In the frozen dream, an instant seemed like eternity. The lady who admired the Moon held Shade in her arms, listening as "Another Me" whispered things in her ear such as "the power of the curse has been stirred" and "you have gained some insight into time," before gradually feeling herself being driven out of the dream.
So she gave Shade one last look. When she opened her eyes in the seat, the young man was gone from the seat beside her, leaving only the silver ring lying there and gleaming brightly.
She picked up the ring and clenched it in her palm, sitting in the dark theater and staring at the empty stage. For some reason, she felt an immense sense of loss.
(Little Mia was running.)
Naturally, Shade had not returned to the late autumn of 1854. Although Lady Helena Carter's speculation and approach had some merit, if traveling to the future were so easy, the Material World's temporal stability would be far too poor.
Shade, asleep in the dream, vaguely felt that he was not leaning against a great tree, but against something soft. Yet when he woke again, he found himself standing amid a very familiar expanse of White Fog:
"So, did it work?"
The luminous White Fog filled every corner of his vision. Shade was all too familiar with this situation:
"Doesn't look like it worked. Where is this?"
Outlander, you have entered the "Fate Casino."
The "her" in his ear chuckled softly. Shade blinked, suspecting that he had misheard. Though this was his first time hearing the name, the naming style and the surroundings made it difficult not to think of places like the Space Labyrinth, Heart of the Earth Furnace, and Holy White Chapel:
"Fate... Casino? Wait, Lord of the Ring, the Fated