Where I Truely Belong

The time of the Harvest Festival had finally come. Everyone from the village gathered in the wide field just beyond the town.

The villagers who kept big gardens had set up their stalls. Tables were covered with fresh fruits and vegetables, all turned into dishes that smelled warm and rich. They shared everything they grew, smiling as they offered food to anyone who passed.

My mother and I walked together through the festival, tasting what we could. People smiled at us as we wandered past. It was calm. It was familiar.

Then, a little ways ahead, I caught sight of Kenny and Rena. They were walking together, holding hands. I noticed a ring on Rena’s finger.

So she’d accepted it. They were together now.

I smiled softly. Good for them.

But standing there, watching them… A strange feeling rose in my chest. Like something had been missing from me all along. Like I wasn’t meant to be here anymore.

And then I heard it.

“Strixx likes Luca’s smile, so keep smiling.” “Thank you, Luca.” “Luca, go on a journey with Strixx.” “Strixx is sorry for always causing trouble to Luca.” “Luca, don’t let go of Strixx’s hand. No matter what.”

My breath caught. My heart ached in a way I hadn’t felt in a long time. Strixx… where are you?

When I blinked, the festival was still there.

My mother still stood nearby, talking and laughing with the townspeople. Everyone was smiling, eating, living. I looked at them carefully. I remember everything now

I was happy to see them again. But deep down, I knew the truth. None of them were real anymore.

Quietly, I turned and began walking away from the festival. No one noticed. No one called after me.

I made my way to the village gate. I stood there, looking out, then back behind me.

Goodbye. When was the last time I stood here? This place --it had all burned down. It was gone in a single night.

When I turned, they were all there. Everyone. Standing in front of the old well. The same well I had crawled out of, the day I woke to find the village in ruins.

My mother stepped forward.

“Luca, where are you going?” Her voice was soft, warm. “I’ll make your favorite curry tonight. Mama still wants to talk to you. Don’t leave.”

Kenny grinned at me. “What about our evening walks, huh? Don’t be like that, idiot.”

Gramps Levi laughed loud like always. “You didn’t come pick up your pumpkin yesterday, Luca!”

Ms. Leefa smiled gently. “How were those button berries, Luca?”

Mr. Will just gave me a small nod. Rena smiled too. “I hope you liked the cookies, Luca.”

I looked at all of them and smiled. My throat felt tight, but I bowed deeply.

“Thank you,” I said quietly. “For everything.”

I stood straight again and took a breath. “I have to go. There are things I need to do out there. So please… help me leave this place.”

My mother stepped forward again. She was smiling. “Are you sure you want to go?” she asked. “Isn’t this the future you always wanted? A future where nothing bad happened? Where we’re all still here? Do you still want to leave?”

I looked at her carefully, then smiled.

“Mom… you always told me I could tell you anything, right?”

She nodded. “Of course. Mama will listen to anything you want to say.”

It’s been a while, MomI’ve been on long journey…I’ve been to places I never thought I’d see.

Met many people along the way .Faced problems I never thought I could handle.

Heard stories I couldn’t even imagine back when I was just that little kid from this small village.

Back then, I didn’t know anything. I didn’t think I was capable of anything, either.

But then I met her. And everything changed.

With her… I felt like maybe I could do something. That maybe I could look forward to tomorrow, even after losing everything.

I know she’s out there now. Waiting for me. Probably worried sick.

I know I’m weak. I know I’m not good at anythingI’ve always been the one getting help… not giving it.

But even so— I wanna be there for her. I wanna stand next to her, just like she did for me when I had nothing left.

So, Mom… I have to go. I need to go.

She looked at me quietly, her eyes never leaving mine. Then she smiled--warm, a little sad, but full of love.

“…You don’t need my permission anymore, do you?”

Her voice was soft. “I’m glad you told me, Luca. I’m glad you found something worth standing for. Go. Don’t look back. I’ll be proud of you no matter where you are.”

She paused, her smile steady.

“I love you. Always my Luca.”

I smiled softly, my chest tightening. “I never got to say goodbye to all of you properly.”

When I lost you… it shattered me. One moment, everything was normal — just another ordinary day. And then, in an instant, everything I knew… everything I loved… was gone. I wanted so badly to see you all again.

For so long, it felt like nothing more than a distant, unreachable dream.

But somehow… somehow, that wish was granted. I got to see you again. I walked through the village once more. I heard the familiar voices, felt the breeze in the streets I knew by heart. I got to experience it all again — every little thing I thought I’d lost forever.

And I was happy. So happy, it almost felt like this was all I ever needed. Like this was enough.

But… There’s someone waiting for me.

I made her a promise — that I’d be by her side, no matter what. I promised her we’d go see the world together. There’s so much more I’ve sworn I’ll do together with her.

She is an idiot ….she is my idiot Soo innocent. Always so clueless.

Someone’s got to look after that idiot. And that someone is me.

I can’t stay lost in this beautiful, distant dream forever.

This isn’t where I truly belong anymore.

Thank you. Thank you all… for everything you gave me. You were a part of my life that filled me with so much joy, so much love. But now… I have to let you go.

