The Princess doubted for a moment.

I wouldn’t go in there if I were you. We don’t know what kinds of terrible things you might find in the cave.

Dragon, please.

The beast is right. There may be things in the cave that will scare you; of course there are also many wonderful things. But most of all, the cave is filled with those memories you decided to forget.

I decided to forget?

Yes, one decides to forget and never again remember those things that once caused us pain, fear, anxiety...

But... if I know what they are, then I can also understand why I’ve done everything I’ve done in my life.

Like locking yourself up in the castle.

Exactly.

You’re really getting the idea of what The Cave of the Past is all about.

I wanna go in.

Alright -- said Pia. -- One last recommendation. No matter how ugly it gets in there, no matter how terrible your findings are, no matter how scared you get, or how helpless you feel, remember that all of this is only in your head, that your memories can’t harm you any more than they already have, and that only by remembering those things can you conquer them. You can come out of the cave whenever you want, but don’t come out just to escape; come out when you have truly understood.

I’m too scared to go in.

You’re not going in, Dragon.

I’m not?

The Dragon stays here? I thought he could come with me.

No -- said Pia. -- Fear is not good for going into your past. Besides, as terrible as it might seem, there is nothing to fear. It is the only place that you need to go by yourself, because the journey in the cave leads to your deepest self.

But surely I can go in. Right?

No, you can’t go in either. You do understand what ALONE means... don’t you?

But how will the reader find out what’s happening?

The reader will have to wait. This is a personal journey. Do you still want to go in, Odai?

I have to.

Okay then. It is time to remember.

And as she said this, Pia began to sing a song with... an unexpected voice; she sounded like an angel. The Princess went into a trance, actually we all went into a trance. Pia’s voice was enchanting, and the song that she was singing was a mixture of nostalgia and melancholy. It was like a lullaby, but at the same time it was like a hymn of hope. It was a song that could only be sung by The Fairy of Remembrance.

The branches parted, revealing the opening to a cave. The Princess didn’t doubt for a second, she just walked in. The branches covered the entrance once more and the cave disappeared.