45_ Message from a Lost Time

Wail’s voice echoed as he spoke:

“It’s been a long time... It might shock you, or you might find it difficult to believe, but before anything else, let’s meet at our usual place and talk all night. Just the two of us.”

He continued:

“What do you think about your birthday? As it happens, there will be a full moon that night!! We’ll finally be able to watch it together, since we couldn’t last time because of the clouds... I’ll be waiting for you.”

Wail appeared, holding that letter in his hand.

Shock was clearly visible on his face, mixed with something else...

Hope.

He looked at the girl who was staring at the moon, then spoke hesitantly.

“How... is this possible...?”

Her eyes widened, then she sighed.

“Oooh... I thought you were going to say, ‘You’re... beautiful.’”

Wail didn’t answer.

The girl gave him a sad smile.

“Sorry... I guess it’s hard for you to believe.”

Wail approached her.

“Layla... Is it really...?”

Layla interrupted him with a warm smile.

“Shhh... We have the whole night to talk, Wail.”

---

One year before the beginning of all these events...

On that day, the Valis attacked the city, resulting in the deaths of many people...

Layla was one of them.

Wail didn’t know what to do...

When Wail lifted the huge rock, all he found beneath it was Layla’s hand.

A faint voice could barely be heard from beneath the rubble.

“Wai...l... I’m... here...”

Layla was trapped beneath the rocks, covered in blood and completely unable to move.

She was calling for Wail, but she couldn’t raise her voice even slightly.

But Wail didn’t hear her and fled.

Layla slowly began losing her vision and eventually gave in to death.

Suddenly, the rubble was lifted from above her.

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Her vision was blurry, but she could see several people carrying her.

“Wail...”

Then she lost consciousness.

---

Some time later, Layla suddenly woke up in a panic.

“Wail!”

She found herself inside a strange room.

The door opened, and a girl walked in.

“I see you’re awake... But I wouldn’t recommend moving yet. Your condition is critical.”

Confused, Layla pulled the blanket away from herself.

She froze.

Dozens of tubes were inserted into different parts of her body, while blood flowed through them.

Purple plates also covered parts of her body.

Layla panicked, and the girl quickly tried to calm her down.

“Don’t panic. It’ll only make things worse. You’re safe now, and this was better than letting you die.”

Layla asked fearfully:

“What happened? Who are you?”

“I’m Heda. We may look similar to humans, but we’re a different species from outside your planet. We’re called the Valis.”

Layla couldn’t process what she was hearing.

She tried to move, but Heda restrained her and made her lose consciousness.

Seconds before she fell asleep, she heard Heda say:

“Calm down, dear... You’ll accept what happened once you wake up.”

---

Layla was dreaming.

She saw Wail holding her hand as they walked toward the beach to watch the sunset.

Wail looked at her and smiled.

“Layla... I...”

She suddenly woke up, screaming Wail’s name.

Heda was sitting beside her head.

“Hey... It’s strange that you’re still thinking about that bastard after what he did to you.”

Layla looked at her in confusion.

“What do you mean?”

Heda sighed.

“It’s a long story, and I need you to stay calm so you can understand everything I’m going to tell you. Understood?”

Heda told Layla the story of the Valis and how all the males of their species had been exterminated after being branded as traitors.

Then she added:

“That day, we came to your planet to eliminate the last traitor of our species.”

She paused for a moment.

“And that traitor was your friend.”

Layla’s eyes widened.

“We encountered powers and enemies who followed him, and they caused all that destruction because of him.”

Layla was shocked and unable to believe what she was hearing.

Heda said:

“Calm down... I told you to listen to everything I have to say. I know you saw that power that came from him when he was searching for you.”

Layla was stunned as she remembered the scene.

The electricity that had emerged from Wail’s body...

And how he had lifted that enormous rock...

Doubt began to creep into her mind.

Heda continued:

“We spent years searching for him. He killed many of our kind, then fled to your planet and lived among you.”

She looked at Layla.

“And he intended nothing more than to exploit the weakness of you humans and rule over all of you, so he could eventually return and wipe us all out with that power.”

Layla hesitated.

“What you’re saying doesn’t make sense... He cared about me.”

Heda replied:

“That’s normal. I never said he wanted to exterminate you or anything like that.”

Then she added:

“But don’t you think that despite possessing that power, he could have searched for you longer? Instead, he fled.”

Layla’s eyes widened.

“He decided that you weren’t important to him, and that his life mattered more, so he ran away to hide from us.”

Heda gave a mocking smile.

“And he succeeded... Pathetic.”

Layla didn’t know what to believe.

“What am I supposed to do now?”

Heda replied:

“I’m not asking you to do anything. It is our duty to save those who need help, and that’s what we did for you.”

She lowered her gaze.

“I’m truly sorry for what happened. We tried to prevent his powers from destroying everything and hurting others, but we couldn’t protect everyone from him.”

Layla remained silent.

Then she said:

“So... Everything we went through together... was a lie?”

Heda lowered her gaze.

“How sad... You’re still so young, too...”

Layla looked at herself.

“Then... am I going to live like this for the rest of my life?”

Heda replied:

“We’ll give you a special suit to hide all of this.”

Then she continued:

“But let me tell you that it will grant you energy that you can use to defend yourself, on one condition... You will become one of the Valis.”

Layla showed no desire to accept.

Heda said:

“I’ll give you some time to think.”

Then she approached her.

“Know that if you return to Wail, he will target you. The energy inside you could also be dangerous to the humans around you.”

She paused for a moment.

“On top of that, it will permanently regulate the flow of your blood. Unfortunately, you’ll live for a very short time if we don’t provide you with permanent treatment.”

Then Heda left the room.

“Think carefully about it.”

---

On another day, Layla went outside to see the surroundings.

She stopped in complete astonishment.

Purple grass covered the entire area, while a deep blue night sky stretched above her, filled with blue stars.

On the horizon, a tiny orange sun could be seen.

Heda appeared beside her.

“Beautiful, isn’t it? This is our planet... Planet Valis.”

She looked toward the sun.

“It’s far from your solar system, and this sun is different from yours.”

Layla was amazed by what she saw.

The scenery looked like something out of a fantasy.

Heda took Layla on a tour around the area and showed her the work and interests of the Valis.

Then Layla noticed several shapeshifting creatures who were injured, while Valis healers were taking care of them.

Layla asked:

“Who are they?”

Heda replied:

“We always put the comfort and safety of our people above everything else... But we don’t ignore other species either. It’s our duty to help them.”

Layla’s eyes widened, and a faint smile appeared on her face.

“That’s beautiful...”

Heda stopped.

“Let’s go back, Layla. We need to replace these tubes with a new, cleaner set.”

---

The treatment continued for several more days.

With each passing day, Layla’s pain grew worse.

Every drop of blood reminded her of Wail running away.

And every medicine the Valis gave her slowly erased parts of her former emotions and feelings.

As the days passed, Layla began to forget her feelings of love for Wail.

And thoughts of revenge began taking shape within her because of his escape and everything that had happened to her.

One day, Layla approached Heda.

“Heda... When can I get what you told me about?”

A strange smile spread across Heda’s face.

“Ah, yes... Come with me.”