The village bustled with the sound of laughter and children running around.

  It was a mesmerizing scene.

  Gentle rays of sunlight hit the face through the trees as people walked below. Along with the light, a cool breeze danced around, giving a different sensation than before.

  The winds carried stories forgotten by a certain someone.

  The man in question stood still. He wore a brown tunic, a simple dress that still complemented his handsome looks. His silver eyes still looked dazed but held a shine hard to ignore.

  The world seemed to have been made for him; as each blink of his eyes, every time his face changed, the world surrounding him stirred to welcome him.

  It was a strange scene to witness but Asher still tried to speak.

  “Huh.”

  But he could not let out a single syllable as a hand shot out to hold his hand.

  The small and innocent-looking girl with brown eyes gave a peaceful look as she held Asher's hand. The warmth of her finger made Asher shudder greatly as if he were jolted awake from a dream. Even when he had touched her face and called her name out, it felt like a forgotten memory, a precious memory that he should have kept a lot closer to his heart and soul.

  “Asher… Are… you… daydreaming… again?”

  Meli’s voice didn’t come correctly at first or maybe it was just Asher who had forgotten how she spoke.

  To his own utter surprise, Asher nodded.

  “...Yes, maybe I was.”

  His words left his throat like a foreign substance that he couldn’t identify himself.

  “I see.” Meli nodded thoughtfully.

  “Was it a good dream? Were you happy in it?” Meli tilted her head and asked with a sweet voice.

  Her words previously broken and hallucinatory, now seemed to befit the girl's innocent face.

  Asher shook his head.

  “No… It wasn’t a good dream. It was a nightmare. A nightmare in which I lived for a very long time.”

  Meli's voice lowered at the same time her hand holding on to his tightened. “Oh, poor Asher.”

  Asher's face considerably relaxed as he heard the girl speak gently.

  “Don’t worry, it was just a dream.”

  “You are safe now, hehe.”

  ‘A dream…?’

  Yes, maybe everything was a dream. A scary nightmare he has been living in till now. He was awake now; everyone was safe. Asher's lips quivered as he nodded with a dazed look, his eyes going blurry.

  “Ah, are you crying?” Meli gasped and let go of Asher's hands.

  “Don’t cry.”

  She wiped his tears and rubbed his face; Asher shuddered with each touch. The tears, however, never came out, as he had shut his eyes closed.

  But why?

  Why was he so sad?

  Why was his mind so hazy?

  Who was he mourning for?

  So many questions yet not an answer in reach.

  “Sheesh, I will tell her you were crying like a baby.”

  Asher's breathing hitched as the hands holding his face were taken aback, the warmth gone.

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  ‘Who is Meli talking about?’

  A thought came as fast as it went out. By the time he blinked, calming down, he shook his head.

  “...Please don’t.”

  His voice came embarrassed.

  “Hehe, I won’t if you promise to not cry.”

  The peace lasted a few more moments, making Asher wish it lasted forever. By the next instance Meli had grabbed Asher’s hand and pulled him with her.

  “Let’s go,” she whispered.

  Asher remained silent as he walked behind her, watching the familiar village without making a sound. The cobblestones beneath his worn boots felt strangely distant, each step echoing a hollow thud that seemed out of place amidst the children's laughter drifting from the marketplace. He recognized Mrs. Neil's bakery, its windows fogged with steam, and an old man whittling on his porch—yet their faces blurred like smudged ink on wet paper. Meli's small hand tugged him forward, her fingers warm and insistent, anchoring him to this moment he couldn't quite grasp.

  Meli, after a while, glanced back at Asher, holding the same smile.

  “Look, Mr. Frank is going to his shop. He is going to the city soon; he told us yesterday, remember?“

  A man with broad shoulders and a big grin was talking, more like yelling. Those around didn’t look uncomfortable as they shared his tale, laughing in between.

  “Should we first go there? To the center of the village?”

  “...No!”

  Asher let out a small shriek as he shook his head.

  The center of the village, the place where the market was… Asher felt a chill run down his spine the moment he thought of this.

  “Hmm, okay. We can go there later.”

  Meli didn’t frown, not showing any displeasure and nodded quietly.

