***
'-Lash Step...'
!...?!
... What just happened?
Did sothing happen?... I don't know... No, sothing did.
I think... I think I was pulled sowhere by sothing that I didn't—I couldn't understand...
But I tried to, at least now, as I could still think.
Many ideas ca to mind, but I settled only on one.
A portal...?
Maybe.
No... I shouldn't guess, not yet anyways.
I needed to confirm things first, as those thoughts of mine would take nowhere.
[Ly? You hear ?]
[...]
[...]
[...]
[...]
A response I waited for but didn't receive.
Usually, monts or even seconds were the most Lyra would take, so this indicated that she was out of range.
And that ant that I found myself in a place far away from Sol's domain...
Or worse.
But there was nothing I could do about that, so I continued ticking off my ntal checklist. 'Alright... Now I need to find any landmark or sothing to anchor in.'
I tried to move for the first ti since my arrival here but couldn't.
I tried to see, to flutter my eyes open... but it was an ability that escaped as well.
'Am I actually... Dead?'
'Just like that?'
'No... no, a being with such power wouldn't kill for no reason... or 'They' might.'
'But at least 'They' wouldn't kill secretly... though 'They' might as well.'
I tried to delude myself into believing that as fact, but logic maintained its resistance, denying my attempts.
'Doesn't matter, dead or alive, I should try to-'
Pa~
Just as that sudden sound resounded, one that resembled a piano's note... Control returned to my body.
My eyes finally opened wide, and what t them was nothing but the void.
A seemingly common occurrence, yet this void wasn't familiar.
It felt 'foreign.'
'Not a dream?'
My hands proceeded to touch every major part of my body that remained under my augnted suit, including my face, hair, ears, nose, mouth, teeth, neck, shoulders, arms,
hands, chest, stomach, back, thighs, knees, and feet.
Nothing was missing, and nothing was misplaced.
'Hm...'
I pinched my cheeks lightly.
'Hmm...'
My fingers pinched harder, scraping off a bit of my skin as I pulled my hand away. Though it didn't hurt much, I felt sothing-a sensation-that brought the truth into focus.
My nanobots.
While I didn't feel an ounce of Aether, my nanobots were still working, healing.
'I'm not dreaming... I'm...'
The 'truth' was that I did join the dead.
'I'm alive.'
A smile couldn't help but appear on my face as I realized that my worst nightmare hadn't co to pass.
Now, with my reality confird, calm returned as I proceeded with my unspoken checklist.
The next item to address: the very ground beneath .
It, too, lay empty like everything else within my vision.
'Let's see here...'
Without pause, I extended my hand and pressed against the black void before my feet.
'Solid.'
After a second or two, I concluded that this place was similar to my unpainted dreams, which ant that I could safely walk on the black.
And that was what I did.
As I headed forward, the world moved with .
My steps through the void were real, not re illusions, as I could notice subtle changes occurring all around .
This notion of mine solidified with every echo and thought that crossed my mind.
The world was truly changing.
Slow at first, yet eventually, a 'man-made' structure surrounded my every direction.
It was as if the all-consuming blackness was replaced by building blocks. Ones that resembled a vast hall, stretching endlessly before .
The hall's entrance had ancient, almost regal architecture, reminiscent of a bygone era.
It was adorned with calligraphy all around, painted over tired shades, most definitely Arcane, but that changed the further I walked.
It had evolved.
The tired shades gave way to a kaleidoscope of colors, swirling and swirling and swirling all
around.
They pulsed, breathed, and resonated with my own Celestial Essence.
With those colors, more futuristic elents ca into the mix, combining with the old, creating smoother surfaces that reflected the new lights up above.
'Interesting...'
I had never seen or heard of a place like this before, and such a mishmash of future and past
was bound to make curious.
So my feet continued to carry forward, and after about a kiloter...
A massive gate obstructed my path.
It appeared... blurry, almost.
For reasons that eluded , my eyes, or perhaps my mind, couldn't fathom how it looked.
'Wow... This for giants?'
Even with my neck fully stretched upwards, I couldn't see the top of the gate's end.
'Now how do I get-'
A rumbling groan suddenly resounded, as if the ground was shifting and thundering.
The gate was the cause of that sound.
It began to open within seconds of my arrival.
I flinched back, my hand at the ready, expecting a fight. Though I had no Aether, I wasn't
planning to go down easy.
Yet, all that readiness and bravado vanished when I caught a glimpse of 'Him' through the
thick, purplish 'fog' that bathed the room.
'Oh...'
My head snapped downwards as my survival instincts went wild.
