Inexorably Soul

,,Come on, fast!”

The white-haired boy ran through the woods, his steps quick and light, as if a fox was slipping between the trees.

“Wait up!''

Alishia’s breath came in sharp, heavy gasps. “Wait a moment! What do you mean you’re a friend of my mother? How did you find me? W-What—where are you going?”

But the boy didn’t slow down at all.

Alishia really struggled to keep up—oh man, he was fast. Every step he took hummed with a subtle energy she couldn’t place, he seemed to never get tired.

“Kain !”

She stopped, hands on her knees, gasping. Alishia didn’t understand how he could be so fit compared to her. His speed was like the of ninja—or something else.

It was hard to explain. It was mighty, undeniable— she felt it in her core. A bond deep within her, tied to a certain, powerful energy.

It was in every nerve, deep within her. A part of her, linked to her soul.

Where did this feeling suddenly come from?

The boy finally stopped, glancing back then heading towards her. He took a few steps back and held Alishia's arm gently, a light expression on his face. She could see a faint glow in his grey-orange eyes, like embers in ash.

“Are you okay?”

He studied her briefly. “Sorry if I was too fast. We can slow down.”

Alishia looked up, he felt familiar, almost like a memory she hadn’t yet lived.

“H-How…” she tried, but her voice faltered. Her wounds burned, and the ten minutes of running felt like days.

“Calm down. Take deep breaths.”

He placed one hand on her chest, the other near her neck. The contact should have scared her, but instead it made the feeling even stronger.

Slowly, her breathing steadied.

Alishia's head lifted, and she saw him closer: Grey eyes, flecked with orange.

Impossible.

She had never seen a human like him. He almost seemed… not real. A hallucination?

Her hand reached for his arm. Strong. Muscular. Warm.

His leather armor hugged his forearm, dark and worn, the surface scarred and stitched from frequent use. The straps were snug, flexible yet protective, and the faint sheen of wear caught the dim light. Beneath it, his pale skin almost glowed against the dark leather.

“Please…” she whispered. “Tell me why you’re here.”

A flicker of guilt crossed his face—and something else she couldn’t name. Something ancient, distant, yet intensely present.

At first he hesistated, thinking deeply about what to to—then he knelt down, slowly, until they were eye to eye. Protective, like a brother speaking to his little sister while guarding her from something she couldn’t see.

“I’ll tell you everything,” he said. “But promise me one thing: no matter how unreal it sounds, you have to believe me.”

Alishia blinked, obliviously confused.

They continued walking with slow steps into the forest , the night calm and inky.

He was tall—maybe six feet, Alishia felt small next to him. The dim forest light glinted off his pale skin, contrasting with the dark leather, making him seem… not just magical, but otherworldly.

“Where I come from… this world is nothing like this one,” he said, hand still resting lightly on her arm while walking.
“My world… it’s alive with light, bursting with magic. Everything there is… incredible. Full of wonders, things you couldn’t even imagine. And this world,” he let his gaze sweep around them, “feels so… amazingly unreal.”

“That was many years ago …” His smile vanished, shadows creeping into his face. ,,It's not like that anymore. Not like it used to be.”

Kain, once a seasoned warrior, now seemed fragile, the youthful strength in his face replaced by stark, sudden fear. Yet the glow in his eyes hinted at power dormant, waiting, impossible to measure.

,,Another world? Do you mean like— another country?''

Alishia looked up at him, a storm of unanswered questions swirling in her mind, unable to make sense of a single word he had said. And still… she felt, inexplicably, that she had seen him before somewhere beyond memory, somewhere beyond this world.

,,Uhm..'' Kain said noncommittally,a nervous breath escaping him ,,Notttttt reallyyyy—you know, something similar to that...''

She sensed a flicker muddle in his voice, but also raw sincerity —reflecting in the strange mix of grey and orange in those eyes.

After a long pause, she finally spoke the words she was not sure to ,,What did you mean by... the magic vanishing?''

He didn't answer. And that was the first time Alishia saw no gentle clamness in his face— it was anger.

Even if he tried she could still see it— the opressed and bitter feeling of grief.

And still Alishia knew it— no idea why, but somehow she knew him. Even though she had never seen him before, she felt certain he was no threat.

She stepped forward cautiously, keeping her gaze on him. Every movement of his felt deliberate, almost graceful, as if he was gliding over the forest floor. The dim light filtered through the trees, casting strange patterns that flickered across them.

“Alright,” Kain said softly, a hint of relief in his voice. “Stay close. I don’t know how long it will take before they notice we’re gone.”

Alishia’s brow furrowed. “Who? Do you mean the people working at the hospital?”

Kain didn’t answer immediately. He glanced around, eyes scanning the shadows as if they held secrets only he could see. Then he crouched slightly, gesturing for her to follow him deeper into the woods. And Alishia— she followed him.

The air around them seemed to thicken, almost humming with energy. It brushed against her skin blowing the hair from her face. The world felt quieter here, though not silent—there was a subtle pulse, like the forest itself was alive, watching.

There are things in this world… things that are not what they seem. And right now, you need to stay with me .” Kain whispered, as though reading her thoughts. His hand touched hers briefly, guiding her without words.

Alishia nodded, her heart pounding, but there was no fear—only curiosity, and a strange, unshakable certainty. She didn’t know this boy, yet she felt as if she had been waiting for him all her life.

As they moved deeper, the trees seemed to bend slightly, shadows stretching unnaturally, and every step forward felt like stepping further into a dream—or perhaps a life she hadn’t lived yet.

Kain’s voice cut through the quiet again, steady but low:
“Soon, I’ll explain it to you. But for now… just follow me and don’t look back.”

