I made my way back to my small room, my thoughts churning like a storm-tossed sea. Once inside, I sat cross-legged on the narrow bed and tried to follow Zheniya's advice. I closed my eyes and turned my awareness inward, seeking the source of the rage that burned in my chest.

What I found terrified me.

Beneath the surface of my consciousness lay an ocean of fury—vast, dark, and completely alien to anything I'd ever experienced. It wasn't just anger; it was possessive, consuming, absolute.

I wanted to tear down the temple stone by stone. I wanted to destroy the Well of Severance, to watch its hypnotic hexagram lights die and its whispered voices fall silent. I needed to scatter the ghosts trapped within to the wind, to give back what it had taken, to return pain and love for all those who had given them up. I wanted to take Nessy away from this place, to protect her from their "cleansing" and their predetermined destiny.

But most disturbing of all was the pure, absolute certainty that echoed through my endless tree-branches like a firestorm: She's mine. My angel. My sunshine. My muse. Mine, not theirs.

The intensity of these feelings and deep background thoughts made no sense.

I'd never met Nessy before today. We'd barely exchanged a dozen words. Yet something deep inside me reacted to her presence like... like I'd been searching for her my entire life and had finally found her again and would not let go of her… because she saved me, she saved all of…

I opened my eyes, shaken. My hands were trembling.

What the hell was happening? What was going on with me?

The more I thought about Nessy, the more I wanted, needed her in my life.

Fuck this place and fuck being detached from my feelings.

Pulling out my phone, I navigated back to Nessy's video. Her voice filled the small room, soft and haunting:

"Beaten down but never broken, Rising from the ashes, spoken Words that heal and guide your way, Sunlight breaks before the day."

Tears spilled down my cheeks before I realized I was crying. The song felt like a message meant specifically for me, like she'd written it knowing exactly what I would need to hear today. But that was impossible. She'd posted it before we'd ever met, and when I'd mentioned it at dinner, she'd acted like it meant nothing to her.

Nothing made sense.

I wiped my eyes and opened Pradstagram, scrolling to Kristi's contact. It was 9pm, so she was probably still awake. Maybe talking to the pretty raptor girl would distract me from my inexplicable Nessy-related madness.

The app showed that Kristi was online, and I could see the typing indicator appearing and disappearing as if she was struggling to compose a message now that I was online. Her username was cute and space-y.

[Alecai🌲]: Sup?

I wrote. The typing indicator vanished for a moment, then reappeared.

[✨Stellaris]: Sup? How's the temple life treating you? Are you a full-time monk now, free from being murderized tomorrow at Advanced Delvery?

[Alecai🌲]: I wish. No, I really don't fit here.

[✨Stellaris]: y? :∆

I stared at the screen, my thumbs hovering over the keyboard. How could I explain what I was feeling without sounding completely insane?

[Alecai🌲]: I want to destroy this place.

[✨Stellaris]: y???

I paused for a minute.

I closed my eyes and let my fingers type the answer, letting go of everything except for my innermost desire. When I opened my eyes the words on the screen were inescapable, solid. I pressed enter, sending the message, deciding to go all in. Kristi seemed like an understanding person, maybe she could offer me some advice for how to handle these feelings.

[Alecai🌲]: I think that I am in love.

The typing indicator appeared and disappeared several times. I could imagine Kristi on the other end, probably staring at her phone in disbelief, typing and deleting responses.

[✨Stellaris]: . . .

More typing and deleting. Finally:

[✨Stellaris]: With whom exactly? 👀

[Alecai🌲]: A girl at the temple. Nessy Whitepaw.

[✨Stellaris]: . . .

[✨Stellaris]: When did this happen?

[Alecai🌲]: Today when I met her. Maybe yesterday, when I saw her music online.

Another long pause with intermittent typing.

[✨Stellaris]: Dude so you literally just met her today 😂 How can you be in love already?

[Alecai🌲]: I know how it sounds, but that's how I feel.

[✨Stellaris]: Do you tho? Because it sounds like you've lost your damn mind. Not that you were making amazing decisions before. Are you sure you're not just... I dunno... confused about your feelings?

I frowned at the screen. There was something odd about her phrasing.

[Alecai🌲]: Confused how?

[✨Stellaris]: Well... I mean... today was pretty intense. Lot of stuff happened. Maybe you're just... mixing up your feelings? About different people?

[Alecai🌲]: What do you mean?

[✨Stellaris]: I'm just saying... sometimes when we're traumatized or whatever, our brains can get wires crossed. Like maybe you think you're feeling something for one person when really it's about someone else entirely?

