Chapter 3: Where did we go when we were slumbering?

In a strangely white room, windowless, without holes or escape routes. Only white and light.

In the middle of that room, right in the air, a crack the size of an adult floated strangely. Inside the crack, a cacophony of distorted waves mingled like the frantic screams of a riot. The edges of the crack made a "click, click" sound, gradually widening outwards.

Just then, long, writhing hands, also white, appeared. A faint yellow aura emanated from their skin. They squeezed the crack, trying to shrink it.

It did shrink, but very slowly, and the crack itself resisted with equal force.

……

Ting~ ting~

The clear, melodious sound of wind chimes echoed softly in the pitch-black space, quickly awakening Êyavia from her dreamless sleep. When she opened her eyes, the pitch-black space was replaced by the familiar image of her room.

She sat up, looking around, rubbing her eyes to check if she was seeing things. It was strange; just moments before, she was standing on the roadside, and now she was in her bedroom. She wondered if this was a hallucination caused by grief, something she had heard somewhere; perhaps she had more problems than she thought. At this moment, she could not distinguish between dream and reality anymore.

She began another morning like any other in the past. Until she went downstairs for breakfast, the girl suddenly froze, her eyes wide with astonishment.

On the kitchen table were two plates of hot breakfast food, and inside, another figure sat there, not yet eating, scrolling through their phone. A familiar figure flashed through Êyavia's mind, the figure of someone she had recently mourned.

Stalas's fingers, swiping across the phone screen, stopped. He turned to look at Êyavia and smiled brightly, saying, "Good morning!"

Êyavia, still disoriented, slowly walked towards the dining table and sat down, her eyes wide with bewilderment as she looked at Stalas.

Seeing her unusual reaction, Stalas's expression changed from cheerful to worried. He asked, "What's wrong? Are you okay, V?"

Perhaps it was just an illusion, Êyavia whispered to herself. But if possible, she hoped it was real. Thinking this, her bewildered face suddenly took on a somber expression.

It was not until Stalas touched Êyavia that she startled and looked at him again. This feeling was too real, not an illusion at all. But that is what people often say, the image that pain brings is so real, so real that it is hard to escape. She did not want to escape this illusion either…

If only it were real…

Êyavia closed her eyes, thought for a moment, then took a deep breath. When she opened her eyes, she just smiled and answered Stalas's barrage of questions: "Nothing, I just had a very strange nightmare."

Stalas heard this, silently sat back in his chair, and replied: "What did you dream about?"

"I forgot," Êyavia answered with a gentle look in her eyes.

"Forgot? Do you know what your face looked like just now? Like you'd just been robbed of your soul by an ‘Eldritch Terror’, I don't know whether to worry or laugh at you!" Stalas replied calmly, half reproachfully, half mockingly, looking at Êyavia.

“If you’re worried about me, you won’t leave me, right?” Êyavia forced a smile, but it quickly softened into a normal, cheerful expression.

As soon as she finished speaking, the space suddenly fell silent. Stalas stared blankly, his mouth slightly agape, staring intently at Êyavia. Noticing the sudden silence, Êyavia also paused, looking at Stalas, who was sitting beside her in a daze. Then she lowered her head again, looking at the food that was gradually cooling. This feeling was strange, yet real, and also hard to describe. When she looked up, Stalas was still sitting there, but at this moment, he was staring blankly towards the window.

Due to the silence, Êyavia instinctively checked her phone for news. The news felt familiar; she seemed to have seen it somewhere before, probably just Déjà Vu. She scrolled through the notifications until she reached Alisa's birthday, at which point her eyebrows furrowed.

Isn't Alisa's birthday already over? I remember taking a birthday photo with her, didn't I?

Thinking this, she checked her photo album, but to her surprise, there were no birthday pictures. How could that be?

Then Stalas suddenly spoke up, “A while ago, Lis asked me to draw a picture as a keepsake, but I’m not sure if I can finish it today. How should I put it? Maybe not. Could you ask her to reschedule for another time, V… To be honest, I haven’t even started drawing yet…”

Was this not what he had said before? The more she thought about it, the more confused she became. Suddenly, she turned to look directly at Stalas and asked, “What day is it today?”

