Aeloria followed the two young vampires running in the playground in front of her. She realized that she could only watch, but not interfere. So she decided to follow them. After all, the two girls were her and Evelina from eight years ago.
The younger Evelina tried catching upto the younger Aeloria who was much faster, the two were having a race and Aeloria was dominating in it.
A thought ran across Aeloria's mind. She remembered how Evelina was always behind her in overall physique. She felt a small sense of pride as she held a chuckle in her throat.
Aeloria watched her younger self winning the race, the finish line was the entrance of the park, which was also the exit. "Not fair, you are too fast!" Evelina complained while pouting.
"Then get faster you slowpoke." Aeloria replied. She certainly kept her rudeness from a very young age.
"Anyways." Aeloria looked at Evelina. "You were sulking since the moment you came to play. What happened?"
"Eh? You noticed?"
"You are too obvious to read idiot." She tapped Evelina's forehead who rubbed it pouting.
Evelina sighed as she replied back. "Vesper and I ended up arguing today... He doesn't likes living here at all anymore."
Aeloria watched the two girls as she remembered something. Ah right, Vesper Nocturne... It has been a while I last saw him, he was Eve's younger brother who works as a Sanguira now at the borders... Eve used to say he always hated this place.
"Ugh, just tell him to tolerate this. All of us do it, it's not like anyone could actually raise their voice towards the old hag at all." The younger Aeloria replied back to Evelina. Aeloria watched the two as she almost laughed at the statement.
How ironic... I had said this, yet I was the first to raise my voice against her majesty.
"It's not like everyday, he yelled back at me this time instead of being stubborn like usual."
"It's normal. You are just being overdramatic. He is just being a brat, nothing else."
"Why aren't you yelling then!?" Aeloria's forehead twitched at that, as she pulled Evelina's ear hard, while she tried to run away crying in pain.
"Are you saying, I am a brat?"
"I am sorry!" Evelina screamed an apology.
Aeloria let's go off her ear. "Call me a brat next time and I'll pull your hair out." Evelina instinctively covered her head upon hearing that.
"Can you help me in making Vesper beh-"
"No." Aeloria interrupted as she waved her hand, telling Evelina that she is leaving.
Evelina realized the time as she saw the sky, the sun had almost set. "Eek!" She yelped at the realization. "Wait for me!" As she ran towards Aeloria to not get left behind.
The actual Aeloria watching the two, stayed silent. "If I am correct and this is really the last day... Then everyone is... Ugh." She groaned slightly at the last part, hating the mere thought of saying the word. She followed the two behind.
The two girls went opposite to each other's direction, back to their home. Evelina gave a warm smile like usual, Aeloria gave one as well in return as she left.
Aeloria sighed upon seeing that. "And that's... My last smile with her. What's even the point of watching anymore if I already know what will happen?"
Words appeared in front of her, saying the following when she read them.
"The Gate of Memories also shows the memories from a different perspective..."
Aeloria was confused for a moment, then realized what it meant. She immediately ran to her home where her younger self was going.
She reached the house quick, the door was left open. The younger Aeloria had just entered. Aeloria rushed inside. Finding her younger self sitting quietly on the chair, with her mother and father. Both with their face on the table, completely motionless.
The younger Aeloria stared at the food in the center, then mumbled. "So there was cott fruit..." Cott fruit, a type of fruit used to make what was considered poison for vampires. Consuming one caused the death of a vampire.
Aeloria also stared at the food as well. She knew how did she discovered back then that cott fruit was mixed in the food. Unlike her parents, Aeloria had developed high resistance to poison at a young age. Because of which, this much cott fruit wasn't enough to harm her.
The younger Aeloria stayed quiet for a little longer, then clenched her clothes. Before slowly starting to tear up quietly. "Mama... Papa..."
Aeloria quietly left the room. She remembered the memory perfectly well, that's why she didn't wanted to think about it again. "What even was the point of showing this again..."
Slowly the environment started to shift, as Aeloria felt herself return back to the empty darkness of the Gate of Memories once again. "Is it o-"
A mirror like fog appeared in front of her. "Is this what the words meant by different perspectives?" She questioned, as the same memory started playing from a different place.
Aeloria watched quietly, when she had gone out of the house. The nearby neighbour, the one her family always trusted a lot, had came in after that.
Aeloria watched, as she realized what happened, and continued to watch with her arms crossed. Their neighbour pretended to just came for some talk, while secretly sprinkling powdered cott fruit inside the food. Then left after that.
