A sweet aroma filled the air with its presence. I already knew that Lune was the best when it came to cooking, I had Zoras' memories after all, but to be able to experience it firsthand was definitely something I looked forward to. Of course, I couldn't say that out loud. The soft-boiled vegetables floated on the golden broth as she stirred it gently.
'Careful, it's hot,' she said, as she handed me the bowl. Steam flew out of the surface, carrying with it the aroma. I dipped the spoon, gently lifting it as my lips parted ever so slightly, blowing away a dense column of steam, before I touched the spoon with my lips.
It was chicken soup, a taste that I was already quite familiar with, but somehow, today, it tasted better than anything I had ever had, both in my previous life, and my new. The rich taste embraced my tongue as the warmth flowed down my throat. I took another sip, taking my time, letting the taste linger just a bit more. It was that good, dear reader. It was that good.
'Delicious,' I said, my voice almost a whisper.
'Of course,' she replied. 'Make sure to rest well, alright?'
'I will.'
She was always the caring kind, but she seemed strangely more concerned that day. I brushed it off, thinking that I was imagining it, but perhaps I should have been a little more careful. That aside, the soup was quite delicious, enough to make me want a second bowl.
'You could have made a bit more,' I said out loud as I put the empty bowl on the table.
Now to wait till it's midnight.
There was little left to do for me other than that. Certainly, Lune would not let me leave this house, probably out of concern that I would faint again.
…
I need to be careful.
There was no lingering feeling of a presence following me, nor had I felt their gaze after that, but that was no guarantee that I was safe. I was sure that there was someone or something after me, and let me tell you, dear reader, there are few things more scary than an enemy you cannot see, especially where you are as vulnerable as I was then. Of course, I had a gun, but to shoot a shot I had to see my target. I didn't know where they would hit from, or even how close they were, or their general direction. The last time, I couldn't even stand.
The very thought of facing them made my hands tremble like never before and my legs weaker than I ever thought they could be. From the memories I had, I did not know of anyone that could be responsible, in which case, whoever this person was, or this thing was, they were after me because of something that happened in the last month, or worse, perhaps they knew that I wasn't Zoras.
Run away—that was all I could do, and even then, whether I would survive or not, I could not be sure.
…
Nope.
I slapped myself out of my train of thoughts. Panicking would get me nowhere—that I understood well. Of course, I was scared, but since there was nothing I could do about it, I turned my attention to things I could do something about: Mr. Douglas.
I was still uncertain, hesitant to break in, but if I was going to do this, I couldn't afford to hesitate.
I just need to make sure to not get caught.
That was all I had to do. As long as Mr. Douglas did not know of what transpired, Zoras would be safe. I was not Zoras. I wasn't breaking anyone's trust. I was doing what I had to do to reunite with the people I love.
I shrugged away my hesitance.
Do what you need to do to reach home—I repeated those words in my head. Who knew what else I would need to do in the future? I could not let my hesitance be the death of me. I would not hesitate, not today.
Sorry, Zoras, I thought, as I waited for the sun to set. I looked outside my window, at the sky above, where the clouds cascaded beautifully as the orange hue of the sun broke through.
It will rain soon.
…how poetic.
With not much else to do, I decided to rest a bit.
I do need some quality sleep.
This body was pretty tired, especially now, after it had such a wonderful meal. It would be unwise of me to not rest now. I laid down on my bed and closed my eyes, my consciousness slipping away into its realm of dreams, or wherever it is that they go to.
.
.
.
—oul!
—Gyeoul!
…someone was calling my name.
Who was it?
—Gyeoul! Wake up!
I opened my eyes, and immediately, a bright flash of white assaulted my retinas, forcing my eyelids shut. I opened them again, slowly, letting them adjust to the world around me. My vision cleared, revealing a familiar, white ceiling.
'Finally, you're up!'
Next to me was my wife, letting out a sigh.
'Do you know how long I've been trying to wake you up?'
'Sorry,' I said, lifting myself up.
'Your breakfast is ready. Don't you have to leave in an hour? Hurry up!'
'Oh shit, yeah! I have a meeting.'
I quickly got up and freshened up, before sitting down at the table with the rest of the family. Next to me sat my wife, and across from the table was my father, and next to her, my mother. We lived together under a single roof, for I wasn't quite sure about leaving my parents alone, they were the kind to overdo things, after all.
…
I feel like I'm forgetting something…
'What is it?' asked my wife, concerned.
'It's nothing…'
'Speaking of which, Gyeoul, how long do you plan to keep us waiting?'
'I'm sorry?'
I looked up at him, confused.
'You've been gone for a while, you know?'
'Yeah, we've been missing you.'
Tears rolled down her cheeks as she said that. Why was she crying?
'I'm here, I'm right here!'
'Gyeoul, we've been so worried…'
'You disappeared without telling us anything.'
What…do you mean…? I'm right here…
I looked at my father, then my mother, then my wife. All of them looked back at me, their eyes full of sorrow and pain. Slowly, they began to move away from me as the world began to distort.
No, no, no, no! What is happening??
I reached out my hand, trying to grab them, but I couldn't reach them. I ran towards them, but they moved further away. No matter how quickly I tried to run, they were always faster.
'Gyeoul! Come back to us!'
I reached out my hand.
'No!'
I screamed.
Soon, their figures turned into silhouettes.
'NOOO!'
My eyes shot open as I launched myself off from my bed. The moon's red gaze fell upon my face as it dripped with sweat, my hand reached out in front of me.
A dream…
I looked around.
I'm still Zoras…huh?
My fingers were still trembling, my heartbeat elevated as my breaths were ragged. I took a deep breath, calming myself before checking the time.
It was almost midnight.
Right, the Artifact Shop.
I got off the bed and prepared.
I won't take long, I promise.