The moment Seojun's feet touched the familiar wooden floor of the music room, he staggered, his breath coming in sharp gasps. The scent of aged paper and flickering lanterns from the Library of Whispers still clung to his senses. The weight of Alden's final words lingered, curling around his thoughts like a melody he couldn't forget.
Elias didn't let go of his wrist immediately. His grip was firm, grounding. "Are you alright?"
Seojun met his gaze, searching for answers in the storm of emotions swirling behind Elias's eyes. "I don't know," he admitted. "But I need to be."
Elias sighed, his hold loosening before he finally stepped back. "You shouldn't have been able to reach that place so soon," he murmured, running a hand through his hair. "Alden's interference is dangerous. He doesn't follow rules he bends them."
Seojun swallowed hard. "Then why do I feel like he's the only one telling me the truth?"
Silence stretched between them, thick with unsaid things. The candlelight cast shadows on Elias's face, making the conflict in his expression even more apparent.
"You think he's helping you," Elias said finally, voice quiet, "but Alden never does anything without reason. If he's guiding you, it's because you serve a purpose in his grand design."
Seojun's heart pounded. "And you? What's your reason for helping me?"
Something flickered in Elias's eyes something vulnerable, fleeting. But instead of answering, he turned toward the piano. "Sit."
Seojun hesitated before obeying, fingers trembling as they hovered over the keys.
Elias stood behind him, his presence steady. "Again, listen. Let the music breathe before you play."
Closing his eyes, Seojun did as he was told. At first, there was nothing but silence, but then—like a whisper at the edge of his consciousness he heard it. A melody, distant yet familiar, pulling at something deep within him.
Slowly, he pressed down on the keys, coaxing the notes into existence. The room shimmered, reality bending, as golden threads of sound wove through the air.
Elias inhaled sharply. "Seojun, stop "
But it was too late. The music had taken hold, and with a final note that trembled in the space between them, the world shattered once more.
When Seojun opened his eyes, he was no longer in the music room.
Instead, he stood in a moonlit garden, the scent of night-blooming flowers thick in the air. A fountain trickled softly nearby, and in the center of it all, bathed in silver light
Elias.
Only this Elias looked different. His clothes were old-fashioned, his expression unreadable. And when he turned, his gaze locked onto Seojun's with an intensity that sent shivers down his spine.
"You found me," this other Elias murmured, a hint of something like sadness in his voice. "Even here."
Seojun's heart stuttered. "Elias...?"
The garden wind carried the distant echo of a song, and Seojun knew he had just stepped into a memory. But whose?
And why did it feel like his heart already knew the answer?