"Ryn has drifted to sleep, hasn't he, Lina?"
"Yes, for sure! But why ask—did you develop feelings, Ruby?"
"Shut your teasing for a bit, Lina..."
"What's wrong? You seem a bit... low today, Ruby."
"Sorry," I sighed, looking away. "I just... I just—"
I hate when my voice gets all hesitant like this. I forced myself to finish my sentence, looking up at Lina—my master, big sister, and savior.
"I just had a really bad nightmare..." I took a quick breath before adding, "But I wanted to ask you something."
"Yes, sure, go on..." Lina replied, her lips curving into a mischievous smirk.
"Stop looking at me like that," I muttered, twirling a strand of hair around my finger. "Sometimes you really creep me out."
A soft chuckle escaped her lips. I had wondered many times about her true age—a secret she never revealed. Yet she always seemed unbothered, caring, and attentive, almost as if she were more invested in my life than her own.
"Why are you helping Ryn?" I asked, my tone dropping to a quieter register. "I mean... curing him and guiding him bit by bit, even though you don't even know him?"
Silence suddenly hung heavy in the air. It was the first time I had ever seen her select her words so carefully.
Did I say something wrong? Did I make her remember something she shouldn't? My mind began to race in a sudden surge of internal panic. The silence stretched, and my heart started pounding against my ribs, terrified I had crossed a boundary.
"Hmmm... hehehe..."
Lina let out a small laugh, though it leaked past her lips like she was trying desperately to hold it in and failing.
"Just look at your face, Ruby," Lina chuckled softly. "After all that blushing, your face has turned as red as those ruby eyes of yours."
"Just tell me..." I groaned, wrapping my arms around myself.
"About Ryn..." Lina's expression softened as she finally addressed it. "He just reminds me of someone. And even without that, I want to gather cures for every possible disease. Since he was physically, neurologically, vesselly, and mana-wise practically dead... I just wanted to test my skills."
"Just that?" I asked, looking at her with a dumbfounded expression.
"Isn't that enough?" she countered easily.
"I... I just mean..."
"To be honest," Lina teased, leaning back with a playful glint in her eyes, "my fiancé never asked me this many questions. Are you trying to take his place?"
"I am a girl!"
"Gender can change, you know."
"Ilithios!" I gasped, my face flushing bright red as I threw out the spellcraft insult.
Lina just smiled warmly. "Now, back to your work. Continue your art—I want to watch."
***_____________________________________***
As my consciousness scattered, I found myself plunged into a darkness far more profound than anything I could ever perceive.
Splish... splish...
I sensed something viscous, a warm fluid coating the ground beneath my bare feet. It wasn't a total sensory void; there was a heavy, fluid warmth to it.
If I had vision and a stone right now, I could play with the waves... I grumbled to myself. I hate when I'm in lucid dreams. They're always such sensory voids.
Slick-pat... slick-pat...
A continuous, rhythmic footsteps echo began to ring in my ears. It wasn't loud, and it wasn't sharp, but it was disturbing in a way that set my entire soul on edge.
{Unknown Fable: Has detected your presence}
Detected my presence?! By God, if this has to be a dream, it should just be a dream, not a nightmare! A sudden spike of panic flared through me. I was used to nightmares, but something about this place felt fundamentally wrong.
{Unknown Fable: Dungeon Master, is he the one you chose?}
"Ναι, πράγματι· αυτός θα είναι ο νέος σου κύριος, το πιόνι που θα αναγάγω σε βασίλισσα."
An eerie, monstrous voice filled the air the moment the footsteps ceased. The sound rattled through the dark, so heavy that my ears literally began to bleed from the pressure.
This feeling... no, it can't be—
I reached up to touch the side of my head, feeling the wetness. Why does the blood dripping from my ears feel like the exact same fluid I'm standing in...?
{Unknown Fable: I am trusting you in this gamble, Dungeon Master. Don't disappoint me, or I will make sure of your death.}
"Αν ο θάνατος με προσμένει, ας είναι δική μου η επιλογή της μορφής του."
"Ahhhh!"
I collapsed to my knees, clutching my head as the impossible language crushed my eardrums. Where am I?! I fell asleep peacefully, didn't I? If this is a dream, I should be waking up! Wake up!
{System: You have achieved an astonishing feat. You have gained an Unknown Fable.}
The instant the system prompt flashed before my eyes, the crushing weight vanished. A sudden, unnatural lightness flooded my chest, spreading through my limbs like a high-grade painkiller.
Then, arcs of crackling, cyan-colored lightning burst outward, wrapping around my body in a swirling cage of energy.
I blinked—and the darkness shattered.
I was back. Back floating in Lina's room.
I couldn't move a single muscle, paralyzed where I lay, staring blankly upward at the glowing, mysterious window hovering quietly above my face...
{A/N sorry guys for delay but my result ain't comes as expected and my phone was taken so it become double hard to work with BCL(before christ laptop) so I make sure quality ain't fell but sorry for delay and if quality drops a bit but I did my best so let me allow to go back to study till next release date or ain't by chance laptop get in locked too 😭}