Alfheim

  As I woke up from that endless, strange dream, still feeling bewildered, the apparatus appeared again.

  [ The penalty has been lifted! As compensation, a new special quest has appeared:

  Please complete the prerequisite quests before you proceed with this special quest: Sub-quest #2

  Special Quest:

  Obtain Arcana: 0/1

  Time Limit: 60 days

  (If the pyer does not complete the quest within the allotted time, there will be a penalty.)

  Reward: Strange box + 5 stars

  Accept or decline? (Penalty)

  Countdown: -]

  Arcana? What’s Arcana? I’ve never heard of that before.

  Since when did prerequisite quests come into py?

  And a reward? A 'Strange Box'?

  When has the apparatus ever given me a reward? This all feels so unusual.

  I’ve never actually received anything from it.

  The apparatus has often mentioned that I can earn rewards, such as stars and gift boxes, but it has never delivered on those promises.

  I’m starting to become quite skeptical about all of this.

  Somebody cleared their throat.

  “You alright?” A voice cut through the heavy humming.

  The apparatus abruptly vanished before my eyes.

  My eyes widened in surprise, as I had thought I was alone.

  I turned toward the source of the sound, and to my astonishment, I was not alone.

  A young woman sat across from me, her gaze fixed on me with a look of concern.

  She was dressed simply in a pin bck shirt, navy blue trousers, and bck shoes.

  The soft glow of sunlight caressed her fair skin, smooth and unblemished, as though she were tended to by a maid, like a princess.

  Her hair was a deep red, with strands that shimmered chestnut when caught in the light, braided neatly in a French style.

  Long, pointed ears peeked out from the tangle of her braid.

  Long, pointed ears? I blinked rapidly, rubbing my eyes in disbelief, wondering if I was imagining things.

  Yet, she remained seated directly across from me, as though she had always been there.

  “A Drouw!?" I excimed in dismay. She turned to me, her expression suggesting something was wrong.

  “What?" she asked, raising an eyebrow in confusion.

  Genuine concern ced her voice, as if my sudden outburst had caught her completely off guard.

  I stared at her for a long moment, the silence stretching between us.

  This disappeared when a livid voice cut through the deafening silence.

  “You must’ve been really sick for that to come out of your mouth, Lucy," she replied, crossing her legs as she continued to stare at me with a look of clear displeasure.

  She let out a breath.

  “You do realize that calling us a Drouw is considered rude, don’t you? And for the record, I am far from a Drouw. I’m an Elvin, remember?" she said, as if I was supposed to know that already.

  It was true. She didn’t resemble a Drouw.

  Compared to them, her skin was glossy and fair, while Drouws, also known as Dark Elves, have dark grey skin and bck pupils.

  But this was the first time I’d ever heard of an Elvin.

  I nodded slowly, pretending to understand what she was talking about.

  “Who.. Are you exactly?” Hesitation ced my voice.

  Her brow furrowed.

  "Syvia. Syvia Alfheim," she replied. I stared at her, my expression clearly signaling that I didn’t know who she was.

  “Via? Milrd? Still doesn’t ring a bell?" she asked. I shook my head slowly, silently confirming that I didn’t know her.

  "Huh. So Thed wasn’t lying. He did mention that you’d lose some of your memories, but I didn’t think it would be to the point where you even forgot about me.”

  “Since you know, you might as well introduce yourself,” I said.

  She paused for a moment before speaking.

  "Your childhood friend," she said. I gnced at her, noticing she seemed uncertain about her answer.

  But it didn’t bother me in the slightest. I turned my attention to the unfamiliar room.

  The bed was soft, far too rge to be king-sized. The space was expansive, and a grand chandelier illuminated the room above, a clear indication of its extravagance.

  As my gaze shifted to the left, I noticed the window stretching across the entire wall, draped with rge red curtains, meticulously tailored.

  Beneath them, sheer curtains lined the inner side, reaching from the ceiling to the floor.

  I turned back to Syvia and asked.

  “So, Ms. Syvia, where exactly am I?" I shifted the conversation, sensing it was leading nowhere.

  I needed to understand where I was and how I had ended up here.