I smiled at them, the weight in my chest lifting — just a little.
I took a slow breath.
“So… this is goodbye.”

They all smiled together. Kenny stepped forward, grinning.

“Alright, Luca. Let’s end this. But you have to play one last game.”

I raised an eyebrow. “A game?”

He chuckled. “If you win, we’ll let you out of here. And you’ll get a huge advantage in the fight you’re facing out there.”

I smiled a little. “Alright. I’ll play. What’s the game?”

He spread his arms wide. “Among all of us here… one of us is a spirit. Guess who it is — and if you get it right on your first try, you win. Guess wisely. It could be anyone.”

He gestured around him.

“Your mother… me… Mr. Will… Ms. Leefa… Gramps Levi… anyone. So, Luca — who is it?”

I looked around at all of them. Then I stepped forward, calm and sure. I placed my hand on Kenny’s shoulder.

“It’s you,” I said quietly.

He blinked, then smiled. “Are you sure?”

I nodded. “I’m sure. Because Kenny… if you were really here, you wouldn’t be walking around with some girl on your arm.” I laughed softly. “If I smacked you on the head, you’d smack me right back and say we’re even. And no way would you ever call a salty cookie ‘delicious’ just to impress someone. You’d spit it out and complain like always.”

Kenny stared at me, then grinned. He stuck his tongue out.

“You got me.”

In the next moment, his shape shifted. He became a girl with white hair and white clothes.

“You found me.”

Everything behind me vanished. The world dissolved into pure white. Just emptiness now.

Then, I felt her hands slip gently into mine.

“Luca… you’ve freed me,” the girl said, her voice trembling with quiet joy. “I waited so long. Centuries, really. But no one ever could… until you.”

Her fingers tightened, warm and light.

“Whenever people saw the life they desired, they always forgot. They forgot about the real world… forgot what was truly important to them. But you didn’t. You remembered. You knew what mattered most.”
She smiled—softly, gratefully.

“My name is Lena,” she said. “I’m the spirit of an unlucky little girl… from five hundred years ago. I was born human, but I carried a curse. Demonic power, woven deep into my body. Wherever I went, my presence tainted the land. My body radiated corruption. Everyone hated me. Even my own parents.”

Her voice didn’t waver with bitterness, only with quiet acceptance.

“I lived in a devout village. One day… because of me, a sacred statue was corrupted. The villagers gathered. They decided I was a foul existence that needed to be erased.”

Her gaze lowered. “I was beaten, shunned, called names sharp enough to cut deeper than any blade. Everyone treated me like a monster, though I had never done anything to deserve it. I didn’t want to die. I had never experienced a single good thing in my life… and I wasn’t ready to vanish before knowing what happiness felt like.”

Her eyes lifted to mine, clear and steady.

“They cast me out. Called me a demon. But… was it really fair? To blame someone just for being born the way they are?”

I felt my chest tighten.

“One day, a demon appeared before me. He offered me a contract.”

“In exchange for my soul and my power, The Demon would give me what I wanted most -- to live a happy life. Not my own, but pieces of others.” My soul was torn from my body. My power… my corruption… became a tool the demons used to spread Corruption. But my consciousness, me, I was allowed to live inside their dreams along with them those who tried to stop the corruption. I got to taste fragments of joy, slipping into the lives of those who still had something beautiful. At first, it was wonderful. I played many roles in many lives. I smiled, I laughed, I felt loved… even if none of it was really mine.”

“But after a while… I didn’t want to just borrow happiness anymore. I wanted a life of my own. So I waited. For five hundred years, I waited.

I held onto hope — that maybe, someday, someone would see through the illusion. Someone would look past the dream and find me, the real me, hidden deep inside.

But no one ever did.

Every time I showed someone that distant dream… they lost themselves in it. It was always the same — the moment they stepped into that world, they clung to it. A perfect reflection of everything they ever longed for. A world where the weight of reality couldn’t reach them anymore. Where all the pain, the struggles, the scars they carried… faded into nothing.

I can’t blame them. The truth is, everyone carries battles no one else can see. Wounds so deep they’d rather forget. Burdens so heavy they dream of running from them. And when I offered them an escape — something so warm, so gentle — they chose it. Even when some of them realized it wasn’t real… they still didn’t want to leave.

They would rather lose themselves in the comfort of a beautiful lie …than return to a world that had broken them.

And one by one, I watched as they let their precious lives slip away.

Her breath caught, as though the weight of those centuries pressed against her chest.

“I gave up hope. I told myself… living inside dreams wasn’t so bad. I convinced myself it was enough.”

Her smile brightened again.

“And then… you came. You and your friends came to the Sacred Towers of the ElFairia Illusion Forest.”

I listened, still, silent.

Then I searched your hearts. I wanted an easy target—someone longing to escape reality, someone who had a dream they didn’t want to wake from. For your friends, the lives they were living were already the lives they desired. But you… You longed for your lost village. Your family. Your friends. Your home that was taken from you long ago.”

Her eyes softened.

“I thought I had you. I thought you’d never wake up. You’d stay lost in that dream forever, surrounded by the people you loved, forgetting everything about the real world. But… I was wrong.”