I stared at the screen, trying to parse what she was getting at.

[Alecai🌲]: Kristi, just say what you mean.

[✨Stellaris]: I'm just wondering if maybe... I dunno... you might be confusing your feelings about Nessy with feelings about... someone else?

[Alecai🌲]: Like who?

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Another long pause. Then:

[✨Stellaris]: Like... maybe someone who actually spent the day taking care of you? Someone who bought you food and brought you to the nurse and listened to your problems?

My eyes widened as I finally understood what she was implying.

[Alecai🌲]: Kristi... do you think I have feelings for you?

[✨Stellaris]: I'm just saying! It would make more sense than falling head over heels for some random dumb dog! 😅

Random, dumb dog? What? There was that fire again, burning within me. An ocean of branches swaying angrily.

[Alecai🌲]: She's not a random dog. I wish she was, but she's REALLY not.

[✨Stellaris]: Ugh. Wait. Did you hear her music live at the quad?

[Alecai🌲]: I heard her strumming her guitar today, yes.

[✨Stellaris]: Ah! Okay, now it all makes sense. She's a powerful Charmchain Charisma Bard, dude. That Riffweld skill of hers, it makes idiots fall in love with her music. Especially low level idiots. 👀 You've no idea how many idiots tried to date her because they heard her sing live once. She rejected them all though, like a foldknob. Would have already had a BF if she wasn't so obsessed with some imaginary bullshit perfect princeling.

[Alecai🌲]: Did you just call me an idiot?

[✨Stellaris]: You are an idiot if you let Riffweld magic control your feels, yes. It's just magic, it's not real feelings. Let it go, forget about it, a jerk like her ain't ever gonna date you. Obsessing over a Bard prad ain't gonna solve any of your maaany problems.

[Alecai🌲]: How is she a jerk? She seemed nice if a bit lost.

[✨Stellaris]: . . .

More typing and deleting. Finally the message arrived after a few minutes of flapping.

[✨Stellaris]: She got me when I was in grade eight and our family moved to Ferguson since some asshat almost succeeded at assassinating dad with a dungeon-made artifact.

[✨Stellaris]: I listened to her music and totally fell claws over head for that shit, and asked her out.

[Alecai🌲]: You asked her out?

[✨Stellaris]: Har har, laugh it up. Yes. I asked her out. She said that she'll think about it and then totally stopped talking to me, acted like our conversation didn't fucking happen. Massive b-move.

[✨Stellaris]: who even does that? And the next day, she went and composed more music about this boy from another place and time and a crystal tree growing in the Superstore or someshit. Like she wanted to fuck with me further. At least she told others 'no' right away to their faces. I didn't even get the courtesy of that. Fuck her!

[✨Stellaris]: There. One rant. Happy? You better not be laughing at me over there, cus if you are I will claw your face off tomorrow.

[Alecai🌲]: I'm not laughing, Kris. That sounds really crummy.

[✨Stellaris]: It was. Especially since I thought we had a real connection when we talked about delving strategies after her performance. But apparently I was just another idiot under her spell.

[Alecai🌲]: When did this happen?

[✨Stellaris]: Four years ago. We were both fourteen.

[✨Stellaris]: you don't just ignore someone after they ask you out! Common courtesy says you give them an actual answer!

I stared at the screen, processing this information. So Kristi had a history with Nessy, which explained her defensive reaction and name-calling. But something about her story bothered me.

[Alecai🌲]: Wait. She was fourteen when you asked her out?

[✨Stellaris]: Yeah? So?

[Alecai🌲]: Isn't that... pretty young to be dealing with romantic proposals? Maybe she was just confused or scared?

[✨Stellaris]: Oh please. Fourteen is old enough to know how to say no. She managed to do it to everyone else. Half of the school hates her cus she clearly can't manage her dumb Riffweld.

[Alecai🌲]: She told you she'd think about it. Maybe she was being honest and did think about it, but then got scared or didn't know how to bring it up again?

The typing indicator appeared and disappeared several times.

[✨Stellaris]: Are you seriously defending her right now?

[Alecai🌲]: I'm just saying maybe there's more to the story than what it looked like from your perspective.

[✨Stellaris]: Unbelievable. You listen to one song and you're already taking her side over mine.

[Alecai🌲]: I'm not taking sides. I'm just trying to understand.

[✨Stellaris]: Understand what? That you're under a fucking spell? Because that's literally what's happening here, Alec. Riffweld magic fucks with people's emotions. What you're feeling isn't real!

