june 15, 2015.  

"You're still packing?" Serena asked her sister, Melanie, while leaning against the door frame of Melanie's bedroom.

"Yeah, I didn't know what to bring or how much to bring." Melanie answered nonchalantly while placing several things into her large suitcase.

Serena rolled her eyes, but watched from the doorway.

"If you don't hurry, then whoever's picking us up is gonna be annoyed."

"Chill. Pearl's on her way and I'll be ready by then. Besides, we should reach the resort before midnight."

"I mean, flying would've been better as it's not that far away from Chaburi to Yuehue, but driving probably saves money."

"Most definitely, but it's because of all the kids, teenagers, and young adults traveling on this trip. There's too many of us including all of the staff and volunteers, but a road trip would be better to travel through Nizho, Nazin, Daian, and then taking a ferry to Yuehue."

"Yes, I agree. With the short pit stops in the other regions to sightsee, they could definitely travel the island for sure once we get there to enjoy that airy and refreshing feel away from the city environment. As well as stay at the Nagamai Resort or spend time in Annolly or Ziska, too."

"Mmhmm. Pearl is looking forward to seeing the a tea museum in Annolly."

"Pearl's nice. I like her. The others I just tolerate."

"You're just not a people person."

"True. Anyways, I can't believe I let you roped me into being a part of this."

"You need to socialize anyways."

"Oh, you're funny. Anyways, is your Mr. Handsome gonna be there, too?"

Melanie looked up at her sister with a playful look.

"Mmhmm. Lewis will be there and so is your Mr. Cutie."

Melanie also noticed Serena wearing the same outfit she was wearing for the trip.

"I didn't think the outfit would suit you, but it's nice."

Serena rolled her eyes.

"I have to wear this since all the staff and volunteers are wearing the same thing to keep track of who is who."

She eyed her sister with a knowing smile.

"I just didn't think you'll agree to wearing red though."

Melanie scrunched her face.

"I wanted blue, but they gave it to the kids under ten."

"Of course you would, but for real though. I said the guy was just cute one time and you're already shipping me with him."

"Because I'm sure that Rhydian thinks you're cute, too."

"Eww, stop. I hardly know the guy."

"Yeah, yeah, but you pretty much impressed him when you threw the baseball towards him."

"I'm pretty sure it's because I didn't stick around to flirt with him like the others. That's probably why."

"True. Anyways, don't forget the snacks."

"Oh right. I wanted to take the panda and koala biscuits. Thanks for reminding me."

"Mmhmm."

"So, I think I took the wrong turn like three turns back." Pearl admitted to the sisters as the trio were now driving in some random area of Nazin.

"Oh, what? Really, Pearl?"

Melanie looked over at her friend and colleague.

"Yeah, sorry. We were supposed to be in Ovander, but I think the Navigation glitched and didn't re-route me and now we're in Yonhari."

"Whoa. Isn't that like heading toward Vipaka than Daian?" Serena asked trying to recall her geological knowledge.

"Yeah."

"Okay, Pearl, just pull over and we can double check instead of aimlessly driving around." Melanie suggested as Pearl nodded.

"Hmm, I'll just pulled into this residential area that's coming up ahead then."

Pearl at that moment started checking her phone for the correct route while slowly heading to the area she mentioned earlier as Melanie did the same thing while sitting in the passenger seat. Serena looked around their surrounding as she wondered where they were now while she sat in the backseat. Soon very bright lights caught Serena's attention as her eyes focused in front of her while calling out for Pearl's attention.

"Pearl! Look out!"

Just as the words were spoken did everything happen too quickly. Their car collided with another and it soon caused an accident with other on-coming vehicles crashing into them and one another afterwards. Pearl panicked and had oversteered to avoid the other car coming towards her which caused them to be T-Bone by another. Trying to make sense of it all, but the impact gave them whiplashed as Serena's vision blurred while she braced for more of what was to come. Before she could check on the other two her eyelids grew heavy and just before succumbing to darkness she heard a male voice franctically calling for her name in her head.

"Serena!"

Serena could feel herself coming to, but couldn't fully open her eyes or make any kind of movements. She tried to open her eyes, but nothing. She tried to speak, but once again nothing. Serena wondered if this was just the moments before death or the feeling of lingering between both worlds until her fate was decided. She wasn't sure until she remembered Melanie. Her mind became full on alert, but her body wouldn't react. What was going on? Serena could hear voices and murmuring, but couldn't make out what was being said or clearly hear the conversation.

