CHAPTER 70: A MYSTERIOUS VISION

What... the heck is this?

Who... or what... is calling me right now?

It wasn’t like someone actually spoke her name. There were no words, only a feeling, a surge that wasn’t sight or sound but something that dug right into her bones. Call it a cat’s sixth sense, or whatever—whatever it was, it was impossible to ignore. It felt strangely familiar and terribly urgent at the same time.

In an instant, every last ounce of interest Mimi had in the Arcane Blood Art stone vanished like mist. Her little heart began to hammer so loudly she could feel it in her paws.

Ba-dump. Ba-dump!

The rhythm grew faster and faster, thudding through her chest until her whole body trembled with it.

This thing—whatever it was—was real, pulling at her like a magnet. It had to be an item, or a presence, far stronger and more important than the Arcane Blood Art stone.

Mimi sprang off Emilia’s arm and began pacing in tight, frantic circles, meowing sharp and urgent. Her claws clicked on the platform as she tried to pinpoint where the pull came from. She sniffed the air, twitched her whiskers, and tilted her head, straining to catch any sign

But there was nothing obvious. Only that sensation, like a warm cord tied to her chest and tugging her toward somewhere unknown.

Mimi grew frustrated. After all, how was she supposed to find it when she didn’t have a name, a shape, or even a color to follow? All she had was this raw, stubborn feeling!

Still I have to find it,I have to know what’s calling me!

Meanwhile, Emilia watched Mimi with worried eyes.

"Mimi, are you okay? Did something happen?" she asked.

But Mimi was so absorbed by that mysterious pull that Emilia’s voice barely registered. She forced herself to slow her racing thoughts.

Alright... concentrate.

Mimi’s resolve hardened. If the Sanctuary’s system really could sense a person’s heart, as Zephyrona had said, then she should still be able to find whatever was calling her—even without a name or a shape. All she had to do was feel it more, let the connection reach deeper.

So Mimi stopped. She stood perfectly still, closed her eyes, and looked inward, focusing until the world narrowed to that single, insistent tug.

Come on, whatever you are, please show yourself!

Please!!!

...

And just like that...

As Mimi peered deep, deep inside her own mind, toward that strange tugging force, she realized it wasn’t just something outside calling her. It was her heart responding, resonating with it too.

It was an aura, a magical aura to be precise. And the aura felt familiar. Indescribable, yet so deeply ingrained that she knew she had felt it before. Like a scent brushed past her nose hundreds of times, carried by the faintest breeze. Like a voice she had never clearly heard, yet always lingered at the edge of her dreams, whispering her name in the wind.

And then, all of a sudden—

The world around her vanished.

...

Mimi now found herself in a place shrouded in mist. Or rather, her consciousness did. There was nothing else here. The air here felt heavy, cold, like the silence of a graveyard.

But then, everything shifted.

The mist peeled away, like curtains drawn back, and the scene before her transformed. A long, shadowed hallway stretched out, its walls lined with ancient stonework that rose high into vaulted arches. The style was unmistakable of gothic style, haunting, yet strangely regal.

And now, she was walking down a dark hallway. Moonlight streamed through tall, narrow windows, casting pale silver beams that spilled across the long crimson carpet beneath her paws. On either side, ancient paintings hung in ornate golden frames. Their scenes were blurred, their figures indistinct, as though time itself had eaten away at their details. Some seemed to show nobles in elegant attire, others warriors in gleaming armor, yet all their eyes were smudged, faceless, watching her without truly watching.

Mimi had never been here before. She had never seen this place, not even once, not even in the Arventia Online she once played.

However...

It felt familiar. Too familiar.

Every carved stone, every step of the crimson carpet, every shimmer of moonlight seeping through the tall windows tugged at her memory. It was as though she had walked this path countless times before, in dreams she could never recall upon waking.

And then, without warning, she heard music.

At first it was faint, almost like the whisper of wind brushing through the hall. But then, little by little, the sound grew clearer, like an invisible hand turning the knob of some hidden volume.

The notes of a piano drifted through the air, a song so soft, so graceful and melancholic.

And yet, the melody carried a quiet sadness, a sorrow that sank deep into Mimi’s chest and clung there.

And the strangest thing was... she knew this song!

Not by name, not by memory. She couldn’t recall when she had heard it before. Yet still, it stirred something inside her. The tune resonated in her bones, in her blood, in her very soul, as if it belonged to her in some forgotten lifetime.

Her paws moved on their own.

Ears twitching, whiskers trembling, Mimi padded down the endless hallway, guided only by the haunting music. Each step made the sound swell louder, clearer, pulling her deeper into the castle’s heart.

She passed countless doors. All were shut and unwelcoming. But then, finally, she came across one. A door faintly aglow, with warm candlelight seeping through the narrow cracks.

It was slightly ajar.

The soft flicker of flames licked at the shadows, beckoning her inside.

Without hesitation, Mimi slipped through.

The moment she entered, the world shifted.

Mist rolled in from nowhere, curling around Mimi’s paws before rising higher and higher until it blanketed the entire room. Her vision wavered; the edges of reality seemed to dissolve, leaving only a dreamlike haze.

Yet through the swirling fog, something stood out with striking clarity.

A grand piano.

Its surface gleamed with a polished black sheen, untouched by dust or time. It stood proudly at the center of the misty chamber, and from its keys poured the haunting melody that filled the air.

Mimi crept closer, her ears twitching, her eyes fixed on the source of the sound.

And then, she saw her.

A silhouette seated at the piano.

Shrouded in mist, a lone figure sat poised before the instrument, graceful hands gliding across the keys, weaving sorrow and beauty into every note.