A lone boy wandered through the mirror-like salt flats, where the sky reflected under the pristine water. Each step he took caused soft ripples in the pristine water, yet the world around him was eerily silent. He moved as if lost—aimless and hollow. His eyes, heavy with an emptiness, searched for something unknown.
After wandering for what felt like an eternity, he came upon a desolate town. The ruins of buildings lay shattered, some half-buried, sinking into the salt flats. Though the surrounding spoke of tragedy, the boy felt no fear—only a deep sense of familiarity. "This place...I think, I've been here before...but I can't remember." His voice trembled, as if trying to grasp at fading memories just out of reach.
He tried to remember, tried to hold onto anything, but it was like chasing shadows in the dark. His mind felt disturbed by unknown force.
As he walked further into the ruins, a distant sound reached his ears—a lullaby, so beautiful and hauntingly familiar. His steps faltered as the melody pierced through him, like a forgotten lullaby from a distant past. "This song, it sound so familiar" He gripped his temples, pain clawing at his mind every time he tried to remember. The harder he struggled, the more agonizing it became, as if some unknown force prevent him from remembering.
Yet, despite the unbearable pain, curiosity got the better of him. He followed the voice and found himself to a towering, majestic pillar, the only structure left standing in the ruined town. At the top, a girl in a flowing white dress, with hair as pale as snow, stood singing. She was so beautiful, like a goddess. Her voice carried a sorrow so deep it felt like the very air mourned with her.
The girl stop singing and look down at him. Her expression, filled with an unbearable sadness, softened as she smiled gently. "You're here...finally," she whispered. Without hesitation, she leaped from the pillar, falling barely disturbing the still water below.
The boy, no longer tormented by the pain, stare at her. But it wasn't curiosity in his eyes—it was something else. Something aching, as if the sight of her brought a familiar sadness to his heart.
"Are you...hurt?" she asked, her voice gentle, filled with remorse. "I'm sorry...I had to sing the song. It was the only way I could make sure we would meet again."
"I suppose, this is not the first time we have met? But, I don't remember meeting someone like you, despite how familiar you look" He shook his head, despair creeping into his voice. "I'm confused..be it this familiar city, your song or you..I could not remember anything." His words came out in a desperate plea, his hand clutched tightly against his chest, as if trying to hold the pieces of his heart together.
"I'm sorry..."she whispered, her voice fragile, like a shattered promise. "I wish I could tell you everything, but...I can't. The universe won't allow it, even if I wanted to. But please, don't be afraid of me. It sadden when you are." Her voice wavered, and for the first time, the boy noticed how her hand trembled as she reached out to him, gloved in white.
He recoiled instinctively, stepping back. "I'm just..so lost..."
Her face fell, and she lowered her hand. The weight of rejection made her whole body tremble, though she tried to hide it. "This...is the first time in a thousand years we've seen each other," she said, her voice barely above a whisper. "We were supposed to be—" But her words distorted, breaking apart as a strange sound filled the air, silencing her. She smiled weakly, as though she knew there was no use in fighting it.
"Ugh...My head..? "The boy's confusion deepened, but there was a note of desperation in his voice.
"The universe..."she began, her eyes distant, "It's preventing our meeting. And we may not meet again for a long time." She gazed up at the sky, her expression unreadable, though the pain was evident in her eyes.
The boy stood there, feeling an unbearable sense of loss, though he didn't understand why. But then, he saw it—the sadness etched in her face, the loneliness that mirrored his own. Something inside him stirred. His confusion faded, replaced by an ache in his chest.
"I don't know what you mean," he said quietly, his voice shaking, "But why does seeing you like this...hurt me so much? Why do I feel like I've failed you somehow?" He took a hesitant step forward.
Her eyes brightened for a moment, and she smiled again. It was the first genuine smile he had ever seen from her, and it broke something inside him. His cheeks flushed, but his heart felt heavier than before.
"I don't have much time left," she said, the sorrow creeping back into her voice.
"Please, listen to what I'm about to say." She stepped closer, taking his hand in hers, and this time, he didn't pull away.
"If you want to know the truth behind your lost memories, you must explore the Tree of Twilight and reach its peak. That's where the truth lies. You'll face many dangers along the way."
The boy said nothing, only nodded, his throat too tight to speak.
Her time was running out. The world around them began to dissolve, turning into small flakes of white, like fragile snow falling from a dying sky. She reached up, caressing his face one last time as tears slipped from her eyes.
"I miss you—,."
Under the shade of a lush green tree, the boy woke up. He blinked, feeling disoriented, before his eyes fell on a large city sprawling beneath the mountain where he sat.
"I wonder... who she was." He gaze into sky..