Alice replied with a cold smirk, "Yeah..."
The Dark Matter's expression shifted, radiating a chilling sense of fury. "Do you think I am a fool? Regardless—how did you two meet and conceive a child? No one knows a thing about it."
"I don't care for publicity," Alice stated flatly.
The entity tilted its head curiously. "I see. And does he know the truth about you?"
"We know everything about each other," Alice countered. "Is there anything a better couple should hide?"
The Shadow's fury flared again. "Oh, that's grand for you both. But are you certain he knows who you truly are?"
Alice fixed him with a frigid stare. "What do you mean?"
"Does he know you are the Master of this very tower?" the Dark Matter hissed. "The Grand Mage of the entire Albelion region?"
"I told you—do not question me," Alice warned, her voice dropping to a dangerous register as her eyes flashed a brilliant red-emerald hue.
"Fine, fine. But what of your child? I know nothing of the boy," the entity replied, its tone turning cold and mocking.
"You bastard! You lied when you said you knew where he was!" Alice's fury boiled over. The veins in her arms glowed a violent red, her killing intent saturating the air as she moved to strike him with her raw power.
"Wait! Stop!" the Dark Matter recoiled. "Fine! I lied about knowing the boy's location. I have simply never heard of such a child existing. I asked out of curiosity... and because the boy's face is so similar to his father's."
At the mention of her son's face, Alice's expression transformed. Her face bloomed like a sunflower catching the first light of dawn. Her mind grew easeful, a rare sense of relaxation washing over her at the realization that someone else had seen her child.
The Dark Matter watched her in stunned silence, amazed by the sudden softness in the terrifying mage.
"Focus on your task," the entity muttered, breaking the silence. "You can be happy later."
Alice snapped back, her gaze returning to a lethal chill. "Don't order me! Now, how do I begin? Where will I find them? I... I cannot remember."
"Alice," the Shadow whispered in a haunting, mysterious tune, "do not trust what you see. Feel the truth behind the vision."
With that, he faded into the floorboards.
"Hey! Where are you? Come back and tell me everything! Don't run!" Alice shouted into the empty air.
Frustrated and lost in thought, she returned home. She sat beneath the great tree, her mind drifting until she slipped into a dream of something long forgotten.
In the dream, a deep, resonant voice echoed: "Alice, when you feel lost, come here. This light shall guide you to your destination."
"What are you talking about, Arka? Stop joking around," Alice said, laughing within the dream.
She was holding Arka's hands, dancing in a clearing surrounded by ancient, curving trees and shimmering streams. The greenery was lush, pierced by beams of golden sunlight through the canopy. They danced in pure joy until—snap. The sound of a breaking branch shattered the peace. Alice could no longer see him.
"Arka? Arka, where are you? Stop with the riddles!"
Fear took root in her chest. Her hands began to tremble. Suddenly, a dark, urgent voice boomed above her: "Alice, we don't have time to play!"
Alice screamed and bolted upright, drenched in a cold sweat. Her body shivered, her breath coming in jagged, panicked gasps.
"What the hell was that?" she whispered, her voice shaking.
She sat there, clutching her knees as her pulse slowed. "I know that place," she muttered to the shadows of her room. "I need to recover my missing memories."
Her mind was made up. She would go to the place from her dream.
"But how do I get there?" she whispered. "I remember the sight... but I still don't know the way."
Alice returned to her home and reached for her most precious treasure—the torn book. She began to pore over its pages with deep concentration, searching for any hidden clue. Suddenly, a faint glimmer caught her eye. Tucked within the binding was a map—an ancient, weathered chart of the Albelion region. Her finger traced the parchment to the very edge of the world, where the border of Albelion met the dark, jagged gap of Blackilion.
Her mind was set. Alice stepped outside and began the ritual. "Come forth," she commanded.
With a shimmer of light, a small, delicate fairy appeared. "I shall guide you to your destination, Miss Alice!" the creature chirped. But as the fairy looked at the map, its tiny face went pale with shock. "But... Miss Alice..."
"What?" Alice's tone was a jagged shard of ice.
"That is a restricted area," the fairy whispered, its voice trembling. "It is a place of shadows and death. It isn't safe, Miss Alice. You must return home."
Alice's rage began to boil. "Shall I kill you now, or will you show me the path?"
The fairy froze, gripped by a primal instinct of death.
"I summoned you for navigation, not for counsel," Alice hissed. Her eyes ignited with a terrifying red-orange glow. "Offer me advice again, and your head will serve the soil."
As night fell, the path became treacherous, the thick canopy swallowing the moonlight. Alice decided to camp for the night. But sleep brought no peace.
"Wake up, Alice... time is running out." The deep, obsidian voice echoed through her mind like a funeral bell.
Alice bolted upright, gritting her teeth as cold sweat poured down her face. "Again," she snarled. "Always the same voice."
As she regained her senses, she gasped. She was no longer on the dark trail. She was sitting in the very heart of the lush, sun-drenched clearing from her dreams.
She summoned the fairy immediately. "How did we reach this place so fast?"
The fairy materialized, trembling with pure terror as it looked around. "How... how is this possible? We were miles away!" In a puff of smoke, the fairy vanished, too frightened to remain in such a cursed place.
Suddenly, a violent gust of wind tore through the clearing, aimed directly at Alice. A young girl emerged from the trees—sharp-eyed, lithe, and dressed in simple traveling clothes.
"What is your purpose here?" the girl demanded, her voice ringing with authority.
Alice remained unnervingly calm. "Little girl, tell me your name."
Instead of answering, the girl unleashed a massive burst of pressurized air. The blow hit Alice with the force of a falling mountain. When the wind settled, the girl stared in disbelief.
"How are you still standing?" the girl gasped. "That blast was more than enough to send a weakling like you flying!"
The word "weakling" snapped something inside Alice.
"Weakling? Me?" Alice's voice was a low, dangerous growl. "I shall show you which of us is the weak one."
Alice's pupils dilated into swirling pools of fire. The veins in her hands throbbed with a violent red light as raw, ancient power surged through her veins. With a single, fluid motion, she slammed her palm into the earth.
The ground didn't just crack—it shattered. The earth ripped apart like paper, trees were uprooted, and the soil exploded upward as if Alice were splashing water. A massive shockwave tore through the clearing, burying everything in a thick, suffocating cloud of dust.
The young girl collapsed, trembling in absolute terror. She could barely breathe; the sheer weight of Alice's killing intent felt like a hand around her throat.
Alice stepped through the settling dust, her red eyes glowing like embers in the dark. A terrifying, predatory smile touched her lips as she loomed over the girl.
Then, the darkness in her eyes softened. She reached out a hand in a gesture that was strangely calm.
"Come," Alice said softly. "Stand up, girl."