She smiled—radiant, genuine.

“No. I wasn’t wrong. I made the right choice.”

Her fingers squeezed mine gently.

“Because of that, I can finally be free.”

I blinked, steadying my breath. “But… weren’t you bound by a contract with the demon?”

She nodded.

“I was. The condition was simple. As long as no one discovered me hiding inside their dreams, I would remain trapped. But if anyone found me… I’d be freed.”

Her smile grew peaceful, light filling her eyes.

“And now, Luca… because you found me… I’m free.”

A tear slid down her cheek—but her smile never faltered.

“If there’s a next life… I want to be born human again. I want to live a real life. Not just dreams borrowed from others.”

Her voice quivered, bright with hope.

“Thank you, Luca. I’m so glad I met you. Your dream… it was the most fun I ever had. Being your best friend. Helping your village. Going on a date with Rena. It was all so beautiful. I never smiled so much in any other dream.”

At the moment I couldn’t hold my tears anymore. I smiled through them. “Thank you, Lena.

Even if it wasn’t real… I got to say the words I never thought I’d say again. I got to see the people I love. I got to do so many things with them. You gave me that chance. Thank you… for letting me see my village again.”

I smiled at her warmly

She wrapped her arms around me, pulling me into a gentle embrace.

It’s time for you to go back Luca,” she whispered.

In front of us, the white emptiness shifted. A vision flashed— the base of the Sacred Tower. Strixx sat curled up beside my unconscious body, tears streaming down her face as she called my name over and over.

My heart clenched.

Strixx…

I turned back to Lena and smiled through the tears.

Lena I have to go to her

To where I truly belongs

She nodded with a smile

“before you go… take this.”

She placed a dark crystal in my hand.

“This is the Corruption Core. Break it. The corruption around the two Sacred Tower of Illusion Forest will vanish, and the tower will return to normal.”

I took it from her

“Thank you, Lena… Thank you for everything.”

I threw the core down. It shattered into countless shards, dissolving into light.

Lena smiled, glowing now with shimmering radiance.

“Thank you, Luca. Now… I can finally be free.”

She embraced me one last time, then her body dissolved into a cascade of sparkling lights. Good bye Luca..

ThenA blinding light swallowed everything around-- Here’s your scene rewritten -- beautiful, emotional, clear, and simple, just like you asked:

Then I opened my eyes. As always, the first person I saw was her. It had always been her -- every time I woke up.

My vision was blurry, but I could see her.

Strixx.

Her eyes were filled with tears. She didn’t say a word, just stood there frozen, like even breathing might shatter the moment.

I forced myself up, my body heavy, my head pounding. My lips parted, dry and cracked, but I managed a weak smile. My eyes squinted against the light, but I kept them on her.

“Strixx… I’m back.”

My voice was hoarse, barely more than a whisper. I took a shaky breath, the corner of my mouth lifting just a little more.

“Thank you… for being the first person I see when I open my eyes again.” As I spoke, her lips parted in a shaky breath, and her eyes shimmered, overflowing. Tears spilled down her cheeks all at once, falling faster than she could wipe them away. Her hands trembled as she reached out to me, as if she was scared I might disappear again.

“Lu… caa?” “Luca…”

She burst into tears and threw her arms around me, holding me tight. She didn’t speak at first --she just cried and clung to me, as if she’d never let me go.

Through her sobs, I heard her broken voice. “Strixx was… Strixx was so scared… Luca wasn’t moving… Luca wasn’t breathing… Luca’s heart had stopped… Luca’s body was cold… Strixx was so scared…”

I wrapped my arms around her and held her close. “I’m here, Strixx. I’m not going anywhere. I’m not.”

Then Aeliff rushed over, relief on her face. “Tch… I seriously thought you were dead.”

Strixx still wouldn’t let go of me. I glanced around. The corruption was gone from the Sacred Tower.

Blue light began to flow through the tower -- a soft glow that meant it had returned to its normal state, converting energy once more.

Aeliff stared at me. “The corruption just vanished when you woke up… and the tower’s working again. Did you do something?”

I nodded slightly. “It’s a long story. I met the spirit behind the corruption.”

I explained everything to Aeliff --briefly, but clearly.

When I finished, he looked at me in disbelief… then slowly lowered his head toward me. “I’m impressed. Thank you, Luca. Because of you, the barrier can be restored. We should get back to Estheria as soon as possible.”

Strixx still clung to me, holding me tight.

“We’re going straight to the capital,” I said to her gently.

Aeliff looked around. “Now that the corruption and demonic energy are gone, the anti-magic field should be gone too.”

He pulled out his wand and tested it -- energy flared to life. “Mages can use magic again. Now they don’t stand a chance.”

Strixx looked up at me and gripped my hand tightly. “Luca… Strixx won’t ever let go of your hand again. Strixx is scared of losing you… Please don’t ever leave Strixx again.”

I smiled softly. “I won’t ever leave you, Strixx.”

She looked at me for a moment, then hugged me again.

Aeliff climbed onto the ground beast and called out, “Save the hugging for later. Let’s go --we need to get to the capital.”

Strixx and I got on together, still holding hands. And with that, we set off toward the capital.