'She... That girl just fell, didn't she?!'
The abrupt scene of Elara, the girl Becca likely despised the most in her entire life, plummeting helplessly toward a cliff, and vanishing without a trace, left Becca in a state of confusion and relief simultaneously.
No sound accompanied Elara's fall, almost as if she had been swallowed by some unseen force. However, amidst the uncertainty, Becca held onto one conviction.
Becca believed it wasn't a conventional cliff but rather a chasm—an occurrence often recounted in tales by elderly villagers. Nowadays, children dismiss chasms as mere myths, but Becca's father had repeatedly cautioned her to be vigilant in the forest.
'She fell into that 'chasm', right?' Becca pondered, still stunned by the unexpected turn of events.
'But what's happening? Why is there a chasm there? What should I do now...?' Becca's mind began to go wild.
Becca, who managed to witness the entire incident from not too far away, tried to calm her pounding heart. Her trembling hands, shaking violently, attempted to be discreetly concealed.
Though she felt panicked to the point of going mad, on the surface, Becca could still maintain her composure.
'Whatever happens, this isn't my fault. She fell on her own!' Becca tried to reassure herself.
Becca clenched her fists while continuing to convince herself.
'Right! I just pushed her lightly! She was the one being overly dramatic and couldn't maintain her balance, leading to the fall!' Becca thought to herself, struggling hard to suppress the fear that was creeping throughout her body.
Truthfully, Becca was also very surprised to see a dangerous chasm within the supposedly flat and safe forest around her hometown.
The lumberjacks who frequently worked in these small forests would surely inform her father and the guards about the discovery of this chasm. However, up to this point, no reports were indicating that even the active lumberjacks knew about the emergence of this mysterious chasm.
No one could explain this mysterious situation except for two things.
Yes, it was a natural phenomenon that commonly occurred within the Galatea territory.
Galatea, famous as the realm of elemental spirits, was known for its ever-changing geographical conditions every five years. Therefore, sometimes representatives from the three Kingdoms were sent to conduct thorough mapping of the region before deciding to contract the elemental spirits.
Although both Fauna and Flora villages are situated on the outskirts of Galatea, they are still considered integral parts of the Galatea territory itself. Therefore, it's not surprising that natural phenomena can occur in suburban areas like these.
Furthermore, unverified rumors were circulating that random portals occasionally manifest in various areas of Galatea, both within and beyond its realms.
The rumor is roughly explained; the portal is said to take the form of uniquely shaped doors. These doors are believed to connect directly to the entrance gate leading into the interior of Galatea—a realm renowned for its abundant treasures, seemingly scattered like ornaments adorning the yard of Queen Titaia's palace.
Regrettably, predicting when and where these portals will appear remains an elusive feat. It is concluded that these doors manifest exclusively for individuals chosen by the portal, with the grandest and most beautiful door being owned by none other than Queen Titaia.
'Considering the situation, it seems this surprising incident was caused by a mysterious natural phenomenon rather than the appearance of a portal,' Becca thought, finally able to breathe a sigh of relief.
If the girl had entered a portal connecting to the inner Galatea territory, she might bring back great wealth and fame. However, if she had an accident like falling into a chasm due to a mysterious natural phenomenon, her chances of survival were very slim.
Therefore, the people in the village wouldn't find any connection between this incident and her at all!
After successfully calming her mind, Becca felt at ease. She even felt a happiness that was hard to put into words because now Becca felt that luck was finally on her side.
Although she initially felt fear, she now felt free and relieved because all the burdens that had ever existed in her heart had been lifted and disappeared without a trace. Elara, the girl who had always disrupted her plans, was no longer in this world!
'Yes!'
Finally, Becca felt that she could become the only beautiful young girl in this village.
Her dream of becoming the main wife of a respected noble family would no longer have any obstacles. Now, she could truly breathe easy.
"Becca... shouldn't we help her?" Silvi asked with a trembling voice.
Silvi's trembling voice awakened Becca's consciousness. Becca silently grumbled in her heart because she had forgotten that other people besides her witnessed the surprising incident.
Without hesitation, Becca turned to Silvi, who seemed deeply shaken, and even Lia was the same. Both of them appeared greatly shocked by Elara's sudden fall and disappearance due to the appearance of a mysterious chasm in front of them.
Upon hearing Silvi's question, Lia, who was beside her, also nodded in agreement. "We should call the adults to help—"
"No," Becca interrupted with a flat tone.
"E..h?" They both were surprised by Becca's firm response, refusing to help.
"If we ask the adults for help, they might become suspicious of the three of us. Especially if that lowly girl has no self-awareness after we help, she might accuse us of causing her fall," Becca explained cautiously.
Silvi was shocked by Becca's words, but she remained firm in her choice to help Elara.
"B—But, it's true that you pushed her!" Silvi shouted, still with a quivering voice.
Silvi had followed Becca here after hearing that Becca only intended to give Elara a light lesson, so Silvi was happy to join in. Although not much, some parents in Flora and Fauna who had children Elara's age hoped their children would have the same manners and behavior as Elara, who was known for her politeness and intelligence.
This made many children resentful because their parents constantly compared them to Elara, who honestly seemed strange in their eyes.
