[Vol. 7] Chapter 219: The Dream of a Chosen One
They floated in the river like a dream, soft and light, like bubbles. Mia’s sleepy mind couldn’t understand what they were, but…
Her view suddenly dropped downward at an impossible angle, and she saw the biggest, most beautiful, and pure bubble in the whole river. She suddenly realized that the reason she was able to float above the water… was because that bubble was gently holding her up.
That warm, wonderful feeling. It was a peaceful source of comfort, like a mother’s hug.
Inside that giant bubble, there was a dark underground cell. But shining within it were glowing rainbow lights, like stained glass. These lights pushed away the darkness and filled the empty part of Mia’s dreaming heart. They removed her fear and sadness.
Then, without warning, that colorful light shot upward like a beam. In a brief moment, something gray flashed in front of her eyes. But it was quickly melted away by the pure light, like it never existed. At the same time, Mia’s body, which had been floating above the river, started to sink slowly down into the clear, jade-like water.
The rainbow-colored lights danced around her like little fairies. As Mia stared blankly at the surface of the river growing farther and farther away, she felt no fear or pain from sinking underwater. The light protected her, and all the floating bubbles around her slowly began to burst and disappear.
Where… is this place?
Mia instinctively wanted to think and understand. But her mind felt rusty, like an old screw without oil. It was hard to think clearly. Even when she tried her best to focus, her thoughts were strangely filled with a bright, holy figure… and a strange feeling of confusion she couldn’t explain.
Who… is She?
In her blurry vision, the figure slowly became clearer. It was a black-haired girl with six beautiful wings behind her, shining with light like the morning sun. As Mia watched in a daze, the girl gently floated down and reached out a small hand, white and smooth like jade.
Who… is She?
The six wings glowed softly, casting sparkling lights all around. The girl’s golden eyes, full of holy power, shone with a warm, gentle smile. At that moment, just as Mia was about to reach out and take her hand, she suddenly woke up.
And she understood.
In this place that should not exist, at a time that should not be, she understood a truth that was not meant to be known.
“You are…!”
The dark red eyes, marked with strange glowing patterns, suddenly shrank in shock. The girl opened her mouth wide in surprise under the river, but a string of bubbles swallowed the words before she could speak. In front of her, the golden-eyed girl showed a faint, amused smile and gently tapped her forehead with a small hand.
“Don’t get so worked up. Remember, nothing in dreams really counts~”
“Wah!?”
It felt like falling off a tall cliff or getting hit by a sudden jolt of lightning. The sleeping girl suddenly opened her eyes wide and sat up straight on the bed with a sharp gasp.
“Hah… Hah… That was weird. What just…?”
“Ah! She’s awake! She’s finally awake!”
A cheerful, high-pitched voice rang out, and several familiar faces quickly gathered around her. Mia felt a strange sadness, as if something had just slipped away. The girl in front grabbed her small hand, and even though she was usually expressionless, her face now showed a rare mix of relief and scolding.
“You actually made our noble master worry about you. That’s a big failure for a maid, Mia.”
“Selna…?”
Mia looked around at the faces near her. Still half-asleep and confused, she asked without thinking.
“Just now… uh, what just happened? Where am I? Why am I lying in bed?”
The first to notice she was awake, Miss Lenka, leaned over the edge of the bed and shook her head with a helpless smile.
“Shouldn’t we be the ones asking that? Miss Selna said you went out alone for something, but then we found you passed out with another girl and taken to the hospital. It was Sister Violet who told us about it later.”
“Passed out…?”
The maid rubbed her aching head. Her thoughts, slowed from being in a deep sleep, finally started to work again, and her memories slowly came back.
“Ah! I remember now, Lady Violet! Before, someone…!”
She was about to tell her master everything strange that had happened at Philoae’s house. But the priestess, standing beside the bed, just gave her a gentle smile and nodded.
“Don’t worry, I already know everything. You did very well. None of this was your fault. Just rest and leave the rest to me.”
“Uh…”
Mia stared at the black-haired girl’s beautiful and holy face. It was a face she saw every day and knew well, yet for some reason, something deep in her memory felt like it was trying to resurface. Broken, blurry images flickering in the back of her mind. She looked into the priestess’s silver-blue eyes with a hint of confusion, but it was as if a key part of her memory was missing. She just couldn’t figure out what exactly was bothering her.
It felt like she had just woken from a dream, but she couldn’t remember anything about the dream at all.
Soon, her training as an elite maid helped her push aside the confusion. She lowered her head respectfully.
“Yes... Lady Violet. I’m very sorry to have worried you. About Miss Philoae…”
“She’s safe now too,” Violet replied softly. “But due to the situation, she’ll need some special care and protection, just like you. Once everything is settled, she should be able to return to her normal life.”
Mia looked surprised for a moment, but then slowly closed her eyes with a slightly gloomy expression, as if she understood something.
“So I dragged her into this…”
Seeing her maid look so down, Violet could only shake her head with a helpless smile.
“Come on, don't put it that way. If we're being honest, it’s probably me and Light who got you two involved. If we try to figure out who’s really to blame, we’ll be here all day.”
Mia was startled by her words and quickly lowered her head deeply, almost kneeling on the bed.
“P-Please don’t say that, Lady Violet! As a maid, it’s my job to be the master’s shield and weapon, to protect you from danger. It’s because I wasn’t strong or mature enough that this happened! I’ll keep working hard, please don’t… don’t dismiss me…”
“Alright, alright. I’m not firing you,” Violet said gently, clearly knowing what Mia was going to say. “Like I said, this wasn’t your fault. If the other person hadn’t used some tricks, she wouldn’t have been a match for you.”
After hearing Violet’s comforting words, Mia finally began to relax. With Selna’s help, she sat back on the bed, still looking a little ashamed. Then, as if still unsure about everything, she asked cautiously.
“Thank you for your kindness… But, Lady Violet, who was that person? That strange power… I still don’t understand when or how I even got affected. There was no magic energy, no drugs, and Miss Philoae’s blood was clean too. What really happened? And… um… why don’t I see Miss Light?”