Aya's pov:
Aya Morizora didn't expect to die on a Tuesday.
She had just finished her favorite book for the fifth time, curled up under her blanket, the rain pattering gently against her bedroom window. The last thing she remembered was a flash of lights, brakes, screaming, a metallic crunch, and then nothing.
Darkness.
And then, warmth.
It wasn't the sterile brightness of a hospital, but something softer. There was a scent in the air wildflowers and moss, the kind that couldn't possibly exist in a Tokyo hospital. Aya blinked against the golden light that filtered through what looked like… leaves?
She sat up, dazed.
She was in a glade surrounded by massive, silver-leaved trees that pulsed faintly with light. A soft breeze blew through the clearing, stirring her hair. Hair… that now shimmered with a silvery sheen instead of its usual black. Her hands were slimmer. Paler. She didn't recognize her own reflection in the pool nearby.
And then came the voice.
"Welcome, Aelira Sunvale. Your soul has crossed the Veil."
Aya or now Aelira spun around. A floating orb of blue light hovered above a stone pedestal at the glade's center. It shimmered like a star trapped in a bubble. "You have been chosen. Not summoned, not born, but woven into this world. Elyria needs you."
Aya stared, her thoughts a storm.
"This has to be a dream. Some… lucid dream. Right?"
"You carry memories of a distant life," the voice continued, "but here, you are something new. Magic flows through your veins. You are of the Sunvale line—extinct, or so they thought." She stepped back. "I'm just a normal girl. I read books. I'm quiet in class. I..."
The orb pulsed softly.
"You were quiet. You were overlooked. But here, you shine brighter than stars lost to time."
And with that, the orb burst into a thousand sparks. They rained down over her like falling fireflies. A warmth bloomed in her chest. She felt it: a hum beneath her skin. Magic.
Not a dream.
Not home.
But… not unwelcome either.
As the glade faded into the sounds of a nearby forest rustling leaves, distant howls, the gentle rush of a brook Aelira stood. She was shaking, unsure, but curious.
She took a step forward.
And the world of Elyria, wild and full of monsters, magic, and memories yet to be made, waited with open arms.