-Rika-
As my eyes fluttered open, a soft haze of sleep still lingering, I felt...strangely well-rested. It had been so long since I'd slept this peacefully. A gentle, unfamiliar warmth spread over me, and for a moment, I lay there, savoring it.
"Good morning."
A low, warm voice greeted me, close—much closer than I'd expected. I lifted my head, still somewhat groggy, and turned toward the sound.
My breath hitched.
The man beside me had a face so striking it seemed almost surreal. His features were sharp and refined, with a natural intensity softened by the warmth in his gaze. His golden eyes blazed, vivid and bright, and they locked onto mine, holding me there. Silvery-gray hair framed his face, falling gracefully across his shoulders. The hint of a smile played at his lips, lifting his expression with a subtle kindness.
Wait—why are we this close?
A jolt of realization shot through me, and I scrambled back, barely managing not to hit my head on the torn canvas of the tent remnants we were using as shelter.
He laughed softly, a sound that somehow deepened the warmth in his eyes. "Easy there. Didn't mean to startle you."
Heat crept up my face as the events of last night slowly resurfaced. Ashborn. The fight, the storm. We'd taken cover here, both of us exhausted, drained after taking down that monstrous Revenant. And then, I had…
I'd fallen asleep. Right here. Against him.
And not just asleep. I'd been curled up against his chest, clinging to him for warmth. All. Night.
I raised a hand to cover my face, trying to shield my embarrassment. "How long was I…?"
"Hmm." He considered it. "I'd say about twelve hours."
My jaw nearly dropped. Twelve hours?! I glanced at him, my mind racing. Did that mean I'd been...?
I felt my face grow hotter, and somehow managed to mumble, "Was I…um…close like that…all that time?"
He tilted his head slightly, clearly amused but answering without hesitation. "If you're asking if you were hugging me the whole time, then yes. And I figured, given the lack of space, and the fact that you were… well, freezing," he shrugged, "I didn't mind."
I wanted to disappear into a black hole. Something to stop the mortification spreading through me.
I cleared my throat, desperate to compose myself. "Are you, uh…are you feeling okay?" He asked, leaning in a bit to study me with a look of concern. "Your face is looking a little red… are you sure you're not cold?"
It's not red because of the cold!
I yelled in my mind, glancing away.
I pushed him gently back, trying to regain my composure, though the smile tugging at his lips wasn't helping. "No, I'm fine, thank you. I really… appreciate it."
His gaze softened, and he gave a light chuckle as he eased back. "Good." He said it simply, his voice warm.
Desperate to shift the mood, I cleared my throat, trying to sound casual as I asked, "So…what's your plan now?"
He ran a hand through his silvery hair, which was a bit damp from the storm the night before. "I'm planning to return to the town where you sent the people you saved. My companions should still be there, waiting for me. Though…they might be a little mad."
"Why would they be mad?" I asked, fixing my hair to avoid looking at him. "Did you do something?"
He gave a slight, sheepish grin. "I…may have disappeared without telling them."
"Oh?" I said, trying to hide a smile. "You just took off?"
"Yeah…" He scratched the back of his neck. "The moment I felt you nearby, I ran after it. Telling them where I was going didn't even cross my mind."
Wait, felt me nearby? My heart jumped at the words. Could he have sensed…? But that would mean he was—
"What did you feel, exactly?" I asked, trying to keep my voice calm, but my fingers instinctively moved toward my katana.
He paused, realizing his slip. "Ah…yeah, I can't really say."
Too suspicious. My hand tightened on my sword, and before I could stop myself, I was drawing the blade, holding it against his neck in a silent demand.
He didn't flinch. He simply looked down at the edge of the blade, then back up at me with a quiet patience. "You really want to kill me over that?" His gaze didn't waver, and in it, I saw understanding—and challenge. "You've given me a fake name, but I'm not allowed to have my secrets?"
My bluff had failed. His calm stare made it clear he wouldn't answer by force, and he wasn't wrong to question me. He didn't know my name, my history, or my motives, yet he'd stayed by my side while I slept. It was I who owed him answers.
I sheathed my blade and turned away. "I shouldn't have… Sorry."