Therefore, Silvi, who often received scolding for not being clever enough, really didn't like Elara. However, she didn't want to endanger Elara to this extent. She just wanted to vent her frustration on the source of the problem, Elara, who, with her strange intelligence and politeness, had disrupted her life, which had only wanted to marry a noble, not become an educated person.
Becca turned, not expecting that Silvi, for the first time, had dared to speak to her in a raised tone.
'This incident seemed to have made her more courageous to speak.'
Whereas until now, Silvi had always been subservient to Becca, like a loyal servant.
Becca looked at Silvi with a cold gaze, feeling slightly disturbed by this change in attitude.
"Yeah, that's right. I pushed the girl, and both of you didn't stop me at all. You just watched. If the adults find out, both of you will be considered guilty just like me," Becca replied, threatening them firmly.
Though Becca intended to threaten, what she said was indeed true.
Therefore, Silvi could only grit her teeth. She still wanted to retort to Becca's words, but Lia suddenly pulled the hem of her dress gently, signaling her to stop talking.
"What Becca said is true, Silvi. If we ask for help from the adults, we'll surely be suspected," Lia whispered, her voice calmer than before when it was trembling with panic.
"Let's just pretend we don't know. I don't want to go to jail...." Lia murmured, almost on the verge of tears due to fear.
Lia wasn't crying out of fear for Elara's fate falling into some place; instead, she was crying when thinking about her fate if she had to go to jail.
Indeed, the accident that happened right in front of her had scared her so much that she almost wanted to faint, if it weren't for the fact that she was in the forest.
But as Becca said, the three of them were at the scene of the incident, and they didn't help Elara who had fallen. They just watched.
"Good, Lia, you're always quick," praised Becca, who had initially intended to threaten both of them with something if they were determined to help Elara.
Becca looked around, where only trees inhabited, with a faint smile on her lips.
"Okay. Now all we need to do is go home and act as usual. If someone asked, just pretend not to know," Becca said.
She ignored her stained pink dress and looked at the two of them, who still seemed slightly shocked by the earlier events.
"Understand? Just follow what I do and make sure to avoid suspicion from the people."
Pretending to be an innocent child who didn't know anything wasn't difficult for her. Becca had done it once before, so it wasn't hard to do it again.
The problem was these two girls who always stuck to her. Although they appeared strong and stubborn on the outside, they were a weak and naive girl.
All this time, they had followed their human instincts to follow Becca, who had the highest status to gain advantages as close friends of the village chief's daughter.
It was clear that they were also pursuing the same thing Becca dreamed of. Therefore, in front of many people, the three of them pretended to be good friends, but behind their backs, they secretly tried to undermine each other.
However, because Lia and Silvi had the appearance of ordinary village girls without any special privileges, Becca didn't mind them just pretending to follow along while taking advantage of her status.
Becca had confidence, both in terms of status and appearance. She always felt that she was the best among the three of them.
Of course, that was before Elara's fame spread widely in this area, surpassing her great status as the village chief's daughter.
Becca looked at her two frightened friends, but they nodded in understanding after hearing Becca's explanation.
'After returning from here, I need to send some people to keep an eye on these two so their mouths won't spill the beans,' Becca thought to herself.
What she needed to do after leaving here was to make sure these two didn't do anything suspicious, especially not to leak this incident. The rest, she would continue her life as usual.
With that in mind, Becca quickly turned around. She wanted to go home and get away from the scene.
"Let's go," Becca urged.
Originally, she had planned to approach the location where Elara disappeared to confirm whether it was indeed a chasm caused by a mysterious natural phenomenon or not. However, she canceled her intention because she had to return quickly to avoid suspicion among the villagers, especially her father.
"..."
Lia and Silvi were momentarily silent, exchanging glances for a moment, and then both reluctantly moved their feet to follow Becca from behind.
From behind, Becca's steps appeared confident and fearless. Becca's reaction also seemed very calm, as if this incident wasn't frightening for her.
Lia and Silvi's thoughts were the same. They suspected that Becca might have done something like this at least once without their knowledge.
Meanwhile, in an unknown location.
"Ugh... Quiet...."
Elara reluctantly opened her eyes, weighed down by the clamor around her. As her eyelids lifted, the surroundings fell into a sudden hush, and her eyes widened in astonishment.
"What... what happened...."
Elara couldn't continue her words because her mouth was wide open without saying a word. This scene left her stunned.
It was because she saw an unfamiliar black-haired boy lying unconscious next to her. However, what was even more surprising was the fact that she saw it from a different perspective than usual.
"Uh, what, uh, am I going crazy...?"
At the moment, Elara seemed to be floating in the air like a ghost. With a confused look in her eyes, she gazed at her own unconscious body. Her body still looked young compared to her current appearance.
"Though I'm not sure, I think this is my body from a certain time...."
As Elara's translucent hand reached toward the unconscious body lying before her, a sudden wave of dizziness engulfed her.
!!!!!!!
After being half shocked by the scene before her, suddenly an external force forcefully pulled her translucent, ghost-like body into her 5-year-old unconscious body.
"Wait. Wait. No...! What's happening??!!"