At first, all she sensed was a gentle hum, a soft and steady rhythm. Then, the fragrance of lavender wafted through the air.

This wasn't the place she remembered. It worked, she thought hazily. That crazy shaman did it. Unbelievable.

She opened her eyes to a room bathed in warm, natural light. A landscape painting adorned the wall opposite her bed, and a delicate wind chime tinkled by the window. Summer again? My God. How long have I have been out?

With a subtle turn of her head, an extraordinary sight unfolded: her mother, father, and brother entered the room, their faces a mix of astonishment and joy. My family. Still present after all this time. Was today to be the day, then? Did I catch them just in time? Thank the Divine.

God and the Divine, ideas so intertwined as to be inseparable. Over time, their expressions had infiltrated her language, even though she still retained the urge to utter her own defiant phrases when upset. The thought almost made her smile, even though her throat felt tight with unshed tears.

Lysandra!"

Her mother's exclamation was a melodic rush to her ears. Suddenly, they were around her, her mother clutching her hand, her father summoning others.

Lysandra's gaze shifted from her family to the room, her mind grappling with the dissonance between two worlds. The familiar faces before her blurred as she struggled to understand the reality she found herself in.

"Mom, Dad, I... I don't know what happened," she stammered, her voice barely audible. "Where am I?"

Her parents exchanged glances, concern etched on their faces. Her mother gently explained, "Sweetheart, the search party found you lying in a ditch outside of town. You've been in a coma for a few months. We've been so worried."

The weight of the revelation pressed upon Lysandra, and she felt a wave of dizziness. A cold sweat dampened her forehead. This couldn't be real. The room around her seemed to waver, as if caught between two dimensions.

Just as she felt herself teetering on the edge of unconsciousness, a voice echoed in her mind, a haunting whisper that resonated with familiarity. "Lysandra, you are needed back. This reality is not your own."

This is my reality.

She gritted her teeth, desperate to hold onto the warmth of the room, the faces of her loved ones. But the fragility of her newfound reality slipped through her fingers like grains of sand.

She remembers baking cookies with her mother, the sweet aroma of chocolate chips filling the kitchen. The warmth of the oven, the laughter they shared—moments frozen in time, now threatening to dissolve like mist.

Flashes of her brother teaching her to ride a bike danced in her mind. The exhilarating rush of wind against her face, his encouraging words guiding her. It felt like a distant echo, fading with each passing second.

Her father's storytelling sessions echoed faintly—a symphony of adventures that once filled her childhood nights. The comfort of his presence, the assurance that everything would be alright, now slipping away.

"Sandra, stay with us," her father implored, his voice a distant echo.

The room swayed, the wind chime's delicate melody now a haunting tune. Her mother's comforting touch became a fleeting sensation.

"No, I can't lose them again," Lysandra whispered, a sense of panic gripping her.

As her vision blurred and the room dissolved, the voice in her mind grew stronger. "Embrace the truth, Lysandra. Your destiny lies beyond this illusion."

She fought against the pull, desperately clinging to the room, her family, and the life she thought she had regained. But reality fractured, and she succumbed to the inexorable force dragging her back to the realm she had escaped.

In an instant, the lavender-scented room faded, replaced by the surreal dreamscape she thought she had left behind. The faces of her family dissolved into mist, their voices echoing in the void.

"I'm sorry," the voice said, pounding against her skull, and he did sound truly sorry. "But I can't have you tethered to this place any longer. I have too many plans. It's holding you back. It's holding everything back."

And then, with a final, heart-wrenching tug, she was gone. The room stood empty, the wind chime's song lingering in the air, as if mourning the departure of a lost soul.