The First Vision
932 Words
By the time I finished unpacking the groceries, the afternoon sun streamed through my kitchen windows.
The silence in the house felt comforting.
Normal.
I decided to prepare something simple for lunch.
Nothing fancy—just a grilled chicken sandwich, a bowl of salad, and a cup of iced tea.
Cooking helped distract me.
For a while, I almost forgot about Burgi Forest.
Almost.
I carried my plate to the living room and sat near the window.
As I ate, my thoughts wandered back to the dream.
The castle.
The silver-eyed man.
The unfinished portrait.
And the voice...
"Elena..."
"Elizabeth..."
Which name had it spoken?
Or had it whispered both?
I sighed heavily.
"I really don't want to think about this anymore."
Yesterday had completely overturned everything I believed about the world.
Mystical castles.
Ancient necklaces.
Dreams that felt more like memories than imagination.
If all of this was somehow trying to pull me deeper...
I refused to let it.
"I shouldn't have taken that project," I muttered to myself. "This mystery keeps wrapping itself around me like a snake."
I finished my lunch and carried the dishes into the kitchen.
For several minutes I simply stood there, staring toward the staircase.
My travel bag was upstairs.
Inside it...
The wooden box.
I knew I shouldn't.
Every logical part of my mind screamed at me to leave it alone.
But another part...
A stronger part...
Needed answers.
"What if nothing happens this time?" I whispered.
"And if it does..."
A nervous smile crossed my lips.
"Then at least I'll know I'm not losing my mind."
I climbed the stairs and retrieved the wooden box from my travel bag.
For several seconds, I simply stared at it.
Then I slowly lifted the lid.
The silver necklace lay exactly where I had placed it.
The crimson gemstone sparkled softly beneath the afternoon sunlight.
It looked strangely innocent.
As if it had never caused me fear.
Taking a deep breath, I picked it up.
The metal felt cool against my fingertips.
Nothing happened.
Slowly, I fastened the clasp around my neck.
"It really does suit me," I murmured, glancing at my reflection in the mirror.
The necklace rested perfectly against my collarbone, almost as though it had been made for me.
The crimson gemstone shimmered.
Without thinking, I brushed my fingers across it.
The world vanished.
A brilliant white light surrounded me.
When it faded...
I was no longer standing in my bedroom.
A magnificent palace stretched before me.
Sunlight reflected from towering marble walls.
Colorful banners fluttered in the breeze.
The gardens bloomed with thousands of flowers.
Everything radiated elegance.
At the center of it all stood a young woman.
She wore the very same necklace.
For a moment, I thought I was looking into a mirror.
She looked exactly like me.
Almost.
Her long golden-blonde hair flowed down her back like spun silk.
Her brilliant blue eyes shone with quiet intelligence.
She wore a breathtaking royal gown embroidered with silver thread, unmistakably belonging to the thirteenth century.
A sapphire-blue cloak rested over her shoulders.
A delicate golden crown adorned her head.
She wasn't simply beautiful.
She was regal.
The kind of woman who inspired loyalty without saying a single word.
It felt strange.
Almost embarrassing.
"Praising yourself is incredibly awkward," I thought.
"But..."
She truly looked like a masterpiece brought to life.
Then...
The woman slowly turned around.
She smiled.
Not at someone nearby.
At me.
Her lips moved.
"El—"
Before she could finish speaking...
Darkness swallowed everything.
I stumbled backward.
The vision disappeared.
I found myself standing in my bedroom once again.
My breathing was ragged.
My knees nearly gave way beneath me.
"What..."
I whispered.
"...was that?"
I grabbed the edge of my desk to steady myself.
This wasn't imagination.
It couldn't be.
I had seen another life.
Or another person.
Someone who looked exactly like me.
Who wore the same necklace.
Who had lived nearly eight hundred years ago.
The room suddenly felt far too small. "I don't even know whether this is a blessing..." I swallowed hard.
"...or the worst thing that's ever happened to me." For several minutes, I couldn't move.
Questions swirled endlessly through my mind.
Who was she?
Why did she resemble me?
Why had she worn this necklace?
Why had she tried to say my name?
And why did the voice in my dream call me both Elena and Elizabeth?
The more I thought about it...
The less any of it made sense.
Yet one thing had changed.
Yesterday, I had wanted to escape this mystery.
Today...
I wanted answers.
"I don't have many ambitions in life," I said quietly.
"But whatever this mystery is..."
I looked down at the crimson gemstone resting against my chest.
"I'm going to solve it."
It felt as though an invisible serpent had slowly wrapped itself around my life, tightening its coils with every new discovery.
Running away would only make the questions follow me forever.
I hurried downstairs, opened my laptop, and sat at the dining table.
"If Burgi Forest has secrets..."
My fingers hovered over the keyboard. "Then someone must have written about them."
I opened a search engine and began typing.
Burgi Forest history.
Legends of Burgi Castle.
Disappearances in Burgi Forest.
Royal family connected to Burgi Castle.
Ancient necklace found near Burgi Castle.
Search after search filled the screen.
Most results were ordinary travel blogs and ghost stories.
But then...
One unfamiliar title caught my eye. "The Lost Princess of Burgi: A Forgotten Chronicle."
My heartbeat quickened.
Without hesitation...
I clicked the link.
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