As soon as we had entered the village, the enigmatic gesture Luna had made as she looked up at the sky had, in fact, been a manipulation of time. 0

Had I been dreaming all along? Had I truly visited Rijaiera? Yet, the backpack slung over my shoulder and my clean attire confirmed that it hadn’t been a mere dream. I had indeed ventured into a world named Rijaiera and returned.0

I chuckled, realizing why she hadn’t mentioned this to me. 0

Knowing that time was not passing within Rijaiera might have caused me to become complacent. If I had known, I might have been too easily reassured. 0

She had kept silent to provoke my anxiety and impatience, pushing me to overcome them on my own.0

It seemed like two seasons had passed, but I hadn’t been away from Edina for that long. In reality, it hadn’t even been a month since I’d left Edina. I had lived in another world, in another time, and then returned to this one.0

Whoosh!0

The wind howled fiercely as I stood on the rocky ledge overlooking the Sren Mountains. 0

I thought that nothing had been taught to me, and nothing had been given. But what I had needed most, and what I had lacked the most, was time. In reality, I had received an immense amount of time, so I could hardly say that I had received nothing.0

I wiped away the moisture, the not-quite-tears, that gathered at the corners of my dry eyes. I could have lived in a more leisurely manner if I had known that time flowed differently in the village, but I chose not to dwell on such thoughts.0

 Luna had given me what I had needed most, and in the end,...0