Chapter 9: Awakening

Where… am I?

Aurora felt as though she were floating in an endless void, surrounded by a silence so complete it seemed to swallow all existence.

Am I… dead?

She tried to speak, but not even the sensation of her lips moving reached her.

Here, even sound was devoured by the darkness.

Her memories were muddled.

She remembered many things—people, places, pain and warmth—but when had they happened?

Everything felt jumbled, as if time itself had come undone.

Where am I supposed to go?

Am I meant to stay here forever…?

No.

She couldn’t accept that.

As long as her consciousness still existed, she had to do something.

With nothing to guide her but instinct, Aurora began to move forward—one hesitant step at a time.

She had no idea how long she walked. It may have been hours, days, or only seconds.

She didn’t even know if she was truly moving forward at all.

All she could do was hope—pray—for a way out of the darkness.

Tap… tap… tap… tap…

Suddenly, a soft sound broke through the void.

Delicate, faint, like footsteps echoing far in the distance.

At first she thought it was her imagination.

But when she stopped walking and the sound also ceased, she realized—it was real.

Her heart quickened. Her steps turned into a jog, then a sprint.

The echo of her own feet grew clearer, sharper, and for the first time in what felt like forever—she could feel her own body again.

And then—

“Aurora…”

She froze.

A voice—someone’s voice—called her name from ahead.

And a moment later, a familiar scent filled her nose—light, floral, full of memories.

*****

“Aurora!”

“Oof—!”

The world spun.

Aurora, who had been calmly sitting in a chair mending a tear in her blouse, was suddenly tackled by a red-haired girl, sending the needle flying and a burst of floral fragrance into the air.

“Wha—Lolabelle?” she gasped, momentarily stunned.

A little girl with bright red hair looked up at her, pouting.

“You said you were gonna play with me after sewing!”

Aurora blinked.

Her surroundings were now vivid and warm—sunlight filtered through the window, casting golden rays over wooden floors and woven rugs.

The gentle creak of a rocking chair.

The scent of wildflowers.

This place… this feeling…

It was a memory.

But it felt real.

What is this…? A dream? A vision from the past? Or… have I finally woken up…?

“Lolabell, I told you not to crash into me like that,” Aurora grumbled with mock annoyance.

She slowly got up from the floor, scooping up the little girl who continued to nuzzle into her arms like a clingy kitten.

“Because this is what the book calls a tragic crash filled with love!”

The red-haired girl rubbed her face back and forth against Aurora’s chest, completely unwilling to let go.

“Ow, ow, ow…”

Aurora winced. “Honestly, my back’s been sore for days from all your tackling.”

“And tragic ‘crash’ isn’t written with that kind of ‘crash’, you know!”

She had no idea where Lolabell had learned this from, but for the past few days, the moment she saw Aurora, she would barrel straight into her arms without hesitation.

Aurora spent hours each day sewing clothes on an old rickety wooden chair.

Her waist really couldn’t take this kind of “love” attack anymore.

“Hey, Aurora, Aurora!”

Lolabell looked up from her arms, her face already red from all the rubbing, and gazed at Aurora with wide, expectant eyes.

“I’m here, I’m here, my dearest Lolabell.”

Aurora sighed with resignation as she gently patted the girl’s head, her eyes soft with affection.

“Are you coming to the picnic next week?”

“I don’t think I’ll be able to…”

“Eh? Why not!?”

Lolabell’s bright mood instantly deflated. If she had a pair of cat ears, they’d definitely be drooping right now.

“Well, someone has to mind the tailor shop while everyone’s gone. We’ve had so many orders lately, and there’s no way mom and dad can handle it all on their own.”

Lolabell puffed up her cheeks in protest.

“That’s not fair! Why do you have to be the only one left behind?”

“I volunteered, remember? As the only young one in the house, it’s my duty to help out!”

Aurora struck a proud pose and flexed her arms as if showing off imaginary muscles.

“…Idiot,” Lolabell muttered under her breath.

“Who are you calling an idiot!?” Aurora barked back, already chuckling.

“Just you wait, I’m gonna squish that face of yours!”

Aurora scooped up Lolabell’s cheeks and gave them a relentless squishing.

Lolabell’s eyes welled up with tears from the pain, but her mouth kept going regardless.

“Mmff—idiot, idiot, you’re an idiot…”

The two of them goofed around like that for quite a while, until both were out of breath and finally stopped.

“…Aurora…”

Lolabell’s voice called out again—soft, almost inaudible.

Aurora assumed the little gremlin still wasn’t done playing, so she started rolling up her sleeves again, ready for round two.

But the next thing Lolabell said wasn’t what she expected.

“Aurora, you’re so pretty… What if some boy takes you away and makes you his wife?”

“Pfft—hahahaha!”

Aurora burst out laughing, completely caught off guard.

Where did this kid even get these kinds of ideas?

“What are you laughing at!” Lolabell’s cheeks turned bright red—though whether from the earlier wrestling or pure embarrassment, it was hard to tell.

“It’s nothing, it’s nothing—haha…”

Aurora finally managed to collect herself and replied with a warm smile, “Of course not. Your mom and dad took me in. I’m gonna stay with you guys for the rest of my life.”

“…Then it’s a promise, okay?”

Lolabell buried her face in Aurora’s chest again, unable to look her in the eyes.

“Mm, it’s a promise.”

*****

The memory shattered like glass.

Aurora awoke from the dream, her eyes opening to an unfamiliar white ceiling.

“Where… am I?”

She pressed a hand to her forehead and slowly sat up.

Her mind was still hazy.

The plain gray bedsheets told her this wasn’t an infirmary—she must be in someone’s home.

I should’ve been in the alley…

So why did I wake up here?

In any case, better look around first.

Aurora propped herself up with one hand on the edge of the bed and prepared to get up—

“Ow!”

It felt like someone had yanked her hair.

Aurora glanced down and realized her hand had accidentally pressed on it.

Her hair had grown ridiculously long—snow-white strands pooled on the floor like a pale sheet.

And her nails…

They had grown out too, far longer than what she was used to.

For someone who always kept them neatly trimmed, it was a little disconcerting.

She got off the bed and walked over to a nearby full-length mirror.

A snow-white figure stared back at her.

She was completely naked.

Only the silvery cascade of hair concealed parts of her body, while the features she’d long hidden—her pointed, fae ears—had returned in full display.

Aurora guessed it was probably magic exhaustion that caused her to faint.

It wouldn’t be the first time.

“I really overdid it this time…”

She muttered under her breath and began softly chanting a spell. Bit by bit, the traits unique to her fairy nature faded away, until she once again appeared fully human.

She had first discovered this power back during her original host’s time. It had awakened suddenly—right after she’d learned that bandits had killed her adoptive parents and taken Lolabell.

That anger had summoned something within her.

Something terrifying and powerful.

But this power came at a steep price.

It consumed mana like water through a cracked pot.

Especially when she summoned the Bow of Time—it drained her dry in minutes.

Thud, thud, thud…

Footsteps outside the room.

Then came a thud and a whimper.

“Ow! My head…”

Aurora quickly pulled the bedsheet over her body and walked to the door.

As soon as she opened it, she found a familiar girl sitting on the ground, clutching her head and groaning.

“Are you… alright, Miss Avila?”

“Yeah, yeah, I’m fine…”

“You’re finally awake, Miss Aurora!”

“Hurry, hurry, hurry! Go explain things to the Holy Knight, or we’re really gonna be labeled evil cultists! Waaaah!”