Astray in love

The night of Haliana's eighteenth birthday was supposed to be normal. A small cake. A few birthday messages. Fake smiles from classmates she barely talked to. Nothing special. Yet ever since midnight, something felt wrong. A strange heaviness sat inside her chest as if someone invisible was pulling her somewhere far away. Her head kept spinning, her heartbeat uneven. By Friday evening, the pain became unbearable. Then suddenly— Everything went black. Haliana slowly opened her eyes. Cold wind brushed against her skin. She froze. This was not her room. The sky above her was darker than any night she had ever seen. The moon glowed silver between endless stars while dead trees surrounded the area like shadows watching silently from afar. The world felt empty. Abandoned. Not a single sound could be heard except the wind whispering through the forest. And right in front of her stood a small cottage. Its dim light flickered weakly through the windows. Haliana’s breathing became uneven. “W-Where am I...?” Her voice echoed into the darkness. She immediately began walking toward the cottage, but after several minutes, her expression slowly changed. The house wasn’t getting closer. In fact... It looked farther away. “No... that’s impossible.” She started running. Faster. Faster. But no matter how much she ran, the distance between her and the cottage only grew larger. Fear crawled up her spine. “What is this place?!” Suddenly, something glowing caught her attention. Hydie slowly looked down at her hands— And gasped. Her skin was glowing blue. Not normal blue. A bright, shimmering light moved beneath her skin like she was no longer human. Her hands trembled violently. “What...?” She quickly looked at her reflection in a puddle nearby. Her entire body looked like a soul made of blue light. Panicking, she stumbled backward before noticing glowing words written across her right wrist. [ LEVEL 2 ] Written in glowing blue letters. Hydie’s eyes widened. “What does this mean...?” Then— A voice echoed behind her. Soft. Cold. Almost inhuman. “Blue soul...” Hydie’s body stiffened. “Now it is your turn.” She turned around instantly— But before she could see who it was— Everything disappeared. Haliana woke up with a scream. She sat upright in her bed, breathing heavily while sweat covered her forehead. Morning sunlight poured through her curtains. Her room. She was back. Haliana looked around in shock before grabbing her wrist. Nothing was there. No glowing words. No blue light. Just normal skin. “A dream...?” But deep inside—She knew it wasn’t. The next Friday came quicker than expected. All week, Haliana couldn’t stop thinking about that place. The cottage. The voice. The glowing blue skin. And every Friday since her birthday, the dizziness returned. This time, she knew what was coming. The moment the clock struck midnight— Darkness swallowed her again. When Haliana opened her eyes, she was back in the abandoned world. The same cold wind. The same moon. The same cottage. But this time— Someone was standing in front of her. A woman dressed completely in white. Her long hair flowed down to her feet like silk glowing under moonlight. Her face was blurry, impossible to see clearly, yet somehow she looked breathtakingly beautiful. The light surrounding her was so bright that Haliana instinctively stepped back. The woman smiled softly. “Blue soul,” she said gently. “Your time has finally begun.” Haliana stared at her nervously. “Who are you?! What is this place?! Why am I here?! What happened to me?! Why am I blue?! What does level two mean?! And that cottage—” “Patience,” the woman interrupted calmly. Haliana immediately fell silent. “There are answers,” the woman continued. “But not all answers are meant to come at once.” The woman extended her hand. “Come with me.” Haliana hesitated for a moment before slowly taking it. The second their hands touched, the cottage that once felt unreachable suddenly appeared directly before them. Haliana’s eyes widened. “How...?” The woman glanced at her. “Because I am a white soul.” From the outside, the cottage looked old and broken. But inside— It was beautiful. White walls shimmered softly beneath hanging lights. Flowers bloomed everywhere, filling the air with a calming scent. The atmosphere felt heavenly, unreal. A staircase stood nearby, disappearing into strange white mist above. Haliana couldn’t stop staring. The woman sat down beside a small table before placing a glass of water in front of her seemingly out of nowhere. “Drink.” Haliana carefully took the glass. The water tasted unlike anything she had ever experienced. Sweet. Pure. Almost magical. The woman watched her silently before finally speaking. “Listen carefully, Haliana. I will only explain this once.” The room suddenly felt colder. “The world you came from is not the real world.” Haliana froze. “And neither is this one.” Her heartbeat quickened. “There exists another world beyond both. The true world. A place where souls finally belong.” The woman continued: “There are three kinds of souls.” “White souls.” “Black souls.” “And blue souls.” As she spoke, glowing symbols appeared in the air. “White souls are pure. The higher their level, the purer they are.” “Black souls are evil. The higher their level, the darker and crueler they become.” “And blue souls...” her gaze shifted toward Haliana, “exist between both.” Haliana looked down at her glowing hands. “Blue souls are neither fully good nor fully evil. They stand in the middle.” The woman’s voice became serious. “But there is one problem.” “There is no place for blue souls in the real world.” Silence filled the room. Haliana’s lips parted slowly. “What... happens to them?” “They must change.” The woman’s glowing eyes locked onto hers. “Into white souls.” “Or black souls.” A chill ran through Haliana’s body. “If they fail to become either...” the woman whispered softly, “they disappear forever.” Haliana’s breathing stopped. “No...” “You have three months.” The woman pointed toward Haliana’s glowing wrist. “Your current soul is Blue Level Two. You are close enough to the light that becoming a white soul is possible.” Haliana stared at the glowing mark in horror. “How do I change it?” “By your actions.” Suddenly, new glowing words appeared beneath her level. [ P: 000 ] “Points,” the woman explained. “Every deed affects your soul. Good actions increase your purity. Evil actions darken your soul.” “You must earn fifty thousand points before your next return here.” Haliana’s face paled. “And if I fail...?” The woman’s expression darkened. “The consequences are severe.” Before Haliana could speak again, the woman stood up. “One more thing.” “There is a spirit in this world.” The atmosphere instantly changed. “He is neither white, black, nor blue.” The woman’s voice lowered. “He hates souls.” “He watches them.” “He manipulates them.” “And he will try to destroy you.” Haliana swallowed nervously. “Do not trust him.” The woman turned away. “No matter how kind he appears.” Suddenly, her body began fading into white light. “Wait—!” “You are out of time, Haliana.” The woman smiled one last time. “Your fate now belongs to you.” And then— She disappeared. Haliana stood alone in silence. Everything felt unreal. The cottage. The souls. The points. The real world. Her mind couldn’t process any of it. Slowly, she walked toward a mirror hanging on the wall. But the moment she looked into it— She froze. Someone was standing behind her. A tall figure dressed in black. Beautiful. Dangerous. His eyes locked onto hers through the mirror. She couldn’t move. Couldn’t breathe. The stranger slowly leaned close to her ear. And whispered softly— “Welcome, my soul.” Haliana turned around instantly— But he was gone. The room spun violently. Darkness swallowed her whole. She woke up in her bed once again. Her chest rose rapidly as she tried to breathe. Then suddenly— A glowing timer appeared on her left wrist. 6 DAYS 23 HOURS 59 MINUTES Her next return had already begun counting down. And somewhere far beyond her world— Something was waiting for her.