Astralyth Online

Chapter 31 – Questions

The walk back to the village passed in a blur for Madelyn. Her feet moved automatically, but her mind was tangled in a chaotic web of questions. What had just happened? Why had she seen that vision, or memory, through the eyes of a tiny fox kit? It didn’t add up, any of it. And then there were the emotions she’d felt—overwhelming warmth, safety, love, and an undeniable bond to the woman in her dream.

Madelyn clenched her fists as she tried to sort through the confusion. Why had it felt so real? she wondered, her heart still aching from the memory of the woman’s gentle voice, her melodic laughter filling the cave. It was as if she truly knew her, as if that brief glimpse of tenderness wasn’t just a dream at all.

Seraphina walked alongside her, sneaking glances at her best friend, a crease of worry etched into her brow. Madelyn barely noticed, lost in her own thoughts. The words the woman had spoken rang in her mind, echoing with a strange familiarity. She’d called her by name, addressing her with a tenderness that stirred emotions Madelyn couldn’t place, emotions she hadn’t felt in years—if ever.

“Madelyn,” Seraphina’s voice broke into her thoughts gently, tugging her back to the present. “Hey, are you okay?”

Madelyn blinked, coming back to herself, and gave Seraphina a faint, absent smile. “I… I’m fine, I think. It’s just… all a lot to take in.” She paused, searching for words. “The woman in my vision, she… she called me Madelyn, like it was natural. Like she’d known me forever.”

Seraphina’s eyes widened in surprise. “Wait, you mean in your vision she actually knew your name? That’s… that’s seriously intense.” She gave Madelyn’s arm a reassuring squeeze. “Whoever this woman is, it sounds like there’s a deep connection there. And if she called you Madelyn… maybe she’s part of the reason you’re here, the reason everything changed?”

Madelyn took a shaky breath, nodding slowly. “It feels that way. I can’t shake the sense that she’s behind all of this somehow. But it doesn’t explain why I’m seeing her like this, or why I felt like… like I was the little fox kit.” Her cheeks reddened slightly, the memory of the woman’s touch stirring something tender and vulnerable within her.

“Fox kit?” Seraphina asked, her eyes widening with curiosity. “You mean you were… an actual fox kit in your vision?”

Madelyn nodded, looking down. “Yeah. In the dream, I wasn’t myself—I was… smaller, fur-covered. And she was holding me, like I was precious to her. It felt so real.”

Seraphina’s gaze softened as she absorbed this, her expression shifting from curiosity to something deeper, almost reverent. “That’s… kind of incredible, Maddy,” she said gently.

They continued walking in silence for a bit, the village slowly coming into view in the distance. The familiar bustle and sound of the marketplace felt like an entirely different world compared to the quiet, magical realm of the cave and its warm memories.

Madelyn glanced at Seraphina, her face set with determination. “I need to find out who she is, Sera. And why I’m so tied to her.”

Seraphina gave her a confident grin, her eyes bright with encouragement. “Then that’s exactly what we’ll do. We’ll find her together.”

As they crossed back into the village, the comforting routine of the marketplace hummed around them, villagers chattering, and vendors calling out their wares. Madelyn’s heart steadied, feeling a sense of purpose rising amidst the lingering questions. The woman had called her by name, had held her with care and familiarity, as if she were someone precious to her.

And whatever it took, Madelyn would uncover the truth of who that woman was—and why she felt so unmistakably like home.

As they walked through the bustling village square, Madelyn’s mind remained clouded, the questions swirling with every step. The sights and sounds of the village felt distant, like she was viewing everything from underwater. She sighed, feeling an overwhelming urge to step back from the game, to get some space and clear her thoughts.

“Hey, Sera?” Madelyn began, glancing over at her friend. “I think I’m going to log off. There’s… just a lot to process.”

Seraphina gave her a nod of understanding. “Yeah, I get it. That was a pretty intense experience. You okay?”

Madelyn managed a faint smile. “I think so. I just need some time to think.”

Seraphina studied her for a moment, then perked up with an idea. “Hey, I could come over if you want. We could talk through it in person, or even just hang out and do something totally unrelated, if that’s what you need.”

The offer made Madelyn’s heart warm, and she appreciated Seraphina’s unwavering support. But right now, she needed solitude. There was something about the memory of that woman’s voice, that place in the cave, that felt too personal, too private, even for her best friend.

“Thanks, Sera,” she replied gently. “But… I think I just want to be alone for a bit. I don’t even know where to start processing this, and I think I need some quiet.”

Seraphina nodded, understanding in her eyes. “Of course. If you need anything though, just call, okay?”

Madelyn smiled, a little more genuinely this time. “I will. Thanks for always having my back, Sera.”

With one last supportive smile, Seraphina gave her a quick hug before stepping back. “I’ll catch up with you later, then. And, hey—don’t overthink everything. Sometimes the answers come when you least expect them.”

Madelyn nodded, waving goodbye as Seraphina turned and walked back toward the marketplace. She took a deep breath, glancing around the village one last time before opening her menu and selecting the option to log out.

The familiar darkness of the log-off transition settled over her, and when she opened her eyes, she was back in the real world, lying in the full-dive pod. She took a few moments to adjust, blinking as the soft light from her room filtered into her vision. The silence around her felt calming, a welcome contrast to the noise of the village and the overwhelming emotions of the day.

She sat up, stepping carefully out of the pod, her thoughts still swirling. She rubbed her temples, hoping the quiet of her room would help her make sense of everything. But no matter how much she tried to organize her thoughts, the questions remained stubbornly tangled. Who was the woman in her vision? Why did she look like her, and why had she cradled her like she was precious? And, perhaps most confusingly, why had she felt like that small fox kit?

