The faint scent of morning dew drifted through the air with the soft breeze. Distant birdsong echoed quietly, lulling the world into a peaceful stillness—as if time itself had momentarily ceased to move.
Fiona slowly opened her eyes. Her eyelids felt heavy, like she had been crying for an eternity. It felt like waking from a dream that had no end. But as she glanced around, the room she found herself in wasn't the one she remembered falling asleep in the night before.
The furniture was simple, crafted from warm-colored wood. Familiar trinkets adorned the space. This room—it was the bedroom she had as a child.
She had somehow returned to her younger self from years ago.
Her slender hand slowly rose to touch her cheek, as if she needed to confirm whether or not she was truly dreaming.
"...Did I really... come back?"
She whispered to herself, her heart pounding. A whirlwind of emotions surged inside her—disbelief, awe, fear, hope. She quickly sat up, her eyes scanning every corner of the room. Everything was exactly as she remembered it when she was fifteen.
Grabbing the light coat hanging by her bedside, she stood and walked toward the large mirror across the room. Staring back at her was the reflection of a young girl—not the woman in her twenties who had borne the weight of grief, but Fiona Elvareth as she had once been.
"This is... before the Academy entrance exams..."
She murmured to her reflection, her voice trembling. She remembered this time so clearly. The entrance exams would take place soon. And not long after that...
She would meet him.
A name surfaced instantly in her heart—Kairos Arkelys.
Her breath hitched. Memories came flooding back in waves, sharp and vivid. Every action, every word, every glance, every unspoken feeling she had buried until the moment he died.
Fiona took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and then gently pushed open her bedroom door.
The familiar scent of wood and morning calm drifted through the halls of the Elvareth estate. Her soft footsteps caught the attention of a woman in the kitchen—her mother, Lady Selena.
"Fiona? You're up early today."
That warm voice—gentle as morning light—wrapped around Fiona's heart like a long-lost embrace she never realized she had missed so deeply.
"Mother..."
Her voice broke with emotion. She rushed forward and wrapped her arms tightly around her mother, as though afraid she might disappear again.
Lady Selena paused for a moment, surprised, before offering a soft smile and gently patting her daughter's back.
"Is something wrong, dear?"
"No... I just... missed you."
The reply made her mother raise an eyebrow in slight surprise but she didn't press the matter. Instead, she stroked Fiona's hair with a gentle smile.
After breakfast, Fiona wandered into the garden, her thoughts quiet and deep. Returning to her fifteen-year-old self was a miracle—a chance to change everything. Not to erase the past, but to build a better future...
For him—the one she had loved but never dared to say it out loud.
"This time... I won't stand on the sidelines."
"I'll be the one to approach him... I won't wait for him to come to me anymore..."
She whispered softly to herself, memories swirling within her. One in particular lingered—the day he died—a memory still etched painfully into her heart.
Then, a voice echoed faintly in her mind... like a whisper from a dream.
"...Your unwavering will... has granted me an opening to intervene..."
"Your wish... I shall make it real..."
Fiona froze, her head turning toward the sound. But there was no one there. Still, her heart trembled.
"That voice... who was it?"
She couldn't remember clearly—not who had spoken, nor what had been said. But deep down, she knew it was important. So important she shouldn't forget.
She clenched her fists, her lips tightening.
"It doesn't matter... I'm here now."
She had returned to the beginning—and this time, she wouldn't waste the opportunity.
Back in her room, she pulled out the academy entrance exam schedule pinned beside her desk. The dates were just as she remembered—less than two weeks until the evaluation for enrollment.
"I have to be ready."
She sat down and opened an old spell primer—the first magic textbook she had studied as a child. Though the knowledge was basic, for her now... it marked the first step toward change.
Not just to pass the test...
But to meet him again.
And this time..