A couple hours had passed since the spare. I had taken a shower, put on fresh, clean clothes, and ate breakfast, and now I was seated with my father and Ryan, who had taken a seat in front of me, staring daggers into me. The rest of my—and Ryan's—family stood behind me out of sight, "Now please explain." Ryan's voice spoke in a calm tone that held authority.
Then I explained everything to them, except for a few parts after I had failed the trial. Since I couldn't tell them that wasn't my real dream, at least from what that voice told me, I only told them the events that transpired within that false dream. "Hmm, ash-gray, snow field, moons..." Ryan muttered to himself, "I've only ever read about something like this once, and there are very few accounts, and since everyone is different, it's harder to generalize, but if I had to, it would be the aspect of space." Ryan took a deep breath before continuing. "The aspect of space is similar to teleportation. If you were to complete the first trial successfully, you'd likely gain insight on how to warp space, allowing you to instantly appear wherever you desire. Without making things too complicated, you'll be able to warp the space around you and the space you desire and travel there instantaneously. I'm not exactly sure of the fundamentals of this aspect, but know that the first ability you learn will be otherworldly."
I could hear the breaths of disbelief coming from those around me, but I knew that if anything, that ability wouldn't be my own; that dream was faulty and didn't hold any significance for me. But what did that voice mean by "real dream" and the fact that I wouldn't have those dreams until I was strong enough? Was that voice trying to misguide me? Was my true test to gain insight into the aspect of space not being tricked? Yet I feel like I should listen to its every word.
Whatever that being had in store for me was something far beyond my comprehension, and I still don't understand why I heard it in the first place or why her voice sounded so familiar. From the singing to that voice, why does it all feel so familiar? I thought to myself.
My brain felt like mush trying to think of a logical reason for any of this, but the only conclusions I was brought to were that they were things designed from my false dream and somehow interpreted into my mind playing like a song you only heard once when you were a young child, or the other conclusion could be that I've just gone mad. Hopefully, that isn't the case.
"—is?" Father's voice snapped me from my thoughts: "Are you alright?" He asked, studying me. "Yeah, I'm just surprised. I didn't know I could do something so amazing." I lied, leaving a distasteful taste in my mouth. "To bad I failed my first trial; will there be another opportunity?" I was genuinely confused about whether I'd get another chance at any dream, let alone that false one.
"Of course you'll have your next one within a month tops since you failed. Your core is going through its brace period, but no worries. With you reaching your first stage in all, I'm sure your dream will be completely different." My father reassured, "But don't be too sure that your aspect is space. It's hard enough to judge what aspects are, so if it isn't the aspect of space, don't be discouraged. I'm sure it'll be something even more amazing; after all, you're my son." Father stood up, stretching his arms wide.
Giving me a cheeky smile he then looked like he had forgotten something, "Oh! Ryan, Akemi, Jasmine I almost forgot we were supposed to go out to get something." My fathers statement seemed to confuse everyone in the room, "Come on! Just go!" My father declared, pushing them out of the doorway.
My sister, Stella, and Alice stood there confused, but it didn't take long for them to act. Stella walked over and pulled a chair to my side, Asuna took the seat where my father was, and Alice stood there awkwardly before scurrying away.
Stella, who was sitting about a few feet away, motioned towards her lap and said, "Lay down." She said it solemnly. "I'm not a kid anymore, you know?" I stared at her, slightly embarrassed. "You'll always be a kid to me. Who do you think helped change your diapers?" Stella chuckled, "Now lay down."
"Fine." I gave in, scooting my chair to a comfy place where I could lay without feeling like I would fall onto the floor. "Good, Iggy." Stella's face wore a warm smile. She began gently stroking my hair in a rhythmic pattern. "Asuna, tell our little Iggy your favorite story. I'm sure you know what I'm talking about. During his ascension." My sister's demeanor, which usually carried confidence and intelligence, had changed to that of a little girl getting ready for her favorite bedtime story.
"O-okay," my sister's voice cracked, then she cleared her throat before speaking again, and with that look of excitement on her face, I couldn't help but just get ready to engulf in whatever she was about to say.
"The name of this story was 'Aurora, the girl of the night.'" My sister said her voice was particularly booming.
I closed my eyes, preparing to try to make vivid imagery of whatever she was about to say, but I felt a little risk in doing so, the rhythmic strokes threatening to make me fall asleep.
"Once upon a time, there was a little girl who would run away beyond the walls of her castle to escape from the pressure of being the next princess. Every night, she would creep along a path in the vast castle that was least guarded, weaving, dodging, and hiding from all the eyes until she was free from their influence. She would run, jump, and shout all the things people would mock her for; she would travel deeper and deeper throughout those walls, exploring the great forest."
"She was immersed in nature's beauty; she found every last thing interesting, from the fireflies that stalked the night to the deer that flolicked freely. Every night, she would explore deeper and deeper, stumbling upon hidden paths and glades. Nature's beauty held no limit in her eyes. One day, she traveled farther than she had ever gone, reaching an expanse of grassy fields. Where In dozens of yards, a cliff resigned. She rolled up and down through the tiny grasses that tickled her skin. She laid back on the soft grass, her eyes focused on the expansion of the night sky."
