I Returned to World One

It had been a few months since that day when everything changed.

Or rather... since that day they erased me from my memory.

I remembered Shouta carrying me around the school, the heavy summer rain, my body growing weak…

And after that, nothing.

But he remembered everything that came after:

Emma welcoming me; the conversation about Karina; meeting Alisiya ; the skating lesson; the kiss…

The beginning of my secret relationship with Shouta .

The blackout only lasted that night.

The rest remained intact.

Messages — 6:41 AM

Shouta :

"Good morning, love. I'll meet you at the gate. Remember our agreement: no couple-like glances."

I smiled involuntarily and typed:

Yumi :

"I know, idiot. If anyone suspects anything, we're screwed."

He replied immediately:

Shouta :

"But can I at least walk beside you?"

I rolled my eyes.

Yumi :

"Walking side by side is okay. Holding hands is NOT."

Shouta 💙 :

"Understood, boss."

It warmed up inside.

He was a disaster.

But it was my disaster.

"You're going to be late," Emma warned from the doorway.

"I'm coming! " I said.

The decorations from the closing party were still hanging.

Last day before vacation.

At the gate, Shouta pretended to be fiddling with his cell phone, his acting impeccable.

As I approached, he lowered his head slightly—the silent code for "good morning."

"Good morning, Mayumi-san ," he said formally, without looking at me.

"Good morning, Fubuki-kun ," I replied in the same way.

To the rest of the world, just colleagues.

But the corner of his smile... was just for me.

We walked in side by side, just the right distance apart so no one would notice.

The classroom was full, lively, with the sounds of laughter and photos being taken.

Until a rotten voice cuts through the air:

"Look who's here... the trash and the shadow of the trash," Hiroshi laughed , staring at Fujimoto .

Laughter erupted as usual.

Fujimoto lowered his head in silence, sat down at his desk, and picked up a manga to read.

But something was strange.

A squeeze on the back of the neck.

The air became too heavy. Still.

The light changed.

The blackboard glowed, pulsing like a heart.

Luminous lines appeared on the surface, like cracks of light.

— …not again — I whispered.

The entire room froze, but it wasn't my power.

I tried to gather energy:

TIME RETURN

Nothing.

I tried again:

TIME FREEZE

Nothing either.

— Go on, damn it… — I muttered, trying to move a finger.

No response.

A force pulled our bodies forward.

The blackboard opened like a portal and swallowed us whole.

I fell to my knees on the cold floor.

Marble , gold, incense. A gigantic hall.

An old man in a blue robe appeared.

"Welcome, heroes. I am Kaiou , a mage from the Kingdom of Syros , country of Asferio . You have been summoned to defeat the Demon King," the old man introduced himself.

People started screaming, crying, confused.

Magical scrolls floated before us, demanding a signature to show our status.

I wrote my name:

NAME: Mayumi Yumi

RACE: Human

CLASS: Heroine

— Human…? — I whispered .

My blood ran cold.

Half- elfs didn't just disappear like that.

How did they delete that?

And where were my skills?

Only one showed up:

ABILITY: CLONING — ACTIVE

No sign of:

TIME FREEZE

TIME RETURN

"They were ripped away."

Kaiou was talking, but I could barely hear him.

Among the thirty heroes, Yui Koharu has the best attributes. — he announced .

On the other hand, the weakest one is Satoru. Fujimoto : "View Status" skill. — completed .

The laughter echoed again, now in another world.

Hiroshi laughed loudly.

" Hahaha ! Still the same loser as always!" said Hiroshi.

Koharu took a step forward.

"Shut up, Hiroshi," she said firmly.

" Why are you defending this trash? Have you forgotten that I'm your boyfriend?!" he spat.

"It was a fake relationship. I was with you for the money, you were with me for the fame. In this world, I owe nothing more," he said . Koharu steady.

I choose to go with Fujimoto . — he declared. Koharu .

Absolute silence.

"You insolent brat!" Hiroshi lunged forward.

"Stop! That's enough!" I shouted , my voice tearing through the hall.

"You're all idiots fighting like animals!" I yelled.

Everyone fell silent.

I turned to Kaiou .

"I want to stay in the palace. I want to investigate this place," I said.

Kaiou raised his eyebrows in surprise.

"It's unusual for someone to ask to be alone. But... it's possible," he said . Kaiou .

Everyone left.

Huge doors slammed shut behind me with a bang.

I walked through the empty corridors.

Heavy carpets. Eternal windows. Oppressive silence.

Until I found a huge door, adorned with runes that pulsed in an ethereal blue.

I pulled the doorknob, it didn't budge an inch.

I touched the central symbol, and a shock ran through my arm, so strong that I almost lost my balance.

But what truly paralyzed me wasn't the pain…

It was a sensation.

Elven energy . Pure. Dense. Ancient.

My fingers trembled.

"That's... high-level elven magic," I whispered .

It wasn't human magic.

This was no ordinary magic.

It was the same type of energy I felt in the presence of Elfherinsei .

My heart raced.

"So there's a powerful elf linked to that door... perhaps Elfherinsei himself . Or someone even worse."

— Open it. — I tried in a low voice.

Nothing.

Cloning!

Three copies appeared. They all knocked on the door.

They were all violently repelled by the barrier, disappearing like dust.

The hallway seemed to whisper:

You're not supposed to go in. Not yet.

The flames of the torches flickered, casting distorted shadows on the walls, like muffled laughter.

I took a deep breath.

"Alright. Then I'll find out what you're hiding here... and who's behind it," I murmured.