Alishia swallowed hard. Her legs ached, her chest still heaved from the chase, yet she followed even with hesitation. She didn’t know what awaited her, but for the first time since the world had shifted under her feet, she was exactly where she was meant to be.

After a while, the trees thinned, and they arrived at a lake. It stretched out before them, dark blue and shimmering like liquid glass. The surface seemed almost alive, mysterious, reflecting the sky but twisting it slightly, as if the world itself were bending around the water.

Kain stopped at the edge and turned to her. “We need to go in,” he said calmly, but there was an urgency beneath his tone.

Alishia eyes fixed onto the water. “Into… the lake?”

“Yes,” Kain said. His gaze was steady, compelling. “Nothing will happen to you, I swear it.”

After hesitating she took a deep breath, then stepped forward. The cool water lapped at Alishia's feet, sending tiny ripples across the surface.

Kain followed, and as they sank deeper, a mythical thing happened.

The lake began to shimmer brighter and started to glow. Tiny points of light rose from the depths, spinning around them like stars caught in a slow, hypnotic dance. The water sparkled with colors she couldn’t name—soft blues, silver threads, faint gold glimmers—all swirling gently but deliberately, as if recognizing Kain and responding to him.

Alishia gasped, her hand brushing against the rippling water. The lights danced closer, wrapping around her like a warm, living embrace. She could feel a subtle energy thrumming through her, making her senses sharper, her heart beat in sync with the pulse of the lake.

Kain’s eyes caught hers, glowing faintly in the reflection of the lake. “Can you feel it?” he asked.

“I… can..,” she whispered, awe threading her voice. “It’s… magical, but...how.”

Kain nodded, a faint smile touching his lips. “It’s only the beginning. This lake… it connects worlds. And soon, you’ll understand why it brought us here.”

The lights swirled faster, casting dancing reflections across the trees, the water, and their faces. Alishia felt weightless, as if the lake itself was lifting her out of reality, guiding her somewhere beyond the world she knew.

And in that moment, she understood one thing: this lake truly wasn't from this world.

As Kain gently placed his hand on her head, Alishia flinched, trying to pull away.

“Shh,” he murmured softly, his voice steady. “It’s okay, don't have any fear.”

He took her hand in his, warm and firm, and held her gaze.

Alishia shivered as the cold water lapped against her skin. Kain’s voice came again, calm and not commanding:
“Close your eyes. No matter what happens, I will protect you, you wont get hurt.”

She did as he told her.

And then… she felt it.

A subtle vibration through the water, a soft hum that seemed to resonate with her bones and her heartbeat. Light, almost imperceptible at first, began to swirl beneath her closed lids, coiling around her like ribbons of energy. It wasn’t the lake—it was something in her, reaching into her, awakening with Kain’s presence nearby.

Her fingers tightened around his. The fear didn’t vanish, but it shifted, becoming a strange mixture of wonder and anticipation. The liquid's chill faded, replaced by nostalgia that seemed to radiate from the very core of the lake.

It was happening, an impossible thing—and Alishia knew, with but couldn't explain it.

This moment would change her forever.

Then, out of nowhere, a sharp, electric sensation shot through her body.

Her vision blurred, her senses exploded, and suddenly… she was falling.

Falling through memories, through worlds she didn’t know existed, through flashes of light and shadow. She was thrown through the air as if gravity had not existed, tumbling faster and faster. Her scream tore from her lips, overwhelmed, dazzled, unable to comprehend the impossible change happening to her—something no human science could ever explain.

The wind whipped past her ears, strange mutters brushing against her mind. Colors and shapes collided, blending into visions of places she had never been to and yet felt strangely familiar.

Then, abruptly, the chaos ended. She plunged into water.

The shock of the even colder water stole her breath, and she sank a little before it seemed to catch her. Gentle currents surrounded her, lifting and holding her, glowing faintly. The strange, hypnotic lights swirled around her, wrapping her in their energy.

Alishia’s mind raced, beneath the fear was a growing spark—a sense that she had just stepped into something far larger, far stranger, than she could have ever imagined.

She thrashed in the deep fresh water, trying to rise, but it was as if heavy stones were strapped to her legs. No matter how hard she kicked, she couldn’t swim. The shimmering light she had been heading toward began to fade, sinking into the pitch-black darkness around her.

Just as she thought she would be pulled down and never come back, a hand shot out of the darkness. Instinctively, she grabbed it.

Strong arms pulled her upward, cutting through the oppressive weight that had pinned her down. She broke the surface with a gasp, coughing and gagging as she drew in air, water streaming from her hair and eyes.

,,I’ve got you, I won't let you drown.“ he said, his voice steady.

Alishia shivered, the cold water clinging to her skin, but relief and ease replaced some of the terror. Somehow, she knew it was true—he would not let her go, never.

Kain dragged her onto the shore of the lake.

“I promised,” his voice whispered through the water, calm and certain, “you wont get hurt.”

Both were soaked, breathing heavily, water dripping from their hair and clothes. Alishia turned her head and looked at him again.

,,See, I'm not as creepy as I may look like to you." he said, laughing softly.

A light, easy smile spread across Alishias face, warming the moment.

She slowly turned her gaze outward—then became mesmerized.

The world around her was unlike anything she had ever seen:

Vast land stretched before her, bathed in golden light. Countless butterflies of every imaginable color danced above the green grass, their wings catching the soft glow of the sky.

The sky itself was a swirl of orange and pink, fading into a horizon that seemed endless. The fields were dry, yet alive with tint and movement, as if the world were a painting that had somehow sprung into life.

Alishia’s chest tightened in admiration.

She knew this place, but still it was so foreign, a distant picture buried deep in her mind.

Kain’s gaze followed hers, calm and watchful. “You are here now,” he said softly, “You're home''