The following night promised more intrigue. As expected, Genna's face materialized in the mirror, but this time she didn't step through. Instead, she just poked her head out and beckoned Emerald to join her.
"What the hell now?" Emerald exclaimed. "Are you taking me to your cage or something?"
"Oh, come on, boy, just put some faith in me," Genna replied, a playful lilt in her voice. "It's something special, something I wanted to show you. You could say it's a field trip."
"To where? A bloody mirror? What am I supposed to tell my parents if they show up and I'm not here? You've got to be kidding me right now!" Emerald shouted, exasperated.
Genna stared at him for a few seconds, then simply said, "I'm not going to force you. Feel free to choose." With that, she vanished. Emerald stood there, his mind racing, weighing the impossible choices. After a real internal struggle, he finally stepped into the mirror.
He was pulled into a void, a night sky unlike any he'd ever seen. It felt as if the stars themselves were rushing past, faster than time. Emerald began to walk into this celestial sea, and after a few steps, he noticed a crack in the void being sealed off. He headed towards it, pushing his way through, and suddenly found himself in a washroom. No one was there, so he quickly exited and walked further, emerging into the middle of a park. There, he spotted Genna sitting on a bench and made his way over to her.
"You came," Genna said as Emerald approached.
"Never mind, just take a seat. I got something for you."
Emerald sat down and asked, "Where are we?"
"A place called 'Nivia' in Germany," Genna replied casually.
"Germany?the fuck... So you're from Germany?"
"Nope, but I wanted to show you something and get your point of view. That's why I brought you here."
"What is it? Spill it. I don't have all the time in the world." Genna then produced an assortment of sweets and chocolates from somewhere and began to indulge.
Emerald stared at her. "You brought snacks? You're a piece of work, do you know that?"
"How so?" Genna asked with an innocent face.
"I'm grateful for your help with my academics, but you should know I don't like sweet things."
"But you loved my donuts the other day."
"I was just hungry, that's all."
"So what do you like?"
"Something spicy, but not too hot."
"Sincerely noted, boy." She let out a soft chuckle as she said it.
Emerald bit into one of the cookies, his eyes wide with childlike delight as he munched away. He was, after all, truly just a kid in that moment. As he slowed his pace, he asked, "Do you come here often, madam?"
"No, I don't," Genna replied. "Right now, I just found something interesting, that's all."
"Hmm, speaking of which, how exactly does this 'time traveling' work?" Emerald pressed.
"It's not time travel; it's space-time magic, which lets me remold the space layer," Genna explained, a superior tone entering her voice. "It works like a wormhole, you know?" Emerald nodded, indicating he understood the concept.
"You hate math, right?" Genna asked, shifting gears.
"Yeah, I do."
"Well, to put it simply," she continued, "I wrap the fabric of space using cosmic energy. This energy is so heavy that it relatively sinks the fabric wherever it's present, allowing me to connect space between two great distances. Do you understand?"
"Yeah, like a wormhole, right?" Emerald confirmed.
"Exactly, like a wormhole," Genna said, though she knew her detailed explanation hadn't quite fully sunk in.
After a while of enjoying the snacks, Genna pointed to a boy and a girl on the opposite side of the park bench. "You see those lovebirds over there? If you think they're lovers, well, they're not exactly, but you could say they are," Genna began, a knowing glint in her eye.
"I don't like this kind of talk, you should consider that, madam," Emerald replied, trying to deflect her.
"Hmm, well, well... Truth be told, they have feelings for each other but never had the courage to bring it up. They both never risked the chance," Genna persisted, clearly unwilling to drop the topic.
"How do you know them? What's the point of telling me someone else's love story?" Emerald asked, growing impatient.
"Well, there's always a reason for everything. And right now, it's simply that I like you. You're special. You have the ability to slow down anything, boy," Her determination was palpable.
"I appreciate your affections and observations, but I lack the time and experience for what you call 'love.' I'm not the kind of boy who enjoys a romantic life in these 'golden age' teen years. I'm boring, madam, just a normal nobody who wants to be a somebody before all this so-called life ends. So I can't afford to waste my time." Emerald's words were surprisingly mature.
Genna chuckled softly. "My, my, boy, you're getting far too serious over a small talk. You can't be like that, kid. Anyway, that boy was an introvert, just like you. He never talked to anybody or got involved with them. That girl is his senior; she changed him, and the progression is still ongoing. She made a guy like him, who used to be a shut-in, come to a park... and what's more interesting is he doesn't know she's dying."
Emerald interrupted, a sudden seriousness in his voice. "What's the point? A cliché romance? What's it supposed to mean?"
"Well, it's simple... Have you ever given a thought about the greatest creation on this planet?"
"Vampires?" Emerald ventured.
"No. Humans. A human is the only thing that's capable of unconditional love. And, on the same hand, it only takes a single human to put a stop to the world we both live in. Simply put, you humans have the ability of absolute free will, but we don't. And that would make you a part of the greatest creation ever on Earth."
Emerald looked at the couple across from them, lost in thought. "Why bother telling me something like that?" he finally asked.
"It's because I just wanted to show you that you're capable of love."
"You're going to such lengths for a nobody like me. Who told you I'm capable of love, madam? I do want to know the true depths of that intuition," Emerald pressed.
Genna smirked and gazed at the sky, where the moon shone exceptionally bright. She then looked into his eyes and said, "I know a girl who's exactly like her. She's called Lenya. For some reason, I thought you might know her." Genna said, subtly pointing towards the 'lovebirds' sitting further in front of them.
Emerald's eyes deepened, a flicker of unease crossing his face. "Such malice in your words," he said, his tone serious.
"I was joking. I don't even know who that is." Genna burst into abrupt laughter.
She got up to leave. As they walked, Genna rasped to Emerald, "You know, boy, even if I did know her, just remember, I'm not a human. I'm a noble vampire." She continued walking with an air of profound happiness, while Emerald was left overflowing with doubts and fear.