  “My room. Thed mentioned you colpsed in your room, so he decided to bring you here for a check-up," she replied.

  Just then, a soft knock echoed at the door.

  “That must be your brother. Come in!" she said. To my left, a rge white door creaked open slightly.

  A frown crossed my face as I recognized the golden hair that peeked through the door.

  I had expected it to be Thed, as Syvia had kept mentioning him, but to my surprise, it was just him.

  “Why is he here?" I muttered, sensing Syvia raise an eyebrow in response.

  “When did you come to hate Alden so much? You used to care for him," she said.

  I looked at her, feeling as though there weren’t many reasons to hate him.

  Ever since I had lived with the Ancelotts, he had been the only one I truly disliked.

  “Yeah, she’s right. Why do you hate me so much?" Alden asked.

  I turned in his direction, frowning before quickly looking away.

  “It doesn’t matter," I muttered.

  The silence in the room grew heavy, almost unbearable, as the awkwardness lingered.

  Alden let out a quiet sigh.

  “So, how is he?" he asked Syvia.

  “Well, it turns out he colpsed from fatigue. Surprisingly, his body and strength have improved. He'll recover in no time," she replied.

  Alden nodded, taking in her response.

  “Well, that’s good news," he said.

  Alden spoke again, but I froze when he mentioned a name.

  "Oh, right, about Teo—"

  “What did you say?" I interrupted, gring at him, my gaze sharp as daggers.

  How does he know that name?

  My mind raced, and my heart began to sink.

  Alden studied me, sensing that I wasn’t fooling around.

  He exhaled slowly.

  “Dragonvis. Your pet Dragonvis? Don’t tell me you’ve forgotten him too. Is that why you haven’t been looking for him?" His gaze sharpened as he raised an eyebrow.

  I stared at him, bnkly, completely unaware of any pet named 'Teo,' let alone a Dragonvis.

  A Dragonvis as a pet? What in the name of Divinity is this nonsense, and why am I only hearing about it now?!

  I... don’t recall naming my Dragonvis 'Teo,' and besides, Dragonvis are too dangerous, mythical beings that cannot simply be tamed," I said, frustration evident in my voice.

  Alden suddenly buried his face in his hands, clearly frustrated.

  He shook his head intently.

  “Dragonvis were never mythical creatures to begin with. They aren’t as powerful as people believe, and in fact, they’re now considered to have over 30% popurity worldwide, tamed as pets since portals from dead worlds began appearing on our pnet.”

  My eyes widened at his response.

  Dragonvis were once considered a gift from the Divines.

  These magical creatures, rge and lizard or serpent-like, were often depicted with wings, barbed tails, and the ability to breathe fire or wield one of the elements bestowed by a Divine.

  They were beings of immense authority over humans, how could he now refer to them as mere pets?

  What a disgrace!

  But, if my memory serves me right, this world is not only inhabited by ordinary humans.

  There are also 'hybrids' that rule the pnet. Dragonias, Felidaes, Canidaes, and even mutants.

  “Oh, right," Alden broke the silence. I gnced in his direction and noticed he was holding an elegant paper bag.

  He reached inside, retrieving a sleek bck box.

  "Here," he said, offering it to me. I frowned.

  "Just take it," he urged, moving the box closer to me.

  Reluctantly, I decided not to argue and took it from his hands.

  As I opened the box, a rectangur object was revealed.

  I picked it up, feeling its cold surface against my skin.

  The back was bck, while the sides gleamed with a metallic sheen.

  The front was reflective, and buttons lined the side.

  At the top, a tiny hole caught my attention.

  "What’s this?" I asked, looking at him, my voice tinged with hesitation.

  “A phone, of course. You broke yours four months ago, and it’s been difficult to contact you, so I decided to get you a new one. That way, you can reach me whenever you need. Syvia will give you my number," he expined.

  I nodded slowly in response, but then paused, the weight of his words sinking in.

  Wait, I’m coming with you," I insisted.

  "But you should still rest," Syvia replied.

  Ignoring her, I pushed myself off the soft mattress.

  "I’m fine, as you can see," I said, rising from the bed.

  Without hesitation, I snatched the bag from Alden’s hand, grabbed his arm, and pulled him out of the room.