Bell's Viewpoint
It took nearly three hours of convincing before she finally agreed. Even then, she looked a little angrier than before, as if allowing me to leave had somehow made her more irritated rather than less. But in the end, she gave me permission to go and see the creators who had come to the Fairy Realm for the Exil Tree Tournament.
That was all I needed.
I changed into normal clothes before leaving. Nothing fancy. Nothing that would make anyone pay attention to me. I wasn't going there as a princess. I wasn't going there to meet the creators either.
At least, that was what I kept telling myself.
"I'm not planning to meet them. I'm only going to watch. Just to see if... he came or not."
I repeated those words inside my head as I walked toward Lural.
It sounded convincing when I said it to myself.
Unfortunately, my heart didn't seem to believe me.
There was something unsettling inside my chest. A tiny feeling I had tried to bury for a long time. Hope. I didn't want to admit it, but perhaps some part of me was still wondering whether he had returned. Maybe, somehow, after everything that happened, he had come back to the Imaginary World. Maybe he had decided to participate in the tournament.
What if he really came?
I immediately pushed the thought away.
Reality had always been cruel whenever I allowed myself to hope for something.
When I finally arrived at the valley of Lural, I found the place already crowded. Fairies were rushing toward the same area, talking excitedly among themselves. Everyone wanted to see the creators who had arrived for the tournament.
I quietly blended into the crowd.
That was the advantage of not wearing my usual clothes. Nobody was paying attention to me. I could simply stand among them and watch.
I looked ahead.
Then I noticed Gray.
He was walking through the crowd, and behind him was a young creator.
A girl.
She was small, yet beautiful. There was something unusual about her appearance that immediately told me she wasn't an ordinary creator.
"One of the new creators?"
I frowned slightly.
"I haven't even looked at the new creators' files yet."
I was about to look for the third creator when I suddenly noticed someone else.
Sis Elta.
Her eyes were as sharp as ever.
The moment I saw her, my body reacted before my mind could.
I immediately crouched down among the other fairies.
I couldn't let her see me here.
Because of where I had hidden myself, I couldn't properly see the third creator who was talking with her. I could only catch a glimpse of their appearance.
White hair.
I froze for a moment.
"White hair?"
My heart gave a strange little beat.
Then I shook my head.
"Probably not him."
His hair had been black.
Black as ink.
There was no reason for it to suddenly become white.
He must have been one of the new creators.
I deliberately avoided looking in that direction again. Perhaps that was better. I didn't need to see his face. I didn't need to confront him.
I had come here only to see whether he had returned.
And now I had my answer.
Or at least, I thought I did.
I slowly stood up and began walking away.
There was disappointment somewhere inside me.
But strangely, there was relief too.
At least I wouldn't have to confront him.
Not yet.
I had barely taken a few steps when I heard someone walking behind me.
My body immediately tensed.
"An attacker?"
I was still in an open area. If someone really intended to attack me, running wouldn't be easy.
I prepared myself to move.
Then I heard a voice.
"Bell!"
I stopped.
It wasn't my name that froze me.
It was the voice.
Something about it carried a familiarity that reached deeper than thought. Deeper than memory. It stopped not only my steps, but for one brief moment, it felt as though even my heart had forgotten how to beat.
That voice...
It was the voice of the person I had come here hoping to hear.
Slowly, I turned around.
And there he was.
Or...
Was it really him anymore?
For a moment, I simply stared.
His appearance was different.
His hair was white.
After what happened with the Mirror of Split Things, I knew better than anyone that things weren't always what they appeared to be. Memories could change. Emotions could disappear. A person could be split apart and become something that wasn't exactly the same as before.
Perhaps he wasn't the same Zaraf anymore.
But even if he wasn't...
I had already decided something.
If he was no longer the person I remembered, then I would accept that.
He was still alive.
He was free from the shackles that had once bound him.
That was enough.
And before I could stop myself, the word slipped from my lips.
"Zaraf...?"
I couldn't say anything else.
Zaraf's Viewpoint
I didn't know what I was supposed to say to Bell if I ever met her again.
I had imagined this moment before.
I thought that Bell and I would eventually become good friends. Friends who could meet without awkwardness between them. Friends who could laugh, talk, and simply enjoy each other's company without carrying the weight of everything that happened between us.
So why couldn't I say anything?
And why was she silent too?
Ugh.
Why couldn't I have just stopped myself from following her?
The moment I saw her, though, I knew.
There wasn't even a single doubt.
It was her.
Bell.
