Still Inside the Park

  Near the Lake

  A Few Brief Seconds Later

  Victoria had not mysteriously vanished - on the contrary, she had unconsciously chosen to take a certain distance so she wouldn't harm them in the face of something they did not know was unique.

  And deeply important for her to release after such a long time. She offered Téo and Harry that almost angelic sight of her presence above the lake.

  Floating and concentrating in that being of light who, in appearance, was identical to Victoria, previously formed entirely of light.

  As she gradually began to lose the radiance that had once been so intense, she returned to an organic appearance - still shimmering along the edges of her long hair and garments, which seemed to sway softly, as if submerged under water.

  Téo immediately formed on his lips a smile of relief and wonder at the reflection in his eyes, as did Harry, who also stared ahead.

  It was visible that Victoria was finally regaining her organic appearance, still floating and descending toward the surface of the lake.

  While her eyes remained closed, for some reason neither Harry nor Téo could understand, Victoria's body emitted soft ripples that followed the calm rhythm of her heartbeat.

  These ripples spread a few meters around her, causing no harm aside from slightly distorting the air, which became increasingly fractured, while the flow of time continued to slow down in that place for mere microseconds.

  Even after all that, Victoria kept her clothing intact - the same ones she wore before the incident. Her beautiful dress seemed to dance in the air, evoking even more beautiful memories.

  However, something had changed in her hair at that moment: they shimmered along the edges of every strand.

  Half of her hair, on the left side of her face, was completely black from the root, while the other half displayed a pure white coloration.

  And at that very moment, a smile formed on Victoria's lips. Simultaneously, she began to open her eyes, seeming to awaken, revealing that her eyes were no longer normal.

  One of them - the left - had a completely white iris and pupil, while the right was entirely black, with only the iris and pupil retaining their normal form against the white background.

  [Victoria - Echoing Deep Breath]

  With a gentle motion of her right hand and arm to the side, Victoria delicately dispersed all the distortion unfolding around her, emanating a unique presence.

  Then, she finally touched the surface of the lake with her shoes, remaining standing. From an elevated and wide perspective of the lake around her.

  It was possible to see a luminous pulse radiating in every direction from Victoria's feet at the center of the lake, whose previously calm waters now stirred.

  This caused glowing cracks to appear beneath the water, giving the impression, for a few moments.

  That these cracks were the representation of her veins pulsing in rhythm with her quickened heartbeat.

  Next, an intense glow spread across the lake for a few moments, providing a brief spectacle of light for Harry and Téo.

  It seemed as though they were witnessing, for the first time, an aurora borealis stretching from the lake all the way to the clouds of the night sky.

  The entire environment, previously tinted in negative tones, returned to its normal coloring after the event.

  And the aurora borealis dissipated like luminous particles carried away by a soft breeze, vanishing within moments.

  [Sophia - Echoing Deep Breath]

  Subsequent to all of this, the previously slowed temporal flow was restored to normal seconds once again. This caused Téo and Harry to feel their bodies abruptly lose balance for a moment.

  Even so, the two quickly looked forward together, toward Victoria, before that surreal scene reflected in the wonder-struck gaze of their eyes, filled by the sensation she emanated in that moment.

  It was then that Victoria calmly began to walk across the water in delicate steps toward the two, who stood a few meters ahead.

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  Her hair, split down the middle into white and black, with strands still faintly shimmering, seemed to dance with the brushing of the wind's breeze.

  The breeze seemed to grow slightly stronger for a few moments across the entire city, while Victoria still kept a confident smile on her lips.

  It became clear that, in that moment, not only in her mind but now also in physical reality, something had happened.

  What revealed itself was nothing less than the essences of Sophia - Victoria's twin sister - and Victoria herself being in perfect synchrony at that exact moment.

  For Sophia's and Victoria's essences coexist simultaneously and independently within the physical existence of Victoria's body, which was still only ten years old through all of this.

  [Sophia - Serene & Emotional Whisper] Dear Victoria... after that painful day ten years ago, when I... disappeared during our so special birth... [Deep breath] -

  [Victoria & Sophie (2 years old) - Echoing Emotional & Affectionate Whisper] Sister... Sister... [Soft, tearful sigh] -

  The white eye (iris and pupil) along with the white half of her hair, visible to Téo and Harry, was the full manifestation of Sophia's essence present in the physical world.

  [Sophia - Serene & Joyful Whisper] We ended up losing our bond... that so important and special bond that united both our hearts... [Deep breath] -

  [Victoria & Sophia (4 years old) - Echoing Emotional & Affectionate Whisper] Sister... Sister... [Soft, tearful sigh] -

  While the side with the black eye (iris and pupil) and the black half of the hair was the full manifestation of Victoria's own essence, in complete physical synchrony with her twin sister.

