Extra-Changing Fate

Chapter 62 == The Other Alyssa==

I bolted toward the cave, not sparing a single look back at Kian, who was still standing there, probably trying to make sense of everything.

I didn't care.

No, that's a lie.

I do care.

This is all my fault.

I've always been selfish. I know that. I'm unfair, emotionally messy, and recklessly impulsive. But I've never been someone who hides from the truth. I feel everything—loudly. Honestly. And I face it.

But taking responsibility for it? Facing what I might destroy in the process?

That's different.

That's terrifying.

I stopped in front of the cave, its jagged mouth like an open wound in the earth. Cold air spilled out like a warning. Still, I didn't move. I just stood there, breathing hard, shaking, torn between the past I was running from and the unknown waiting for me inside.

I turned, just once, back toward where I left him—Kian, standing in silence.

My hands curled into fists.

This is the only way now.

I faced the darkness.

"It's now or never," I whispered.

And then I ran inside.

The ground was uneven, slippery with damp stone. Just as I crossed into the shadows, a rush of wings exploded around me—hundreds of bats shooting from the darkness, brushing against my skin, screeching past like a living storm. I threw up my cape to shield myself, heart pounding.

And then... silence.

The cave suddenly lit up, as if the bats themselves had been swallowing the light. Strange.

I walked cautiously, every step slow and measured. I didn't know this place—not truly. I only knew what people whispered: that it was cursed, ancient, full of monsters that should have stayed in legends. Somewhere within it, I was supposed to find a compass—Whisperwind—a key to the Shadowfell Mirror, which would take me home.

If this even was still my world.

I kept moving deeper, turning left, then right, again and again, until I couldn't tell which way I'd come from. The walls felt like they were shifting, breathing.

And then I saw it.

A door.

Old. Wooden. Out of place. With lanterns on either side glowing with soft, golden light.

I stopped in front of it. It wasn't magical-looking. It wasn't glowing or vibrating or speaking in riddles. Just... a door.

I hesitated.

Then I grabbed the knob and pushed.

What the hell...?

The space beyond was... beautiful. A stark contrast to the cave. The room was clean, elegant, covered in soft white tones. Gold trim lined the shelves, the mirror, the edges of a velvet canopy bed. Flowers bloomed in vases. The air smelled of something warm and unfamiliar—like honey and old paper.

I stepped inside, stunned.

This was someone's room. A royal one, judging by the detail.

And then—

"Lady Alyssa? It's time to wake up!"

I froze.

What?