"Tch." Aeloria grunted, as she watched to find the reason behind that action. The neighbour went back to his house, stopping by a guy who stood beside the door, her uncle from her father's side. His younger brother. They secretly discussed about the assassination attempt, as the neighbour took some gems from him then went inside.
Aeloria stared, then clenched her arms tighter as the fog disappeared. "So... What was this supposed to do other than tell me the truth?"
The words appeared in front of her again, but what was said this time made her go quiet.
Would you still trust your friends, even after this?
Aeloria understood the intentions clearly. The realm knew it couldn't break her, so it asked a question to make her hesitate. The question mainly referred to her relation with Evelina.
Aeloria stayed silent, she couldn't deny the words. After a while, she finally decided to answer.
"Yes... " Her gaze turned confident. "Because unlike that old fag, they aren't blinded by greed... They are the people I can risk my life for, and they would do the same."
A crimson aura slowly started to surround her. The power was overwhelming as it caused some white cracks to appears in the endless darkness that had no end. "And how dare of you to compare them to that bastard?"
Snap! The cracks cracked further, before the darkness shattered. The door revealing itself again. Aeloria grabbed a falling piece of the darkness before, it was a stone hard shard, it disappeared in her hands just after.
So a world was made through my memories huh... I suppose this place is the collection of all of time then in our world, since it not only made a world from my memories but also showed it from a different perspective as well. Aeloria walked back towards the door.
Back outside, everyone were passing around time doing something while Evelina stood in front of the Gate, waiting for Aeloria to come out.
Thud! The Gate was kicked opened, as Aeloria walked out. "Wasn't that ha-"
"Ael!" Evelina lunged in, only to get punched in the chin by Aeloria. "Ow." Evelina dramatically rubbed her chin in pain.
Aeloria walked back to the hay to sit there. She laid down on it, then spoke. "It's not that hard, all it does is show you a memory of yours, then show it from a different perspective. It then uses those perspectives to ask you a question to test you."
"And what was the question it asked you?" Caine asked.
"It asked me whether I would still trust anyone of you." That left everyone silent for a minute but it disappeared by her next words. "I broke that world it created because it compared you all to the likes of a greedy bastard I knew."
"Broke that world?..." Mara asked awkwardly. Aeloria explained her theory. According to her, the Gate was most likely the totality of time from the past upto the present. It uses their memories then makes a space time inside with it's collection. She believed so because if it was really just their memories, different perspectives would have been impossible. So conclusion was, that it was the totality of time from the past to the present.
"How did you even managed to destroy a universe?" Mara asked in confusion.
"Well... Considering how easily it was destroyed, the worlds inside are probably as durable as the world's of the human realm."
"Ah that makes sense then. Their world is rather weak in comparison to ours. Serelia, how do you even struggle against them?" Mara asked. Since the matter of a higher realm was composed of information that made up the linear space time of a lower realm, it didn't make much sense why would a higher being struggle against a lower being.
"It's just one human that is annoying, the rest of them are too weak. But that one human can go toe to toe with me."
Morgana stared at her in bewilderment. "Did you just acknowledged someone being able to rival you?"
"He is deserving of the acknowledgement." Serelia replied, Morgana was still surprised but stopped bothering with it.
"I'll go next then." Evelina announced, as she walked towards the door. Aeloria called her out. "I probably encountered the first phase considering how easily I passed, so don't take it lightly."
"Alright!" The door closed behind as Evelina replied back from the other side. Inside Evelina stood silently in the dark, her mind racing with just one thought.
I don't like this darkness and silence! She thought internally, about to cry dramatically.
Back with the Serenis family, Lucius and the three Sanguiras, they watched as Aeloria came out from the Gate of Memories, followed by Evelina going next.
"Vesper, it's your sister next." Aurelia mentioned, Vesper stayed silent. She sighed at that. "I am not going to comfort you on that. You know well, it was your own decision to leave... If something happens between you two now, it will be the result of your own actions."
Vesper's expression got a bit tighter after hearing that. "I was an impatient child... I wouldn't be surprised if she hates me for coming back after leaving back then."
"Sister, so is that son of the Nocturne household that had gone to the borders?" Aven asked, as he looked at Vesper's face of regret.
"Yes, the same person. Vesper Nocturne, Evelina's younger brother." She answered.
Seeing their friend like that, Arabella and Desdemona tried to help him. "C'mon Vesper, she is your sister. The two of you are family, why would she hate yo-"
"I had directly said I hate her for always trying to force me to adapt to the surroundings here in the past." Vesper cuts off Arabella from finishing her sentence, as he continued. "There is no way, I can face her now after that." He held and pulled his hair tight at the thought.
