"Damn it, I’m gonna screw her until she can’t walk."

...Okay, that was supposed to stay in my head. Why did it come out so ?!

"What did you say?"

I flinched. "Uh, nothing. Nothing."

"I heard that, my dear Kairi~"

Selene’s voice was amused, but her eyes narrowed in scrutiny.

"Maybe you misheard," I retorted, trying to swallow the lump in my throat.

"Want me to slap you again?"

"No! Don’t!" I shook my head frantically.

Honestly, I was still annoyed with her. But, oh well. The problem was over... for now.

Selene smiled faintly, a smile that always made me feel like she knew more than me.

"Speaking of Mytheia... are you capable of keeping this item a secret from now on?"

My eyebrows shot up.

Wait, hadn’t I been silent all along? Why was she only asking now?

A bit late to the party, her thoughts were.

But Selene’s concern made sense, considering she had never directly asked me to keep it a secret. Perhaps she was afraid... or perhaps she knew something I didn’t.

"Yes... of course. Besides, there’s nothing else to worry about. And hadn’t I kept my mouth shut from the beginning?" I looked at her directly.

"What you said is true. But, still..." she replied hesitantly, her gaze shifting to the faintly glowing object in her hand.

"What do you mean, ’still’? I already told you I’d keep this secret. Don’t you trust me?"

My voice rose slightly.

She let out a slow sigh. Her eyes met mine again.

"It’s not about trust, but because this is directly related to Mytheia." She gestured to the object.

"Remember what I said before? Mytheia is extremely dangerous if it falls into the wrong hands."

Selene now stepped closer, her aura turning serious. "So, now I’m not just asking you to keep a secret. I’m asking for your willingness to stake your life."

My heart pounded.

"Willing to swear by the Gods?"

I was silent for a moment, absorbing the weight of her request. Then, I nodded.

"Yes. I swear. I am willing to risk everything for Mytheia—even my life."

The words just came out. Easily.

Yet, if I thought about it, I didn’t even know how deeply I was involved in all of this.

But Selene simply remained silent.

A strange, small smile, calm as usual yet with an odd warmth, formed on her face.

"Okay. I trust you, Kairi."

Then she turned, slowly walking away.

"Uh, wait!"

"What now?"

I took a breath. This was important.

"Can I know... how to access this room without your help?"

Selene let out a small laugh, her voice like a metal bell caressed by the wind.

"That... you can. But later, alright?" she said with a wink.

"Is that all? Come on, let’s go back."

She stepped forward. I followed her.

Wait... go back? What did she mean?

"There’s a door out there," she said, as if reading my mind. "You might not realize it, but this door can take you anywhere." She stopped in front of an archway. "Unfortunately, you can’t enter through it again. It can only be an exit."

So, like... a door to anywhere? But one-way? That thought immediately popped up. Super cliché. But still cool.

And just as she said—as we walked through the room, I saw it. An old, brown door, adorned with colorful bird ornaments that looked like ancient paintings.

"This is called the Gate of Heaven," she said.

Heaven’s Door... Oh no, don’t tell me she got inspiration from that old manga. But, oh well. It could just be a coincidence. Or... my head was spinning.

But before I could even open the door, Selene suddenly stopped at the threshold. Her expression turned serious, her gaze sharp. "Are you aware... this world could collapse at any moment?"

I turned. "What do you mean?"

"If one day you wake up... and everything feels like a dream, don’t be so quick to conclude it’s just a dream."

She then pushed the door open, and white light enveloped my vision.

My eyes were still staring at the ceiling. Static. Flat. Too real. And that’s what made everything feel... wrong.

Why was I back here?

Just now there was Selene, the Gate of Heaven, an oath by the Gods, and Mytheia—those weren’t things that could be faked by a mere dream, right? Was I dead? Or...

Return-By-Memory...

I bit my lip. That was the only thing that made sense. If it weren’t for that cursed ability, I wouldn’t be waking up in this bed again. Everything was too synchronized, too neat, too... set up.

Except—

"If you’re not going to say something, at least don’t stare at the ceiling like you’re lost."

Her voice was soft, lyrical, but the hint of sarcasm was undeniable. I turned. Azalea. In a hospital gown that somehow still looked luxurious on her, sitting in a small chair beside my bed, her legs neatly crossed. Her hand propped up her chin, her eyes fixed on me with a look that said: "Oh great, she’s alive—again."

"How long have I been asleep?" I asked softly.

"If I said two days, would you panic or not care?" Azalea countered, a slight playful smirk on her lips.

"If I said that’s impossible because I was just talking to Selene, would you believe me or call a nurse?"

Azalea was silent for a moment. Then she smiled faintly, as if weighing something only she knew the answer to. "What if I told you Selene was just talking to me too?"

My heart clenched slightly. "In this world? Not in some strange bird-patterned room with a one-way exit?"

Azalea turned towards the window, sighing. "Who knows. She loves playing with symbolism too much for someone who claims to be ’rational’."

I fell silent. Pulling the blanket up to my chest. Okay. This was getting weirder. If that Selene was here too, did that mean I wasn’t the only one who "returned"? Or... had I never left? But the Gate of Heaven felt too real. Too tangible. Even now my skin was still cold from the air in that room. Return-By-Memory had never been that realistic. There was never an aftertaste.