>>Hael

I touched my crescent moon shaped earring as I watched Amber lying unconscious on top of the glass case Illaris was kept in .

I sensed no danger

The mark I had left on her would have reacted if she was in danger. I looked back at the temple messenger and he immediately panicked.

"WE didn't do anything!!! I promise. I have no idea what happened!"

"And if I find out that you people did do something-"

"We didn't!" He was going pale, "You've already threaten- I mean, told us enough. We wouldn't bother your saint!" He clasped his hands together, "I promise we didn't do anything. I have no clue what happened here."

I looked at her again.

She looks like she's in a sleep state. I placed my hand on her head. But something seems out of place.

I took her in my arms, then stepped away from the glass case. I'll take her back to the Tower and have the archmages look at her.

***

>>Amber

I stared at her in disbelief.

...

And I kept staring at her.

In the serene white space, she stood with a smile, staring back at me.

"Am I dead?" I asked

"No," She gave me a dead-pan reply.

"Are you lying to me?"

"No," She gave me another dead-pan reply and I shook my head at her. It doesn't make any sense.

"Then how come you're claiming that you're the real saint, but I've never seen or heard of you." I frowned, "And now you're suddenly here," I looked around as I waved my arms, "In this weird space."

"That's because I'm dead." She replied, "I don't exist in this timeline."

?!?!

My eyes went wide in shock and I looked back at her in horror. I opened my mouth to ask her something but then closed it. I opened my mouth again but I wasn't sure what to say.

She doesn't exist in this timeline?

Wait

Was she there in the previous timeline? The one in which I died? Did she awaken after my death? But then why isn't she here in this world? How do I even trust her words? All of this sounds so suspicious.

"I can tell what you're thinking," Her smile faltered, "And yes, I was there in the previous timeline."

"Then why are you here?" I looked at her with a look of disbelief, "If you're the original saint, you should be here!"

"..." Her eyes wandered around as she looked for a solution, "I am here... in a way." And then her gaze came back to me.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

She folded her leg in the air

!?!?

And then she folded the other one. I was expecting her to fall down but she just sat in the air crossed legged which baffled me.

"Where do I even start from?" She folded her arms and thought about it as she tilted her head. She scratched her forehead with her eyes closed.

"How come you're floating?" I asked

"Oh!" She opened her eyes and looked at me, "This is actually your subconscious mind, so things like this are possible. All you need to do is believe that you're sitting on sitting and wallah! You'll be sitting on something," She pointed down her body, "Which can be nothing."

???

"Okay..." I chose to stay standing, "So, how can I believe you?"

"Hmm?"

"You're saying you are the original saint, but what proof do you have?"

"Uhhh," She scratched her eyebrow with her index finger. I seemed to have caught her off guard. "I guess the only proof I can give you is that I'm inside your head."

???

"How do I know I'm inside my head?" I replied, "I could be anywhere! It's not like I can tell." I was very suspicious of her.

"You can wake yourself up at any time." She answered.

I can?

Should I try and wake myself up?

"Wait!" Rosie panicked, "If you wake yourself up, we won't be able to have a conversation."

"You live in my consciousness, don't you? Why can't we meet again?" I looked at her, "Unless, you're lying and we're actually in some place else."

She waved her hands at me, "No, we are in your consciousness, but you need a trigger to come here."

...

I smacked my lips as I stared at her. I did a quick look around and then looked back at her.

Honestly, I don't think I have a choice here but to hear her out.

"Okay, let's say I believe I'm inside of my subconscious mind, deep inside of it. What are you doing here?" I folded my arms, "How does it explain you being 'The Saint'."

She passed me a lanky smile, "It's because you ate me,"

????

My eyebrows raised themselves on their own, "Excuse me?" I pointed at myself with my right hand's index finger, "I-what??!" I was baffled, "Ate?!?" I pointed my index finger at her, "You?" I couldn't process her words, "What?" it didn't make any sense.

"Yes," She nodded

"I did not do that!!" My reaction was a bit dramatic but on my behalf, I was being accused of cannibalism.

"You did," She smirked, "You ate me, that's how you got my powers,"

"Hell No! I'm no cannibal-" I paused, "Wait," I was getting hyper when it suddenly struck me, "You said you don't exist in this timeline,"

"Not as a human at least." She answered and her words came back to me.