"Caution's fair. I get it." His tone softened. "But what about you? Got anywhere to go next?"
"I haven't…really thought that far," I admitted. I'd had no real plan beyond helping the people here. Once this world was safe, I'd planned to move on and wander again, with no place or goal in mind.
"Then come back with me to town," he suggested. "I'm sure the people would want to thank the person who saved them."
I hesitated, the idea of returning tightening my chest. "No. I…I don't think that's a good idea. They'd be better off with you there, anyway."
That wasn't the reason, I was using it to not face something else.
He shook his head, frowning. "Why? They're alive because you were there for them. I only helped at the end. And that Revenant…there's no way I could've beaten it alone."
I wasn't even talking about what happened in this world, just using it as a cover for something else. Not like I can tell him about it.
"But I couldn't save all of them," I said, my voice barely above a whisper. "Too many died. Their friends, their families. How can I stand there and accept their thanks when their loved ones are gone because of my failure?"
I don't understand why I'm telling all those to someone unrelated...
He was silent, clearly taken aback by my outburst. After a moment, he spoke with quiet conviction. "Did you bring those scavengers to this world?"
"No, of course not," I replied, uncertain where he was going with this.
"And when you decided to help them, why did you do it?"
"Because…" I faltered, growing defensive. "Because they needed help. That's all."
"Then why are you carrying the weight of their deaths alone?" His tone softened, and I could feel his gaze searching mine, as if trying to share the burden. "It's not like you knew the threat was here or why it happened. You did what you could, and because of that, those people lived."
But if I didn't go back...
"I could have done more," I said, the frustration welling up again. "I should have been strong enough to save all of them."
If I was strong enough to not burden him...
His voice dropped to a gentler tone, a hint of pain hidden beneath the words. "Maybe. But even if you could've, that doesn't mean it's your fault. What happened here…that blame doesn't belong to you. You wanted to help. And you did. More than anyone else could have. The people who did this, the ones who ignored this world, they're the ones to blame."
Huh...?
His words hung between us, heavy with meaning, and I sensed he understood what it was like to carry such guilt. Maybe he, too, had tried to save someone once and been forced to face what he couldn't change.
In the silence that followed, I realized my grip on my guilt was starting to weaken, if only a little.
"…Fine," I said finally, my voice quieter now. "I'll come with you." I swallowed, feeling as if I were finally releasing a part of myself that I'd clung to since…well, since then.
It was time I tried to move forward.
---
Ashborn conjured a heat barrier with somnium, shielding us from the unending rain as we walked through the scattered remains of yesterday's battle. The sound of each raindrop hitting the barrier and evaporating was blending to the rain.
"So, what were you doing before you came here, Rika?" he asked, glancing over.
"Wandering between worlds," I replied. "Nothing much beyond that."
"There's gotta be more to it," he pressed. "Where'd you grow up, and why start wandering?"
I hesitated. "I had a home… just not anymore."
"Oh, I understand. My homeworld was destroyed, too."
"No I meant—"
I stopped, staring at him. "Wait… what?"
"Oh, yeah." He said it so casually that it took a moment to register.
"You're saying it's… gone?"
He nodded. "Yep. Long story short, I had breakfast with my sister one day, another world decided to invade, and then, the Rule of Destruction came through and wiped everything out."
"That went from zero to a hundred real fast." I muttered. This had to be what he'd hinted at before—those things in his past he couldn't change.
"It was a day full of… surprises." He laughed softly. "I figured telling you would maybe help put things in perspective, but, uh, that didn't go as planned."
I almost wanted to laugh with him, but I couldn't ignore the weight of what he'd said. "You're telling me you don't regret it?" I asked, incredulous. "Not being able to change anything, the… the losses?"
He looked at me thoughtfully. "I did what I believed was best at the time. And yeah, the whole world got destroyed, and I'll never fully untangle the feelings about that. But I know my sister's still alive somewhere, and I just need to find her. It's not ideal, but it's the best outcome I could have asked for."
I fell silent, sensing that he wasn't being entirely honest. But who was I to press him on it?
