Yarin's POV:
The flames burned brighter and brighter until the very last crow had been consumed, after which they gradually dissipated.
A shimmering silver object fell, producing a clear sound as it hit the stone steps.
I walked over to pick it up and found it to be a round silver ornament sparkling with a metallic luster.
Looking at the harp in my arms, I noticed a circular indentation on the wooden body.
... Should I place it there?
I had a feeling that the silver ornament was meant to be part of the harp, but why had it been with the crows? The harp had been untouched and safe inside the palace, right?
Or had the crows transformed into silver decorations?
Out of caution, I didn't place the silver ornament back. With both 'spoils' in hand, I wandered around the dilapidated courtyard for a while but found nothing else. It seemed there were no other living beings here except for the crows. The majority of the palace had collapsed, leaving only rubble and decay.
This lunar palace courtyard felt incredibly unfamiliar.
Could this be the original fate of the lunar palace courtyard? Lost in the turbulent currents of time and space, eroded, fallen, becoming a resting place for unknown creatures, its former serenity and glory gone forever?
Thinking of such an ending, a shiver ran down my spine.
Thankfully, it was just a dream.
It was time to wake up from this nightmare. The symbol on my palm emitted a light, dispersing the dim dream.
The light was slightly blinding, and I instinctively tried to shield my eyes, but... huh? Where were my hands?
I changed my focus to my right hand since my left wouldn't budge, but it was empty too.
Where had my arms gone?
I was utterly terrified. In a situation like this, one should scream or call for help, but even that
I couldn't manage. My throat, my tongue, everything had disappeared!
My body was gone!
... Wait a minute.
My body was gone. Could I have done this from the beginning?
After the initial confusion of waking up faded, I finally regained my senses and realized that I was in a shapeshifted state, melting into a puddle of rubbery material.
I reformed my upper body and could finally see the room clearly. But where were Master Hayley and Aunt Dorothy? Why was there no one around?
Just then, a knock came from the door, and it was Aunt Dorothy.
She opened the door slightly and whispered, "How do you feel? Can you control your body now?"
Her oddly sneaky behavior confused me even more. So, I reformed my lower body too, and said, "Yes, I think I'm fine."
Aunt Dorothy breathed a sigh of relief, opened the door, and came in.
"What happened while I was asleep?" Her demeanor made me feel like something serious had occurred.
"Indeed, something did happen. Urgh, how should I put it? For some unknown reason, when you fell into a deep sleep, your body suddenly started dissolving and spreading throughout the room. After Hayley and I failed to wake you up, we had to leave your mental world." Aunt Dorothy said, "Your mother is here, I'll go get her to check on you."
Without a doubt, my situation heightened people's anxiety. Another round of examinations followed, and when they found out that I was perfectly fine, they were surprisingly astonished.
"The cracks on the seal have been repaired, and its existence can no longer be detected." Master Hayley said. "Do you remember what happened in your dream?"
"Yes, didn't you and Aunt Dorothy see it?" I asked.
"I'm certain we were there the whole time, but when you began to dissolve, we had to withdraw from your mental world. Strangely, we don't remember anything about the dream's content, as if it were erased like pencil marks rubbed away by an eraser," Aunt Dorothy said.
So I recounted my dream, emphasizing the burning crows.
"I can't help but feel it wasn't just an intention. They gave me a sensation of... real existence," Aunt Dorothy said. "Crows are associated with gods in many mythologies. They often appear in stories about the Moon Goddess and Azazel. But burning crows sounds more like a sadistic twist of the demons in hell."
"But they didn't really attack me. Looking back, their seemingly aggressive behavior appeared more like they were intentionally leading me to the palace where the instruments were stored."
At that moment, Mom suddenly approached, her brow furrowed as she reached into my collar and pulled something out.
"You said those crows burned themselves and eventually turned into a silver harp ornament, right?"
She opened her hand, revealing a silver circular ornament glinting in the lamplight.
"Where did this come from? I don't remember you having such a pendant."
I took the silver ornament with the pale yellow silk chain, examined it several times, and murmured in shock, "This is the thing I obtained in the dream."
Though it looked like silver, it didn't scorch Mom or my hands. Could I still be in the dream?