Hortus Arcanus planēta

ACT 2

morning

As the morning sun rose and a new day began, my heart felt heavy, in contrast to the freshness of the dawn.
Ella, completely unaware that I hadn’t slept a single moment, stretched comfortably with a contented sigh.

After confirming that she was awake, I gently stroked the button and returned to my human form.
Even so, a trace of fear toward Ella from the night before still lingered within me. It felt as though I had seen something I was never meant to see, and I couldn’t bring myself to face her.

Then Ella spoke.

“Good morning, Lmina.”

My eyes wandered for a moment.
When I stole a quick glance at her face, I saw that her eyes were no longer stained red as they had been in the middle of the night. They were once again clear and bright—her usual pure, gentle eyes.

When I confirmed that her eyes were no longer red, a small ray of light broke through the darkness in my heart.

“Y-yeah… good morning, Ella.”

“Lmina? Is something wrong?”

“Oh—no, it’s nothing. I think I’m just still a little sleepy.”

I felt relieved from the bottom of my heart.
What on earth had I seen last night?
Could it really have been just a dream?

Still, I hesitated. Should I tell Ella what had happened during the night?

Instead, I decided to ask her gently.

“Hey, Ella… I thought I heard some kind of noise during the night. Did you notice anything?”

“Huh? I didn’t hear anything at all. D-did something happen?”

“N-no, nothing. I was asleep, but I felt like I heard a sound, so I just wanted to ask.”

“I see… I thought maybe I had upset Mother and the others again.”

With that, Ella began preparing for the morning.

It must have been a dream.
Thank goodness.

Thinking that, I finally felt a sense of relief.