Episode Eighteen: Old Memories

After the heartfelt meal shared between the mother and daughter from different timelines, they settled onto the old, but freshly painted wooden bench outside the home, basking in the quiet glow of the night. The stars shimmered above them, distant but eternal, as if bearing witness to this fleeting reunion.

Sora remembered this bench—how ancient it was, older than she could fathom. In her own timeline, it had been broken and taken away by strangers after her mother's death. The house, too, had nearly been lost to her, saved only by the intervention of someone she could barely recall.

She had even remembered that the house was almost taken away from her but she was saved by someone.

The two chuckled as they shared jokes amongst each other and stories of old soldiers who fought against monsters to protect the earth from disaster and the mythics.

Having gone far into the conversation, Sora's mother was quite curious to know who this strange girl was and what her origin was.

"Hey, I know it might be rude for me to ask you such a question," said Sora's mother, taking fault for something she had the right to know, "What is your story, young lady? Don't you have a name? Family who might be waiting for you somewhere?"

Sora's breath hitched in her throat as her mother asked her these questions, but this woman wasn't her mother as she was from the timeline Sora wasn't alive. "My name is...." Sora stammered.

"Aurelia."

As Sora spoke the name, she couldn't help but realize that she had called the name of her mother, and Aurelia, who stared at her with a shocked expression, couldn't help but smile. "Oh," she said, a warm and joyous expression on her face, "My name is also Aurelia as well," she added softly.

Sora was lost for words—she had chosen to lie about her name and chose a wrong name, but she didn't realize that she had chosen the same name that she would share with her mother through her stay. But that would all change if she chose to stay here.

Just that thought kept her eager to choose the path she wanted, but something told her that she had to choose a path that she needed. Wants never truly mattered in life, only what was needed, just the thought of leaving the new life Sorelia had made for her was just selfish.

"What a coincidence," Sora chuckled awkwardly, rubbing the back of her neck, "You have a beautiful name." She added, which made the woman smile softly.

The supposed mother and daughter sat in an awkward silence as Sora thought of something to say, then a question that she had been meaning to ask for a very long time found its way back to her mind.

"Aurelia?" said Sora, calling out to her mother's attention.

Aurelia answered with a soft "Hm?" acknowledging that her supposed daughter, whom she didn't know standing before her, needed her attention.

Sora sighed, a pang of anxiety welling up inside her as she opened her mouth to speak. "Please, I'm in a predicament—or rather, an acquaintance of mine, so I want you to please answer any question I ask," she said, trying to twist the question as she knew that it would share a connection to her dead self in this alternate timeline.

Aurelia's curiosity was immediately piqued by this, and her full attention was on her daughter. "Is this why you're here?" she asked. "You know that if you seem lost, there is always someone to reach out to."

Sora chuckled. "Do not worry, Aurelia. That's not why," she assured the woman who had wrongly assumed.

Aurelia panicked. "Oh, I'm so sorry for assuming that," she said with a reassuring hand gesture.

Sora nodded, a warm smile. "It's okay," she said, waving slightly as a form to divert the panic.

"So what was your question?" Aurelia asked.

Sora cleared her throat before she spoke, her tone softening as she muttered the words out of her mouth. "Can someone truly be happy if they had the chance to live with the one they loved after their deaths?" she asked.

Aurelia's eyebrows arched like a poorly strung bow that was bound to rip anytime soon. "That's a rather strange question if you put it that way," she said with a confused tone.

"Yes, indeed it is," Sora said with a slight chuckle. "Sorry if I asked."

The two sat in silence as Sora considered the question she asked to be rather foolish or strange as Aurelia had said it was. But at that moment—a smile spread on Aurelia's face. "Your question might be strange," she said, turning to face her daughter, "But that doesn't mean I don't understand you."

Sora was overwhelmed with shock and joy as she was about to receive the answer that would let her decide the choice. "You do?" she asked.

Aurelia nodded, facing her gaze towards the stars. "Of course I do," she said with a tone that gave Sora a sense of relief and assurance. "It's quite strange for someone to be able to understand a question like this, but what you asked me is something deep. And as someone who has lost someone very valuable to me, I understand very well."

Sora's eyelids went low over her eyeballs; all she could feel was sadness as she knew what Aurelia meant when she had mentioned losing someone before. "You have lost someone before?" she said, trying to twist the fact that she knew all along.

