The room was transparent, like a living crystal glowing at its corners with a soft light, pulsating with hidden threads of illumination, concealing secrets whose time for discovery had not yet come.
In its center, there was only one bed… floating quietly, as if resting on an invisible breeze.
Stephanie gazed at the space in astonishment, then turned to him and asked,
"Ravaz… do you live in just one room?"
He smiled, that smile carrying both depth and nostalgia at once, and said softly,
"I told you before…
This house isn't just a place… it's an extension of me.
It doesn't need many walls to understand me.
It hears me without words… and feels me without movement.
It is a living being… connected to me."
She hesitated for a moment, then asked in a quiet voice,
"Is it… fully alive? I mean… completely?"
He answered confidently, his eyes glowing gently:
"Yes… fully alive.
It holds my dreams, conceals my secrets, and grows as I mature.
This house… is my memory.
As long as I am alive, it will continue to evolve.
It doesn't expand outward… but inward.
Whenever I want to revisit a memory… or imagine a moment from the present or even the future,
a door forms… leading me to what I wish to see.
All I have to do… is wish for it."
Stephanie stared at him in wonder, then smiled as if a thought had struck her:
"You asked me a little while ago if I wanted to see something truly magical…
I think I want that now."
Ravaz extended his hand and gently took hers.
In the next moment, the space before them parted…
and a door emerged from nothing, glowing with pulsating blue light.
He pushed it gently… and pulled her through.
Suddenly
The scene exploded before her eyes.
A visual magic surged in every direction,
colors unlike anything she had ever known,
and faint music slipped into her heart… making it tremble.
A world teeming with strange creatures she had never seen before.
Everything… was alive.
Pulsating.
Like a dream… yet more real than reality itself.
She stepped back, whispering in astonishment,
"Ravaz… how can this be real?"
He smiled quietly and said,
"In truth… it is far more beautiful.
What you see now… is merely a simulation of a small part of my world.
Unfortunately… I cannot take you there."
Her eyes widened further:
"You're joking, right?
A simulation?
I can feel the air… the warmth of the light…
even this soft thing under my feet—is it grass?!"
She looked at him in disbelief:
"Is everything I see… not real?"
He stepped closer and gazed into her eyes:
"Let's take one more step…
and I'll show you a small part of Azaveria."
She felt no fear.
Nor confusion.
Only wonder…
filling her eyes as if all her old dreams were unfolding at once.
She moved lightly, her eyes scanning every direction,
her fingers brushing through the air, as if a silky breeze carried dancing patterns.
If anyone had listened closely…
they would have heard faint, deep music filling the space.
And the breeze carried a rare scent…
She inhaled deeply and whispered,
"It smells like grape blossoms… no…
far more exquisite than that."
She turned to him.
He was watching her in silence,
his eyes radiating something like… love.
"Ravaz…
is this world truly real?"
She whispered, as if fearing it would vanish if she raised her voice.
The sky was black… yet colors danced within it.
Small glowing creatures flew around her, like fairies of light.
Ravaz observed her as she moved among the creatures,
trying to touch each one,
her eyes sparkling with childlike joy.
He knew…
that since childhood, she had loved everything strange and beautiful,
enchanted by unknown magical worlds.
But this…
surpassed all her dreams.
She ran after creatures appearing and disappearing among the lights, laughing softly.
Ravaz said,
"These… are the Orakim."
They were misty silver spheres, floating around her,
with small golden eyes silently watching.
No words were needed…
her eyes alone were telling stories.
And their faint buzzing…
carried the sorrow of every soul that had ever lived.
Then something else caught her attention.
"Look!"
Delicate creatures swayed above giant flowers, dancing between light and shadow.
"The Ephemera…" he said softly.
Then she suddenly exclaimed,
"Ravaz! The trees… they're flying!"
He smiled,
"They are the Silvarios… newborn Silvarios trees."
They were massive, rootless, floating like clouds,
their glowing purple leaves changing patterns with the wind.
She ran toward the river and touched small creatures playing in its waters.
"The Larketa…"
They leapt, merged with the water, then returned again.
But the water itself… was not ordinary.
"They resemble you…"
She pointed to other creatures.
"Shadows of Light?"
He nodded.
She said in astonishment,
"But they don't even get wet!"
He replied,
"Azaveria water…
so light… it passes without wetting."
She smiled, whispering,
"Everything… is perfect."
Then she turned to him with excitement:
"I want to see everything!
Can I stay here… forever?"
He asked gently,
"Are you happy?"
She laughed, her eyes sparkling,
"More than it seems."
A moment of silence passed…
Then he said,
"We must return.
Time is up."
She shook her head quickly, worry threading her voice:
"No… not now…
I still… miss you."
But he knew…
there were things she could not yet understand.
He closed his eyes and held her hand.
Slowly…
her consciousness began to fade.
When she opened her eyes, she was in her room.
Warm…
with white curtains, walls adorned with small violet flowers.
And by the window…
her cello.
He placed her gently on the bed.
Before leaving, she whispered softly,
"Why me?"
He paused.
He looked at her for a long moment… then said quietly,
"We do not see shapes…
we see light.
And you… were the brightest of all."
Then he added, in a voice carrying a promise,
"I will choose you in every life…
and I will love you forever."
Before disappearing, she whispered,
"Return early…"
And his voice faded into the void:
"Sorry I was late…
but if I had come sooner… it would have ended.
I will return… when I can."
They thought the encounter was a beginning that would never end…
But fate had already written the final line from the start.