Erin was dreaming, this fact was clear to him the moment he stepped foot into the picturesque scene of a lake spanning past the horizon. It's shimmering clear surface reflecting the vibrant blue sky above with white fluffy clouds, making it seem like he was walking on clouds. Staring at the shallow water by his feet, he saw a familiar face gazing back at him. It's the thin, slightly withdrawn face of a man in his early thirties. He is deeply familiar with the heavy shadows underneath those sharp upturned light brown eyes. This was his face before the accident.
The dreamscape presented his soul honestly down to the last detail. It hasn't been long since his rebirth, yet he can't help but feel like it's been ages since he last saw this familiar figure. The realization of how much had changed gave him pause. He stood there like a haunted man staring at the phantom before him, trying to stabilize the overwhelming emotions running rampant in his heart. Silent tears stream down his cheeks as he allows himself to reconcile with the life he lost before he even truly got to live it. He briefly wondered if anyone even showed up at the morgue to identify his body. Would his traitorous ex-fiancé care to give him a proper burial?
Taking a deep breath to steady himself, Erin wiped away his tears. He's not a psychiatrist but there must be a reason for this dream, walking forward in a despondent fashion he followed the mysterious pull to its root. His bare feet moved of their own volition like they knew the destination even if he did not. In this opulent visionary world, it's impossible to discern the passing of time, he felt like he'd been walking for a long time, but his illusionary body never grew tired. Finally, his feet stopped at the base of a great temple.
Massive rows of freestanding towering roman columns stood erect before him, lining the narrow temple hall. Eren quietly walked down the pathway, hearing the faint whimpers of a child. Her cries became louder the closer he got to the giant ivory door at the end of the hall. His heart trembled, his sixth sense warning him of danger beyond this point. Even knowing this he still rested his hand over the stone door, ready to push it open when the loud cries of before suddenly stopped. In its place the sharp rebuke of a young girl's voice resounded through the space.
"Get out! Get out! I won't let you eat me!"
The power behind her voice was so strong it pushed him back, throwing him through the empty hall. Eren was tossed back to the base of the temple, rolling down the few flights of steps. Despite being an illusionary body created only by his soul he still felt the sharp pain from the fall. He panted, only able to rise to his knees as he spat out copious amounts of blood.
"What the hell was that?"
The force to which she denied him almost made him feel like the aggressor, but that can't be, this is his dream. This should be his mind. Confused, Eren struggled to get back onto his feet. Unwilling to fail after getting so close to the truth, he began to make his way back up the steps. Holding his tender side, he took one heavy step after another.
"Don't come here! You're going to eat me!" the panicked voice of the unknown girl echoed through the empty hall.
Eren staggered, feeling his soul distinctly being oppressed by something intangible.
"I am not trying to eat anyone, I only want answers!" frustrated by her baseless accusations, he pushed on.
Panting from exhaustion, he finally made it back to the door. This time he did not hesitate, using all his mental and physical strength to push open the stone door. At first it felt almost impossible, like it would never give way, but finally he heard a grating scraping sound. The stone door was finally moving, inching back bit by bit. Beyond the lone door was a familiar room. It's the same princess room he woke up in the first day he transmigrated into this new world. However, there was one difference, she sat on the bed with her knees drawn up while clutching her dear teddy bear, watching with fearful amethyst eyes. She watched him warily as though he were a monster.
Breathing heavily from all the effort he'd exhorted, Eren barely managed to stabilize his illusionary body. "I…huff…won't…eat…you Ariellia."
Those familiar violet eyes suddenly turned scornful, eyeing him in contempt. "How can you guarantee that. Your thirty years of life can easily overwrite my measly seventeen."
Her reasonable adult-like concern suddenly made him doubtful, unable to confirm or deny it. He's never possessed anyone before, how is he to know the laws behind such a mystical phenomenon? Stumped by her sound logic, he can only gape at her like a fool.
"I really did it now, I should have known better than to use that ritual. It never ends well for those who tamper with fate." She seemed to be reprimanding herself, not really intending for him to hear any of it but he did.
'Wait…ritual? Tampering with fate? Just what were you doing Arie?' Eren found himself speechless.
It had never occurred to him that his accident and the following soul swap might have been intentionally instigated by someone else. He found himself appalled by the thought, disbelief written all over his face as he stared at the child version of Ariellia.
"Wipe that look off your face, do you think I wanted this to happen?" She seemed to sense his silent accusations.
"If not, then how do you explain this? Why am I here!" her words were very provoking to his ears.
She scoffed at him, giving him a true taste of her bratty nature. "I didn't even know of your existence when I performed the ritual."
"Then why did you do it, what were you hoping to happen and what is this ritual you keep talking about?" Eren almost wanted to pull her over the knee and spank the woeful mischief out of her.
"I was trying to perform the calling of soulmates." Her voice suddenly turned solemn, her violet eyes revealing her true bitter emotions. It looked eerie on her youthful face, like a doll without a soul.
"I only wanted him to be mine."
'The calling of soulmates? Why do I not like the sound of that.' He felt a growing horror at the implications of her words.