"Y-you're awake?"

"Why wouldn't I be?" he laughed and sat up. "You should know running away from me is like suicide."

Olivia stuttered, "I-I wasn't running away!"

Leon sighed while Olivia felt guilty. A moment of silence prevailed.

Leon took something shiny out of his pocket. It was a silver, circular object with a chain. He pushed the crown of the object and its cover opened. Olivia peeked inside.

A pocket watch!

On a milky-white dial, there were an hour and a minute chapter with Roman numerals. There were an hour and a minute hand and a separate seconds bit with a second hand. On another side of the dial, there was a small umbrella-shaped dial. Olivia had never seen it on any watch before.

The girl looked at the watch in awe, and before she could figure out what was the umbrella-shaped slot, Leon closed the case.

Olivia smiled at him. "You're rich!"

Leon raised his eyebrows in confusion. "No, you have mistaken-"

"How? Only the rich can afford a watch!"

Leon sighed and smiled. "Stupid. Everyone needs a watch here in Nordlys. That is why these are affordable."

Olivia looked up at the sky. It had not changed since she had slept last. She asked, "What time is it?"

"Half-past six in the morning. We will be leaving in a while. Get ready."

Olivia frowned. It did not look like it was so late.

The girl fixed her hair and dusted off the leaves stuck to her cloak. She carefully removed all the dirt from it, as if she had possessed a faint liking towards it.

Then she turned her gaze to Leon, who took his satchel and sword. All of a sudden, the looks on his face started to change. Olivia looked at him with an open mouth, wondering what was happening.

Leon looked completely different from before. Everything about him had changed; even his height was shorter.

"What was that?" the girl asked with a shaking, hollow voice.

"I am a shapeshifter. I did it for safety."

He pulled his hood up and beckoned Olivia to do the same.

"We're leaving now."

"Are we going to fly somewhere else?" asked Olivia with curiosity.

Leon shook his head. "Don't you see what happened to me because of flying above the clouds? We're not doing it anymore."

"Oh..."

Olivia looked down, feeling disappointed. It was fun yesterday...

She stood and pulled her hood up. Leon held her wrist and walked to the wall of leaves. He dug his hand into it and pushed it to the side. Both of them went out of the clearing.

With every passing moment, Olivia became more amazed. Trees covered the sky over their heads and a few dull, harmless rays of light forced their way in.

"So... where are we going?" she broke the silence.

Without making eye contact, Leon said, "A witch's house."

"Why?"

"I hope she can teach you something."

A look of doubt showed up on Olivia's face. As both of them walked through the woods, Olivia asked him more questions.

"But we're roaming around in broad daylight! Aren't there any guards?"

"Vampires usually don't stay outside when it's daytime, but yes- there are day guards."

Olivia stopped walking. She said with a hollow voice, "Are you going to kill them?"

Leon looked at her with a smile and said, "I see you are quite traumatized from what happened yesterday. Don't worry, I won't kill them."

The girl passed the rest of her time wondering what he could do. After a moment of silence, she felt her stomach rumble. "Hey, Sir, I'm hungry," she said.

"Just a little bit further. We will be there soon."

Olivia pouted and rolled her eyes.

The two of them walked to the edge of the woods, which was not far away.

As soon as they were out of the woods, a few guards spotted them. Olivia hid behind Leon when the guards came towards them. Leon said, "Hey, don't hide. They'll think you're suspicious."

Olivia came back beside him and the guards arrived. They were wearing uniforms with a special kind of hat that covered their heads like an umbrella. Olivia assumed it was to protect them from the sunlight.

The guards were here to interrogate them.

"Who are you two?"

"We are here to meet Danielle Gray. Do you know where she lives?" answered Leon with a lower voice and a changed accent.

"Where are you from?" one of the guards asked.

"Algercia, Ostain."

Wait... that's where I'm from... Olivia thought.

Still doubting, the guard said, "You two just came out of the woods-"

"We lost our way," Leon said with a smile. Olivia could only suppress her laughter with difficulty.

Leon added, "I have an appointment with her."

He took a piece of paper from his satchel, unfolded it and showed it to the guard. Olivia peered at it, but could not see what was written on it.

"So you're the ones..."

Leon nodded like a child.

The guard said, "Come with us." His face showed a hint of disbelief, but he still agreed to lead Leon and Olivia.

The guards led Leon and Olivia to a strange-looking house. The building was three-storied, having a glass dome at the very top. Inside the glass dome, there were lively green plants. Orchids of bright colours grew along the brick walls of the building. The first two stories had windows of stained glass.

What attracted Olivia the most was the green glass dome at the top. Olivia stared at it in awe.

Leon thanked the guards and shook Olivia's hand to break her attention. He said, "We're going in."