There were two hooded figures standing over the comatose bodies of Serena and Melanie. Pearl's body was nowhere to be found. There was a male figure wearing a white robe with gold accents while the other was a female wearing black with red accents. The female had her hands hovering over where the sisters' heart rested while chanting an incantation. At first a few colored auras flowed from the female's body and absorbed into the pair's bodies, but then the connection dissolved with Melanie's while it continued flowing on with Serena's.

"Nick, it's not working!"

The male looked between all three female figures.

"Why isn't it working, Nett?"

"I think I missed something."

"What do you mean?"

"I'm not sure, but something's not right."

"What isn't right, Nett?"

Now Nett was lost in her own little world as she recalled all the possibilities that it couldn't be working.

"I wonder if I read the whole thing wrong. Did I say the wrong incantation? Was the timing off? Am I missing another element?"

"Nett, you're not making sense. What's going on?"

Nett didn't hear Nick speaking to her as she continued speaking to herself.

"I wonder if it was too soon. Maybe the alignment was off."

"What's too soon? What alignment, Nett?"

Nick tried again.

"Nett, what's going on?"

Nett clutched at her chest as she felt an intense pain coming on. She looked over at the male.

"I can't stay here any longer, Nick. I have to go, but you really need to save Melanie another way or she'll disappear."

"Wait, but Serena's so-."

"You'll find a way, Nick. You'll save their souls soehow, but I really can't stay, Nick. Ah."

Nett clutched at her chest again while trying to explain the situation before she disappeared again.

"Something went wrong. Save the sisters for now and we'll try again like always."

"What about you? Who knows when you can try something again like this?"

"I'll always have time, Nick, but they won't."

Nick frowned feeling defeated while nodding.

"Okay, Nett, but how can I save them? I'm not like you."

"I know, Nick, but," Nett winced as she hurried to talk, "You have something that I would never have and you can use that. Also, Serena was able to absorb my essence and that'll make it easier in saving her."

Net clutched at her chest once more while grimacing at Nick.

"I'm so-"

Nett vanished without finishing her sentence as Nick stared at where she once stood before his gaze went to the sisters as a very insane idea popped into his head about what Nett had said about Serena absorbing her essence.
 

june 17, 2015.

Serena stirred awake, but couldn't open her eyes. She tried to use her arms, but couldn't move them either. She could feel herself wriggled around, but was unable to actually move about. Serena tried to call out at first, but couldn't speak. She then tried to call for her sister, but the same thing occured. Serena realized she couldn't move or speak yet felt wide awake. Soon Serena heard several voices, but couldn't recognize any of them. They were talking about something or someone, but she could only catch bits and pieces of what they were discussing about.

"How could this have happened?"

"There's never been one of its kind before."

"We need to triple the borders of our realms."

"Why would he sacrifice himself for a mere mortal?"

"More importantly how was this human vessel able to hold a spirit of the Infernal Realm?"

"Nevermind that. She has a Celestial Realm spirit in her as well. How does both energies inside of her do any good for us in this state?"

"How are we supposed to explain this to the others?"

"For now we have to grant the wish as it is our protocol."

"Yes. I'm afraid that is all that we can do and keep everything in check as much as possible until we can right this ourselves before it can play out on its own accord."

Serena wondered what they were talking about as none of it made sense. It felt like she was under water yet not quite since she could hear them clearly, but there were weird vibrations going on in the background like she was tripping out in some alternate universe. Just as she could feel herself move freely Serena opened her eyes and there were a blurring of figures cast in either white and black with strange auras around them. Serena was about to call out to them, but darkness claimed her once more.

The pair of sisters awoke some time later not aware of their unfamiliar surrounding or the events that had led up to it right now. They were not in their home and their memory was fuzzy and hazy. It felt like they were in some gray and airy space, but they weren't sure of it.

"Where are we?" Melanie asked while looking around them. "Are we dead?"

Serena gazed about her with a shake of her head equally confused.

"I don't know. I can't remember anything."

"I can't remember anything either. I just remember you, and Pearl."

Melanei frantcially look around for her friend, but her a ached in her chest stopped her.

"Ah."

Melanie looked at Serena with confusion before gazing at the now changed scenery of a green meadow below her and the blue sky filled with fluffy clouds above her. Everything seemed endless and it was just the two of them in this too quiet of a place. The pair also noticed their outfits before it changed from black pants and red t-shirts to a plain silver knee-length long sleeve gown. The previous clothes didn't ring a bell. The new wear also didn't make any sense. Nothing did. All they knew was what was happening in the moment. Serena noticed fear settling in her sister's face and tried to reassured Melanie.

