Umi froze where she stood.
The little girl inside the door was really her.
Same hair.
Same eyes.
Same face.
Just younger.
"How can this be?" she whispered.
Little Umi looked behind her anxiously.
As if something was following her.
"We don't have time!" she said hurriedly. "It's coming."
Right then the corridor lights started to flicker.
One by one they went out.
The corridor sank into darkness.
Only the pale blue light coming from inside the door remained.
Aras immediately stepped in front of Umi.
"Don't go inside the door."
"Why?"
"Because that's another time."
Little Umi shook her head.
"No! She must go in!"
Aras and little Umi looked at each other.
They were both saying different things.
Umi didn't know who to trust.
Right then a terrible scream rose from under the mansion.
The whole building shook.
BAAAAANG!
Cracks formed in the walls.
The photographs in the corridor fell to the floor.
One slid right to Umi's feet.
She picked up the photograph.
This time the photograph showed herself and Aras.
But they were older.
And this was written on the back of the photograph:
"Last attempt."
Umi's breath caught.
"Last attempt?"
Aras turned his face away.
Umi saw him afraid for the first time.
"This isn't happening for the first time..." Aras said.
"What do you mean?"
"We've lived through these events before."
"What do you mean?"
Aras closed his eyes.
"Over and over."
The corridor went silent.
"Each time we tried to save time. But we failed."
Umi's heart clenched.
"How many times?"
Aras's answer was as quiet as a whisper.
"One hundred and twenty-three times."
At that moment little Umi started crying.
"This time it has to be different."
Suddenly the blue light inside the door grew stronger.
And a new image appeared before Umi's eyes.
The basement...
A dark room...
In the middle of the room, a large, black door...
And these words were written on the door:
"Dream Keeper."
Black smoke was seeping from under the door.
Right then the door in the image slowly cracked open.
Two bright eyes opened from inside.
And a voice was heard from the darkness:
"You've finally come back, Umi..."
The whole mansion shook as the voice said her name.
Because that voice was Umi's own voice.