Rem and the little girl both fell to the ground.
"Ouch!" The little girl rubbed her elbow, which was injured when she fell to the ground.
'It's good to know that I can't get hurt here.' Rem thought, looking around her surroundings.
Rem and the little girl were in a valley of flowers. The sun is setting. In a few hours, it will be nighttime.
"Little girl! What are you doing here all by yourself? It's almost nighttime! It's dangerous!!! Please, get away from there!" The woman wearing a plain dress and holding a basket of herbs yelled.
'Should I trust her..? I don't know what happened but right now, following her is probably the best choice. Did I get teleported? I've never seen these flowers before. Just where am I? I'll follow her until I get more information..!' The little girl thought, alerted by the woman but she still ran towards the woman.
'My younger self sure is admirable.' Rem glanced at the woman.
'Somehow... Her voice sounds so familiar..! Why? Where and when did I hear this woman's voice before..?' Rem felt frustrated.
"What's dangerous?" The little girl asked.
"You don't know? I guess you're not from here. These flowers will turn into monsters at night. Never get close to them or else you will not get out alive..." The woman warned, shaking her head as she sighed.
"I see... I'm lost. Do you know where I am?" The little girl asked.
"You're at the outskirts of Halibend. Since you're lost, you can come to my place to rest for the night." The woman walked towards her house.
The little girl followed the woman while Rem followed the little girl.
...
Rem has been watching the woman for a day already. She found out that the woman's name was Maria. After Maria arrived at her home, she prepared dinner for two people. She then washed the dishes and cleaned the table. So far, Maria seems to be a normal person who's doing a little housework. Rem also figured out that the woman lived alone and had no relatives. While the woman was asleep, the little girl sneaked out of the house and explored the place. Taking a stroll around town only took half an hour to an hour. Halibend was a pretty small town.
'She really is a kind person? No utter motives..?' The little girl was troubled since she had seen hundreds of people who wanted to get close to her with some kind of intention.
The little girl went back to bed quietly and fell asleep.
'My younger self is very cautious! Just like me...' Rem was amused.
She never knew what she was like back then but now she understood a bit more about her younger self. Rem spent the whole night thinking about what has happened, what she should do, and who Maria was. For some reason, Rem felt she had met Maria somewhere.
"Wake up! Time to eat breakfast!!!" Maria yelled.
The little girl woke up and got up from her bed. She was rubbing her eyes sleepily. The house Maria lives in has one floor and a basement. There's one bedroom, one kitchen, an office room, and a living room. There were many items inside the house so it looks very cramped inside. The little girl slept on the couch while Maria slept in the bedroom.
'The basement was filled with boxes and unused tools, furniture, and items.' Rem thought, following the little girl downstairs.
Last night, Rem looked through the basement. There wasn't anything interesting there.
"I made some of my favorite breakfasts! Have a try." Maria said smiling, putting a plate on the table.
'Aren't those pancakes?' The little girl thought.
'Wow..! I've never eaten these before. I've seen them on t.v. This is my first time actually eating one... It looks delicious!!!' The little girl's eyes were sparkling with excitement.
'I don't think I tried pancakes before...' Rem looked at the delicious-looking pancakes that were steaming hot from the pan.
"Don't just stand there. Take a seat and eat up!' The woman sat down, beginning to eat her plate of pancakes.
"If you want any syrup, there's some in this bottle." The woman pointed at the bottle of syrup on the table.
The little girl was still cautious around Maria. She looked at the bottle of syrup and put some syrup on her pancakes. She took a bite and couldn't help but keep stuffing the pancakes inside her mouth.
'Why can't I have some too???' Rem complained, beginning to become jealous of her younger self.
"Little girl, what's your name?" Maria asked.
"...Rem." The little girl replied, after swallowing her food.
"Alright then, Rem. Do you know where your parents are? I'll try to find them and bring you back."
"I don't know."
"I see... You can live with me for now. I don't mind. However, you have to help around the house. I collect herbs to make potions on some days. On other days, I would make potions. That's how I make a living." Maria said, putting the dirty plates and utensils in the sink.
"I just have to do chores? That all?"
"Maybe later, I'll let you help me collect some herbs and do some errands."
'I'll stay here until I find a way for me to get back to the real world...'
"Okay." The little girl nodded in agreement.
"I've always wanted a little kid like you. Having someone around isn't bad. It's really nice..." Maria smiled warmly.
"MONSTERS!!! A SWARM OF MONSTERS ARE HERE!!!" Someone from outside yelled.
'Monsters? What monsters?' The little girl wondered.
"Stay here. Don't ever go out of this house. I'll be right back." Maria said seriously, leaving the house.
After Maria left, the little girl exited the house and ran towards the town gate.
"Wait, no!!!" Rem ran after the little girl.
'Urg... Why was I so impulsive back then??!' Rem knew she couldn't do anything yet she followed the little girl because she wanted to know what would happen.
All of a sudden, everything became dark. Rem was once again in a dark space. Instead of seeing light in front of her, she saw a large door or gate of some kind. The door had dark, black chains in an 'X' shape. Even without Rem's abilities, she could feel something a strong, anonymous aura coming from the door.
'Where am I now? What is this suspicious-looking door doing in front of me for?'