We walked and talked, and I realized he knew more than I'd expected, especially about weapons. He'd trained with several, though his favorite had been a glaive—a weapon I'd rarely seen used with his level of proficiency. He admitted he was still awkward when it came to combining his weapon skills with somnium, though.
"How are you struggling with that?" I asked. "It's a basic skill."
He scratched his head, looking a bit sheepish. "I've only been learning to control somnium for a month, and my teacher's… not exactly conventional."
I stopped mid-stride, my eyes widening. "Wait… did you just say you couldn't use somnium a month ago?"
He shrugged. "Yeah, pretty much."
Was I hearing this right? All these years of my training, all my skill, and this guy had somehow reached this level in a month? It was absurd—and completely unfair.
"Uh, you look a little mad," he said, raising an eyebrow. "Did I say something wrong?"
"Just frustrated," I muttered. "I didn't think anyone could reach this level in a month."
He looked mildly embarrassed. "Well, if it makes you feel better, I'm terrible at anything that isn't my own technique."
"What?" I blinked.
"My technique's based on a legend from my homeworld, it was the first think I thought about when I heard I could do anything I imagine, then stuck to it. Everything else is what I already knew."
"You mean you were trained as a fighter?"
"Yeah. Every kid in my clan was. Melee weapons, hand-to-hand, survival training. My people could use somnium, but only in form of Sun, like I do. They were brilliant with fighting, but they lacked formal knowledge of somnium." He shrugged. "I can do a little more than that now, but it's not easy."
"You're more comfortable using your own affinity; that's normal," I said, still surprised at his straightforwardness. "But only using your own technique? That won't work for long. You would run out of luck if you were facing a flame-based enemy or someone who could match your affinity. You should train in some other affinities to balance it."
He seemed to mull it over, nodding. "Yeah… I ran into a situation like that before."
The conversation gradually quieted as we reached the bridge leading to the town, first few homes barely visible through the thickening rain.
The town was quiet, but every window glowed with warm light, hinting at life inside the buildings. It was a stark contrast to the abandoned feel I remembered from my last visit. Ashborn led me to an old house at the edge of the main street, a place that looked like it hadn't been used in years.
"They were here before I left," Ashborn said, knocking firmly on the door. "So, I'm hoping they still are."
The door creaked open, revealing a face I never could have expected to see here. A young man with messy dark green hair and tired eyes.
Without thinking, I slammed the door shut.
"What was that?" Ashborn asked, giving me a confused look. Thankfully, my quick reflexes kept him from noticing someone opened the door.
"N-nothing. I thought I'd try the door since no one was answering." I shrugged, trying to sound casual.
The muffled, agitated sounds of someone nursing an unexpected injury reached me from the other side. I'd probably hit him square in the face. He deserved an apology—later. That was a necessary sacrifice.
Why is Thalor with Ashborn? The thought was as unsettling as it was confusing. How had these two even met?
And if Thalor was here…
My heart sank. I knew what this meant.
Just as I turned to suggest searching elsewhere, a familiar, unmistakable voice rang out behind me.
"Oh, look who's finally returned after disappearing—wait, is that…" The woman froze mid-sentence, her eyes widening as she locked onto me. Dark green hair braided down her back, sharp gaze honed like a blade—Virana. The last... fourth person in the Dreamscape I wanted to encounter right now. Not in the top three, but still not good.
A silent plea: Please don't say anything.
Virana's eyes flicked between me and Ashborn, and I saw her realize the situation. She recovered quickly, her face slipping into a mask of nonchalance.
"Ashborn," she said coolly, "you've been gone an entire day, and now you're back with lady—… a stranger?"
She was playing along, thankfully. She almost slipped up, but it was a good act considering how fast she pulled it off. I owed her an explanation, even if I couldn't offer it now.
"Is it all right to explain?" Ashborn asked, looking to me.
"Yes, it's fine," I replied, my voice tight for entirely different reasons than he probably thought.
Ashborn gestured to me. "This is the famous Ghost who's been taking on the scavengers here. And, Ghost, meet Virana."
"Such an honor to meet the living legend herself," Virana replied, her voice laced with a sarcasm that nearly left a sting.
"For me too," I answered, trying to sound polite, though I knew I probably deserved worse.
