"Ashley said it was her father who sent her to my door, "i asked in confusion.
Uralic laughed at my words before replying, "I know many tricks, and playing little mind games with little Ashley is one of my favorite things to do."
I stared at him, disbelief washing over me. "You manipulated her?"
"Oh, don't look at me like that," he smirked. "Ashley is smart, but she is still a child. If she knew the truth, she would have panicked. This way, she was excited rather than afraid."
I was stunned by his words. "Then what about her father?" I asked.
Uralic sighed, a flicker of worry flashing in his eyes. "Well, unfortunately, Aaron is always one step ahead. He found out and went back just like you to find Ashley and I have yet to find him."
His words made my heart ache, a strange, unfamiliar pain settling in my chest. It confused me, this sudden rush of emotions at the mention of Aaron. "He went back in time too?" I murmur under my breath.
"Don't worry, Evelyn, Aaron will find you. You might have forgotten about him, but I highly doubt he would have forgotten about you." Uralic laughed after saying this, his tone laced with amusement.
I couldn't pinpoint what exactly he meant, but the teasing smile on his face told me not to push further. Something about his words held a deeper meaning, one I wasn't sure I was ready to uncover.
"This is too much to take in," I admitted, feeling the weight of everything pressing down on me.
"Of course, it's too much to take in," he agreed, his voice carrying a hint of mock sympathy. "But you have to face it. The sooner you digest it, the better for you."
I shot him a side-eye. This deer-like creature really had the nerve to say that—when he was the one dropping all this information on me at once.
"So, with all this time travel and everything... is there anything else I need to know?" After taking a deep breath, I asked him, trying to prepare myself for whatever new revelation might come next.
Uralic tilted his head slightly, a smirk playing on his lips. "Well, there's a ton of things you need to know, but this is the most important for now," he said with fake seriousness.
And I knew it was fake—because his red eyes held that unmistakable glint of mischief, giving him away completely.
Trying to ignore his behavior, I sighed. "Well, I have a few questions to ask."
His smirk widened. "Gladly! I would love to answer all of them to clear your doubts."
"Okay, so my first question is—am I in the past, like where I was just in my apartment, or in the future, ahead by 15 years like you said I have lived?" I asked, still a little confused with this whole time travel thing.
Uralic chuckled softly. "This is not that complicated," he said, though I strongly disagreed. "Well, as I said, after you left Ashlyn, your soul took place inside your younger self. So, when you are on Earth, it's the same timeline you are living in. But when you come to this land..." he paused, his eyes glinting as if waiting for me to catch on.
"This land is 15 years ahead in the future compared to Earth."
I blinked. "So, every time I step into Ashlyn... I'm stepping into the future?"
"Exactly," he confirmed with a nod.
"Okay, got it." I nodded in understanding. "What is this ring?" I asked, pointing at my finger.
Uralic's gaze flickered to the simple band. "This is a travel portal between different dimensions," he explained. "But I have set its default function to connect only between Earth and Ashlyn. As I said, you've gone 15 years back in your life. That's why I had Ashley make you wear it. Once activated, it creates a portal between the past and the future, eliminating the need for a time machine to travel back and forth."
I stared at the ring, my mind racing. "So, this ring is the key to all of this?"
"Yes, and only you can use it, for time travel through this portal." Unlike us who needs time machine for it.
I was amazed by such a futuristic device. I looked at Uralic and asked, "Is it magic—"
He cut me off with a smirk. "Sweetheart, it's our advanced technology."
I frowned, still trying to process everything. "But Ashlyn… it feels different. Like it has something more."
Uralic chuckled, as if he had been expecting this question. "Ashlyn isn't absent of magic either. This planet has more advanced technology than Earth and many other planets, but there are places even more advanced than us. What makes Ashlyn special is that our blood has been blessed by nature."
He gestured around us. "So, the devices you see here? All technology. But the people you meet? Magical beings."
"We, the people of Ashlyn, are what you call shifters," Uralic explained. "We have both a human form and a beast form, and we all love nature. Unlike other planets that destroyed their environment in the name of advancing technology, Ashlyn's people chose to live in harmony with nature. That's why what you see here is all natural, with only minimal changes."
I listened intently, still trying to wrap my head around everything. "But then… how did you create such advanced devices?" I asked, gesturing toward the ring on my finger.
Uralic smirked. "As I said, we did make some advancements, but we kept them contained. At the center of our planet, we built a few model cities where technology is more present. But most of us prefer to live surrounded by nature, as it's where we truly belong."
"Well, this explains a lot about you," I replied, crossing my arms. "Now tell me, why have you actually brought me here?"
Uralic chuckled, his red eyes gleaming with amusement. "Straight to the point, I see.