章節 275: The Maze of Broken Memories

The girl wandered aimlessly through the maze of tall hedges. Leaves rustled quietly in the warm summer breeze, like whispered voices murmuring unspoken promises. In the distance, over the leafy walls of the maze, she could barely see the upper part of a tall tree, its branches touching the very heavens, where the stars shone brightly.

She knew not how she had come to be in this place, nor how much time had elapsed since her arrival. She only had the vaguest of impressions that this couldn't have been all she had ever known. But there was no way to know for certain: the girl knew nothing; she had no memory of who she was, or even of her own name.

And so, she kept on walking, though she knew not for what reason; she only felt like she needed to leave this place. Stagnation was living death, and the girl refused to accept such a fate. After wandering for a while, she found a younger girl than her laying out puzzle pieces in the grass.

"I should start with the corners," she was saying.

The girl shrugged and resumed making her way through the maze's winding paths, ignoring the younger girl. Upon turning a corner, she found herself in what looked like a grassy meadow. There, the sun shone brightly, and laughter rang out from every corner. Fairies danced and played together without a care in the world.

But upon taking a single step towards this wonderland, the scenery abruptly changed, giving her the impression of being rudely awakened from a pleasant dream with a bucket of icy water to the face. Gone was the laughter, the gentle sunlight, and the playful fairies. She was back in the maze under the night sky.

Undeterred, the girl continued on her way without looking back. She had no idea how big the maze was, or if she was even going in the right direction, but she knew that she would never find the exit if she didn't keep moving. And eventually, after an indeterminate length of time, she found that she had somehow circled back to the place where the young girl was playing with her puzzle.

"I'm still missing some pieces," the little girl said, furrowing her brow. "Where could I have dropped them?"

She ignored the little girl who was now kneeling on the ground, turning over each blade of grass to search for her missing puzzle pieces, and resumed her journey.

She walked and walked, without ever taking a break. She didn't feel tired in the slightest, but as she progressed further into the labyrinth, she began to feel a certain apprehension. Mist and fog began filling the air, effusing through the walls and obscuring the night sky from sight. A disquieting silence pervaded the atmosphere…

For the first time since she had first awakened to her presence in this mysterious place, panic began setting in, replacing the apathy she had felt thus far. This place was just…wrong. It was unnatural; it had no right to exist. The girl hurried her steps, eager to leave this place as far behind her as she could.

With her newfound emotions, she began questioning herself about her situation. Who was she? What was this place? Not just the world of mist, but the maze of hedges, too. And who was the little girl playing with the puzzle pieces? Why were they here?

Just as she was beginning to lose hope; thinking that she'd be doomed to live out the rest of her days in the mists, she finally reached the end of the path, and found herself before the young girl again. Looking behind her, she saw no sign of there ever having been such a mist. This time, before leaving, she decided to ask the girl a question.

"Who are you?" she asked.

"Who are you?" the little girl echoed.

She shook her head; this child was wasting her time. And so, the girl chose a different path to explore and went on her way. After some time, she realized that this pathway seemed much clearer, better defined than those she had explored before, who had been rather… out of focus, for lack of better words.

At the end of a long walk, she found herself in a beautiful garden, rather reminiscent of the one in the courtyard of the… something castle. What was that place, again? It was a place she was sure she had inhabited for a long time, but for the life of her, she could not remember.

At any rate, it looked like she had walked in on a couple's romantic rendezvous. But just like the other visions she had witnessed so far in this maze, they were merely memories from the past. She could no more interact with them than she could reach through a television screen and touch the actors in a movie.

"Ah, there you are, Vee!" a handsome young man called out to a young woman, who was sitting on a swing. "I was looking for you; you haven't forgotten our afternoon lessons by the river, have you?"

"Of course not, Merlin," the woman answered shyly. "I wouldn't miss them for the world."

The name Merlin… she was certain that she had heard it before. But she had not known this man personally; she was sure of it. She had heard of this name in its capacity as a historical figure; just like William Gladstone, for instance. The girl frowned, as she tried to remember where she had learned either of the names, but to no avail.

However, the name Vee… for some reason, it tugged at her heartstrings. Each time she tried to think of the name, she would feel a pang of loneliness. Were these the memories of someone she had held dear? But just as the thought crossed her mind, Merlin's eyes flicked towards her, and the girl had the distinct impression that he was looking straight at her. How very strange.

"For any who might be listening in," he said, staring right into her eyes, "I have a few words of advice. Have faith; for what you seek is closer than you might think."

"Who are you talking to?" the woman named Vee asked in confusion.

"And should you ever find yourself lacking a weapon to call your own," he continued. "Look to the Vale of No Return, in the forest of your ancestors."