As we ventured deeper into the forest, a massive tree emerged before us.
“Whoa… That tree is huge!”
Sua gasped, staring up in awe.
The tree was colossal, its massive trunk stretching high into the sky.
Its thick, ancient bark bore layers of rings, giving it a sense of timelessness, while a faint, eerie glow flickered between its sprawling branches.
“What is this place…?”
I muttered, glancing around.
We had only walked further into the forest, yet this place felt… different.
“Something’s strange…”
Harp murmured softly, staring at the tree.
“There’s an unusual energy coming from it.”
Tilting my head, I cautiously took a step closer.
I couldn’t pinpoint exactly what was wrong, but the air around the tree felt… heavy.
At that moment, Liel let out a small gasp.
“This tree… I’ve seen it before.”
“You have?”
I turned to look at her.
Her wide eyes remained fixed on the tree as she hesitantly pointed at it.
“I don’t know where, but… I recognize it. No, more than that—I’ve felt it before.”
Sua frowned, mirroring Liel’s confusion.
“That’s weird… I feel the same way. I don’t remember seeing it anywhere, but it feels familiar.”
Their words only deepened my confusion.
“Both of you find it familiar…? Harp, what about you?”
Harp studied the tree with a sharp gaze before slowly shaking her head.
“No. This is my first time seeing it. But… the energy here is definitely strange.
It feels like the very air around us is different.”
I nodded, agreeing.
“There’s definitely something off. This place doesn’t feel like the rest of the forest at all.”
At that moment, the tiny slimes that had been following us suddenly moved.
One by one, they all turned toward the tree and surrounded it in a perfect circle.
“Huh? What are they doing?”
Sua asked, startled.
The small slimes began to move in unison, slowly circling the tree.
Their movements were precise and deliberate—almost ritualistic.
There was something strangely sacred about it.
“What… does this mean?”
I muttered, glancing back and forth between the tree and the slimes.
Liel took a step back, her expression growing uneasy.
“…Something feels wrong.”
Sua crossed her arms, tilting her head in thought.
“This is weird. Are they guarding the tree? Or… are they summoning something?”
Feeling unsettled, I turned to Harp.
“Harp, you don’t know what this means either, right?”
Harp studied the tree with sharp, serious eyes before responding quietly.
“No, Teacher. But I don’t think this is a coincidence. We should stay on guard.”
Her words sent a small chill down my spine.
Until now, I had just thought this was a strange but fascinating sight.
But the more I watched, the less it seemed like a mere coincidence.
“…Should we stay and keep watching?”
I asked cautiously.
But before anyone else could answer, Liel shook her head firmly.
“No. We shouldn’t stay here.”
“Huh? What do you mean?”
“I don’t know exactly… but we need to move forward. I have a feeling we need to go closer to the tree.”
Something in her voice made me pause.
And as we hesitantly stepped forward, an eerie tension filled the air.
The slimes continued circling the tree, their silent ritual uninterrupted.
And the strange energy radiating from the tree was only growing stronger.
“Teacher, be careful.”
Harp warned me softly from beside me.
“Got it. Everyone, move slowly.”
Nodding slightly, I took a cautious step forward.
But the closer I got to the tree, the more something felt… off.
A wave of dizziness washed over me.
My head spun, and my vision blurred, tilting as if the world itself was shifting.
“Ugh… What’s happening?”
I reached up to steady myself, trying to step back.
But my body wouldn’t move.
Somewhere behind me, I faintly heard Sua and Liel calling out.
“Teacher! Are you okay?”
“Teacher, what’s wrong—?!”
But even their voices began to fade.
I tried to take another step—
But instead, my knees buckled beneath me.
‘What… is this…?’
The last thing I saw was the dazzling light pouring from the tree.
Then.
Everything turned white.
When I opened my eyes, I was in an unfamiliar place.
White walls surrounded me on all sides, glowing with a soft, ethereal light.
“…Where am I?”
Slowly, I pushed myself up.
Looking around, I realized the room was filled with towering bookshelves.
They stretched from floor to ceiling, packed with thick, heavy tomes.