"Don't worry, Mel. Everything will be just fine."

"I don't feel fine, Re. I can't help but worry." Melanie admitted as tears began to form.

Something tug in Serena's chest and she didn't know how to comfort her sister without her own worries creeping upon her. Serena realized that fear had slowly crept upon her, too. Still she tried to keep on a brave facade to ease her own sister's fear of whatever was happening just now. Soon enough the sisters heard several sounds going on at once along with the weather changing. A strong breeze began to blow around them and the sky suddenly grew darker than before. It sounded like bells ringing and sirens wailing and the pair had no idea what was going on.

"Don't worry, Melanie. It'll all just be fine," Serena reassured her sister despite sudden tears slowly cascading down her cheeks, "Okay?"

"Okay," Melanie responded as tears also cascaded down her cheeks, "It'll all be fine, Serena."

Serena smiled weakly having suddenly felt an impending moment was about to creep upon her. Just as she had reached out to hold her sister's hand the winds grew stronger.

"Melanie!" Serena exclaimed in panicked as she clutched her sister's hand tightly.

Just as Melanie was about to do the same thing a swirling dark hole in the sky suddenly opened up and Serena into it leaving Melanie to desperately cry out for her sister knowing that she'll never get an answer back.

"Serena! Serena!"

Melanie yelled up to the now quiet and empty sky with arms outstretched.

"Serena!"

A moment later Melanie instantly grew dizzy and her vision blurred. She crashed onto the now flower filled meadow that began to bloom around her. Her eyes caught sight of a forget-me-not before losing herself to sleep.

"Be at peace. The time will come when your sister has paid her dues for the both of you."

An old man named Yue Lao spoke into the air as he motioned with his left arm around within the air.

"Rest now, child."

Melanie's body re-positioned itself to lie upon her back instead and her previous clothes transformed into an elegant yet simple dress of shades of blue while being enclosed inside a glass-like box with more forget-me-nots growing alongside it.

"For now, you'll enjoy Eternal Twilight in a different form until then."

Yue Lao sadly cast a smile upon the slumbering Melanie before motioning with his right hand and the glass-filled box Melanie disappeared into another hole that opened within the sky just like how Serena had disappeared before her.

 

june 19, 2015. 

"Serena."

A soft yet unfamiliar male voice called out to Serena, but she barely stirred to the sound of it.

"Serena."

The same voice called out to her again, but this time she stirred yet she couldn't really wake herself to see who was calling out to her.

"Serena."

The male voice came again in a soothing manner. She moved to the left and right, but was still unable to open her eyes.

"Hey."

She willed herself to open her eyes, to move more than she could, but it was inevitable.

"Hey."

The unfamiliar voice was so soft, yet calming at the same time.

"Can you hear me?"

She wanted to reply that she could and ask who he was, but nothing came out.

"Don't worry."

He assured her.

"I can still hear you."

His tone remained the same every time he spoke to her, but it made her more anxious to actually respond and wanting to see him more.

"It's okay, Serena."

It still didn't ease her as she was still unable to look for the source of the voice or even open her eyes. The tone was just so soothing though.

"It's going to be alright, Serena."

The same voice continued to reassure her and eventually it began to calm her down despite not being to see or speak to him.

"Everything will be fine, Serena."

Still Serena didn't understand why she couldn't move about or even open her eyes despite trying to. Who was he and where was she?

"You'll find out soon enough."

Could she keep him to his words? She wasn't sure as everything made no sense.

"I promise and hope that you'll forgive me."

Serena confirmed that he could hear her thoughts and wanted to ask him something, but he spoke again before she could.

"Don't forget."

Serena still her movements. What did he mean to not forget? Was she supposed to remember something important? And why couldn't he tell her and what was she supposed to forgive him for? Serena's mind buzz with thoughts as everything felt jumbled and all over the place. Why couldn't she recall who the voice belonged to? Why couldn't she move? Why couldn't she even open her eyes? She wondered about so many things, but was left with more questions than answers.

"All in due time."

Came the male voice and it calmed Serena once more. Still she wanted to know who he was and how he knew her.

"We'll meet again in another time and place when the time allows me to."

He responded which helped Serena to slowly breathed in and out while letting her mind settled down.