Ye Chen stood before the elegant steel door, his heart pounding.
But life, as it often does, had other plans in store for him.
Ye Chen raised his hand, ready to knock politely for the second time. His knuckles hovered in mid-air, poised like a hesitant dancer at the edge of a ballroom floor. The door, however, had different ideas. It swung open with a flourish, as if eager to embrace its guest.
Ye Chen, caught off guard, stumbled forward. Not the graceful entrance he had envisioned. No, this was more like a chaotic waltz—a tango of embarrassment and surprise.
His left foot stepped into the room, toes grazing the plush carpet. His right foot, however, had other ambitions. It lunged forward, bypassing the threshold altogether. Ye Chen's body followed suit, propelled by momentum and sheer lack of coordination.
And there he was—mid-air, arms flailing, dignity plummeting faster than a lead balloon. The room spun around him, its walls mocking his misfortune.
Gravity, that unyielding critic, pulled him downward. Ye Chen's descent was both majestic and absurd. He executed a half-twirl, legs tangled, and landed face-first on the floor.
The room held its breath. The silence was broken only by Ye Chen's muffled groan. He lay there, limbs splayed, contemplating life choices. Perhaps he should have taken up interpretive dance instead of engineering.
The door, having done its part, swung shut with a finality that echoed through the room. Ye Chen blinked at the ceiling, wondering if he'd accidentally stumbled into a parallel universe—one where doors had vendettas and gravity had a sense of humor.
---
"Hahaha!" The two women did not hold back in laughing this time.
Cheyenne had just gone to open the door when the guy splashed in.
"This was really a cool way to enter, wow. You are great indeed, hehe..."
'What an embarrassing start, ah!'
He thought as he composed himself as if nothing had happened but it was too embarrassing indeed.
Before him was stood Mother Elysia smiling amicably at him. It felt strange the moment he saw her as he felt that she looked familiar. As if they had met occasionally.
'But why would she feel familiar yet I have never seen nor met her?'
He thought as he dusted himself after picking himself up.
"Hello?" He said after a while as she had stopped laughing at him. She had assumed her normal composure.
But truth be told, her found her very pleasing to the eye and pretty with the demeanor of someone who rather seemed like a big sister.
"Hello child, that was a cool way to enter by the way, nice to meet you anyway. My little girl here has already told me about you and her, come and take a seat please." She invited him to an empty seat before her.
"Well, thank you then!" He said as he sat down before Cheyenne who was still giggling joined them
"So tell me, how did you get separated with your family?" She seemed the straightforward type as she did not indulge him but rather went straight to the point.
Ye Chen did not hold back and told everything right from the start.
The departure from River Village, their audacious journey, then encounter by the mammoth beasts tide to meeting with Cheyenne.
"You are really courageous, why did you risk it?" She asked him after he had finished his tale.
"Well, I kind of saw it to be a good thing to do at that moment and since am someone who can ran pretty fast, it did not seem such a hard task for me!"
"Ooh, although you seem young it is still okay. We have a short lifespan anyway, you take good care of each other, you can stay with us here as much as you want and even train with us if you want to."
She seemed to have lost interest in him as she sank back into her thoughts silently.
Seemed more like she was thinking of something very important.
"Come Ye Chen, let me show you your residence!" Cheyenne pulled him out towards the residential area after the awkward silence.
"Okay, let's go!" They left the room as they talked of their own matters.
---
'Should I tell him or no? And what could have happened to the two.'
'This things are getting more and more complicated now.'
'They have already fallen in love again, will it be like the last time or this time things will change?'
'Ah, why did I take this damn role? I could have just left them to others!'
'Yeah, maybe I should just tell him and go on my own way! But I can't abandon the other kids! What should I do? Think of something please? Think Elysia! Think!'
While the two had left, she kept pacing back and forth as she talked to herself. This matter had kept her sleepless for so long and now, it had erupted in such a way she never had anticipated. Why would things go this way when she thought she had escaped her fate?
She thought as she continued to pace back and forth before calming down. Things had already come this way. Maybe, she should just let them be the way they were and keep the secret to herself although it might cause her more harm.
Calming herself down, she sat down for a while before drowning the remaining wine in her glass. This matter was to be concealed and had to no matter what happened. Those were her thoughts before she left the room too.
Maybe this was a secret to die with rather than letting them know?
She therefore decided to keep this matter to herself. By the time they came to learn of it, she might have already left by then.
Although they might face the same curse again and again in every lifetime, she decided to just let it be to fate.
Who knows, things might change and despite, many years had passed already.