It felt like I had stepped into a massive library.
“…Liel? Sua? Harp?”
I called out, searching for them—
But there was no response.
Then, from the corner of the room—
Something glowed.
Cautiously, I stepped closer.
“…A glass orb?”
A small, transparent orb rested on a delicate pedestal.
A faint light swirled inside it, and as I stepped closer, something about it felt… familiar.
Reaching out, I carefully picked it up.
It was smooth and cold against my fingertips.
‘What is this…?’
As I slowly turned the orb in my hands, something inside began to shift.
A hazy image flickered within.
Narrowing my eyes, I focused on the scene unfolding inside the orb.
The first thing I saw.
Was a girl.
She looked exactly like Harp.
But… something about her was completely different.
She stood in the middle of a battlefield, surrounded by blood and ruins.
Shattered weapons and fallen bodies littered the ground around her.
She gripped a massive sword, a chilling smile curving her lips.
“…Harp?”
I whispered in disbelief.
But the girl inside the orb swung her sword without hesitation.
Her eyes were emotionless, cold.
With each strike, more people fell.
A voice suddenly shouted from somewhere nearby.
“Commander! Your orders!”
The girl paused, tilting her head slightly before smiling.
“Alright. Let’s wrap this up.”
Her voice was disturbingly detached.
My hands trembled as I gripped the orb tighter.
‘What is this? Harp would never… No… This isn’t Harp.’
Before I could process it further, the scene inside the orb shifted.
This time, I saw a girl who looked exactly like Sua.
But just like before.
She wasn’t my Sua.
She stood in front of a weapons shop, idly flipping through a stack of request papers, her expression completely indifferent.
Her eyes were completely devoid of life—empty, dull, and filled only with exhaustion and cynicism.
“Haa…”
She let out a tired sigh, setting the request papers down.
People around her stole glances, but she ignored them, walking away with an expressionless face.
This girl—this version of Sua—was nothing like the cheerful, energetic one I knew.
‘Sua…?’
Confusion swirled in my mind.
But the visions within the orb didn’t stop.
Next, a girl who looked just like Liel appeared.
She was sobbing uncontrollably in a dimly lit bedroom.
Her arms were covered in wounds, and crimson stained the once-pristine white sheets beneath her.
“Why… Why only me…?”
Her voice trembled with sorrow, anger, and despair.
I swallowed hard, gripping the orb tightly.
‘What is this…?’
The figures inside the orb weren’t my children.
But they looked so much like them—too much.
“…What is this?”
I muttered, staring at the orb in disbelief.
And then.
The entire room blazed with light.
A sudden, blinding radiance filled the space.
I instinctively shut my eyes before slowly reopening them.
And through the dazzling glow.
A figure emerged.
I froze.
The person standing before me.
Looked exactly like me.
But there was something otherworldly about her, something mystical.
Then, she spoke.
“You must be surprised. What you just saw was another parallel world—one that closely resembles your own.”
His words sent a shock through me.
“Parallel… world?”
He nodded, gesturing toward the orb in my hands.
“This orb has the power to reflect multiple parallel realities. What you saw was merely a glimpse—fragments of what the children you know might have become in a world different from yours.”
I processed his words, my gaze drifting back to the orb.
“…So, those were really Harp, Sua, and Liel from another world?”
He gave me a quiet smile before answering.
“To be precise, they were versions of them from a world without you.”
I felt a shiver run through me.
A world without me?
“But that’s just one possibility,” he continued.
“Each world influences the next. No one can truly predict how a single choice might change everything.”
A mix of emotions swirled inside me.
Somehow, I believed him.
But at the same time, it was too much to take in all at once.
“…Why are you showing me this?”
I asked, gripping the orb tighter.
His gaze sharpened slightly.
“You’ll understand soon enough. The fact that you’re standing in this room, holding that orb—it’s not a coincidence. You were chosen by fate.”
As his words echoed in the space around me.
The light in the room grew even brighter.
I clutched the orb, staring at him in desperation.
“Wait! Tell me more! What am I supposed to do?!”
But he simply smiled.
And before I could get an answer.
His figure vanished into the light.