Stalas scratched his head and replied, “July 12th, today is Lis’s birthday.” After a slight pause, Stalas chuckled and continued, “Did you forget Lis’s birthday? She’ll be really upset!”

“July 12th… Three days before that happened…?” Êyavia whispered, seemingly unheard by Stalas. His face was currently glued to his phone.

“Anyway, please tell Lis for me, I’ll make it up to her another time,” Stalas said, still engrossed in his phone, typing something before slowly turning and walking back to his room. Êyavia remained seated, looking at the calendar on her phone.

It showed July 12th.

Is this real? Did I go back three days before that happened? Could this still be an illusion? Or was that an illusion? If this is just a dream, then perhaps…

…if this is just a dream, then please let me dream a little longer…

In the blink of an eye, it was night again. Êyavia was now beside Alisa, her close friend from high school who had enrolled and graduated with her at the same time. The table was piled high with sweets, soft drinks, and even alcoholic beverages. In front of Alisa was a huge cake with two candles shaped like the number two, each cut in half. The surroundings were decorated with colorful balloons and strings of twinkling lights.

The air was filled with laughter and chatter, punctuated by high-pitched, incoherent singing. All the sounds were directed towards Alisa, the center of the party, and beside her sat the quiet, serene Êyavia, observing everything around her. This scene was all too familiar.

Seeing her best friend smile so brightly, Êyavia smiled back. She felt a little envious of Alisa; she was always so strong, lively, and sociable. Alisa had many other acquaintances, yet someone who loved noise and excitement so much got along so well with Êyavia. Besides Stalas, Alisa was one of the few people who made Êyavia see the light reflected in her eyes. Wherever she looked, there was no darkness or gloom. Êyavia wished she could have that same confidence as Alisa.

Êyavia smiled at the scene.

It felt so warm.

It was not heavy at all.

Please, never end…

If this is a dream, please, someone help me make it a reality…

If I truly fall asleep, let this be where I come every night.

…

She woke up again, without realizing it.

No wind chimes woke her.

But it was still the same familiar bedroom.

Still the same sunlight and birdsong.

A new day repeated itself like any other. After completing her usual routine, Êyavia went downstairs to prepare the breakfast that had been prepared for her.

"Good morning!" Stalas, already seated at the dining table, greeted Êyavia with a bright smile. Two plates of still-hot food lay on the table.

Êyavia was momentarily stunned but quickly regained her composure, smiling as she approached the table. Breakfast began in a brief silence, then was broken by Stalas, engrossed in his phone, chewing his food and talking at the same time.

His conversations revolved around the latest news on social media, sometimes even old stories. But Êyavia did not pay much attention; she ate while smiling, carefully observing Stalas lost in his own thoughts. Perhaps she was overthinking things; the scene before her was real, while everything before was just a dream.

It was just a nightmare with a few unreal coincidences.

"Haven't you been inspired to draw lately? I haven't seen you touch that drawing board for days."

"I haven't been interested lately. Do you remember the weird dream I told you about last time, about those white crows?"

They talked back and forth, sharing what they had seen in their dreams. In the evening, their parents came home from work, and the whole family gathered around the dining table, laden with all sorts of food like a small feast. She saw her father laughing and talking about everything under the sun, her mother joining in, and she and Stalas laughing heartily at each other. The scene was no different from any other day. She carefully observed each scene, as if not wanting to forget a single detail.

Êyavia was deeply immersed in those feelings, feelings so familiar and poignant. She silently told herself that this was the truth, this was reality. Everything that had happened before was nothing more than a nightmare.

So what if it was the same? It was not the first time she had seen this scene, was it? That birthday party was not the first time either; was it not the same every year? It was all just a nightmare, just a nightmare.

…

Another blink of an eye, another new day began. The same morning routine, the same greeting. Then came the evening, the same scene filled with the laughter of this family of four.

…

The same morning sunbeams, the same birdsong. The familiar room, the same familiar study desk, the same familiar, pre-programmed morning routine.

The only difference was that the two plates of breakfast were still there, only the greeting was gone…