'No.'
I was sure of my fate...
Death was coming.
It sure was bad-so bad.
A 'He' was here.
One of the beings that I couldn't even begin to glimpse at was actually in front of .
I, a Seraphim, stood before a God, a Primordial.
And my mind scread, begged my body to follow its command.
Don't look up!
Don't!
Don't!
You can't!
Don't!
You shouldn't!
Don't!
You shouldn't look up stop!
Don't!
Don't move your head!
Don't!
Keep it down!
Don't!
Down!
DON'T!
Down!
DON'T!
Keep your head down!
Please!
DOWN!
DON'T DO IT!
DON'T! DON'T! DON'T! DON'T! DON'T! DON'T! DON'T! DON'T! DON'T! DON'T! DON'T! DON'T! DON'T! DON'T! DON'T! DON'T! DON'T! DON'T! DON'T! DON'T! DON'T! DON'T! DON'T! DON'T! DON'T! DON'T! DON'T! DON'T! DON'T! DON'T! DON'T! DON'T! DON'T! DON'T! DON'T! DON'T! DON'T! DON'T! DON'T! DON'T! DON'T! DON'T! DON'T! DON'T!
DON'T! DON'T! DON'T! DON'T!
DON'T LOOK-
Tinggg~
A... Piano?
Right, a piano's note.
It sohow drowned out my thoughts. Another few followed.
My knees buckled as I fell to the ground.
Each note that reached resonated with a quiet intensity, filling with warmth that healed
my mind. It flowed effortlessly, as the gentle C whispered, ever so tranquil, and D blossod like petals unfurling to the sun.
E shimred brightly, lifting my spirits to a place of joy, while G grounded , anchoring
to the earth. E returned, renewed, and D followed, weaving seamlessly with the others.
And as the final note arrived, C, relaxation washed over completely.
The lody ca full circle as it faded, leaving in silence.
'Wow... Just wow.'
'His' presence was still there.
'He' didn't go anywhere, and yet...
I was fine.
What I felt to be so suffocating that every nerve in my body scread danger had left
alongside the music.
It wasn't just the aura of power he exuded that affected , but sothing deeper, sothing primal, that stirred my survival instincts.
Even though I was weak. Unworthy. Insignificant. aningless. Easily discarded. An ant, a speck of dust. No, not even that. I simply did not exist as they did... I was fine.
All of that was gone.
I was calm once more, and with that calmness ca back my intellect.
'I'm good... 'He' doesn't want to kill .'
With a low sigh, I did what I had to do and crossed the gate, entering the room. They, who I just noticed, and 'He' appeared to be waiting on as they sat around a cozy
table, their stares following my figure.
So, not to delay whatever was going on more than I already had, I didn't take long and joined
them, my steps quick.
And on the way to the table, where seemingly all the 'fog' originated from, my eyes danced around the room, a room that could only be described as holy.
Red carpet adorned the ground below , laced with golden Arcane and touches of black.
They flowed quite well with the red row of curtains on each side of the room that hid blocked windows. A few brown cabinets were placed in the leftmost corner away from , alongside what
appeared to be an ancient music box, a Carillons à Musique, as well as a Dance Organ, an Accordeo Boy, a Gramophone, Juke Box, and an Acoustic Piano.
They were huddled against a similarly brown wall, making the relatively large room feel
filled.
While the place looked extraordinary, the table outshone the rest by its loneso as it looked
too beautiful, too complex for my eyes to appreciate.
The 'complexity,' the symbols that adorned the table slowly dissipated as I neared, however, revealing a simple black finish.
Eight throne-like chairs surrounded the table: three on its left, three on its right, and one at
each end.
As I looked around trying to spot a free chair among the eight, only one showed itself to be
empty.
It was the one nearest to , and directly opposite 'Him.'
'Of course...'
My steps halted when I reached my seat, and then my eyes shifted, lowering towards 'Him'
without making direct contact.
A weight, unseen but heavy, pressed down on my shoulders, urging to a decision I had
never contemplated
before.
In a singular mont that echoed through the silent chamber...
"I humbly greet you... Divine one."
I found myself sinking to one knee as my hand neared my second heart.
It wasn't rely a physical act; it was a concession, an acknowledgnt of a power greater
than my own.
In my short fifteen years of life, never had I entertained the notion of kneeling before anyone
or anything. It was a threshold I had never crossed, a line I had never approached. Yet here, in this mont, I found myself humbled, not by force but by choice, by the gravity
of the being seated at the end of the table.
"Am I allowed to sit opposite you?"
Reviews
All reviews (0)