I stared at the message, anger flaring in my chest again. The suggestion that my feelings weren't real, that they were just some magical manipulation, made something vast inside me recoil violently.

[Alecai🌲]: How do you know what's real and what isn't?

[✨Stellaris]: Because I've BEEN where you are four years ago! I know what it feels like to be under her influence! Trust me, you'll get over it in a few days once the magic wears off.

[Alecai🌲]: And if I don't?

[✨Stellaris]: Then you're an even bigger idiot than I thought. I totally got over her!

I set the phone down, my hands shaking slightly. Part of me knew Kristi was probably right—the logical part that recognized how insane it was to feel so strongly about someone I'd just met. But a larger part, the part connected to those alien tree-branch thoughts and foreign memories, rejected her explanation completely.

This wasn't just magical influence. This was something deeper, more fundamental. Something that felt like recognition rather than attraction. I felt things for Nessy when I heard her song over my car speakers. Magic skills didn't translate like that, spells didn't affect people when they were played through mundane tech. Charisma magic that made people surrender and fall to their knees didn't work over television, radio or Pawtube videos.

Now, how could I explain that without sounding completely insane?

I picked up the phone again.

[Alecai🌲]: What if it's not just the Riffweld magic? What if there's something else going on?

[✨Stellaris]: Like what?

[Alecai🌲]: I don't know. But when I look at her, it's like... like I remember things that haven't happened yet. Or maybe things that happened in another life? It sounds crazy, I know, but—

[✨Stellaris]: It sounds crazy because it IS crazy. Slayer, Alec! Think!

[Alecai🌲]: I know how it sounds. But what if past lives are real? What if we knew each other before?

[✨Stellaris]: Past lives? PAST LIVES? Now you sound like one of those crystal-sniffing hippies at that stupid temple! There's no such thing as past lives! No such thing as the endless rebirth cycle!

[Alecai🌲]: Nessy has dreams about someone from another world. What if that someone is me?

[✨Stellaris]: Oh for fuck's sake.🙄

[✨Stellaris]: Alec, you need to snap out of this. You're driving me nuts. This isn't healthy.

[Alecai🌲]: I'm fine. I just want to tear down the temple's magic well, that's all.

[✨Stellaris]: WHY??!!!

[Alecai🌲]: Because it's taken something from her. Maybe that's why she didn't answer you… because the well removed her memory of your conversation.

[✨Stellaris]: WTF. 😒 And here I thought that humans were chill and that you're a calm, rational human. You're talking about destroying a Krishna temple because some girl doesn't remember your imaginary past life together! That's not fine, that's fucking unhinged! You're behaving like a prad in cycle!

[✨Stellaris]: Alec, you need help. Real help, not whatever you're doing right now. Maybe you should listen to your own advice and sign up for a therapist at school. I think it's covered as long as you tell them you're having thoughts of destroying stuff, so even your poor ass will be able to afford it.

[Alecai🌲]: I need to talk to her again. I need to free her from what the temple is doing to her.

[✨Stellaris]: NO. Absolutely not. You need to stay away from her before you do something you'll regret.

[Alecai🌲]: Like what?

[✨Stellaris]: Like stalking her! Or worse! Do you have any idea how you sound right now? "She must remember our past life together, I need to make her understand"—that's literally crazy stalker talking points!

The accusation hit me like a physical blow. Was that what this was? Was I turning into some obsessed creep who couldn't take no for an answer?

[Alecai🌲]: I'm not a stalker.

[✨Stellaris]: Then prove it. Stay away from her. Give yourself some distance from her Riffweld.

[Alecai🌲]: And if I can't?

[✨Stellaris]: Then I'll drag you to therapy myself. By force, if I have to. 😖 Slayer! I should have asked the nurse to check your head for Astral Charmchain hooks.

[Alecai🌲]: And if she doesn't find any?

[✨Stellaris]: . . .

[✨Stellaris]: You should still get some therapy. You're in a bad place and it's causing you to act in insane ways. Don't obsess over that dumb husky, dude. Get some sleep.

[Alecai🌲]: I'll sleep when I'm dead.

[✨Stellaris]: Ughhh. Why are you like this?

[✨Stellaris]: How about a deal? You go to sleep right now and I'll pick you up tomorrow and buy you armor tomorrow from one of the delver shops in town? It might be iffy since you won't have time to Bind it to your soul, but it'll be better than the low end shit the school provides. Just forget about the dog, focus on surviving your curriculum, you knob!

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