In Another Realm (AU)

12

"Is it still possible for us to return home?"

"I hope so. If traveling in a multiverse is conceivable, I believe traveling back will be as well," Yeji responded, taking a sip of her coffee and sighing with contentment.

"Yet we have no idea how to get back," Ryujin murmured gently, her gaze fixed on the ground in front of her.

It's Sunday, and they're on break from school for the winter. It's been three days since Yeji and Ryujin spoke. Ryujin spent the entire day with Yeji, talking about everything they had in common, including events that had happened in their lives from their original world.

They talked about so many things that they didn't know they'd lost track of time, and the day was almost over. Yeji and Ryujin became even closer as a result of their mutual knowledge of what they had gone through. The next few days, online conversation started during the evening and even video calls were made before going to sleep since they hadn't managed to meet each other personally.

Ryujin found herself in the park this morning, seeking to get some fresh air and some time to think because she only had the confidence to go out today after taking a break and keeping herself in her room. She may have spoken with the other girls, but she hadn't seen them since Yuna's birthday.

It was already snowing, so she had her winter coat on as she walked around the park. Eventually, she dialed Yeji's number and contacted her, so Ryujin ended up sitting at the table with Yeji by the glass window of a coffee shop where a nice view of a lake covered with snow can be seen. It's been an hour since they've been sitting there conversing about a topic which only they know very much about.

"Are we going to be able to make it back together?" Yeji asked, turning her gaze to Ryujin, who was looking at her with a soothing expression.

"You want us to go home together?" Ryujin asked.

"Why not? Is there any reason for either one of us to stay here longer?" Yeji questioned this time.

Ryujin smiled cheekily and shook her head. "Well, what if you'll return before I can? Just like when you came here a few months earlier than I did."

"Hmm." Yeji hummed softly. "You're right, that makes sense."

"Well, I did some research about it, and I'm not even sure if it's efficient or reliable. I've written everything down in my journal, so I won't forget a thing." Ryujin stated, straightening up in her seat.

"It is believed that a soul can travel to another realm by a variety of methods, including ritual and, most commonly, dreaming and waking up in another reality. It's as though the journey is merely a dream. As if this, right now, us, we're just dreaming while we're here. Once the soul awakens to its own universe, it can only believe that it has been dreaming for so long. And we won't recall anything that happened during the time we switched to another world and assume that everything was just a dream."

"That's ridiculous. How is this all going to be just a dream?" Yeji mumbled, chuckling bitterly.

"Well, I don't know if I should be grateful if one day I go back home and this will become only a dream or not. This is just so terrifying and maybe I want to forget about this, but I also don't want to." Ryujin replied. "As for what I knew, there could be some uncommon event that had happened in order to bring us here, and the possibility of a purposeful shift in a multiverse which I don't exactly know and understand."

"Uncommon event?"

"Yes.."

"Rare events." Yeji's face furrowed as she leaned her hand on her chin, thinking intently before Ryujin saw her smirking. "So maybe, I was right."