Elysium: Desired by the Cold-hearted Princess [GL]
Chapter 186 186: Back in dreamland

Third-person POV

The first thing Seraphina felt was the persistent tapping on her arm. It started softly at first, almost gently, but it quickly grew harder, more insistent, and painful.

She groaned, shifting slightly, not wanting to leave the comfort of sleep, but the tapping didn't stop. Instead, it was joined by a loud voice that pierced through the haze of her mind.

"Seraphina! Get up! Something strange is happening. Wake up!"

It was Electra's voice, filled with an urgency that jolted her fully awake. Seraphina's eyes flew open, her body stiffening as she looked up to see Electra leaning over her, her face pale and her expression twisted with horror.

"Finally," Electra said, stepping back slightly as Seraphina sat up, blinking in confusion. "What is this place? What's going on?"

It wasn't just the look on Electra's face that shocked her—it was the world around her.

Seraphina froze, her heart sinking as she took in the familiar surroundings. She couldn't believe that she was back in the same black-and-white version of her family's home in Aldoria.

It was the dream. The dream she had woken up from earlier, but this time, for whatever reason, she wasn't alone.

Electra's voice broke through her daze. "Sera," she said, her tone filled with disbelief, "why in the world are you so calm? Do you even see this? Why is everything—" She gestured around wildly. "—in black and white? What the hell is going on?!"

Seraphina turned her attention to Electra, finally noticing the way she stood frozen in the middle of the room, her fists clenched at her sides, and her chest rising and falling rapidly like she was on the edge of a panic attack.

Electra's wide eyes darted from the lifeless room to the windows and then back to Seraphina.

"Electra," Seraphina said cautiously, standing up from the sofa she had been lying on. "It's okay. This isn't what it looks like. I mean, it's… well, it's the dream. The one I told you about earlier."

Electra stared at her, the panic in her expression morphing into bewilderment. "The dream?" she repeated in a loud tone that startled Seraphina a little. "This is the dream? You mean the one with your dead mother and some doppelgänger of me?!"

Seraphina nodded. "Yes. Exactly that one."

"And you're not freaking out?" Electra asked, her voice dripping with disbelief. "You're telling me you're perfectly fine being in this weird-looking haunted version of your house? How are you not losing your mind right now?"

Seraphina let out a long sigh, trying to gather her thoughts. "I've already been here, Electra," she explained, gesturing to the room around them. "Earlier, before I woke up this morning. This is exactly where I was. That's why I was so rattled earlier when I was telling you about the dream. Everything is just like it was before, except now I'm not alone."

Electra took a hesitant step toward her, her gaze flickering around the room. "Okay, but that doesn't explain why you're… you know…" She waved a hand in Seraphina's direction. "Why you're the only thing here that has color. It's like you're glowing or something."

Seraphina frowned, glancing down at herself. She hadn't noticed it before, but Electra was right. While everything else was washed out and devoid of color, her skin, her hair, her clothes—they had color, and because of the contrast, it looked like she was glowing.

"I don't know why that is," Seraphina admitted. "But it's the same for you as well. I guess it's because we don't belong here. It's almost like we've been transported into the past for whatever reason."

Electra ran a hand through her hair, muttering something under her breath. "This is insane. This doesn't make any sense. I was lying in your bed, trying to get some sleep, and now I'm… here." She threw her hands up in frustration. "What even is this place? It's so ugly!"

"It's my family home," Seraphina responded with an unimpressed look on her face. "In Aldoria, or… at least, a version of it. It's not quite right, though. Everything looks older, and of course, it's ugly. It's in black and white."

Electra shook her head abruptly, her hands clenched into fists at her sides. "You know what? I don't care about this ugly house or the creepy black-and-white crap," she said, her voice edged with frustration. "All I care about right now is getting out of here."

Seraphina rolled her eyes, folding her arms across her chest. "Well, for starters, I have no idea how to get out of here," she shot back. "If I did, do you think I'd still be standing here explaining this to you?"

Electra glared at her but didn't respond, her frustration clear in the way her jaw tightened.

Seraphina took a step closer, her expression softening slightly. "Look," she said, her tone more even now, "I get it. This place is weird and unsettling, but if we're stuck here, we might as well figure out what's going on, and I think the best place to start is the garden."

"The garden?" Electra asked, narrowing her eyes. "Why there?"

"Because that's where my mother was last time," Seraphina explained. "And where I saw Solara. If they're here again, we need to find them."

At the mention of Solara, Electra hesitated, her gaze flickering toward the floor. Seraphina noticed the change immediately, her brow furrowing slightly.

"What is it?" Seraphina asked, tilting her head.

Electra hesitated, swallowing hard before shaking her head. "Nothing," she said quickly.

Seraphina raised an eyebrow, unconvinced. "Electra, if there's something you're not telling me—"

"I said it's nothing!" Electra snapped, cutting her off. She took a step back, running a hand through her hair. "Let's just… focus on getting to the garden or whatever."

Seraphina stared at her for a moment, her suspicion growing, but decided not to press the issue. She turned toward the hallway, gesturing for Electra to follow. "Fine. But don't act all shocked when you see Solara for yourself. I told you she looks just like you."

Electra stiffened at that, her steps faltering as she followed behind. "Are you… are you absolutely sure about that?" she asked carefully, her voice quieter now.

Seraphina glanced over her shoulder, her expression exasperated. "Why would I lie to you about something like that? I'm telling you, Electra, the resemblance is uncanny. You're practically twins."

Electra's stomach churned, but she forced herself to keep walking. She didn't want to admit it, but the name Solara wasn't unfamiliar to her. She had heard it before, though she couldn't place a face to the name she had grown up wondering about.

Solara had never been a real person to her, and that's why, when Seraphina had brought it up earlier, she had lied and denied knowing anything. It had been easier than attempting to tell a story she would rather not talk about.

Seraphina didn't seem to notice her internal struggle, as she grabbed Electra's wrist, tugging her forward with a determined expression. "Come on," she said, her tone brisk. "If you're so curious, you can see for yourself."

Seraphina said, and Electra reluctantly let herself be pulled along, even though it scared her to think of who she'd end up seeing for the first time in her life.

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