"Do I... Do I look like I'm having fun playing tag with those things...?"
Lyrica gathered every ounce of her strength to speak towards the female voice inside her. Annoyed and troubled from everything that had happened since the beginning, she asks the voice:
"What the hell... kind of world did you send me into? Why do I see and hear things that can only be found in a game...? What did you do... to my Headphones?"
"You sure are a hasty one. I'll answer all of your questions one by one. But first..."
"Huh?"
"The Hymn of Life: Vitality Restore."
Soon after the voice spoke, a glittering green light appeared out of nowhere and begin to gather around Lyrica. The light slowly entered her body. And then...
"What? This feeling... somehow, I feel strong and full of energy."
Just like a miracle, the pain from her legs disappeared in a flash, as well as her fatigue.
"I've taken away the physical strain of moving your limbs to the limit, and so is your tiredness. With this, you should be back to normal."
Lyrica began fluttering her legs one after another, trying to make sure if her limbs have truly healed.
"Yeah. My legs have healed. It feels good as new." Lyrica replied with satisfaction. "Hymn of Life, was it? What exactly did you do?"
"I see that you haven't realized it yet, but this is the work of magic."
"Magic?" The young girl asked in wonder.
"I shall give you the answer to that later. For now, welcome to the world of Alteria."
"Alteria?"
Alteria. The world that exist in a universe different to the one where Lyrica's home, Earth, resides. It has many characteristics that are so similar to Earth such as the ocean, the desert, rain forests, volcanoes, and even the land of ice. But in here, things that are considered in Lyrica's world as mere fictions and myths, exists in Alteria as part of reality. To put it simply, Alteria is a world of fantasy turned real.
"The slimes are one example of many creatures that can only be found and interact with in here. Isn't that amazing?" Said, the female voice with enthusiasm.
"Oh? So there are more living creatures other than those slimes in here?"
The tone of Lyrica's reply however, seem to be that of someone who isn't fascinated of what the voice uttered.
"Yes." The voice whose not even concern about Lyrica responded to the girl with a resounding yes. "Slimes, goblins, ogres, and many other creatures are present in Alteria."
"Fantasy, huh?"
The birds fluttering their wings as they dance up in the bright blue skies, the butterflies hopping from one flower to another as they feast on the flower nectar, the slimes that are bouncing left and right vigorously as they mind their own business. And, the beautiful flower field that lies under the dazzling light of the sun.
Now that she got a better look at it, the world of Alteria does seem to have a fantasy-ish feeling in it. But, then...
"... What are you doing?"
All of a sudden, Lyrica decided to pinch her cheek. She did it so hard, her cheek immediately turned red soon as she released her fingers.
"It's nothing. Just making sure if I'm actually awake and not just dreaming all of it." She replied with a blank face.
"Dream? You don't believe that you're actually standing in a different world? You think everything that you've seen and has happened were nothing but a dream?"
"You know, I couldn't care less whether I'm standing in a different world, nor if it's fantasy or not. But, this world you called Alteria, is not the world I'm looking for."
"Huh?"
From the moment she encountered the slimes, the thought of there are more than those bouncing creatures already came across Lyrica's mind. However, the thought of everything that happened is just the work of her mind also lingers inside her head.
Lyrica didn't just run for her life that time, Lyrica was trying to find a way to make sure if everything is real or not. And through the voice who started talking to her head once again, she was able to confirm that she isn't dreaming any of it. And if it's all real, that means the voice had lied to Lyrica.
"Don't tell me you've forgotten what we talked about. What you told me before you dragged me into this world?"
"..."
"If that's the case, I'll help you remember everything."
Just like what she said, Lyrica helped the voice remember the conversation they had back in her world. And as she does, the exact same moment replayed inside her head.
"If you were given the chance to live in another world, what kind of world would you like to live in?"
The voice asked Lyrica the world she wanted to live in. She then answered the voice and told her about her ideal world.
"If I am given the chance, I want to live in a peaceful, quiet world where no troubles are going to stress me out."
Lyrica interpreted everything accurately, just like how it all transpired.
"Well, were you able to remember all of it?"
"..."
The voice had been dead silent. Perhaps, it really had forgotten their conversation back in Lyrica's world and couldn't find the words to respond.
"Hey, how long are you going to keep the silent treatment?"
"Lyrica..."
"Finally, I thought you already bailed out or something."
Finally, a word came out of the voice inside Lyrica's head.
"It seems that you're the one who had forgotten the conversation we had."
But the words that the voice had spoken begin to throw Lyrica into wonder.
"Huh? Are you deaf or you just got a loose screw in your head? I just told you what we talked about literally a minute ago. And now you're saying I've forgotten everything?"
"Yes."
The confidence in the voice's reply made Lyrica frown in displeasure.
"It's true that I asked you your ideal world you wanted to live in. And you answered it sincerely. But it seems that you've forgotten the condition I gave you, as well as your answer to that condition."
"What?"
"If that's the case, I shall help you remember everything." The voice offered. "Close your eyes."
"How troublesome. Why would I?"
"If you close your eyes, you'll understand."
"... How troublesome."
Lyrica scratched the back of her head out of stress. She figured that trying to argue with the voice any further will just give her a headache even more. And so, although she was annoyed, Lyrica eventually followed the voice's instructions and closed her charcoal-black eyes. When she did, Lyrica finds herself watching her own self lying on the road as if she was in a third-person view.
And then she hears the voice asking Lyrica whose lying on the ground.
"If you were given the chance to live in another world, what kind of world would you like to live in?"
"If I am given the chance, I want to live in a peaceful, quiet world where no troubles are going to stress me out."
"Hmph." Lyrica smirked. "See, that's exactly how I remember-"
"All right, then. I shall grant your wish, but with one condition."
"What?" Lyrica brows curled up as the scene continued playing.
"A condition?"
"I will take you into a whole different world. But if you want to live a life without trouble, you'll have to make it into a world of peace and quiet yourself."
"Ha?!" Lyrica, whose watching the scene going shouted hysterically.
"All right."
Lyrica's past self answered the voice without any hint of hesitation. When she saw it happened, the girl's eyes shot-open, and everything went back to normal.