern, nor was it intrusive. It only made me feel even more uneasy—like I had disturbed something I shouldn't have.

"Don't worry, I don't mind," she continued, as if she understood my unease. "I'm just here to admire the view."

The awkwardness weighed on me. I wanted to say something, but the words refused to come out.

The atmosphere was light, peaceful even… yet that was what made it feel so strangely unsettling.

Is this what Quilya wanted me to see?

What is this place?

"Um… do you know where we are?" I finally managed to ask.

"Oh? Do you truly have no idea?"

Her response caught me off guard. Unsure how to answer, I simply shook my head.

"I see. So you're oblivious to the fact that this is your memory sphere?"

Memory sphere?

"What is that?"

"Come, sit beside me, and I shall explain further," she said.

I hesitated for a moment before complying, settling down beside her under the tree.

"You've likely already forgotten about me," she continued, "so allow me to introduce myself properly. My name is Rejeann Cattleya Suzel—quite a mouthful, isn't it? Just call me Rellea. Or Rel, if you prefer."

She offered a gentle, friendly smile.

Up close, I could only see half of her face. She wore a hooded white cape, her pale skin stark against the fabric. Her nose was long and sharp, and her lips were the color of fresh blood.

"A memory sphere is like a repository of your memories," she began, her voice calm and measured. "It serves as a vast archive, preserving your past without being bound by the limitations of time. Take this scenery, for example." She raised a hand, gesturing at our surroundings. "In other words, this is a record of your past. A place you hold dear. A place you always return to. A treasure trove of moments that shaped who you are today, each one preserved like a vivid snapshot frozen in time."

"I don't think that's quite right," I countered, shaking my head in disbelief. "I have to disagree with you. Are you telling me this really happened? Because I'm pretty sure this is just a scene from Rhapsody of Everspring, my favorite book. How can you say otherwise?"

And if this scenery is part of my past, why is she here? Is she part of it?

And what does she mean by past? Does she think this is my second life or something?

For one, I grew up in an orphanage. I have no recollection of this place—none at all. If this really is a memory sphere, then this memory does not belong to me. She must have mistaken me for someone else.

Or maybe… Quilya was just messing with me.

The woman scoffed. "I'll tell you one thing I know about you." She looked me dead in the eye. "You once wanted to write a book about a place called Everspring."

Shock gripped me, rendering me speechless. My mind went completely blank.

"I… I don't know what you're talking about," I finally muttered.

She sighed, as if expecting my answer. "We'll leave it at that for now. But I do hope that one day, you'll remember. You'll remember this place. You'll remember how you got here. And you'll remember what you left behind."

She paused for a moment before turning to me, her eyes filled with quiet longing.

"I will be here," she whispered. "Waiting under this lone tree… Please, come back sooner, Alice."

Again with that name.

They're definitely mistaking me for someone else—someone who probably existed elsewhere.

Before I could respond, before I could even begin to ask questions, she suddenly disappeared.

Vanished into thin air.

And then, the tree she had been leaning against only moments ago dissolved into nothingness. The meadow, the golden sky, the entire landscape blurred out of existence—until all that remained was darkness.

Complete, engulfing darkness.

I stood frozen in the void, bewildered. I needed to ask Quilya about this. What did all of this have to do with their story? With what happened that night?

Alice.

That was the same name the being from the book had called me.

Who is Alice?

They must have mistaken me for her. They must have. I don't know anything about the things they're saying. None of this makes any sense.

I awoke, still staring blankly into nothingness.

Reality only came rushing back when I felt the gentle touch of Marreanne's soft palm against my cheek.

"Aeriah, are you okay?" she asked, concern laced in her voice.

"What's wrong?" Quilya added, her eyes watching me closely.

How long had I been out?

I had suddenly been pulled into that strange place as if it were a dream—but for reasons I couldn't explain.

How did Quilya even do that?

"Ri?" Marreanne was about to shake me again, but Kerin pulled her back.

"She's awake," he pointed out.

Right.

We were in the middle of something. I can't believe I just spaced out like that.

"Listen," I said, my voice edged with frustration. "I have no idea what just happened. You guys have a lot of explaining to do."

Quilya sighed. "Right. We should've explained things first. Let's get to business, then."

She straightened, her expression turning serious.

"To start off, this realm is on the verge of being conquered by the dark realm's forces. They are finally making their move, and we must hurry back. Aeriah, our mission is to return you to the kingdom—alive."

