Astray in love

A-zriyal

Time passed, and Haliana kept trying to earn as many points as she could. But something felt strange.

One good deed was supposed to equal one thousand points, right?

Yet every time she did even the smallest act of kindness, her points increased by two thousand instead.

She was confused.

Maybe it’s just another illusion, she thought. That spirit is probably trying to distract me. My real points must be something else.

Days passed.

Now it was Thursday night.

Haliana lay on her bed, staring at the ceiling anxiously. She only had forty-five thousand points. She was supposed to reach fifty thousand before midnight.

She had tried her best.

But it still wasn’t enough.

Worried, she glanced at the clock beside her bed.

11:07 PM.

Her heart tightened.

The moment the clock struck twelve, she would return to that strange world again.

What would happen this time?

What were the consequences?

Lost in her thoughts, exhaustion slowly pulled her into sleep.

—

When Haliana opened her eyes again, she found herself inside a beautiful bedroom.

Everything around her looked ethereal.

Soft white flowers sparkled under silver lights, and the air carried a cold but calming scent. The entire room looked heavenly, almost unreal.

She quickly sat up in confusion.

“Is this… that same cottage?”

It was.

Through the window, she could see the snowy night outside.

Winter.

Again.

Haliana frowned.

“It’s May in my world… almost summer. So why is it always cold here? And why is it always night?”

She sighed softly.

“Never mind…”

Slowly, she stood up and stepped into the hallway. She realized she was upstairs now. A staircase led down toward the living room below.

Fear slowly crept into her chest.

What are the consequences now…?

Carefully, she walked downstairs and froze.

The same table.

The same mirror.

The same cottage.

“I was just upstairs this time…” she whispered.

She sat down on the sofa and looked at her wrist.

The timer had already ended.

Then suddenly, her eyes widened.

50,000 points.

“What…?”

Shock filled her face.

Last night, she clearly had forty-five thousand.

Then how—

A small sweet voice echoed through the room.

“Successfully earned fifty thousand points. Your soul is now nearing level up…”

Haliana immediately stood up.

“Who’s there?!”

Her heartbeat quickened.

“That woman said there was only a spirit here… then who was that voice?”

She looked around nervously.

Then suddenly—

“How long are you going to keep calling me ‘spirit,’ my soul? I already have a name.”

Haliana turned around instantly.

He was standing there.

The spirit.

He smiled gently and waved at her.

“Hi.”

Then he slowly walked closer.

“Long time no see. So… how’s your preparation going?”

Haliana looked away immediately.

Ignore him. He’s just trying to distract you. Don’t listen to him.

But to her surprise, he chuckled softly.

“No matter how hard you try, you can’t ignore me.”

Silence filled the room after that.

They simply stared at each other.

Then suddenly, he snapped his fingers dramatically.

“Alright then. Let me introduce myself properly.”

“I’m not interested,” Haliana replied coldly before sitting back down on the sofa.

Why am I even here anyway?

Yeah, I know I have to turn my soul white… but what exactly am I supposed to do now? Just stay here and deal with this spirit?

She glanced at him carefully.

That woman warned me about him. She said he was dangerous… that he would manipulate me.

But honestly…

He didn’t seem dangerous at all.

Still… who knows?

Then suddenly he laughed.

“I can actually hear your thoughts, you know. So be careful next time.”

Haliana’s eyes widened.

He grinned before placing a hand over his chest dramatically.

“I’m A-zriyal. Someone gave me that name once.”

Haliana asked "who".

His expression softened slightly.

"Someone special!!" he replied

“And yes, I know that woman probably said a lot of bad things about me. I admit… I’ve done things before.”

Then he looked directly into her eyes.

“But I’m not as bad as she made me sound.”

He stepped closer.

“I really do want to help you.”

Haliana stayed silent.

“Yes, technically I am distracting you,” he admitted with a small smile. “But it’s for your own good.”

Before she could respond, he suddenly teleported beside her and dropped onto the sofa.

“Too bad…” he sighed dramatically. “This is already your third visit here.”

Then he tilted his head toward her.

“Only nine visits left.”

Haliana frowned.

“So I need to keep coming here?”

Before she could think further, Azriyal picked up a strawberry candy from the table.

The exact same candy the old lady had given her before.

Haliana froze.

“That candy wasn’t there a second ago…”

Azriyal smirked.

“Come on, use your brain a little.”

Then he held the candy between his fingers.

“That old lady was me.”

Haliana stared at him in disbelief.

“You didn’t recognize me at all.”

Now she was genuinely angry.

She stood up immediately.

“Why won’t you leave me alone?!”

Her voice trembled.

“Why are you trying to ruin me? Can’t I just live happily for once?”

Azriyal’s smile faded slightly.

“I haven’t done anything wrong to you,” she continued. “You keep manipulating me with illusions. That woman warned me about you!”

Her eyes filled with frustration.

“So please… just stay away from me. I only want to complete my mission and live peacefully.”

For a moment, Azriyal stayed silent.

Then he slowly stood up too.

“Relax,” he said softly. “I’m not here to hurt you.”

His voice sounded strangely sincere now.

“I don’t care what she told you about me. I’m really here to help you.”

He looked away briefly before continuing.

“You can believe I’m manipulating you if that makes things easier for you. But in the end…”

He looked back at her.