  [Victoria & Sophia (6 years old) - Echoing Emotional & Affectionate Whisper] Sister... Sister... [Soft, tearful sigh] -

  Victoria and Sophia were smiling emotionally, in perfect sync, before that moment that had taken ten long years to happen and that, even so, was still the most important and happiest moment in the lives of the sisters.

  [Victoria - Serene & Happy Whisper] But after I saved her from disappearing forever from this world, I... I can tell you with all my strength... [Deep breath] -

  [Victoria & Sophia (8 years old) - Echoing Emotional & Affectionate Whisper] Sister... Sister... [Soft, tearful sigh] -

  Téo, at the same time as Harry, immediately felt his body shiver, still unable to understand what was happening before his eyes.

  [Victoria & Sophia (Present) - Echoing Motivated & Confident Voices] That our bond, so special from now on, will be even more intertwined, and... [Affectionate happy laugh] -

  Yet even so, they both felt, before that presence that was not singular but dual, coming from Victoria as she walked ahead of them, that even while she expressed happiness, she also seemed to feel a great pain inside her chest.

  [Victoria & Sophia (Present) - Echoing Motivated & Confident Voices] And will never again be broken or forgotten, now that we are united... [Attentive deep breath] -

  Victoria was already only a few steps away from finally reaching the ground and stopping her calm walk upon the water with her shoes, before that form so dual, mysterious, and yet beautiful to Harry and Téo.

  [Victoria & Sophia (Present) - Echoing Motivated & Confident Voices] Just as we should never have stopped being, ever since we were little! [Deep hopeful sigh] -

  And the exact moment Victoria set one of her feet onto the grass surrounding the entire lake, the visible manifestation of the synchronization of her essence and her sister's ceased to be visible in the physical world-yet it remained active, even if no longer perceptible to anyone but the two of them.

  At the same time, Victoria's appearance returned: her long hair regained its completely black color, and her eyes became normal again. This caused a gentle breeze to sweep forward, passing beyond Téo and Harry.

  Instinctively, they both raised their arms to shield their faces at the same time, due to the strong gust pushed out from her body in every direction so abruptly. After lowering their arms, they looked again toward Victoria.

  And in that brief instant, not only Harry, but also Téo saw, for a fleeting second, the translucent figure of someone identical to Victoria in appearance and age, with only one visible difference between them.

  The long hair of that girl identical to Victoria was entirely white from the roots to the very tips. That girl was Sophia herself, also ten years old.

  Sophia - Victoria's twin sister, whose existence they had never known about - stood briefly visible in the physical world only a few meters away from them.

  [Sophia (Present) - Echoing Emotional & Grateful Whisper] Victoria... [Soft, tearful sigh] -

  During that brief physical manifestation, Sophia was holding one of Victoria's hands as they stood side by side, smiling affectionately, and letting out a small, grateful laugh.

  [Sophia (Present) - Echoing Emotional & Grateful Whisper] Thank you, my dear sister... [Soft, tearful sigh] -

  It was clear that Sophia was trying to hold back her tears-not out of sadness, but happiness-because Victoria had saved her throughout those last ten years within her own heart.

  After Victoria, even as a baby, managed to protect her twin sister Sophia from disappearing from existence, she unconsciously kept Sophia's essence safe deep within her heart as an instinct of an older sister.

  In just a few moments after that brief event, everything around the three had returned completely to normal, as if nothing Victoria had caused had ever happened just minutes earlier in that part of the park and the lake.

  And then, echoing through the temporary silence that settled over the entire place, came once again Victoria's deep breath.

  She smiled even more brightly now, while gentle, silent tears slid down her face and fell onto the grass beneath her shoes.

  At the same time, she lifted her head toward the night sky, where faint stars glimmered between the few clouds that covered part of the city and the park.

  [Victoria - Whispering, Tender & Grateful] Thank you so much for still existing, even if... now you exist only inside my heart, I... [Emotionally deep breath] -

  Victoria felt a new breeze sweep across her body, calm and gentle, flowing through the entire park and making the trees and flowers around the three of them sway softly.

  [Sophia - Loving & Grateful Voice] ...I love you, and I will always love you and protect you, my dear big sister, Victoria! [A caring, tearful little laugh] -

  [Victoria - Loving & Grateful Voice] ...I love you, and I will always love you and protect you, my dear little sister, Sophia! [A caring, tearful little laugh] -