I blinked.

What?

"Dark realm?"

"Kingdom?"

I shook my head, unable to process any of this.

"I don't understand, Marreanne. What are you even talking about? We're not playing games here."

"Like I said—" Quilya cut Marreanne off mid-sentence.

Ugh. Again with the interruptions.

"Let me handle this, Marreanne. She won't understand if you explain it like that."

Marreanne lowered her gaze at Quilya's words. But… something about this was strange. I had never seen her this serious before. She had never acted this way in all the years I'd known her.

Just what in the world is going on?

"Riah, we've been living a normal life for almost two decades," Quilya continued. "But like Marreanne said, this realm is doomed to fall. We don't belong here. We are beings from another world—a world that exists inside that book."

I stiffened.

This book?

She exhaled, as if preparing herself for what she was about to say.

"I know this is a lot to take in. But we have to leave now. We're going home.This place is no longer safe for us."

Home?

"You're coming with us, right?" she asked, her gaze steady.

I let out a sigh. "Do I look like I have a choice?"

Her expression brightened.

"But you said this book contains another world?" I asked.

"Like I told you, that book is a key—a gateway that opens the entrance to another realm."

"You mean..."

"Indeed. In this world, there exist gates that allow realm guardians to travel between worlds. What you saw back then was real. It was a beast that came from another realm." She lightly tapped my shoulder. "Now, let's move on to the plan. Lady Kreziana, if you please."

Gates? Is she implying that… this book is one?

"Alright," Kreziana spoke, breaking the brief silence that had settled over us.

Outside, the sky darkened. The scent of impending rain filled the air. Distant rumbles of thunder soon followed.

"We, the Riessevilles, are a family of mages from the same realm as the Beast of Singularity—the one you saw that night."

Mages?

"We were tasked with finding you and Quilya and bringing you both back to the kingdom safely. But we couldn't act right away. The portal to our world was sealed by high-level binding magic, preventing us from returning as soon as we should have. However," she paused, "over the years, we discovered a weakness in the seal. It happens once every ten years—when the flowers bloom. That's when the seal weakens, making it vulnerable. But the window is brief. And time is running out."

Kingdom? Magic? Seals?

They can't be serious… right?

Yet, I found no reason to believe they were lying.

But I also couldn't bring myself to accept this as truth so easily.

What the hell is all this?

"The gates remain sealed," Krein added, "but that book conceals a secret passage—one that even the gods do not know of. That is how the Guardian of Singularity was able to enter this world."

My breath hitched. "So what are you guys planning to do?"

I was still overwhelmed, but if they were telling me that staying here meant danger, then…

"I'll go with you," I said firmly. "I may not understand any of this yet, but if it means keeping everyone safe, I'll do it."

I trusted them.

They were the ones who took care of me when I had nothing.

They were my family, blood or not.

This was my chance to return the favor.

The only question was—how could I help?

"Well, you're holding our secret passage," Marreanne said, eyeing the book in my hands.

"This book?" I asked, wanting to make sure I understood correctly.

"The Beast of Singularity came through that thing. The answer should be clear by now."

R-Right.

Why am I so slow?

"But how exactly do we use the book as—"

"You do it, Krein," Lady Kreziana commanded, cutting me off just like the others.

These people… Do they ever let someone finish their sentence?

Krein stepped forward and raised his hand into the air, his palm facing upward. Closing his eyes, he began to chant, channeling a vast amount of energy into his spell.

"O golden chains of light, heed my purpose."

A magic circle appeared above his hand, glowing with ancient power.

"The flowers of fate bloom—may their blossoms be our foe's bane."

At the center of the circle, an intricate star-like pattern emerged. Strange runes lined its edges—letters in a language I couldn't read.

This energy…

He's condensing an immense amount of power into that spell.

"Song of Everspring: Entfesseln!"

The book suddenly floated midair.

Its pages flipped on their own, as if it had a will of its own.

Then, in an instant—

A blinding light engulfed us.

A warm light…

"Let's go, Aeriah," Quilya said, offering me her hand.

I took it without hesitation.

"We're going back."

As the light faded, a towering golden door materialized before us.

This must be the gate they spoke of.

I didn't know what awaited me on the other side.

But…

"This is home, right?" I asked.

Quilya nodded.

"It is. Our home. And we're going to protect it."