Dawn in the Chantry of Eternal Light, in the world of Nisha…

“…killed me.”

Sunlight filters through shuttered blinds, soft and warm as I murmur those words to myself. My head rests against a pillow, my body covered by a thick woollen blanket that cocoons me in comfort. Everything feels serene, tranquil, and strangely… distant.

Good grief. It’s all so soft, and it feels good. I think I can remain like this forever. Ahh…

But I wasn’t here all nice and snug, was I? No! I was in Arcadia, locked in a death match with the Demon Lord. And now… I’m back in Nisha. Feels like it.

Wait. Hold up! Where am I? Am I… truly…?

Cautiously, I look around. This room – this bed – it’s maddeningly familiar. The faint scent of wood polish… the sound of people talking and walking around from beyond the door… it stirs something deep within me. Something nostalgic…

Of course! This is the guest room I was staying in while I was in the Chantry of Eternal Light! The Chantry is my home away from home on the Isle of Spirits… a haven of the Order of Selene for aspiring healers and paladins to hone and master their skills. I spent months here, studying magic to become a Healer.

But hey, that’s all in the past. Why am I here again? And if I’m here…

“Miss Ishii?”

Three soft knocks on my door follow in the wake of that gentle, hesitant voice calling for me. And uh… the sound of that voice! That’s…

“May I come in, please?”

There’s no mistaking it now that I’ve heard it again. My heart leaps in recognition, though disbelief follows fast on its heels. It can’t be! And yet…

“Yeah,” I say slowly, my throat dry and my heart thundering. “Please come in.”

The door creaks open… and there she is. Anna! Clad in a simple pink nightgown, her violet hair falling in soft waves around her face, she steps inside carrying a silver tray laden with breakfast for two, gently placing it on a nearby table. There are pancakes, eggs, bacon, orange juice – the works. It’s the Chantry’s famous continental breakfast served after morning prayers, brought directly to my room. And it smells… heavenly. Just like the first morning after my summoning to Nisha one year ago…

But all I can focus on right now is her. She’s alive! But Anna, I thought you…

“Umm… I hope you’re hungry, Miss Ishii! Mom said you need a proper meal to help with your recovery. So, umm… sit tight, and I’ll lay the table for the two of us!”

Her soft, cheerful voice feels… surreal. I sit upright in stunned silence, watching her set the plates of food with meticulous care. She’s slow and steady with her hands as she works, a rhythm born of habit and care. And I… feel a strange lump forming in my throat.

“Anna…”

My voice trembles as her name leaves my lips. Seeing her again, after everything, I…

“You’re alive! Holy fucking Rinnah, it’s a miracle!” I exclaim as I leap outta bed, ignoring the ache in my limbs as I wrap her in an embrace, tears streaming down my face. “Anna. Anna! I thought I’d never see you again…”

“Umm… Miss Ishii!? What are you doing…?”

Her body stiffens awkwardly in my arms, and when I pull back… her flushed face and wide, green eyes reveal a mix of polite embarrassment and genuine confusion.

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“Are you alright, Miss Ishii? I don’t understand what’s going on…”

“You’re alive!” I repeat, my heart sinking as I see her blank expression. “Don’t you remember? Arcadia. The Demon Lord. We fought side by side and killed that evil bastard together!”

“Arcadia? Demon Lord?” Anna asks as she tilts her head, her expression visibly uncomfortable as she places a hand on her cheek. “Oh! Umm… that’s your Prophecy, right? To slay the Demon Lord! Mom said that’s why you were summoned here by the Oracle!”

“Yeah… it is. But don’t worry! I killed the Demon Lord! We killed the Demon Lord!”

“We did that…?”

“Yeah! You don’t remember anything at all?” I insist, desperation clawing at my voice. “We travelled across Nisha. We reforged the Runestone. You were there with me every step of the way!”

Politely, Anna shakes her head. That hand of hers is still on her cheek, pressing down hard. That’s… not a good sign.