It suddenly hit me, "Shit!" My eyes went wide, "Are you-" I shook my head, "Were you that Holy Flower that Hael mixed in the brownie?!"

"Yep,"

Oh shit

I looked down in shame

I did eat her...

I felt a streak of sweat go down the side of my forehead as the horror of reality settled in.

Oh damn.... That's heavy...

"But," I raised my head to look at her, "How the hell did you turn into a flower?" I was more confused than when we started, "That doesn't make any sense?!"

"I know," She seemed calm, "I know it all sounds crazy and all but, it's true and I will explain it."

"Then explain!" I needed an explanation, bad.

"Well, let's start from the most basic question." She placed her hands on her knees, "You can sit down if you want."

...

I looked down, then slowly went downward, my hand touched the place where my feet were and once I felt a ground there, I sat down there with my legs crossed.

"Yes?"

"So, didn't you ever wonder? About how you came back in time with all your memories intact?"

!!!

"Of course I have!" I thought about it a lot when I was living as Corvina! "It didn't make sense to me as to why I was suddenly back in time!?" I paused, "Did you do something?"

She shook her head, "There are only a handful of people who can do it."

"Do what?" I asked

"Rewind time."

"There are people actually capable of that?" It was a little shocking, even though I was the living testament of it.

"Yes," She replied, "But the information is not public."

"Why?"

"Because it's taboo." Her voice was soft,

"Oh..." Makes sense, "But why would you rewind time?" There were a number of things in my mind, "And why haven't I heard of you in this timeline?"

She passed me a sad smile, "Well, like I said, I sort of don't exist in this timeline... I mean I was a flower."

I was utterly confused at her statement and I gave her that confused look, "Right... You said that." It was a little hard to keep up.

She scratched her head and let out a sigh, "Let me start from the past."

"Oh, please do."

"I'm gonna cut to the chase, without sugar coating anything." Her expressions turned serious.

"Okay~" I nodded.

"We couldn't save the world in the previous timeline."

!!!?

She just had to say that and I instinctively knew what she meant, "Couldn't save... from the miasma?"

She nodded her head, "We failed, pretty badly."

"Why?!" I pointed at her with my hands, my arms outstretched towards her, "You're the saint, the original one! Why couldn't you do anything?"

"Because I didn't awaken in time."

I felt goosebumps on my body. My mouth hung open in disbelief.

"Why?" My voice came out as a whisper. I felt scared all of the sudden. Other thoughts began to plague my head.

If she couldn't save the world, how could I do it? No, but wait, she said she didn't awaken in time.

"Calm down," She sensed my turmoil, "I'll explain everything, so listen to me."

The frown was etched on my forehead but I still listened to her, "Yes?" I tried to keep my eyes on her and not let myself be carried away by my dark thoughts, "Why couldn't you awaken in time?"

"The Deities were angry." She said,

"They were... angry?" Oh damn, that sounds really serious.

She nodded, "Because the temple made an artificial saint to save themselves, they defied their very own belief that God doesn't abandon his people." She paused, "I didn't awaken till the time Aurelia started getting consumed with miasma. That time is also the time Illaris died."

!!!

She died?

"Oh..." There was nothing else I could say.

"Once the fake was dead, I awakened, but it was far too late. Half of the world was already consumed by the Miasma and I had no idea how to control my power and how they worked."

"I see... But how did you turn into a flower?" I asked as I felt a pull. My mind buzzed and I felt my body get dragged back, "So, Who was responsible for rewinding time?"

"Not me," She replied,

I felt my body make a long exposure image, zapped from one place to another, "What is happening to me!?" I felt like someone was forcing me out of here.

Rosie looked up, "Someone is trying to wake you up."

"What?" I looked at her in panic, "We're not done talking though!"

"Illaris is still here, she can work as a trigger for you again." She tried to reach out to me, extending her hand towards me as she uncrossed her legs and came down.

I tried to reach out to her as I stood up, but as soon as I took a step forward.

My body got dragged backwards. I felt myself get a long exposure shot, my body glitching backwards and my mind seemed to go numb-

No

It woke up.