"I don't think anything like that would happen." Destaris called out as everyone stared at the youngest vampire among them. Destaris continued speaking.
"Big brother always comes home after hunting something but big sis Aurelia only hits him in the head for that. Why would big sis Evelina hate you for saying that, big brother Vesper?" Aven barely held himself from hitting Destaris in the head for using him as an example, while Aurelia held him tight.
"Oh dear..." Lucius muttered at Destaris's innocence. Hunting was Aven's daily work pretty much, so Aurelia simply treated it as normal, and the hits were for always coming late and Vesper's situation wasn't like that. But no one decided to explain the young vampire about it.
Vesper sighed slightly as he thought about how to meet with Evelina. I want the courage to at least apologise to her-
"I hate you, sister." Evelina stared expressionlessly in front of her. It was a memory of Vesper saying that to her made real by the Gate of Memories.
"I hate you... How can you even continue living like this? This place. This country. How can you bring yourself to live here? And you even tried to force me into staying here..."
"Vesper..." Evelina muttered quietly.
"Were you so obliged to listen to your friend that you completely ignored how it would affect your brother?"
"..." Evelina stayed silent, her fists trembling slightly. She remembered this moment very well, for her. It was the most painful thing ever. Her very own brother hated her for trying to teach him to live here in the past.
Evelina walked out of the Gate, everyone noticed her gloomy look when she walked out. "Evelina, are you alright?" Silas asked. Evelina gave no reply, and quietly sat beside Aeloria.
From her face, it probably must have been related to her brother. Nothing else can make her look like that. Aeloria thought, she knew Evelina well enough and also knew how much Vesper's words had affected her in the past.
From the hologram, everyone else saw the look on Evelina's face. "Whatever was inside there, it must have affected her a lot." Aven mentioned, as the others thought about what could it be.
"It must be what I had said to her before I left." Vesper mentioned.
"Huh? Why do you think that?" Arabella asked.
"That is the exact look she had on her face after what I had said to her before leaving... I know my sister well. For her, that must have been painful..."
"Perhaps you should apologise." Lucius called out, as Draven was about to give him look for interrupting in between.
"Forgive me, Sir Draven. But from the looks of it, Lady Evelina might not recover so easily." He mentioned, as everyone glanced at Evelina's facial expression again.
"Vesper... I agree with Lucius. Even if Evelina hates you for what you did. It would make her feel better to know you don't truly hate her." Aurelia suggested.
"... I will try after the first trial is over."
"That's good."
The trial continued, as the rest of them entered the gate and came back out just fine. Leoric exists in style like usual, Silas and Seraphine got out just fine as well. So did Darius. Caine went inside and then came out, a bit annoyed.
"So what did you encountered?" Mara asked.
"It was my old man trying to make me listen to him." He replied, Mara chuckled at that, as she went inside. Giving a high five to Caine before leaving. "Stay safe." He said, she gave a thumbs up on that.
Everyone else started waiting just like they did before for the other to come out. After a while, the Gate opened. Caine was about to call out Mara but stopped in between as he saw the look on her face.
Terror.
Her face was filled only with terror. She walked out trembling, before collapsing onto Caine's chest in fear, making him concerned. "Mara, what the hell happened to you?"
"I-It wasn't my memory... It was horrifying." The words left her mouth in fear, as everyone tried to make sense of what was happening. Darius spoke out his assumptions loud.
"Maybe this is the second phase, her majesty was referring to... Perhaps it doesn't just forces us to live a specific memory of ours again... But also makes us live through an entirely different possibility through those memories."
Caine looked at the trembling Mara against him after hearing Darius. He held her close, not letting go as she held her tears back. "Even if she acts all fine, she is really vulnerable at heart. The terror must have been too much for her."
Serelia watched the two and got up. "I'll go next." Morgana stared at her in surprise. "That's rather early of you to do." Serelia didn't said anything, she glanced at the trembling Mara before going inside, the gate closing in behind her.
The silence was deafening but before anything could start. Serelia yelled loudly. "Gate of Memories! I know you have a consciousness of your own!"
Her voice echoed inside the endless darkness that stretched infinitely. The realm shook slightly as if replying back to her.
"I want you to make a trade with me!" She yelled as she continued, the realm continued shaking. As her next words threw even the realm off.
"In exchange for forcing me to encounter the second phase... Show me what you had showed Mara that left her like that!"
The realm didn't shook at all upon hearing the deal.