Chapter 33: 21: Distant Dreams (Thanks to the Alliance Hierarch, Xiao Ya who also wants to sleep today)

The song came from a very distant place, feeble and obscure, almost dissipating into the dust if you didn't listen carefully.

Where am I? Hexia opened her eyes and realized she was lying in a high tower, such towers she had only seen in those ancient film and television works, from an era earlier than the Fourth Epoch, when human civilization was in its cradle on Earth.

She groped her way to her feet, the floor beneath her made of wooden boards, somewhat rough in texture, dry in the breeze, and not very dusty.

She looked around, finding herself in a white stone tower void of any technological trace, a part of a castle standing in the midst of a green floral grassland, the distant wheat swaying under the sky following the wind's path, as if out of a fairy tale.

She started to move slowly, realizing that she had neither wound nor pain on her body, and her clothes were intact.

Hexia touched her face with an unreal feeling, taking a while to settle down.

I might as well have a look around; it seems there is no other choice.

The ethereal song became clear again, as if calling Hexia, she listened carefully, seeking the direction of its source.

Hexia, holding onto the wooden stair railing, descended from the tower, the spiraling staircase illuminated by scattered windows, sunshine and wind passing through the windows, white curtains fluttering like a scene out of a dream,

She passed down the lengthy spiral staircase, the curtains periodically brushing against her cheek, the fabric so distinct and soft to the touch.

Going down endlessly, Hexia finally reached the exit at the bottom; outside was the wide corridor within the castle.

The castle walls weathered by time reflected a striking white light under the sun's rays, making Hexia involuntarily shield her forehead with her hand to slowly adjust to the brightness.

Ascending the steps, she entered a secluded building of the castle, the corridor walls adorned with delicate frescoes, blurred figures upon them, while the opposite wall lined with a row of orderly columns.

The corridor's columns, crafted from gold, were carved with intricate and beautiful patterns, further embellished with white crystal petals, both dreamy and luxurious.

Passing the palace's ringed corridors, Hexia once again opened a door decorated with golden flowers, passing through an interior living space adorned with gold and crystals, heading toward the red-carpeted staircase.

The red-carpeted stairs wound upward, the song becoming clearer and clearer, until at last Hexia stood before a room that seemed to be a princess's boudoir with the door ajar.

The door was not closed, merely half-hidden.

Gently pushing it open, Hexia finally saw the figure singing by the window.

She had golden hair like sunlight, a flawless countenance more dazzling than the sun, light blue eyes as clear as the sky; she sat on the window sill, her white gauze and gold-threaded dress outlining her legs, the hem dropping down like a fan, with lozenge-shaped golden crystal pendants on the skirt reflecting and refracting light.

When Hexia entered, she finally stopped singing and turned her gaze from the verdant fields outside to the girl who had entered the room.

"Was it you calling me?" Hexia looked at the woman before her.

"Yes, and no," the elf-like golden-haired woman answered, her voice distant and gentle, her pale blue eyes inspecting Hexia, as if trying to see her clearly.

"I was calling for someone, but I did not know who it would be."

"Now that you have opened the door, it must be you," her voice held a trace of satisfaction, as if a long-held wish finally fulfilled.