“You’re kidding,” I say, my voice faltering. “Please tell me you’re kidding…”

Fucking hell. Am I going crazy here? It’s almost like we’ve never met!

“Well, umm… I know Mom said you wanted to be a Healer… and that I’m to be your Paladin,” Anna replies hesitantly, her voice tinged with uncertainty. “Your knight in shining armour! She said that we’re to study magic together under her guidance!”

“Exactly! Wait, what? Studying!? Weren’t we done with that a long time ago?”

“Huh? What do you mean?” Anna asks, her brow furrowing in puzzlement. “I found you in the forest near Light’s Hope yesterday. You were hurt, so I brought you here… and Mom healed your wounds!”

“Injured? By what?”

“It was a Giant Spider,” Anna answers softly, lowering her hands. “It was awful! You’d lost so much blood when it attacked you… and I was so worried that you’d… umm…”

Her words hit me like a sledgehammer, and I instinctively look down towards my torso. Enchanted bandages swathe it, stained crimson with dried blood and the remnants of Mana from what must’ve been a very powerful Heal spell. And despite the sight of so much blood that must’ve come outta me… I feel fine. Rejuvenated, even.

“No fucking way. Those things suck!” I declare, frowning deeply at the thought of a Giant Spider with all its ugly eyes bearing down on me. “No way in hell they’d get me. Unless…”

My breath catches. There was one Giant Spider that got me. I remember it even now. It was the day the Oracle summoned me to this world of Nisha. I had stepped through a shimmering portal on the school rooftop, drawn to it like a moth to a naked flame. And then, I found myself amid a forest, wondering what the fuck happened.

I was lost. Confused. Annoyed, too. I had Student Council stuff to finish and was up there only for a quick smoke break. Nothing more. So much for that, huh? But at least I hadn’t been hit by a truck. And while trying to make sense of things… that Monster jumped me while I had my back turned. My life may or may not have flashed before my eyes when it happened.

Anna found me at that moment between life in this new world and certain death, cutting down the Giant Spider with a single swing of that massive fucking claymore of hers. Y’know, Ascalon! Her healing magic was just enough to keep me teetering on the brink of life as she carried me to the Chantry of Eternal Light. There, Lady Iris Escaflowne, the Ecclesiarch (and also her Mom), worked the miracles of the Healer’s art to mend my fatal wounds.

It was the first step of my Prophecy as a summoned Hero… and my first step as a Healer of the Order of Selene. Because, well… what can I say? On what felt like my deathbed, I mumbled that I wanted to be like Lady Iris – the one whose miraculous magic saved my life while I was at death’s door. But that was in the past, at the beginning.

No. No, no, no! This is all wrong. I remember Arcadia. I remember defeating the Demon Lord! I remember holding Anna in my arms as she… y’know…

I can’t finish the thought. Yet, the more I look at her, standing before me alive and unharmed, the more doubt creeps in. Could it all have been nothing more than a dream? Or is this some cruel, cosmic joke being played at my expense? I…

“Miss Ishii…?” Anna asks worriedly, hand on her cheek once again, her voice pulling me back to the present. “Are you alright? You look very pale…”

“What’s today’s date?” I ask abruptly, my voice sharper than I intended.

“Huh!? Umm… it should be the second day of First Seed in the fifty-fifth year of the Oracle’s Advent,” Anna answers after a moment’s contemplation. “Why?”

“Are you sure!? You’re kidding, right?”

“Umm… I’m not?” Anna replies hesitantly, glancing back at a nearby wall calendar to double-check the date. “It is the second day of First Seed in the fifty-fifth year of the Oracle’s Advent!”

“Impossible! That’s…”

Good grief. It’s really happening again. The same wounds. The same moments. The same beginning. But how is this happening? How in the world am I here again? This doesn’t make any fucking sense at all…

“Umm… Miss Ishii?” Anna offers gently, her voice soft as her eyes dart between me and the neatly prepared breakfast. “Why don’t we sit down and eat? I’m sure you’ll feel better with some food in you!”