The girl sighed in relief when the guards were gone. Leon walked to the door and knocked on it.

A young woman with platinum blonde hair opened the door. A smile formed on her lips when she saw Leon with Olivia. She said, "You're here! Come in."

Leon and Olivia stepped into the house. Ivies climbed on the tall walls. The coloured stained glass windows left colourful lights on the floor. Olivia was stunned by the look of the place.

The woman held Olivia's hand and spoke to her, smiling. "You are all grown up! It's so nice to see you after all these years."

Olivia gave a nervous laugh and looked at Leon. She thought, Why have you brought me into this hell?

Leon shrugged.

"My name is Danielle Gray. You can call me Dania," the woman said with a smile. She took Olivia to the side of a window where a table was kept. Leon followed them and sat on a chair, a little farther from the window.

Olivia and Danielle sat. Danielle said, "I know you are hungry. It's time for breakfast!"

Danielle waved her hand and a set of floating plates and glasses arrived. The plates kept themselves on the table. There were bread and jam, and pomegranate juice.

"Let's eat!" said Danielle.

Olivia smiled faintly. "Thank you..."

The three of them ate. Leon finished quickly and left the table in a hurry.

"Don't worry, he'll come back. He has a few things to bring with him," Danielle told Olivia. Olivia nodded.

They finished eating and the plates and glasses flew away.

Danielle held Olivia's hand and said, "Do you remember me, Ophelia?" She seemed to be excited.

Olivia shook her head. She was uncomfortable to hear the name 'Ophelia'.

Danielle chuckled. "You're not supposed to remember me anyway. You were only three... maybe four at that time."

"Oh..." Olivia gave a faint laugh and rubbed the back of her head.

"You know, Ophelia, there is a reason why Leon brought you here," Danielle said while looking down.

"What is it?"

She stopped for a while, and said, "I know you will not believe me if I tell you."

Ah... that same daylight vampire thing.

"But-"

Olivia's eyebrows rose.

"You will surely believe me if I show it to you."

Danielle looked up at her with a forced smile. Olivia frowned in confusion. However, she wanted to know what Danielle and Leon were up to.

"Close your eyes."

Olivia closed her eyes while Danielle held her hands tight. Soon, she felt weightless and numb.

Opening her eyes, Olivia found herself falling deep into an ocean with Danielle. She panicked, but she was able to breathe underwater.

"What's happening?" gasped Olivia.

Danielle opened her mouth. "We are... in the ocean of memories."

As the two of them fell deeper, their surroundings became darker. Olivia noticed bright shards of glass moving in the water. Something moved within them, which Olivia could not see.

It was dark. Olivia heard echoing voices.

They suddenly stopped falling. The glass shards were so bright that Olivia's eyes hurt by looking at them.

The ocean of memories...

Olivia could guess why Danielle brought her here. She was afraid to know about her past, but there was no escape. Olivia did not know how to wake up from this situation.

Danielle swam closer to one of the shards. As they went closer, it was easier for Olivia to see what was in the glass shards.

She could hear them too. Olivia realized that each of them carried memories of different times in her life. Some of them were familiar; some were not. Daniella showed her one of the glass shards.

A woman carrying a sleeping child in her arms was running in the darkness of the night. She looked like she had been weeping and was desperate for something. She looked like she was being chased by something.

"Ophelia, don't worry. You'll be safe...," she whispered to the child in her arms.

When she had run far enough, the woman rubbed the gemstone that hung down her neck. Black smoke came out of it and formed a dark hole. The woman hurriedly stepped into it and entered a completely different world.

It was nearly sunset when the woman ended up at a seaport. People had failed to notice her in the crowd.

A couple walked past her.

"Wait... that looks like my mother..." whispered Olivia. She added, "Who is the other woman? Who is the child?"

Danielle said with a grim face, "They are you and your real mother."

"W-what? This can't be..."

Danielle's voice echoed in her mind as she looked at the shard more attentively.

"Please take care of her," the woman said, bursting into tears. She gave her child away to them and ran away, back into the portal where she came from.

Ophelia the little girl had awoken and cried out for her mother, but it was already too late.

Olivia did not want to see it anymore.

They are you and your real mother.

"No," whispered Olivia with a hollow voice as Danielle's voice rang in her head.

"No, no, no!" Madness took over her.

Danielle pulled her away from the glass shard and swam upwards. "I'm sorry, Ophelia," she whispered.

Olivia kicked her legs and screeched, trying to free herself from Danielle. Danielle held tight and swam fast.

Just before they reached the surface of the ocean, everything turned black in front of Olivia's eyes.

It was cold, Olivia could not breathe, and her body was numb again.