I always knew I was in trouble, when I was 7 years old, I went to play in the Ikos forest that surrounded our land, children were always forbidden from going there, but as always it was necessary to go there and see and feel what was settling in The Woods, the End of Everything for me is the weight of boredom, when something ends we just have to live with its effects, and why not live with it forever. To say that I wanted a new page, a new chapter every day, and so I found myself lost and drowning in the depths of the lake that was deep in the forest, I was not unconscious, on the contrary, I was clear.
For a 7 year old girl , when my body floated and sank further into the lake, I fell asleep, and then I saw him, a man in a house in the middle of the lake, in space, I saw things I had never seen before, the planets, I knew what they were, I read a lot trying to quench my thirst for eternity, the stars true beauty for the eyes.
The man was wearing a black sky-blue hanfu, with gold and green designs, his loose hair hanging down his back, every time he moved the reflection of the lights around him made it sparkle, it was beautiful to the heart, I'm not exaggerating.
He was sitting with a cup of time in his hand, actually a small white stone table, and something else that I couldn't see clearly.
While I was lost in my contemplations, he turned his time towards me. I had a small whirlwind. My heart was beating violently. I did not know what to do. He got up and approached me. I looked around and could no longer stand still. I was a child in a stranger's yard, knowing clearly that I was drowning in the lake. I covered my face with my small hands. When he was in front of me, he dropped to my height. I heard him laughing. I extended one of my fingers to see what was happening, but he took my hands and lowered them with a wide smile, but his eyes were empty. He said to me: "Princess." My heart skipped a beat, and his voice was soft, "Why do you come to see me through this dream, do you want to remember our first meeting?"
What the hell is he saying, this not had happened like that, without realizing it, he kissed me, I was no longer a little girl but myself, and then he pushed me, and I fell into the emptiness of his place and then I regained my conscience.
....
Astra rushed into the room where Ada was. The two young women's eyes met. Their gazes spoke for them. They were both shaken, their looks were not the most beautiful thing to see now.
Ada almost died like a mirror, Astra found out about the matter and had to make a decision without Ada's approval, everything was a complete mess.
Astra approached the bed where Ada was, and with a tender look, she sat down, and looked in front of her. Ada was still lost because of her dream, if you can call it that. It was her memory that had completely gone off the rails. She tried to keep her calm after all the events she had gone through. The first to speak was Astra, "Um...you...do you remember what happened a week ago, when we went hunting?"
Ada looked at her, but she avoided his gaze, "I remember, my body was cracking, it was breaking from the inside, I was in so much pain, I couldn't even speak anymore, I felt like my existence had been erased, it no longer existed, i feel the rejection, I was afraid to die here whitout my family."
Astra finally turned to meet Ada's gaze,"You don't belong here, Ada. This world, this place, it rejected you. You are an anomaly, an outsider, I had to make you become a transcendent to be able to save you."
Astra got out of bed and went to the window.
"In order for you to live, I had to make a decision that concerns me and you. When I first saw you dying on the icy path, I didn't think twice to help you, because no one can find this place, it's a legend, I have to give permission for someone to break through the barrier at the end of the path. The forest, for an ordinary person, there is nothing further than the forest, but you, you entered, this space did not reject you, you should have been subjected to this attack since the day you came, but the barrier was protecting you, that is why I almost died leaving this, I would not have asked you To show me your talent, I'm sorry."
She finally turned around to see Ada with a mysterious look, as if she knew there was something else, she tried to maintain her seriousness.
Ada replied, "If I do the calculations correctly, your information, you are not a simple magician, create space require a lot of mana, control, and be at the level of External medium, time and space, I see... you must have done something otherwise I wouldn't be here right now, you can tell me, I won't be surprised, I'm already in a world that's not mine."
Ada encourages her to continue…
"To explain in a short and a understanding manner, I have made you a transcendent under my power, you are now emerge with time itself, you will have to learn, my student and my successor."
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As the heavy door swung shut behind her, Astra found herself standing in a breathtakingly grand hall. The room was a marvel to behold, with towering shelves packed with books and astronomical instruments adorning the walls. Each level of the library-like space had twelve compartments, each marked by a mirror door and a clock above it. The entire room exuded an air of infinity and eternity, with golden hues and shimmering emerald curtains that cascaded to the floor. The crystalline-like floor sparkled like ice, adding to the ethereal beauty of the room. At the center of it all stood a massive mirror and a portal, emanating an otherworldly allure.
Astra's heart raced as she stepped forward, feeling the weight of destiny pressing upon her. Her surroundings seemed to shift and transform, as if responding to her presence. Her attire morphed into a flowing black dress, adorned with intricate emerald and gold embellishments. Her once vibrant hair turned as white as freshly fallen snow, and her gaze grew cold and piercing. With purpose in her strides, she approached a desk, upon which an hourglass stood, its sand slipping away with every passing moment.
With a determined expression, Astra grasped the hourglass, turning to face the unseen audience. "Grant me an audience!" she commanded, her voice carrying an authority that demanded attention.
In an instant, a courtyard materialized before her, revealing seven imposing golden chairs on her right, occupied by the ethereal figures of the Seven Flames of Infinity. To her left sat the Seven Plagues of Time, their presence emanating a sense of foreboding. And at the far end of the room stood the amalgamation of the Aerys, a singular figure that embodied the collective power of the Aerys.
"Erialstra Yolea, you dare challenge the laws of time and worlds," the unified voices of the Seven Flames echoed, their words laced with warning.
"I seek to save this girl, and I will not be deterred by your interference. She did not choose to enter this realm, but I have chosen her to be a part of me, the next," Astra declared, her voice resolute.
"The girl's soul is bound to us, and her salvation holds no value. Her soul shall find its way to us. The one destined to be the Eri has already been chosen. Do not meddle with the will of the realms. She has no place here," one of the Flames retorted, their words carrying an air of finality.
"I have the power to choose whomever I desire to be the next Eri. Your chosen one is yours, but I did not accept your request. We shall revisit this matter another time. Listen well, for nothing you say will deter me," Astra responded, her tone icy and unwavering.
Recognizing the futility of further discussion, Astra turned away, determined to pursue her course of action. The voice of the Aerys resounded through the hall, an ominous warning hanging in the air. "Adalisa should not be spared. If you save her, you shall bear the consequences, Aerys' daughter."
Astra paused, her back still turned to the assembly, and spoke with steely resolve, "I am the one who bears the consequences, and I always have."
With her decision firm in her mind, Astra strode out of the room, her footsteps echoing through the grand hall. Come what may, Ada would become her student, her successor.
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