I stood frozen. My throat felt dry, devoid of any sound, the words were left unsaid. I felt my mind raced, trying and failing to grasp the weight of what she’d just said. I had millions of questions whirring inside me, each an outspoken doubt—a whirlwind of disbelief. Yet there she was—standing in front of me

Tears, unbidden, spill down my cheeks. My legs moved on their own, unsteady and hesitant, as I step closer to her. Each step felt a stupor, as if everything would shatter at any moment.

I fought to speak, my voice shaking, barely above a whisper “…Elsiya… this isn’t a hallucination, right?”

“Honey”, her hand cupped my face, warm and tender, her touch sending a shiver down my spine. “Why don’t you want me in real life? Or... have you fallen for someone else?” She giggled softly. “If that’s the case, I suppose she’d have to... disappear, hehehe.”

I reached up, taking her hand in mine before pulling her into a tight embrace, for a brief second, she stiffened, caught off guard but then melted into my arms, returning the hug. Her warmth enveloped me, yet a strange chill surge inside me, stirring in an emotional awake. My walls crumbled as emotion I’d buried for so long began to surface, and before I knew it tears fell freely, unrestrained. My voice, trembling and fragile slipped past my lips. “I missed you, El…”

The words lingered in the air, as it wasn’t enough.

“I… I regret it—El, I couldn’t save you,” my voice cracked, each word scrapping at my throat like a jagged shard. The sorrowful moment rushed back, reminding me of the moment I failed myself, the moment I lost her. “I was supposed to be the one to save you. Yet I didn’t. I couldn’t…but I— And every second since then… it felt like a lifetime of failure.”

Everything I had, our people, mother and you…I took everything for granted El.

Elsiya watched me quietly, her eyes soft, filled with an empathy I didn’t deserve. Slowly, she took a step forward, inching closer until our eyes met. And for a fleeting moment, the pain ebbed. She smiled—that familiar softness I’d always loved—even in Aelwyn’s body she felt so unmistakably like herself, the way always she had.

She reached out, taking my hand in hers, her voice a calm whisper washing over my ached heart. “Dummy…I saved you because I wanted to, not because you needed to save me. If I went back in time, I would do it all over again, without hesitation. You know why?”

Her gaze softened further, her lips curling into a smile I missed so much.

“Because I love you, honey”

A cool breeze slipped through the room, brushing against my skin, tugging a strange comfort. Her silvery hair swayed gently in the wind, and for a fleeting second, her eyes shimmered—a bright amethyst glow, like a reviving memory.

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“Idiot”, I chuckle hiding my embarrassment. Deep down a relief washed over me, as if a whole lot of tension had just vanished just from her smile. “But I thought you died. How did you end up in this girl’s body?”

She took a moment before answering, her gaze distant, but her voice directed to me, “I really died that day. But …”, she paused, trailing off as if lost in some contemplation. “Ah I don’t know how I end up in this girl’s body, but I can be with you again, hehehe.”

“Even fate itself couldn’t keep you away from me.”, I said, my voice tinged with disbelief. A short chuckle escaped me and before I knew it, we both end up laughing—releasing the tension that was looming overhead.

“More like fate couldn’t handle me”, she teased, her lips curling up into a soft smile before her expression sober up. She released a small sigh, then looked up at me, motioning for me to follow. "Let’s get out of these dungeon-like rooms. This place gives me the creeps.”

I nodded, following into steps beside her. The silence between us stretched, and I found myself recalling my times with Aelwyn. If I hadn’t saved her, I wouldn’t have met Elsiya…. And then I met those two couple. Had I known who they truly served—I would’ve saved them too.

Fate has a cruel sense of humour.

“El”, I called out to her, breaking the brief silence. She paused, and turned, a puzzle looks in her eye.

Keeping my voice low, enough for her, I continued. “Before you appeared, I found something—a parchment on one of the bodies. The man was still alive when I met him.

“Hm?”, her brow furrowed.

“A couple. Sent by Elara”, I continued, handing it over to her. “I’m thinking we should act quickly, and gather our forces."

She took the parchment, her eyes scanning over the details before shaking her head, “No. you need to wait. Our enemies are too strong. I want you to train with these lessers, and slowly we will gather our force.”

I nodded absorbing her words, “I see…”

“Ah I think we could recruit few of lesser,” I suggested after a pausing for a while, before continuing. “Aelwyn, that’s the name of the girl—she is an elf. She was speaking as if the Humans and Elves don’t see eye to eye. Perhaps we can make elves our ally”.

Elsiya lips pursed into a thought. “Alright. I will look into it. Maybe I can access this girl memories… Anyway, you don’t need to worry about that for now, just act like how you’ve been doing until now and stay with this girl.”

I nodded again, though my mind wandered back to the past. “You know, it’s been twenty years since Krynnor attacked us…”, I said, my voice lowering, the weight of those memories pressing in. The images of that day trotted my mind. Emotions began to bombard through my veins again, disbelief followed by vengeance still burned my inside.

“Calm down, Suw”. Elsiya’s gentle voice yanked me out of my ire, her voice like a soothing balm, calming my nerves. She smiled, her teasing tone breaking in the tension “It’s been twenty years. There’s a chance his defenses have weakened. And by the way… you’re still as cute as I remember.”

I felt blood rushing to my cheek at her teasing, quickly regaining my composure I shot back at her, “That name is embarrassing, El.”

She fell in giggle, and slapped my arm dramatically. Her laughter was contagious, and soon, I found myself joining in. It felt like a life time since we’d moment like this, the time I spend with Elsiya feels a luxury. And I am willing to pay any price for it.

I reached for her hand, gripping it firmly but gently. Her blue eyes locking mine, and I pulled her close, my hand resting against her waist. My heart beat rose. “Don’t die on me again, El. I can’t lose you… not again.”