“I heard that Ramita is also a soul’s ability,” she said. “Do you think that she would have acquired my Ramita had the magic seeded?”


    “Who knows,” Alber said. “I’ve never heard of a situation like this before.”


    “How do you think she managed to pull such immense power together?”


    “It was magic that couldn’t seed, it was supposed to fail. She used what little knowledge she knew and pulled that together in an attempt to make it work. It wasn’t ever meant to.” The older woman smiled bitterly.


    <em>This was all by chance? </em>Eugene wondered.


    “The magic failed,” she said. The older woman let out augh. “From the impostor’s perspective, it definitely did. It was aplete failure.”


    “Do you think the impostor went back to its world?”


    Alber smiled as she looked at Eugene. “Jin, are you lucid dreaming right now?” she asked. When the younger woman looked uncertain, she continued, “Then, don’t worry. Your body and soul areplete now. No force can split you apart.”


    Eugene smiled brightly. That was all she wanted to hear. She could rest easy now that she knew.“How long has it been since you came back?” Alber asked.


    “A little under a year.”


    “That’s such a fast transition for being separated for 20 years. That means your soul is just that strong, and…”


    “And?”


    The older woman smiled yfully. “I think there was someone who helped you.”


    “Who?”


    “For your soul to take its ce in your body, you need to sleep and eat well, as well as give it time. But a more effective way exists: it’s sleeping with your partner.”


    Eugene blushed when she realized the weight of the woman’s words. That made sense if it was true. She had slept with Kasser ever since the first night they had shared together.


    But then a thought hit her. “If the impostor slept with anyone in my body, would her soul and this body have bonded?”


    “They would have,” Alber told her. “And the moment she had a kid, she would’ve been the absolute owner of that body.”


    That frightened Eugene to even think about it. If the impostor had done anything of the sort, she might not havee back. Ironically, the impostor’s n to get Ramita was what ended up helping Eugene return.


    Her eyes widened again when she realized that the scenery behind Alber had disappeared. She closed her eyes and opened them again, but something was wrong now. Alber’s body was fading.


    The older woman looked at her hand. It was translucent now.


    “It’s time to go,” she said. She looked at Eugene with a smile. “Jin, thank you. I had a great time talking to you. It’s been so long since I did this with someone.”


    Eugene shook her head. “I should be the one thanking you. Do you think we can meet again?”


    “It’ll be hard.”


    “I owe you a lot. If it wasn’t for you…”


    Alber’s body was bing fainter. Eugene had so much to say that she couldn’t. She was too busy trying to satisfy her curiosity. To say goodbye like this, it made her feel sorry.


    “Jin, live for yourself,” Alber told her. “Don’t forget that your happiness is the most important value.”


    “Ma’am…”


    Eugene was tearful. Right before Alber disappeared, she shouted, “Ma’am, I saw the sea! My lucid dream only shows the horizon!”


    Alber was gone right after that, but as Eugene spoke, she swore she could see the woman’s eyes widen a little.


    Eugene took in the empty space in front of her. “I won’t let the monster do this,” she said. “Don’t worry and don’t me yourself. I’lle see you for sure. Next time, I’ll see you in reality, not in a dream.”


    ***


    The first thing Eugene saw when she opened her eyes was blue hair. She blinked a few times and tried to understand the situation. Judging by the light, it was either morning or early afternoon. Then, she saw Kasser looking down with his hands on his head at the end of the bed.


    <em>There’s no way he could’ve dozed off in this position at this time.</em>Eugene moved a little to check and flinched as he looked up right away.


    Their eyes met, blue eyes widening as they took in the sight of her.


    Carefully, he called her name, “Eugene.”


    “Yes.” Her throat was dry.


    “Eugene.”


    “Yes,” she repeated.


    When she answered, he let out a sigh and ced his face in his hands. He looked so serious that it confused Eugene. She didn’t know what to do.


    “Did I not tell you?”


    She could barely remember what she told him when she slipped back into reality for that split second. She knew that she met his eyes and seemed to have told him what she knew… but now she wasn’t so sure.


    Kasser looked up. He looked different, strange even. His eyes were red and his face looked weary. He looked incredibly tired. She had never seen him this tired before, it was new to her.


    “Did you not tell me?” he asked. “To not wake you up because you were having an important dream?” His voice cracked as he finally said, “You slept for three days.”