She looked almost exactly as I remembered.
There was no dramatic aura around her despite being a princess. No arrogant expression. No behavior that demanded everyone recognize her status.
She was simply Bell.
But there was something different in her eyes.
She looked frightened.
Not frightened of me.
Frightened of what she might find when she looked at me.
I wondered if she still felt guilty about what happened last time.
If she did, she didn't need to.
I didn't blame her for Shadow.
Whatever had happened between us, I had already accepted that Shadow wasn't some enemy who had appeared from nowhere.
He was part of me.
I took a step toward her.
She froze.
Her eyes widened slightly.
I noticed her looking at my hair.
White.
I wondered what she was thinking.
Maybe she thought I dyed it.
Or perhaps she thought I had deliberately changed my appearance because Shadow and I would eventually look identical in the future.
If our appearances were different, perhaps she would be able to recognize me.
I didn't know.
I only knew that I needed to break the silence.
I needed to show her that I was okay.
That I was still me.
So I took another step toward her.
Then I said the first thing that came to my mind.
"I heard you are being grounded, yet here you are. Looks like rules are one of the things that don't suit you."
The moment the words left my mouth, I regretted them.
Why did I say that?
That was probably the worst possible way to start this conversation.
Bell stared at me.
There was pain in her eyes.
She slowly walked toward me.
Then she asked in a quiet voice,
"Are you Zaraf?"
I nodded.
"I don't remember some things."
I paused.
"But when it comes to you... I remember everything."
She stopped.
I continued speaking.
"Like how short you were in the Creator's World. Yet here you are, almost the same height as me. How am I supposed to call you—"
I never finished the sentence.
Bell stepped forward and hugged me.
It was a weak embrace.
Almost hesitant.
But warm.
For a moment, I didn't know what to do.
I could tell she had been worried about me.
Perhaps she had been wondering whether I was alive.
Perhaps because she had been officially grounded, she hadn't even been allowed to hear what happened after I disappeared.
I didn't push her away.
But I couldn't hug her back either.
My body simply wouldn't move.
Then she spoke.
Her voice was slow and trembling.
"...Sorry."
That single word shook me.
My eyes became warm.
For a moment, I thought I might actually cry.
But I forced myself to hold it back.
I wanted to look strong.
So I asked the question that had been sitting somewhere inside me.
"So you regret what you did?"
Bell's expression changed.
A strange, painful smile appeared on her face.
"No."
She shook her head.
"I don't regret what I did."
Her voice became firmer.
"If I were in that situation again, I would do the same thing all over again."
She looked directly at me.
"But I'm still sorry."
I stared at her.
And somehow...
That answer made me feel relieved.
That was Bell.
The same Bell I remembered.
She wouldn't apologize for making a choice she believed was necessary.
Even if that choice hurt her.
Even if she had to carry the guilt afterward.
I wanted to talk more.
I wanted to ask what happened after I disappeared.
I wanted to know how she had been.
I wanted to know if she still considered me her friend.
But before I could say anything—
Bell suddenly pulled away.
Her expression changed.
Fear appeared in her eyes.
I turned around.
Too late.
Sis Elta was standing behind us.
I hadn't even noticed her approaching.
She looked shocked.
"Princess Bell...?"
Her gaze moved between us.
Then she looked behind her.
Gray and the others were already coming toward us.
Elta's expression immediately became serious.
"Princess Bell, go now."
Her voice was calm, but there was concern hidden beneath it.
"I'm overlooking this for now. But I will come to meet you, so be prepared."
Bell blinked.
Then she nodded.
"Okay! Thanks, Sis Elta!"
There was a small smile on her face.
So she understood.
Even beneath Elta's harsh words, Bell could recognize the concern she was trying to hide.
That's good.
At least Bell had someone looking after her.
Bell looked at me one last time.
A small smile appeared on her face.
"I'll meet you at the Exil Tree announcement party."
I slowly raised my hand.
"Yeah."
I waved toward her.
She turned around and left.
One thing was certain.
She was still a troublesome princess.
I couldn't help but smile slightly.
Then Elta turned toward me.
Her expression became serious.
"Do you have a relationship with her?"
I knew it.
Of course she wouldn't let something like that pass after seeing us hug.
"It wasn't what you think."
I quickly explained.
"As you know, I don't have all my memories. But when it comes to Bell, I remember her. She was my friend, just like Gray and the others."
I paused.
"She's dear to me."
Elta continued staring at me.
"I only consider her a friend," I added. "A friend I made from the Fairy Realm."
