CHAPTER 2

    Somewhere outside, a soft voice spoke in a language I didn’t know, followed by the faint jingle of metal and wind chimes. My heartbeat quickened.

    Was I still underwater? Was this the afterlife?

    No. My chest rose and fell. I was breathing. Alive. Somehow.

    I tried to stand, but my legs felt weak, like they didn’t belong to me anymore. The tent spun slightly, and I steadied myself on the bedpost. The crystals flickered as if they sensed my movement, their light pulsing brighter for a moment before fading again.

    “ What is this place…” I whispered, the words trembling.

    The flap of the tent shifted suddenly. A stream of light spilled in — bright and sharp.

    Someone was there.

    A shadow moved, slow and graceful, and then a figure stepped inside. A woman — tall, with hair the color of silver moonlight braided down her back. Her skin seemed to glow faintly, her eyes bright and almost too pale to be human.

    She looked at me with calm curiosity, then spoke in that same strange language I’d heard outside. When I didn’t respond, she tilted her head and switched to words I could understand — her voice low and melodic.

    “ You’re awake.”

    My throat tightened. “ Who are you?”

    The woman smiled faintly, her gaze kind but unreadable. “ Rest, child. You’ve been through much. You’re safe now.”

    I blinked.

    Her words echoed in my head.

    Before I could ask where I was, the crystals pulsed brighter again — a deep gold light that filled the tent. The woman turned toward them, her expression tightening slightly.

    “ Rest,” she repeated softly. “ Your body remembers the cold, but the water no longer owns you.”

    I wanted to ask more — where I was, how I’d survived — but the warmth from the light grew stronger, pulling at my exhaustion. My eyelids felt heavy again, my thoughts blurring.

    The last thing I saw before sleep dragged me under was that silver-haired woman placing her hand on a glowing crystal — and whispering words that made the air itself shimmer.

    

                                                                            ----

Warm light pressed against my eyelids. For a moment, I thought I was dreaming again—until a gentle voice broke through the haze.

    “ You’re awake.”

    My eyes fluttered open. The healer woman was beside me once more, her silver hair braided loosely over one shoulder, her wrinkled hands resting in her lap. Her eyes—soft, but sharp as if they saw too much—studied me carefully.

    “ How are you feeling?” she asked quietly.

    My throat burned when I tried to speak. “ I… I think I’m okay.”

    “ You gave us quite a scare,” she said, dipping a cloth into a bowl of warm water and pressing it against my forehead. “ You were nearly frozen when Corin brought you in.”

    “ Corin?” My voice was hoarse. “ Who’s that?”

   “ One of the crystal guardians,” she said. “ He found you by the riverbank.”

    I tried to sit up, but the world spun around me, blurring into streaks of color. The woman gently pushed me back down.

    “ Easy now. You’ve been through a lot. How did you end up in the river, child?”

    The question struck something deep. My mind reached for memories, but all I found were flashes—headlights, snow, water filling the car, the sound of shattering glass, and then… nothing.

    “ I was in a car accident,” I said finally, my voice shaking.

    The healer tilted her head. “ A car?”

    I blinked at her. “ Yes, a car. You know… something people drive?”

    Her brow furrowed in confusion. “ Drive?”

    I stared at her blankly, my words fading. “ You don’t know what a car is?”

    She shook her head slowly. “ I’ve never heard of such a thing.”

    The room suddenly felt smaller. My heart thudded against my ribs. “ Where am I?”

    “ This is Lunara,” she said softly. “ The Crystal Kingdom.”

    Lunara. The name sounded almost musical, but I’d never heard it before. “ The Crystal Kingdom?” I repeated, my voice almost a whisper.

    She smiled faintly, thinking it might comfort me. “ Yes. You’re safe here.”

    But safe didn’t feel like the right word. Nothing about this felt real. I swallowed hard, glancing around the tent again—the glowing crystals embedded in the wooden beams, other hanging in the air like orbs, and the faint hum that vibrated in the air like a heartbeat.

    “ I don’t understand,” I whispered. “ I was driving home from work… there was a bridge, snow, water… How could I end up here?”

    The healer’s kind eyes softened. “ Maybe it’s best not to question too much right now,” she said, wringing out the cloth again. “ You need to rest.”

    But I couldn’t. Questions consumed my mind, heavier with every heartbeat. “ Who are you?”

    “ My name is Elara,” she said with a small smile. “ I’m a healer here in Lunara. You’re lucky Corin found you when he did. Another hour in that river, and you wouldn’t have survived.”

    I stared down at my trembling hands. “ I can’t even remember how I got out.”

   “ Sometimes the mind protects itself by forgetting,” Elara murmured. “ Perhaps your memory will return when your body has healed.”

    Her words brought little comfort. I tried to take a deep breath, but my chest ached.

    She reached for a small vial on the table beside her and poured it into a cup. The liquid inside glowed faintly blue. “ Drink this. It will help with the pain.”

    I hesitated, then took the cup and sipped. The taste was strange—sweet and sharp, like berries mixed with something metallic. Warmth spread through me almost instantly, loosening the tension in my muscles.