I woke up today to the same routine I've done for—I lost count of how many days have passed. But in Miria's domain, it's only been a single day. So, to be accurate, I've lost count of how many times I've woken up without Miria by my side.
Like any other day, I went to the bathroom first—taking my time since I wasn't in a rush for anything. After that, I went to prepare my own breakfast, and every time I do, I find myself missing Miria's cooking. It's not that my cooking is bad—it's decent. But compared to Miria's, I'm just hopelessly behind.
I ate my humble meal in the room Miria and I shared. She never allowed me to do that when she was here, but now she wasn't. I still wished she were, but I also found a bit of joy in these rebellious moments. I ate standing up, watching the world outside. The same crimson moon still hung in the sky, casting its sickly light over the dead land below.
As I stared into the distance, my brows furrowed at a scene that was supposed to be familiar but suddenly wasn't. I had spent enough time in this little world to remember every detail—especially after the tour Miria took me on, showing me every corner of her domain. But now, a new range of mountains had appeared where there should've been barren land. The mountains were strange in both shape and nature. For one, they were a dim gold—an odd color for mountains. Stranger still, red waterfalls flowed down from several parts of the peaks, almost like blood. It was a bizarre sight, one that planted a deep fear of the unknown in my heart.
"What the hell is that?!" I cursed aloud as I looked at the scene, shock evident on my face. "How am I supposed to explain this to Miria?!"
The small tray slipped from my hands onto the carpeted floor. Juice spilled, staining the red carpet an even deeper shade of crimson. Crumbs scattered everywhere. I cursed under my breath, staring between the new mountain range and the mess I'd made. In the end, I bent down to clean up the chaos. I felt that if I didn't, Miria's scolding would be severe. Besides, the strange phenomenon outside was out of my hands—something I couldn't deal with. Most likely, Miria would know without me saying anything. But the mess? That was my doing, and I had no hope that Miria would think otherwise. Even without her presence, I'm not someone messy or dirty—I prefer to clean up after myself.
But before I could pick up even a single crumb, my body froze. In my line of sight, my eyes landed on a pair of familiar legs—long, covered in elegant black fabric. I didn't need more than a moment to know who they belonged to. I slowly raised my head, the surprise in my throat like a lodged thorn. It was Miria, staring at me with the same warm gaze she always had, full of heavy emotions. She looked as beautiful as the day she left.
"...You're back!" I said in happy surprise, unmoving, caught in the trance of her breathtaking beauty.
Miria smiled warmly, her hands behind her back. "And I see you took your freedom in my absence?"
My eyes twitched slightly as I looked between Miria and the mess I'd made. "That…!" But I couldn't find a proper explanation.
Yet, Miria didn't look angry. Her smile only grew warmer and more beautiful. In a sudden movement, she dropped to her knees on the stained carpet, placed her hand on the mess—and just like that, it vanished.
'Wow!' I was stunned by what she did, and as I marveled at her, she threw herself on me, wrapping her arms around my neck and began kissing me.
I almost fell backward, but I quickly found my balance since I was on my knees. I moved my hands around Miria's waist, holding her tightly while returning her kiss with one of my own—finally tasting her delicious lips that I had come to miss so much in her absence.
Miria seemed as hungry for me as I was for her. Her arms tightened around my neck, her tongue slipping into my mouth and meeting mine. A warm sensation enveloped my entire being, and I allowed myself to fall into that feeling. Why wouldn't I? I had finally gotten Miria back—her warmth, her scent, her taste, her love. In the time I spent without her, I realized how much I loved her presence. Not just for sleeping with her… okay, I did love that too—but more than anything, I loved simply having her around.
After a while, Miria pulled her lips slightly away from mine. Her face was flushed, and unusually, she looked out of breath. As she caught her breath to dive back into my lips again, I opened my mouth to speak. "I love you."
I knew it wasn't the ideal moment to confess. I barely knew her. But I said it for two reasons: one, because I truly did love her. And two, because I wanted her to know I loved her in case that feeling changed after I regained my memories. I didn't know what would change inside me once I remembered everything—but I wanted her to know this version of me loved her.
Miria seemed a little surprised by my declaration, but her warm gaze didn't suggest she hadn't expected it. In fact, her eyes and expression said she knew exactly what I was thinking… Yet she stayed silent, to my disappointment. She simply resumed devouring my lips after catching her breath. I didn't mind that either.
After a while, I finally regained the freedom of my lips from Miria's deep passion. We both stood, facing each other, my hand in hers. There was a lot to say, so much to talk about, but for now, I wanted to show Miria the new mountain range in her domain. Since she had returned, there was a high chance it was her doing—but I still wanted to point it out. I was curious too.
But before I could voice my curiosity, Miria spoke first. "I brought you a gift." She shifted excitedly, and before I could say anything, she started pulling me toward the room's window. "I wanted to wrap it in red ribbons so it would look like a real present. But it was way too big for that, or for me to succeed at it. So… you'll have to accept your gift as it is~"
I stared at Miria for a long moment, my expression blank. Then I slowly turned to look at the new mountains in her domain. I laughed slightly in disbelief—I didn't want to believe my conclusion. "Did you… bring me a mountain range?"
Miria looked confused for a second. She turned to see where I was looking and soon started laughing. "No, no, that's not a mountain range. But it is your gift."
Again, I shifted my gaze from Miria to what she said wasn't a mountain range—even though it still looked like one to me. This time, I didn't jump to conclusions and looked more closely… but my unproductive staring was interrupted when Miria walked in front of me. Her gaze pierced toward a section of one of the smaller mountains, and she said in a cold voice, "Move now. I know you're not dead yet."
I stared at her with wide eyes. Was she… talking to a mountain? But my thoughts were cut short when the "mountain" moved—like a massive wall shifting to reveal a giant golden orb rising over the world. It wasn't as big as the crimson moon—about half its size—but it didn't shy in comparison. Still, something was strange about it… it felt like it was staring at me.
"I wish I were!" An unfamiliar feminine voice echoed directly in my mind. My mouth hung open, but before I could voice my shock, the voice continued with clear sarcasm, "But watching you two made me both nauseous and strangely better about myself."
As if things weren't shocking enough, the enormous mountain range began to move, rising from the earth with a thunderous sound. The first to rise was a smaller mountain in the east, where the "sun" had appeared. It rotated to face the castle, revealing a second sun on the other side. It kept rising, followed by the rest of the "mountains." The second moved like a snake with impossible grace for something so solid. But by now, I was sure—this… thing was no mountain. The third to move was what I'd thought was a smooth, unnatural ridge—but on a second glance, it looked like a torn bat wing. Only, this wing was massive enough to cover the sky itself. The fourth was clearly a tail. This tail, which left a massive valley as it rose, helped the rest of the body lift itself onto four strange, pillar-like limbs… but by now, my eyes had already turned to Miria in pure shock.
"What the hell is that?!" I shouted in disbelief, pointing at the thing that took what felt like minutes just to rise—though it moved with impossible elegance for its size. I could barely tell its beginning from its end—and that was only because it was so far away, yet it still felt way too close.
Miria giggled lightly in the face of it all. She cast the creature a glance, then turned back to me.
"That's your gift. And her name is… Alastrian."