Mensis
What I felt in that moment cannot be
described by a single word like "happiness."
It was far greater than that.
My blood was boiling in my veins, my breath was catching, and my heart nearly jumped out of its place.
I can't believe it... I truly came back. I really did!
Suddenly, that memory overwhelmed me... the moment I swallowed that poisonous insect.
It had been devouring me from the inside for years... ten continuous years of pain and torment.
I placed my hand on my chest, pressing it desperately, searching for any sign... any mark to prove that the "creature" was no longer inside me.
I know I traveled back in time to before all of this, but doubt never leaves me.
Did it really happen?
I once read that those who travel back in time always bear a "mark" indicating their return.
Where is my mark? Did I forget it? Or am I just imagining it?
I kept feeling my body, pressing every part of it like a madwoman, searching for reassurance that never came...
And all of this... under Carlos's watchful eyes.
His voice broke through the flood of my thoughts:
"Will you keep doing this?"
His words hit me like a slap.
I had behaved in a completely strange… inappropriate way, especially standing right in front of him, seeking a job.
And Carlos? He knew nothing about the "return"… or at least, I didn't think so.
The Carlos I knew before coming back was different from this one… this man standing before me now.
Could magic have something to do with this?
Would it reveal things clearly as it did in the past?
"I'm truly sorry… I didn't realize what happened, I was just nervous."
I bowed my head and apologized sincerely.
I didn't want him to chase me away or mock me from day one.
Yes, I might seem odd now, but I desperately needed to stay here… by his side.
I was sure… he would ignore me as he did before when I greeted him, and enter the shop with his usual silence.
I slowly lifted my head, but it bumped into something… Carlos!
His face was much closer than I expected, making me blush uncontrollably.
"She's a strange girl…"
His gaze was cold, yet piercing.
For a moment, I felt utterly exposed before him.
His eyes were no ordinary glance; they seemed to cut through me, reading every hidden thought.
I'm not the type to care about details…
But Carlos possessed features that outshone every man in Valia.
Without a doubt… he was the most handsome man I had ever seen in my life.
Heat rushed to my face as if flames ignited beneath my skin.
I didn't dare to look at him again.
What had I just done? How did I look at him that way? How did we end up so close?!
Overwhelmed by unbearable shyness, I quickly turned and began to retreat with unsteady steps — like someone running from feelings before they explode.
Before I disappeared completely from his sight, I paused for a moment, turned back to him awkwardly, my voice trembling but clear:
"I'll be back tomorrow… I know you're not around on days like this, so… there's no need to worry."
Then I dashed away, not giving myself a second chance to hesitate, as if staying one moment longer would make me melt from the tension.
Carlos remained where he was, staring in the direction I had vanished.
Carlos (thinking):
"…That's strange. I didn't tell her anything about my schedule… Who is this girl?"
I ran without looking back, as if the distance between him and me could cool the fire blazing within my chest.
But the truth? The fire wasn't from him… it was from everything else.
Ten years… ten whole years swallowed me like slow poison.
And now… I'm back?
My mind was leaping between questions as I ran.
Was that poisonous insect the cause? Or was magic involved somehow?
Or could Carlos… somehow be the key?
I couldn't believe it, but a part of me wanted to watch him closely.
Maybe if I understood his role this time, I could change the outcome.
Yes… observation first. Then action.
Suddenly, amid all this tension, the image of my mother flashed before me…
Her laughter, her warm hands, her eyes full of tenderness.
Then my father… despite his sternness, he always held me like a little child.
They are alive now… I can see them, touch their hands, hear their voices—not just memories.
I smiled… no, I laughed as I ran.
A laugh that escaped without permission, closer to madness than joy.
Thanks to fate… or magic… or even the nightmares that awakened me.
I whispered to myself as I kept running, like someone fleeing a heavy past:
"I swear to you, Elikar… I will not be that foolish puppet you once controlled.
This time… I'm the one who will play with fire."
I paused for a moment, clenching my fists, my heart pounding fiercely.
"When the pawns can't escape, they have no choice but to attack the king.
And I… will no longer be your pawn."
Then I continued running, the sky above witnessing that life would never be the same again.
I ran without looking back, the cold air slapping my face as if waking me from a long dream.
But… something was wrong.
I stopped for a few seconds, staring at the cloudless sky—no sign of rain, no sound of droplets that had always painted the memory of that night.
> "This is impossible…"
I whispered to myself, watching the dry streets.
"On that night… the sky was crying, just like I was.
How could the night return without rain?
Does that mean time hasn't fully reversed?
Or is what I returned to… an incomplete reflection of the past?
Doubt crept into my heart.
Such a return… might not be a gift, but a test
.