Madelyn sighed, sinking down onto her bed and letting herself lean back against the cool sheets. She closed her eyes, hoping that a little distance from everything would help her make sense of it all. She needed time to unravel the strange connections between herself and the mysterious woman who haunted her dreams. But for now, she let herself breathe, trying to stay grounded in the present and give her mind a much-needed break.

Yet as she lay there, staring up at the ceiling, her thoughts wouldn’t quiet. The questions kept spinning in circles, the pieces just out of reach, sharp and insistent despite her attempt to step back. She’d thought that taking a moment away from the game might bring her some clarity, but instead, the mysteries only seemed to deepen, pulling her back in.

The boy at the fountain said I look like Aeloria, she thought, replaying the moment in her mind. And now Seraphina said I looked like the statue. That can’t be a coincidence, can it? The possibility lingered in her mind, clear and undeniable. Was this mysterious woman the one people feared to even mention, the guardian of Vulpenthos Aeloria?

Madelyn felt a pang of confusion and unease. Aeloria wasn’t just some mythical figure; she was a goddess, once beloved but now shrouded in mystery and fear. But the woman Madelyn had seen in her dreams—so warm, so gentle—seemed nothing like the goddess others spoke of in hushed tones.

But how does she know me? Madelyn wondered. And why do I feel like I know her, even if I can’t remember? Every memory from her visions felt intensely familiar, as if they were distant echoes of a past she couldn’t grasp. And each vision only left her with more questions. If this woman was Aeloria, what did she want? Why did she reach out to Madelyn in dreams and memories, and why had she called her by her name as if she knew her?

Madelyn sighed, sinking deeper into her bed, trying to make sense of it. She felt as if she’d been handed fragments of a story with the middle torn out, leaving her scrambling to piece together meaning without any context. There were so many pieces: her transformation, her glitched class, the woman in the tank, the vision of the cave... and now this connection to Aeloria.

Where could she be? The question echoed in her mind, heavy and unanswered. The vision had felt so real, as though Aeloria was close, trapped but reaching out to Madelyn for help. I need to find her, she thought, the determination welling up inside her. But where do I even start?

A pang of frustration shot through her as she realized just how little she knew. Madelyn clenched her fists, wishing she had even the faintest hint of where to go. She’d combed through every detail of her visions, trying to find clues that might point her in the right direction, but each time she came up empty-handed. Even the cave, warm and inviting, felt unreachable, like a place only accessible in her dreams.

But if Aeloria is real… if she’s somewhere in Astralyth, locked away… then maybe someone, somewhere, knows something, she thought. The mystery was too intricate, too specific to be a coincidence. She knew she couldn’t ignore it any longer, even if the path was uncertain.

Madelyn took a deep breath, feeling a renewed resolve settle within her. She might not know where to begin, but she wouldn’t let that stop her. She would search every corner of the game if she had to. She would ask questions, uncover secrets, and follow any lead, no matter how small.

As she lay back, a flicker of hope rose amid her confusion. Aeloria was out there, waiting. And whatever it took, Madelyn was going to find her.

Madelyn slipped out of bed, her bare feet padding softly across the floor as she made her way toward the stairs. She hadn’t expected to hear her parents’ voices echoing up from the hall, and she froze, listening. There was something in their tone that made her pause—an urgency, laced with tension.

“It just doesn’t make sense,” her father’s voice drifted up the stairwell, low and frustrated. “They just… disappeared. This case, it’s just… it feels so wrong.”

Madelyn leaned against the wall, curiosity blooming despite herself. She’d rarely heard her dad speak like this, with such an edge of frustration, or was it fear? She knew his job was intense—something about working with strange, unexplained cases. But he almost never discussed it at home.

Her mother’s voice followed, gentle and reassuring. “Honey, I know. But you’re doing everything you can.”

There was a pause, and then her father spoke again, quieter this time, a tremor in his voice. “I found one connection, but… I really hope I’m wrong. I don’t know if I want to find out if it’s true.” His words hung in the air, heavy and unsettling.

Madelyn’s mind raced. A connection? To what? Her father rarely showed this level of worry, and hearing him sound so… unsure sent a chill through her. He was always her rock, calm and collected, no matter what. But something about this case had shaken him.

Her mother spoke softly, her tone one of deep concern. “Whatever it is, we’ll face it together. And if it turns out to be what you fear… then we’ll find a way to handle it.”

Madelyn’s heart hammered as she pressed herself against the wall, her breath catching. She had a sudden, irrational urge to go down and ask them what was happening. But something held her back. Her parents sounded deeply troubled, and she couldn’t shake the feeling that whatever they were discussing might not be something she was ready to hear.

Her father sighed, and there was a long, heavy pause. “I just keep thinking… what if it’s all connected? The strange disappearances, the anomalies we keep finding. It feels like something bigger, but I can’t see the full picture, not yet.”

Madelyn’s pulse quickened. Disappearances? Anomalies? She couldn’t help but think back to her own experience—the strange transformation, the visions, the growing mystery around Aeloria. Could it be connected? In her case, no one had gone missing though.

Her mother’s voice broke through her thoughts. “We’ll figure it out, even if it means… facing the unknown.”

Madelyn bit her lip, torn between going down to ask them outright and retreating back to her room. Part of her wanted to unburden herself, to share what she’d been going through, but the fear of adding to their worry stopped her.

Silently, she turned and crept back to her room, her mind whirling with questions she didn’t yet have the courage to ask.

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