Elysium: Desired by the Cold-hearted Princess [GL]
Chapter 195 195: Back to life

Seraphina's POV

My eyes snapped open, and for a moment, everything felt disoriented—like I had been pulled out of one world and thrust into another without warning. My breathing was heavy, and my heart was pounding against my ribs as I stared up at the ceiling, trying to make sense of where I was.

Then, as the fog in my mind lifted, I realized that I was lying on the cold, hard floor of my bathroom.

My stomach clenched as recognition set in. This was my family's house. My home in Aldoria, but something was different. The last time I had been here, the world had been drained of color, a grayscale version of the original in my memories; now, everything looked real and vibrant.

I sat up slowly, my hands pressing against the tiled floor as I took a deep breath. My body felt solid—too solid for this to be another dream. The cold tiles under my palms, the typical scent of citrus my bathroom always had, and the light from the wall sconces—all of it was real.

I turned my head towards the mirror, and my breath caught in my throat. My reflection stared back at me, my face damp with water, as if I had been crying, my hair back to being long again, and then my gaze dropped to my clothes, and my chest tightened.

I was wearing the same outfit I had worn the day I flew back to Aldoria. The day I spoke to my father for the last time before he passed.

Confusion clawed at me as I wondered what the hell is going on again. At this point, the universe had to stop throwing me around back and forth however they pleased because if I had to deal with one more time travel, or whatever this was, I'd scream my lungs out.

For a few long minutes, I could only sit there, frozen in place, and try to process everything. This… this was where it all started. The day my father died. The day I had locked myself in this very bathroom, trying to force myself to cry for a man I was supposed to mourn but didn't.

The day I had heard that voice.

My stomach churned as I remembered the whisper, the feeling of my entire body being yanked away from reality, and then waking up as Seraphina Vale in an entirely different life, and now, somehow, I was here again—back where it all began.

A single thought crossed my mind. Could this really be it? My real life?

I scrambled to my feet, nearly slipping in my haste. My heart pounded as I turned on my heel and rushed out of the bathroom, my hands shaking as I reached for the door handle.

I had to be sure.

Rushing into my bedroom, I scanned the room frantically, my eyes darting from one familiar piece of furniture to another. It looked exactly as I remembered it—every detail the same.

But I needed proof.

My eyes landed on my nightstand, and I rushed toward it, my hands fumbling as I grabbed my phone. The screen lit up as I pressed the button, and my breath caught when I saw the date.

Today was really the day my father died, meaning that I was really back.

I staggered back, my phone nearly slipping from my grasp. This is real. This is really happening.

A bunch of emotions hit me all at once—relief, disbelief, and fear. I had wished for this for so long. Wished to be back in my own life and to no longer have to deal with trying to change myself to be who I wasn't, and now that I was finally me again, all I could feel was panic.

What did this mean for me? Was I supposed to do something different this time? Or had I simply been thrown back into my life as if nothing had ever happened?

I gripped the edge of my nightstand, my breathing uneven. "Okay, Sera," I whispered to myself. "Think. What do you do now?"

Everything had happened so fast, and my mind was still struggling to catch up, but one thing was certain—I needed to find out if Electra had returned to her own life as well.

If I was back, then I could only hope that she was too.

My hands trembled as I scrolled through my contacts, searching for Electra's number. The realization that I was back in my own life was still settling in, and the only way to confirm that things had truly returned to normal for both Electra and me was to hear her voice.

I pressed the call button, holding my breath as the phone rang. One ring. Two rings. Three. My heartbeat quickened with each passing second, panic creeping up my spine. What if she doesn't pick up? What if she's still trapped in that nightmare? What if—

"Ugh, Sera, what the hell?"

My breath hitched as Electra's voice, drowsy and irritated, spoke through the speaker. She sounded groggy, like she had just been woken up from a deep sleep. "Why are you calling me at two in the morning?" she grumbled. "If you need something, just come over to my room."

I froze.

Her room? She thinks I'm in Elmeria?

I hesitated before speaking, my voice barely above a whisper. "Electra, have you forgotten? I'm not in Elmeria. You helped me get to the airport to leave for Aldoria, and now, I'm in my family's home, just like I was before our lives switched."

Silence.

For a moment, I thought she had hung up, but then I heard a soft chuckle from the other end. "Sera," Electra sighed, a teasing lilt to her voice. "What are you even talking about? Are you drunk?"

I gripped my phone tighter. "I'm serious, Electra. Don't you remember? We switched lives. You were me, and I was you. You—"

She let out an exaggerated yawn. "Sera, I don't understand a word you're saying, and honestly, I don't care right now. Whatever weird dream you had, we can talk about it tomorrow when you call at a more appropriate time."

I felt my stomach drop.

"Here in Elmeria, it's late," she continued, her voice filled with irritation. "Just because it's not late in Aldoria doesn't mean you get to be inconsiderate."

"Electra—"

But she didn't let me finish.

"Good night, Seraphina."

The line went dead.

I stood frozen, the phone still pressed to my ear, my mind spinning in a thousand directions at once.

She didn't seem to remember.

Everything we had been through—the switch, the dreams, the nightmares—it was like it had never happened to her, but I remembered everything, but to Electra, none of it had ever happened.

I swallowed hard, my grip on my phone tightening. Why? Why doesn't she remember? What in the world was happening again?