"Each star in the sky shimmered with brilliance, each star shining with its own purpose. A dance of celestial lights filled the night sky; stars shot across the horizon in beautiful pink, blue, red, and purple hues, and that was not even a scratch on its beauty. Breathtaking celestial bodies filled the sky's very existence, with luminous rivers of stars stretching completely across the vast sky. She could only dream of reaching the stars; like an ocean, tears began pouring from her eyes. She cried tears of joy. Joy that she got to see such a wonderful thing."
"She reached her hand toward the sky and laughed at the irony. Her name was Aurora, and she was in love with the night's beauty—the wonders of outer space—from a single glance. "If only I could reach them," The girl muttered slightly, saddened by the realization that she wouldn't be able to get any closer to the stars. A shooting star shot across the sky, and in that moment, Aurora made her first wish: "I wish to be closer to the stars, even if it's a little, just more than before, more than even the castle peak could do."
"And with that, her wish was answered. iridescent particles began swarming around the air around her. She stumbled upon an otherworldly energy. An energy that had a mind of its own. Each particle shimmered with life of its own; just being in the presence of whatever she was seeing gave her power, a goal, and hope. That she could soar with the very stars she loved."
"At that moment, she found the very essence of mana, pure mana. Her body thrummed as the pure mana listened to her desires, aiding her in wanting her to get a chance to do what she dreamt. As the pure mana forged her a newfound ability, an otherworldly power, she noticed minutes had bled into hours, and it was far past her own curfew. She made it a rule for herself not to spend more than three hours out since the guards would check in about every four-to-five hours."
"She knew she should be worried, but yet she was so calm. Her body thrummered with energy; she felt like she could do anything, so she took the risk. Running like the little kid she couldn't be, she ran towards the cliff, throwing herself into it with pure joy and terror. An iridescent hue shimmered to life as she took flight. Like a firefly, she soared, screaming to the top of her lungs. She arrived home in a matter of minutes, but it was too late. She came soaring into the open window of her bedroom, and what awaited would change her life forever."
"Her father and mother stood there bewildered by the fact their daughter had just flown, "W-w-witch!" A scrawny guard whimpered, "Witch? How dare you say such nonsense about my daughter?!" Her mother shot at the guard, giving him a complete look of disgust. Her broad-shouldered father bent down on his knee to talk to her at eye level, "Aurora, you went beyond the walls, didn't you?" Her father questioned her, staring deeply into her eyes. She only nodded in response."
"Guards, out, and that man right there should be seized of his position immediately." Her mother pointed to the scrawny guard, who shrunk back in fear. "T-the courts won't stand for this witchcraft, which is punishable by death!" The guard spat his scrawny body, posing no more threat than a bug. Her father huffed before waving the guards off. "Aurora, I had set rules for you for this purpose. Those guards will likely tell the court, and I'm afraid of what might happen to you." Her father spoke through clenched teeth."
"So, Aurora was told one thing, and that was what her power was truly capable of. Her father and mother shed tears, bawling like two babies who had lost their favorite toy. Aurora had a new goal: to create a world where people could live without judgment, have freedom, and not be held by the corruption of those like the courts. Aurora flew high into the night sky, passing far beyond the horizon, only going higher, until the point she reached outer space, where something she thought was impossible was happening."
"She stared at the ocean of stars and her very home planet. At that moment, she declared she would come back one day. One day, when she could make everything right. She flew through space's beauty as well, with an unmatched beauty of her own, traveling faster than any bullet could. Minutes became hours, hours became days, days became weeks, and so on."
"Aurora had reached the point where she could safely create a new universe, and with the flicker of otherworldly binding light, Aurora had taken her first step towards creating a world of her own. A world where, no matter the differences between one another, you would always be accepted; a world built on dreams; a life of fulfillment and purpose. It would be a world where acceptance, kindness, love, and dreams were born. Therefore creating a harmonious and inclusive society for all."
"The end."
A round of applause came from over my head Stella clapped joyfully, "Great story isn't it?" Stella asked me, "I know it may seem childish but this was my favorite thing to hear as a little girl, and if I didn't know any better I'd say Aurora created the world we live in. She's such an amazing character!" My sister beamed, "I'm glad I was the first person who got to tell you this story." Her voice came out warm leaving me with a sense of warmth, a feeling of drinking something hot on a cold day.
"It was great." I replied sheepishly as Stella's hands almost brought me to sleep, "Well I guess we could get some sleep." Asuna said while jumping on a cushioned sofa to our right, "Get some sleep Iggy." Stella's soft voice ordered.
"If you promise to get some sleep soon as well." I said, suspicious of the amount of sleep she was getting, "Promise." She replied simply stroking my hair rhythmically and I quickly began to drift off to sleep, but just before I could fall asleep I had to thank my sister for her wonderful bedtime story, "I really enjoyed the story, Asuna. I wouldn't mind hearing another one day." I said in slurs finally completely giving up on fighting the sleepiness.