"Lady Ghost," she continued, raising an eyebrow, "might I get your real name? Or should we stick with… Ghost?"
"My name is… Rika."
"Pfft—" Virana nearly laughed out loud before she caught herself. I didn't miss the look of amusement she shot me, though. Trying to introduce myself with a fake name to a childhood friend—awkward didn't cover it.
Not willing to let her mock me, I stepped on her foot, quick enough to go unnoticed by Ashborn.
"Ashborn," she said, clearly trying to distract herself from a smirk, "you should probably save your energy for something more practical than holding a somnium umbrella all day."
I blinked, suddenly remembering we'd been walking under Ashborn's heat barrier the entire time. The rain pelted down around us, but not a single drop had touched us.
"I knocked a few times," Ashborn explained, "but nobody answered."
Virana glanced at me, and I avoided her gaze, feeling an odd mix of gratitude and dread.
She unlocked the door with a key and opened it, revealing a small room with an old couch, some worn chairs, and a table. Thalor was seated in one of the chairs, a cloth pressed to his nose, a slight bruise already forming.
I really owed him a second apology.
We filed in, Ashborn first, then Virana, and finally me.
"What happened to your nose?" Virana asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Not sure," Thalor muttered, his voice muffled. "I was opening the door, and then suddenly—Lady Rei—?!"
A second before he could say my name, Virana stuffed a ghost-burning pepper—one of her infamous, fiery snacks—into his mouth, effectively shutting him up. He spluttered, his eyes widening as the intense heat hit him.
"Oops," she said flatly, showing no sympathy. "Guess you wanted to try these again, huh?"
As Thalor struggled, coughing and fighting for breath, I gave him a small, sheepish smile. I knew I owed him.
Ashborn, thankfully oblivious as he shut the door behind us, looked curiously at Thalor, who sat in a corner with his face beet-red and nose bleeding. He was clutching his mouth, visibly shocked.
"What… happened to him?" Ashborn asked, puzzled, though he seemed reluctant to pry too deeply into whatever strange dynamic we had going.
"Oh, he accidentally ate one of my peppers," Virana replied, her tone far too cheerful. "Could you help him while I borrow… Rika for a moment?"
He looked at us, confused but clearly understood whatever happened to Thalor was not a accident. He acted like he didn't notice to not risk meeting the same fate that reduced Thalor to his current state. "Sure?"
A wise choice, indeed. Though a part of me wanted to beg him to stay and shield me from what was about to unfold, I knew I couldn't avoid this conversation. I did decide to face my past… I just hadn't expected it to happen today.
With a calm authority, Virana pointed to another room, waiting as I walked ahead. She stepped in behind me, and with a flick of her wrist, a faint green glow sealed the door, making the room soundproof.
"Lady Reika," she began, her voice cold, but there was a hint of anger in her eyes. "We have a lot to talk about, don't you think?"
I nodded, nerves making it hard to keep eye contact.
I don't want to be here...
No, I can't keep running away.
"I'm Sorry..." I started, but couldn't find anything to continue with.
Virana's voice was low but filled with that all-too-familiar edge of sisterly reproach. "…You know I'm not the one you owe an apology to, right?"
Of course, I did. But it wasn't so simple.
"I… can't go back yet." The words slipped out almost in a whisper, but I forced myself to meet her gaze. "I need to finish something."
Virana studied me in silence, an unexpected softness in her eyes. "I figured. You wouldn't have done something like that without reason."
What? I stared, half-expecting her anger to come bursting through. Instead, she folded her arms, a tired sigh escaping her lips.
"Why are you looking at me like that?" she asked, raising an eyebrow. "Did you expect me to yell at you?"
"You should be mad."
She shook her head, as though I'd just proven I was beyond help. "Do you remember when we were little, and I accidentally broke the dragon statue in the garden?"
"…The Divine Altar?" I corrected. "The one you sliced in half on accident while showing off your technique?"
"Yes, that one. You really never forget anything," she huffed, with a begrudging smirk. "Do you also remember what happened after?"
"Not exactly, but you got out of it somehow."
"I got out of it because you took the blame for me," she said, looking me in the eye. "And then, when I tried to admit it, you somehow convinced everyone I was lying to cover for you."
