A Distant Reverie

Chapter 30

"Suisei! Come here!"

The childish voice called out to her, beckoning for her attention. Suisei turned around and found herself staring into the blurry visage of her old friend.

She knew she was dreaming. She had to be. Because this was the only way she could hear that person's voice again. Her favorite person from a distant past.

The passage of time was cruel. Suisei could no longer remember their name. What they looked like. Who they were. All she could recall were the warm fuzzy feelings she felt in their company.

The scene suddenly shifted, replaying another distant memory long etched in the back of her subconscious. Over and over again, she drifted, visiting these fleeting bubbles of recollections. Occasionally, her subconscious paused for a brief moment, as if to allow her to indulge in the feelings of an unreachable past.

Eventually, her dreams came to an end. Suisei wasn't sure how much time had passed. A person's perception of time was fickle after all.

It's humid.

She opened her eyes. Her body felt strangely light. Her mind was calm and alert, as if she had just awoken up from a restful nap.

She flinched. Something cold and wet had landed on the side of her cheeks. She found herself once again in the middle of a forest. Rain leaked through the gaps in the canopies, drizzling lightly on the forest grounds. For a moment, she thought she was back in the Azure Woods. The conversations with Lady Ouro echoed in her head, reminding her that the three of them had accepted the godlike entity's proposal. Suisei was skeptical, however. Whatever happened in that strange space felt like a fever dream. She wanted to doubt the authenticity of that memory. As she looked around, however, it became clear that she had been transported somewhere new.

The flora was too different. Moss-like plants covered the forest grounds. The leaves on the trees were large and flat, designed to capture sunlight and allow rain to trickle down. Orchids and vines were abundant and vibrant, clinging onto the tree trunks and branches like holiday ornaments. The air was wet and temperate. Rain fell incessantly.

The Azure Woods had an ethereal, otherworldly vibe. This forest felt earthlier and far more alive.

...I guess this is another world.

This was her second time being transmigrated now. Suisei tried to remember the sensations she felt before she lost consciousness. But aside from a sudden episode of vertigo and an inexplicable urge to sleep, she couldn't recall anything else. She vaguely remembered being in a dreamlike state, traveling through old memories—lucid, yet not completely in control. Presumably this was happening while she was being transported to another world.

How lame.

The tameness of the experience was disappointing to say the least. Suisei had always wondered what interdimensional travel would feel like. What she would see as her body and mind was being sent across worlds, traveling through space-time. Having the process take place while she wasn't conscious felt like a cop-out. Perhaps her expectations were unrealistic, tainted by its depictions in movies and TV shows. Now that she's experienced the actual thing, she wondered if she could still enjoy those sorts of fantasy and sci-fi flicks like before.

The rain seeping through the forest canopy grew heavier. Suisei frowned. She suddenly realized that her companions weren't nearby.

"...Marine?" she called out. Her voice sounded muffled amidst the dull drumming of rain.

"Vesper...?"

She waited patiently, hoping her voice would carry far enough for her companions to hear. After a few minutes of hearing nothing but the rain, Suisei sighed.