Chapter 607: Sia [13]: Dream Garden
41st of Trian Month, Trian Ruins.
Dream Garden.
It was one of the notorious places in the ruins.
Not because the experience was unpleasant, but because it was so realistically present that you might give up on reality itself.
Sia researched about this place quite a bit.
Dream Garden was about the size of three soccer fields and was filled with flowers with sky-blue petals and a white stem.
The flowers always gave off a pleasant smell that soothed the nerves and calmed the mind.
Anxieties, tensions, worries—every negative emotion would be washed away once you step into this place.
But.
"Happy Birthday to you!"
"Hey, Sia!"
"Varian and I planned your birthday~"
Looking at Varian and Sarah shouting 'happy birthday' with a big smile on their faces, Sia thought back to how it led to this.
As usual, she attended the second-year classes after having breakfast with first-year Varian.
His seventeenth birthday went smoothly and he went to the dungeon shortly afterward.
He awakened and he showed tremendous talent!
So, while Sia joined the academy, he trained and improved at a ridiculous speed.
While Sia met and became friends with Sarah, Varian reached level 3 in just one year.
The next year, he too joined the academy.
Every day, she watched him work hard. But unlike in the past, his hard work was actually getting rewarded!
He was growing stronger and stronger!
In fact, he already pulled ahead of his peers and grew closer to the power levels of second years day by day.
Unwilling to be left behind, Sia began her own harsh training.
She took harder courses, fought stronger opponents, and spent longer practicing.
Of course, she was unwilling to suffer alone, so she also dragged Sarah into this. Sarah, however, was more than willing to comply and they trained like madmen, no, madwomen.
Today, however, Sarah left after classes, skipping the evening practice, citing she had an urgent thing.
Sia didn't think much.
But when she finally returned to her home, she received a pleasant surprise.
"...My birthday?"
"You dummy! Why do you always forget?" Varian shook his head at her words.
"Seriously..." Sarah said and joined him in sighing.
Sia, however, couldn't stop the bubbling joy inside her chest.
"This...Tha...Thank you." She stuttered.
She didn't know why, but this felt like a dream.
Everything was going well.
Varian's future was bright. Her own future was dazzling. She had a best friend who she could share everything with.
That best friend and Varian also got along.
Everything...
Everything seemed so perfect.
"Cut the cake, Sia." Sarah handed her the knife.
Sia looked at Varian and he smiled at her brightly. "Growing old again, eh."
"You!" Instead of cutting the cake with the knife, she used it to stab him.
"Woah!" Varian's responded exaggeratedly before catching the wooden knife. Then, he suddenly shouted.
"Now."
"Wha—" Before Sia could finish, she felt her vision turn white as a soft substance covered her face and a chocolaty smell filled her nose.
She...She was face-smashed with cake?
"Hahaha!"
"Hehe."
Varian's unbridled laughter resounded along with Sarah's subdued, but cheerful laughter.
Sia's mind sense swept across the table and she grabbed two pieces of the cake. Concentrating her gravity power, she shot them at Varian and Sarah's faces.
"Oops."
"Ouch!"
Varian and Sia both ducked, but the cake slices were 'attracted' to their faces. So, the slices smashed their faces anyway.
"Cheating!"
"Yes! You used your powers!"
The two confronted her shamelessly after ganging up on her.
"Really?" Sia said and grabbed another cake slice.
"Really."
Varian and Sarah too held one in their hands.
Whoosh!
Cake flew in the air and the night was filled with laughter.
...
...
"Haa!"
Sia woke up with a gasp as she found herself surrounded by sky-blue flowers.
"Varian! Sara—" Her shout stopped abruptly and she collapsed to the ground.
Sia covered her face and her shoulders shook violently.
"W-Why..." She questioned her own sanity for coming to this place.
Indeed, Dream Garden was a place filled with psychic plants.
They'd show you the dream life you always wanted. It'd be so realistic that you wouldn't be able to tell any difference from reality.
That's why...some people remained in the dream garden every year.
They left behind their real life and lived in a simulation of a dream. A what-if.
It wasn't because they were weak-willed. But because they saw too much tragedy.
At some point in their life, every person would think. "What if I did this or didn't do that? Would my life be better? Would I've hurt those people less? Would I be happier?"
The regrets of the past were perhaps the biggest reasons for such actions.
If given a second chance, people would take it with no hestiation. Because they wanted to undo the regrets.
The bigger the regret, the higher the chance of getting trapped in this place.
Despite knowing that, Sia entered this place.
It was a big risk. The only reason she was able to get out of the illusion was her psychic powers.
"...I can't change the past," Sia muttered to herself and stood up.
But still, witnessing how joyful her life could've been was depressing.
It was as if...she was the sole reason that life didn't come to fruition.
If she had done things differently, perhaps the three of them would've been happy.
She wouldn't have to go through so much pain.
Sarah wouldn't have to drop out and face threats from Julius.
Varian...Varian wouldn't have to suffer a year of crippling depression and the endless life-threatening situations that came after.
Perhaps it was her fault.
Perhaps.
Sia shook her head and decided not to think of it any longer. She came here with a purpose.
"Mind Flower..." Sia's mind sense scanned through the garden and found a particular flower.
The petals of this flower were dark blue instead of sky-blue.
It was a special flower that assisted mind awakeners, both psychics and telekinetics.
Sia waved her hand and the flower flew into her hand.
"With this, everything is in place." Sia stored the flower in her storage ring and nodded to herself.
She had a good gift she could give him once they meet.
'I should go too.' Sia's figure flashed and she headed towards the valleys.
She collected Thunder Fruit, Ice Orb, Tempering Liquids: Red and Blue, Space Jade, and Mind Flower.
They corresponded to Lightning Path, Water Path, Body path, Plantae Path, Space Path, Psychic Path, and Telekinetic Path.
She wanted to gift these to him.
The only question...
When?