466 You And Yourself
Selma Payneâs POV:
Was I a flower?
My roots greedily absorbed the stream water and spread the nutrients throughout my body. The cool stream water allowed me to stretch my branches to my heartâs content, extending my vitality.
This was an endless stream. I would always run far away.
I didnât know how much time had passed, but I seemed to have many flowers blooming and dying and dying and blooming again. The petals covered the waterâs surface and were carried away by the wind. When the stream dried up, I withered to death. The stream filled up again, and I was reborn.
Just like that, time passed by, and everything fell silent.
âWake up, Selma.â
Who was talking?
âReally, youâre the one whoâs worried, but now you canât be woken up!â
Who was it?
A moth stopped at the tip of my nose. I couldnât help but sneeze and open my eyes.
There was nothing, no one. It was as if everything was just my imagination.
I was not a flower. I woke up on the grass.
The field had changed its appearance. At some point, the trickling stream had turned into an endless sea. There were no fish or rocks in the ocean, only blooming lotus flowers.
How could lotus flowers grow in the sea?
It was strange but also beautiful. The gentle wind caressed the petals, making small splashes on the seaâs surface. The water splashed onto the lotus, reflecting a clear radiance.
I was mesmerized by the beautiful scenery and unknowingly sat down.
âWhy are you still in a daze? Letâs go! Werenât you in a hurry?â
That voice came again.
I looked left and right but couldnât find her.
âWho are you? Where are you?â
She laughed. âYouâre so silly. Iâm right here. Go to the water and take a look.â
I came to the waterâs edge, and the sponge only reflected my reflection.
âDo you see it?â
The voice sounded again. What surprised me the most was that I laughed at the water.
I was shocked and fell to the ground.
âDid I scare you?â The reflection on the water chuckled. âBut you know me very well, donât you? Every time you came here, we would meet â itâs inaccurate to say we would meet. I can see you, but you canât see me. But we always talk. Donât you remember me?â
My muddled mind gradually cleared up. I remembered her.
â... I donât like pranks,â I mumbled.
âActually, I donât like it either because weâre the same person.â Madelineâs shadow disappeared from the water. I couldnât see her, but I knew she was there.
I held up a handful of seawater and watched it quietly slip through the gaps between my fingers, leaving only the faint fragrance of the lotus flower lingering in my palm.
âIâm leaving now,â I said.
âI know, but youâll come back eventually,â Madeline said calmly.
âWill I still forget you after I leave?â
âYes, Iâm sorry, Selma. Donât blame me for acting on my own. Itâs not the time to think about everything now, not just for you, but also for your enemies.â
âWhat about you? Will you disappear?â
âMe? Why do you think so?â
Madeline burst out laughing. âSo thatâs what youâve always thought! Donât worry, my dear. You are me, and I am you. You are Madeline, and I am Selma. We will always be one. My power is your power, and I have never relied on any power to exist. The basis of my existence is you, just like the basis of your existence is me. I will never disappear. We will never disappear.â
Yes, I was her, and she was me. We were the same person.
I wasnât talking to anyone. I was only talking to myself. I was facing my heart and gradually saw through the fog in my previous dreams.
Why was I unable to build a mind link with my family? Why did Maxine get separated from me? Why did I have so many mysteries that were different from the werewolves?
This was because my physical body wasnât that important to me. I could be a werewolf, a moth, a flower, or even nothing at all.
That was why nothing could restrain me.
Nothing could form a connection between the world and me.
This fact made me feel empty momentarily, but Aldrich and my childâs faces suddenly flashed before me.
No, it wasnât like that.
I was engaged to my lover, and my childâs blood was in resonance. Iâd take root and sprout in this world. Although I was not physically here, my emotions would last forever.
I would never be alone.
âAlright, weâve already wasted too much time,â Madeline said.
It was time for me to leave. This field had calmed me, but I had to face the helpless reality.
Before I left, I suddenly thought of something. I asked the empty air, âSince I canât establish a connection with anyone, why can Dorothy and I build a mind link?â
âAbout that,â she said cheekily. âItâs a secret for now. You will have to go find out for yourself...â
Everything had disappeared. The field, the sea, and the lotus.
I opened my eyes and met my fatherâs worried gaze.
...
âAre you alright? Child, you fainted because of low blood sugar.â My father held my hand, and I saw my mother lying on the bed next to me.
âI feel much better.â I sat up and felt slightly dizzy for a few seconds, but it quickly disappeared.