My eyes opened slowly, the haze of confusion still clinging to my thoughts.Right… I came to this chamber. I remember now. There was the sound of battle above—the clash of blades, the tremble of power in the walls. I had been running down the corridor when the floor shook violently. My head struck a pillar, and everything went dark.
I groaned softly, my voice barely a whisper."Who… who is that girl?"Her image kept flashing in my mind—white-silver hair flowing like moonlight, those piercing blue eyes. A face so beautiful it made the world blur around it."I don't even know her, but… I want to. I've never seen anyone like her."
I tried to sit up, but a sharp pain shot through my leg. Looking down, I realized it was wedged tightly between two fallen stones.
"Tch… great," I muttered, gritting my teeth. I struggled to free myself, pushing and twisting—stones scraping against skin.
Then, just as I was about to give up, I heard footsteps approaching.
Through the flickering torchlight of the chamber entrance, I saw them—Priest and Nara, descending the steps quickly, worry etched on their faces.
"Don't move," the priest said firmly, kneeling beside me. With one clean strike of his blade, he shattered the stone trapping my leg. The pressure eased, but pain pulsed through my muscles.
I winced, realizing the injury was worse than I'd thought—I couldn't even stand.
"Stay still," Nara ordered softly, already beside me. Without hesitation, she sliced a small line on her palm. Her blood shimmered faintly, glowing with power, and she pressed it gently to my leg.
"How… can someone heal with their own blood?" I whispered, more to myself than anyone else. Her touch should've hurt—but instead, I felt only warmth. Calming. Soothing. Her power was strange… beautiful, even. Still, my mind wasn't fully here. I was haunted by the girl in my dream—the one with silver-white hair and ice-blue eyes.
"Did something happen? You look pale," the priest asked, steadying me as I slowly rose to my feet.
"No, it's… nothing. Just a dream," I muttered.
"A dream?" he raised an eyebrow. "Oh right—you were about to tell me about it before the battle started."
Thanks to Nara's blood carnation magic, I was able to walk again. We began moving down the corridor, our steps echoing softly against the ancient stone floor.
As we walked, that vision still clung to me—like a memory that didn't belong, yet felt more real than anything else.
"There's this strange dream I keep seeing ever since I entered the library," I said, walking slowly through the corridor with the priest on one side and Nara on the other, supporting me. "In the dream, I look different… like a prince. But the most confusing thing—the one that keeps haunting me—is a girl. She has mismatched eyes and silver-white hair."
The moment I spoke, both of them paused. They looked at each other, eyes widening like I'd just uttered the name of a ghost.
"Then it must be Chrysantha…" Nara said softly, a warm smile appearing on her face. "Finally… you're seeing her."
"So… you're finally seeing your beloved," the priest added with a teasing grin.
"Beloved?! H-How?!" My voice cracked, and I could feel the heat rushing to my cheeks. Why was I blushing like this?
"Centuries have passed, and he's still the same," Nara chuckled, shaking her head fondly.
"I think our Lord might need another century just to realize he's in love," the priest said with a full laugh, and Nara joined him.
"I don't understand," I said, flustered. "Who is she? What kind of relationship did I have with her?"
"Some relationships…" the priest said, looking at me with a knowing smile, "and some feelings… they can't be explained in words."
"Don't worry," Nara added gently. "You'll know the truth when the time is right."
But I couldn't stop thinking about her. Even though I had never met her—never touched her hand or heard her voice—I felt it. Deep down, something pulled at me. A longing. Her silvery hair… those mismatched icy blue and crimson red eyes… Why did I crave to see her again? Was it love? Something deeper?
My thoughts shattered at the sound of rushing water.
"Wait… did you hear that?" I asked.
"The waterfall," the priest said calmly. "That means we're almost out of the corridor."
As we took the final steps forward, the space opened—and I froze.
The view before me—it was exactly like the place in my dream.
"Wait… this… this is it! I've seen this waterfall in my dream!"
"Yes… because it's real," Nara said, stunned. "This is the place where Chrysantha and I used to bathe, long ago…"
"Come, sit," the priest said, leading us to a stone pedestal near the water's edge. We sat, and he looked directly at me. "Let me explain."
"I told you before—the library remembers everything. Our Lord said he's been having dreams, but dreams inside this place… they're not just imagination."
He placed a hand over his heart.
"This library—this place—it senses what's buried inside you. If your soul holds questions, the library tries to answer them. These dreams… they're not just dreams. They are echoes of who you once were."