"Oh…" I shrugged. "I don't remember it being a big deal."
"You weren't allowed to leave the palace grounds for a month."
"Oh," I muttered, wincing as it came back to me. "Right."
"And you even said it was really your fault because it was showing it to you. Remember now?"
I didn't remember that part, but that sounds like something I would say...
"So, yes, I am mad at you, but not for the reason you think," she said, shaking her head. "Reika, you have this habit of blaming yourself for things that aren't your fault, and then carrying all the weight by yourself. I'm mad because you didn't tell anything to anyone."
She drew in a breath, the tension in her expression unbroken. "Whatever it was, I would've helped you. We all would've. But you just left without a single word." Her voice dropped to a whisper. "Your mother… she's been beside herself, not knowing if you were dead, captured, or…" Her voice broke for an instant, her eyes holding onto mine fiercely. "You get what I'm saying?"
I felt myself chuckle slightly, maybe from relief at finding that she was the same, even after three years. But before I could speak, Virana pulled me into a tight hug. My surprise faded as I wrapped my arms around her, feeling the tension between us finally ease.
"I'm glad you're safe."
There was silence, but it felt comfortable for the first time. Then she pulled back, a wicked glint in her eye.
"Now, about that alias," she teased. "I won't ask where you've been for three years, but really? Rika?"
I rolled my eyes, exasperated. "I thought it up in a hurry! It sounded… easy."
She snickered, and for a moment, we laughed together, the kind of laughter we used to share over far less serious things.
"So, how did you two meet?" she asked, her eyes narrowing as she got back to business. "I guessed you were the 'Ghost' from what one of the kids said, and that black hole in the sky yesterday pretty much confirmed it. But seeing you both show up together on the doorstep…"
Of course, she noticed it. Not like any person in this world didn't. Maybe I shouldn't used it to show off...
...or maybe it was better this way.
I gave a shrug, trying to keep things vague.
"He was there when I raided the scavenger outpost. After we killed the Revenant, he invited me to visit the town."
I purposefully left out a few details, but she saw right through it, her expression turning sharp.
"What did you two do after that?" She tilted her head, eyes glinting with suspicion. "That was last night, and you two didn't get here until now."
I scrambled for a response. "W-we were… walking slowly."
"hmm~?" she repeated, arching an eyebrow. "It would've taken you half a night, even at the slowest pace."
"We were tired. So, we rested before heading here."
"Really~?"
"We rested," I repeated, feeling my face grow warmer. "There's nothing else to it."
But my reddening face was more than enough for her to latch onto. A mischievous smile spread across her face.
"Wrinkled clothes, must have been a tight space… oh, were you in a cave?" she mused, piecing together clues as if she were inspecting a crime scene. "No, it's something else… And with that storm? You two would've been drenched. So you found the nearest shelter, exhausted and cold, and kept close all night to stay warm together…" She grinned like a cat who'd caught a mouse. "Oh my. Did you two…?"
"No!" I blurted, feeling my cheeks burn. "It was nothing like that!"
This girl used to believe goblins would stole her clothes if she didn't tidy them up, when did she become a professional detective?!
She laughed, obviously enjoying herself. "Your face tells otherwise~"
"Stop! Really, it was just—"
She waved a hand, thoroughly unconvinced. "Don't worry, I get it. It'll be our secret."
"Virana, that's not even—!"
"Sure, sure." Her tone was anything but innocent. "Now, when are you planning to tell him he spent the night with princess of Azdria?"
"Not yet," I mumbled, cringing at the thought.
"Oh, so you do accept it, then?"
"No!"
Her laughter was merciless. "Relax, I'll help keep your secret. Not that it'll last long. He'll figure it out soon enough—if he hasn't already."
"And what about him?" I asked, steering the conversation back toward Ashborn. "He's strong, insanely strong for someone who's been here for only a month. He doesn't have any obvious connections to Azdria, so why is he traveling with you and Thalor?"
Her smirk returned. "Why don't you figure it out yourself? You're hiding secrets from him, so it's only fair if he has a few of his own."
As annoying as that logic was, I had to admit she had a point. Just who was he, really?