Aurelia nodded. "Well, of course I have," she said with a calmness that shook Sora, leaving her to question the sanity of this woman—but then she spoke again. "For years I wished that I could spend the time I had with that person that was dear to me. When I finally got the chance to do so, I decided to let it go."

"How did you have the option to do that?" Sora asked, the thought of having to spend time with someone that had died being all confusing to her as she thought the creator of the system could be the only one to do something like that.

Aurelia sighed as she told the tale: Long ago, she had sought out a Mythic—one capable of weaving dreams into reality. She had searched tirelessly, enduring weeks of hardship, until she finally found it. But when she begged it to bring back the one she had lost, it refused.

Confused and heartbroken, she demanded to know why.

The Mythic's answer had shattered her.

Now, Aurelia turned back to Sora, her eyes knowing. "Aurelia… I don't know if you have a choice to make. But if you do, it's yours alone. The only answer I can give is this: Letting go doesn't erase the love you shared. The memories remain. And sometimes… that has to be enough."

Tears welled in Sora's eyes, spilling over before she could stop them.

Aurelia startled. "Ah! Why are you crying? Did I say something wrong?"

Sora wiped her cheeks, laughing through the tears. "No… you didn't." She reached out suddenly, pulling Aurelia into a tight embrace. "You made me happy. Thank you… for answering me."

Aurelia, though bewildered, returned the hug. "You're… welcome," she murmured, her voice soft with unspoken affection.

——

Returning back to her room after a heartfelt moment that spelled a connection between the mother and daughter from different timelines, Sora slowly made her way to the room—closing it behind her as she sat on the floor, her back pressed against the door.

She sighed, taking steady breaths before speaking. "I'm ready to go," she said with a stern tone.

In that moment, her clothing began to dissolve into a shadowy cloud, leaving Sora's bare form exposed once more. From the shadows, the creator of the system emerged, and with a single wave, a mirror materialized before her.

Sora stared into the space with an awe-struck gaze, seeing that the mirror held the very existence of time and space, but didn't display her structure or face. Sora stood to her feet as the creator lent a supporting hand, knowing how much this decision had hurt the young woman.

He didn't bother to ask if she needed to say her goodbyes—knowing that Sora had spent a wonderful time with her supposed mother from this timeline.

Sora didn't blame him.

Taking the creator by his cold, black hand, Sora stepped into the mirror, and soon she was drawn into a chaotic ride as her entire body was sucked into what looked like a black hole. Sora could feel the pressure on her body as she felt her whole being liquifying; she winced in pain as this happened, and finally she stopped, finding herself standing in an empty space, breathing heavily.

'What is this place?' Sora questioned, her gaze darting towards her body that had been left bare, but the glowing energy that shielded such an embarrassing situation returned. Below her, where her feet stood, was what looked like a liquid, but it reflected her form back to her, and as Sora moved her leg, the mirror moved just like water, but she surprisingly didn't sink into it—instead, she could walk freely on top.

Glancing upwards, Sora took in this strange world as it was nothing but blue skies and emptiness. "Hey, stranger?!" she shouted out for the creator, her voice echoing through the empty space.

No reply.

As Sora scratched her head, trying to figure out where she had landed, she began to hear a strange sizzling sound, like something was being fried, though this wasn't some poor poultry animal, but something far worse. Sora turned defensively, only to be utterly confused by what she just saw.

Before her, dancing strangely, was a torrent of black and shadowy flames, compressing into itself and bursting out only to be compressed again. Sora tilted her head as she watched this strange phenomenon happen right before her eyes. "What in the world is this?" she muttered under her breath.

Taking one step towards it, the flames reacted, now bursting out completely into many tendrils of flames as it charged at Sora, who tried shielding herself, striking different parts of her body—her arms, legs, and shoulder. She flinched as this caused her great pain, causing her to wince; she was forced to her knees as the flames returned back.

'It attacked me… I'm glad it didn't do enough damage.'

The flames shifted again, this time forming something new—a human shape. Arms, legs, a torso, then a head. The darkness condensed, and standing before her was a man.

Tall, draped in an ancestral robe of black and gold, his long brown hair cascading to his waist. His eyes—bright gold, just like hers—locked onto her with an intensity that stole her breath.

He was her mirror, a reflection that she didn't want to gaze upon.

His aura was overwhelming, impossible to decipher. Threat or ally? Who was he?

The questions spiraled in her mind, but before she could speak—

The man's lips curved into a mischievous smile.

And Sora realized that not only was she not alone, she was unsafe.