“I’ll still help you become a white soul.”

Haliana frowned slightly.

“But why?”

She looked confused.

“You don’t even know me.”

Azriyal smiled faintly.

“Connected?”

He stepped closer again.

“You think you don’t know me?”

He laughed softly.

“That’s actually funny.”

Haliana stared at him.

“What do you mean?”

His expression darkened for just a second.

“…Doesn’t matter. You don’t remember anyway.”

Before she could ask more questions, he gently pulled her hand and made her sit beside him again.

“You can ignore me all you want,” he murmured. “But eventually…”

A playful smile appeared on his lips again.

“I’ll make you trust me.”

Then he carefully unwrapped the strawberry candy and held it toward her lips.

Haliana froze.

Why was her heart beating so fast?

Slowly, she accepted the candy.

It tasted sweet.

Azriyal smiled proudly.

“At least smile once. I haven’t seen your smile in a long time.”

Haliana shook her head stubbornly.

“Not that easily.”

But despite herself…

She smiled.

And suddenly, everything became quiet.

Just the two of them sitting there, smiling softly at each other.

For the first time, Haliana felt strangely comfortable around him.

Even if she still didn’t fully trust him.

—

Now she had to stay in this world for the entire Friday.

She still had no idea what to do.

Then suddenly, Azriyal stood up and held out his hand toward her.

“Come with me.”

Haliana hesitated.

“I want to show you something.”

Without waiting much longer, he gently pulled her outside the cottage.

A cold breeze brushed against her skin as they walked through the snowy night.

Eventually, they reached a nearby mountain.

The moment Haliana saw it, she froze.

It was beautiful.

Warm glowing lights decorated the area, and a large swing hung near the edge of the mountain. The entire place looked magical beneath the endless night sky.

Azriyal smiled proudly.

“Sit.”

Haliana hesitated again.

But somehow, he convinced her.

She sat on the swing while Azriyal stood behind her, gently pushing it.

The cold wind brushed against her face as she swung higher.

For a moment…

She felt free.

The soft air.

The endless night.

The glowing lights.

Everything felt like a dream.

The thing she once feared as a nightmare… was slowly becoming something else entirely.

Haliana laughed happily.

And Azriyal simply watched her quietly.

Later, they sat together near the edge of the mountain.

Haliana still couldn’t trust him completely.

But somehow…

She no longer believed he was evil either.

Then suddenly, Azriyal smirked.

“Are you secretly admiring me, my soul?”

Haliana rolled her eyes immediately.

“First of all, stop calling me my soul. I’m not yours.”

He sighed dramatically.

“It’s okay. You’ll realize everything eventually.”

Haliana ignored that comment before asking quietly,

“Can you really help me become a white soul?”

Azriyal nodded.

“There’s nothing scary about it. The consequences she warned you about only happen to black souls.”

Then his expression turned serious.

“And blue souls simply disappear.”

Haliana went silent.

“I’ll help you,” he continued gently. “You just need to earn fifty thousand points before every visit here. Slowly, your soul level increases.”

Then he looked up at the night sky.

“And on the final day… your soul will transform based on your deeds.”

He smiled softly at her.

“Then you’ll finally be free.”

Haliana still hesitated.

But this time, she nodded a little.

Azriyal smiled.

“Take your time.”

Then suddenly, his expression darkened.

“But you have to be careful.”

Haliana looked at him seriously now.

“Things ahead may seem easy… but other evil spirits must never know you’re here.”

Her heartbeat quickened.

“What happens if they do?”

“It’ll make everything much harder.”

Haliana swallowed nervously.

“How am I supposed to know who they are?”

Azriyal lifted his hand.

A strange symbol appeared in the air.

Three vertical glowing lines.

“If you ever see someone with this symbol on their wrist,” he said quietly, “pretend you didn’t notice it.”

Haliana stared at the symbol carefully.

“Stay away from them.”

Then his voice lowered.

“Even if they’re part of your own family.”

Haliana’s eyes widened in shock.

But slowly, she nodded.

“I’ll try.”

Then she sighed.

“So now what? How long am I supposed to stay here?”

Azriyal grinned immediately.

“Wow. Are you really in such a hurry to leave?”

Then he leaned slightly closer.

“Won’t you miss me?”

Haliana scoffed.

“Miss you? Never.”

The wind suddenly grew colder.

Haliana shivered slightly.

Azriyal noticed immediately.

A blanket suddenly appeared in his hands out of nowhere.

Haliana blinked in surprise again.

Without saying much, he carefully wrapped the blanket around her shoulders.

Then softly, he said,

“Put your head on my shoulder and close your eyes.”

Haliana frowned.

“Why?”

“Don’t you want to return?”

After a moment of hesitation, she slowly rested her head against his shoulder.

For twenty seconds…

Everything felt peaceful.

Azriyal quietly leaned his head against hers too and closed his eyes.

Then suddenly, a strong cold wind blew across the mountain.

Azriyal slowly opened his eyes again.

Haliana was gone.

She had already returned.

He stared at the empty space beside him before smiling faintly to himself.

“Ah… it’s only been a few seconds…”

Then he looked toward the night sky.

“And I already miss you.”

He chuckled softly.

“Never mind. I’ll see you again soon, my soul.”