She closed her eyes.
For a moment, she said nothing.
Then she spoke.
"In our world..."
She paused.
"No. In the entire World, there is one rule that should never be broken."
I looked at her.
"Even those in the highest positions of authority don't dare to violate it."
Her voice became colder.
"A forbidden relationship between different races."
Different races.
The words immediately caught my attention.
Elta continued.
"And that is one of the reasons creators coming to the Fairy Realm has become so rare. We needed a wall between our races."
She looked toward the distant fairies.
"And within the Imaginary World, fairies aren't allowed to appear in their original height around creators because of that."
I finally understood.
The strange rules.
The restrictions.
The way fairies behaved around creators.
So that's why.
"And you're not allowed to become friends with them?"
"Correct."
I thought about Bell.
She hadn't followed those rules.
She had become my friend anyway.
Perhaps her situation was different.
Or perhaps she simply didn't care.
Either way, another thought entered my mind.
A forbidden relationship between different races...
I couldn't remember ever hearing about anything like that.
Perhaps there were things hidden inside my missing memories that I hadn't even begun to uncover.
Before I could think about it any further, Gray and Alysa finally arrived.
"Where did you suddenly disappear to?" Alysa asked. "We thought you got kidnapped again!"
I stared at her.
Why does she always assume I got kidnapped?
Did she read those kinds of novels?
I quickly made up an excuse and escaped the situation.
Elta didn't say anything in front of them.
Neither did I.
But as we continued walking, another thought began bothering me.
They trusted me.
Gray trusted me.
Alysa trusted me.
And I was using that trust to lie.
I didn't like that.
Not even a little.
I seriously need to stop doing this.
I lowered my eyes.
From now on, I'm not going to lie to them.
I paused.
I'll try.
That promise sounded much easier inside my head than it probably would be in reality.
Not long afterward, another vehicle appeared.
This one was different from the ordinary wooden vans I had seen before.
Its design was extravagant.
Elegant.
The materials looked expensive, and even without anyone explaining it, I could tell that this wasn't something ordinary civilians used.
Elta looked toward us.
"This will take you to the palace. So don't make any noise."
I climbed inside.
The interior was made from polished wood and golden decorations. The craftsmanship was beautiful enough to make me wonder how much work had gone into creating something meant only for transportation.
A royal wooden carriage.
That was probably the best way to describe it.
I was a little excited.
But compared to Gray and Alysa, my excitement was practically nonexistent.
Gray looked like he had suddenly become the main character of some grand movie.
Alysa, meanwhile, was examining the materials used to make the vehicle.
I looked between them.
Am I the normal one here?
Probably not.
The vehicle began moving.
We passed through the streets of the Fairy Realm.
Whenever civilians noticed us, they looked up.
Adults.
Children.
Everyone smiled.
There was happiness on their faces.
Respect.
At least, that was what it looked like.
But after everything I had witnessed about the darker side of this realm, I couldn't help wondering.
Are those smiles real?
Or is there hatred hidden beneath them?
I immediately frowned.
Damnit.
Why was I thinking like this again?
This was exactly what I used to do back in the human realm.
Overthink everything.
Question every smile.
Search for hidden intentions behind every word.
I was doing it again.
Ignoring reality while getting lost inside my own thoughts.
I seriously needed to stop.
I had already spent too much of my life living that way.
I didn't want my old habits to awaken again.
I wanted to trust people.
I wanted to live.
Not constantly search for something wrong.
Lost inside my own thoughts, I didn't even notice when the vehicle stopped.
"Zaraf."
Gray's voice pulled me back.
"What are you thinking about? We arrived."
I blinked.
Then I looked outside.
Slowly, I stepped down from the vehicle.
And froze.
A massive bridge stretched out before us.
Its edges seemed to disappear into the distance, giving the strange impression that it was a road leading toward the end of the world.
Beyond it stood a gigantic gate.
It was already open.
Voices echoed from somewhere beyond it.
The atmosphere was completely different from the streets we had just passed.
Grand.
Heavy.
Almost solemn.
I stared ahead.
The enormous gate stood before us like the entrance to another world.
Gray and Alysa stepped forward.
I remained still for a moment.
The Fairy Royal Palace.
I had finally arrived at the place where the rulers of this realm lived.
Where the tournament would be announced.
Where countless fairies would soon gather.
And for some reason...
As I looked toward those enormous open gates, a strange sensation crawled through me.
I couldn't explain it.
I only knew one thing.
The moment I stepped through those gates, something was going to change.