"Miss... I am Azisa." I pointed at my chest.
Her lips curved slightly. A very faint smile.
"Jag är Elyra." Her voice was like a wind chime.
She picked up the paper and quill in front of her, sliding them toward me. I took the quill. My rough, scar-riddled hand starkly contrasted with the smooth white paper. What was I supposed to write? This was incredibly awkward.
She watched me. A gaze that seemed to sink directly into my soul. She rested her head on her hand, looking at me with a small, mysterious smile.
I wrote. Using memories from the old world. Traces of my fragmented past.
I'm not from this world, sorry I can't understand your language.
私はこの世界の人間ではありません.申し訳ありませんが,あなたの言語がわかりません.
Aku bukan dari dunia ini, maaf Aku tidak mengerti bahasamu.
I handed the paper back to her. Elyra took it. Her beautiful eyes swept over my handwriting. Her white brow furrowed slightly. She looked confused. She didn't understand my scripts. Of course.
She stood up. Her movements were fluid as water. She poured tea into an empty cup and offered it to me.
"Thank you..." I placed a hand over my chest, bowing my head briefly in respect.
She gave a small nod. Then, she sat back down and closed her eyes once more. Were we going to sit in silence again?
I reached into my pocket, pulled out a cigarette, and lit it.
"Haa..."
The smoke billowed, creating a gray curtain between us. I took a sip of the tea.
Sip...
Sweet. Honey and jasmine. A warm sensation spread into my stomach. The world around me faded. Darkness.
When I regained consciousness, I didn't know how much time had passed.
My eyes opened.
Elyra was in front of me. She was holding both of my hands across the table. Her hands were warm, yet a strange vibration traveled from her skin to mine. Her eyes were still closed, but her face... her face was wet.
Tears streamed from the corners of her closed eyes, dripping down her pale cheeks. Her expressions shifted rapidly—sadness, confusion, pain, longing. As if she were feeling thousands of emotions that were not her own. My loneliness. My emptiness. The agony of broken bones forcefully set back together.
She slowly released her grip, drawing a long, trembling breath.
She opened her golden eyes. This time, the gaze wasn't empty. It was heavy with understanding.
"What is it... that you really want?"
That language. She was speaking in my language. The accent was strange, but clear.
I fell silent. My heart pounded. She understood?
I lowered my head. "I don't know... I really don't. I'm lost. I..."
My voice caught in my throat.
"Enough." Her voice was soft, yet it cut right through my hesitation. "I understand."
I looked up. Elyra smiled. A genuine smile, even with the traces of tears still on her cheeks.
"You may stay here," she said. "For as long as you wish."
The invisible weight in my chest loosened slightly. I let out a long breath. It felt as though I had been freed from something.
"Thank you…"