I was still trying to understand what was behind that sealed door.

The entire corridor seemed to breathe along with me—silent, heavy, as if it held something alive on the other side. I ran my hand over the runes carved into the metal. A shiver ran down my spine.

That's when I heard a faint sound coming from my dress.

I looked down, confused. I touched the inside pocket and felt an object vibrating.

I pulled.

And I froze.

It was the communication device that Galadriel gave me on the day my father died.

Four years ago.

He had never emitted a single signal since then.

But now… it was shining.

My heart raced.

"This device only works in World One."

I swallowed hard.

"So that means... I'm back in World One after four years? But this place looks medieval... Maybe there are human cities, like Dad used to say."

I closed my hand tightly over the crystal and tucked it back into the dress.

"I'm going outside and trying to communicate with Galadriel or Filna ."

I turned around, but before I could take two steps, a voice echoed behind me.

"What are you doing there?" he asked. Kaiou .

I turned around suddenly. I tried to keep a neutral expression.

"I just thought this door was strange. I tried to open it, but I can't," I replied.

Kaiou approached, resting his hand on his staff.

"This door can only be opened by me and the Kings," he explained.

My stomach sank.

"I understand," I replied , forcing a smile, trying to hide the trembling fear in my voice.

I took a step back.

"I think I'll take your advice and venture out there," I said.

Kaiou nodded slowly, as if approving of the decision.

"Wise decision," he said.

I didn't answer. I just walked on, leaving the glow of the torches behind.

The wind whipped against my face as soon as I stepped through the gates.

The tall grass seemed to dance around me, whispering secrets I couldn't decipher.

I walked for several minutes until I was far enough away that no one could see me.

So I pulled out the device and turned it on.

"Is anyone listening to me?!" my voice broke at the end.

Silence.

Absolute silence.

My chest tightened.

— Please… someone… — I said.

And then,

A small, trembling, but unmistakable voice pierced the glass:

Yumi !!!​

My heart stopped.

—Finna ?!— my voice came out choked.

The tears fell before I could stop them.

Four years.

Four years without hearing that voice.

"I'm going to the Elven Kingdom ! I'm going to see you and Galadriel ! I swear!" I shouted without thinking.

Silence.

And suddenly a scream.

Filna 's powerful voice made my knees weak.

"Impossible? But why? What happened? What's going on there?"

The wind cut across the open field, cold and harsh against my skin.

He was still holding the communication device too tightly, as if he might break it without realizing it.

My heart was beating fast.

— Filna … why is it impossible to return to the Elven Kingdom? — I asked , trying to keep my voice steady.

There was a short, static silence, then my little sister's trembling voice:

Filna – I'll pass this on to Galadriel to speak with you.

My chest tightened.

It had been four years since I last heard that voice.

"That's right," I replied, swallowing my emotion.

The crystal shone brighter, and a new voice emerged, solid, controlled, but laden with urgency.

— This is Galadriel . Yumi , can you hear me?

I closed my eyes.

"Yes, I can," I replied.

The leader of the Elven Kingdom took a deep breath.

"Okay. Then I'll explain what's happening," he said . Galadriel .

My stomach churned.

I knew that what was to come wouldn't be simple.

"Do you remember what your father said? About there being human cities and a human kingdom here in World One?" he asked. Galadriel .

My throat got dry.

— I remember. But… why? — I said.

There was a heavy pause, as if it were difficult even to speak.

"After what happened four years ago... when you declared that Elfhrinsei and Karina were responsible for your father's death, I decided to start an investigation," she began .

My heart raced; the memory of blood, rain, and my father's empty gaze pierced my mind like a blade.

Demonic , Angelic, and Beastly realms . But when I tried to visit the Human Realm… I discovered that there is a powerful elven barrier protecting the border. It prevents any non-human race from entering,” Galadriel continued, firmly.

I felt a shiver run down my spine.

An elven barrier…

"I suspect Elfhrinsei is behind her. Or, at the very least, controlling her," he said . Galadriel .

My whole body froze.

I took a deep breath, trying not to panic.

" Yumi , how did you manage to return to World One without being affected by the barrier?" she asked. Galadriel .

"The blackboard in our classroom sucked the students from World Two here. When I woke up, I was in Syros 's palace . A status window appeared and the data was altered, only 'human' and 'Heroine' class. My Temporal Freeze and Temporal Return abilities simply no longer appear in the menu. They're as if they never existed. And there's a door inside the palace, locked by elven magic. I felt an absurd amount of energy. As if it were from a high-level elf . And Kaiou … he's suspicious. Very suspicious." I explained everything quickly, but in detail.

On the other side, silence.

" I'm impressed by all of this..." said Galadriel .

"About Kaiou ... I suspect he's an ally of Elfhrinsei . Or that Elfhrinsei is controlling him with an elven domination skill." Her voice trembled slightly.

My blood ran cold.

Elfhrinsei .

The barrier.

The palace.

The magic door.

Everything was starting to fall into place… but I hated the picture that was forming.

"I still don't know if I should risk going back to the palace and watching over Kaiou ... or if I should stay wandering around with the others." I took a deep breath.

"My only fear is that someone will be foolish enough to accept his suggestion: kill the Demon King to return to World Two. Because it's impossible for a human to kill the Demon King," I continued.

The wind stopped.

Complete silence.

Then Galadriel spoke, and for the first time in years, I heard fear in her voice.

" Yumi ... I need to talk to you urgently about this," he said . Galadriel was frightened.

My heart raced.

Something terrible lay behind his tone.