  “It’s getting chilly out here. Let’s go somewhere else.”

  As if forgetting what happened just now, Meli guided Asher elsewhere. His eyes remained on the cobblestone street, feeling a white fog fill the horizon.

  ‘Winter… is it cold already?’

  He didn’t know.

  As some minutes passed Asher and Meli arrived at a new place. In front of them, two figures were seated on chairs beside a round table situated beside someone’s house.

  One of the men sitting there was eating something, taking small bites as he broke a stick-shaped sweet in half with a sharp snap. His round face and bored look made Asher pause for a moment, but the real surprise came when he noticed the dirty blonde-haired man sitting beside Kit.

  “Albert…”

  Asher muttered under his breath.

  The man, as if hearing his small voice, turned to look at him and smirked.

  “Oh, boss, you are here.”

  Asher's eyes dulled before returning to normal.

  “Yes… I am here.”

  Asher nodded, feeling a strange surprise.

  It was strange, really strange. Why was he surprised by their presence—no, everyone’s presence?

  Meli let go of Asher’s hand as she took a seat beside them.

  Asher hesitated and sat down as well.

  “Elda will join us tomorrow. She is still in Atlas. We will be able to start the charity work you have planned soon.”

  Albert said casually, leaning back on his chair.

  “Elda…? Charity?” Asher muttered slowly.

  “Yes, you were planning to open some strange shop as well, remember?” Kit added, hearing the lazy words that Asher spoke.

  “I did?”

  “Yes, Asher. You had been planning this for almost a year now.”

  Asher remained silent as Meli's words echoed in his now empty mind.

  The four of them remained still as the conversation seemed to have died down with Asher's silence.

  Asher suddenly leaned back, his eyes going hazy.

  Meli, Albert and Kit looked at him with warm smiles.

  The white fog permeated deeply at the floor, becoming denser with each passing second till it moved and stirred like a snake coiling around them.

  Asher's body relaxed and he seemed to melt in this comfortable silence.

  But then—

  “Oh, she is here.”

  ‘Huh.’

  Asher's attention snapped back.

  Something stirred in his eyes as they regained their lost luster briefly.

  A beautiful woman walked through the fog, the village behind her fading into a blur as the world seemed to open before her. She wore a simple white gown adorned with silver embroidery along its hem. Her long white hair flowed like starlight, and her sapphire eyes shimmered softly behind the thin veil that concealed her face.

  “Ah.”

  Asher gasped.

  His eyes were pinned to her figure.

  She was known by many epithets and the most commonly used was ‘The heavens judgement’ and ‘The rulers of stars.'

  But right now in front of her, he had forgotten everything, his mind going numb.

  Ba…thump!

  Asher could feel his heart pound deep inside his chest like a wild beast trapped behind bars.

  “Ce—”

  Before he could call her name, she reached out and grabbed his arm, pulling him up from his seat with surprising strength.

  “Come with me…”

  Her voice was soft yet warm, carrying a tone that stirred something deep within Asher’s chest.

  Without thinking, he followed her, his steps unsteady and mind hazy. Resistance was meaningless—each movement felt guided, inevitable. They walked through the narrow streets, the fog parting around them as they drew closer to the village’s center.

  ‘No… Not there.’

  Asher’s legs trembled; every step tightened his chest. He could feel it—that moment drawing near.

  And there it was.

  An old tree stood tall, its trunk wide and worn with age, vines hanging loosely from its branches like threads of time itself. The faint fog wrapped around its roots, giving the place an otherworldly calm.

  Beneath it, an old man with long white hair rested against the bark. His face carried deep lines of age, yet his smile was soft—almost kind. The roots curved out of the ground near his feet, forming a cradle where he sat, as if the earth itself had chosen to hold him.

  “...Grandpa.”

  Asher's voice cracked.

  As the beautiful girl let go of his arm.

  His heart continued to beat like a war drum. Threatening to explode with each passing second.

  Fear gripped him tightly as he stepped forward, walking closer to where it all started.

  To where the nightmare began.

  “Stop… please—wait, wait!”

  Asher’s voice tore through the fog.

  And then—

  Thump.

  The tree split clean in half, crashing to the ground.