To the Stars and Back [ON HIATUS INDEFINITELY]

Chapter 1

Black. Black. Black. The white-haired girl stood out against the swirling black backdrop, semi-conscious as her body was thrown around in the endless space. Turning, twisting, flipping, until finally, the back of her delicate frame hit the surface of a hard floor.

Immediately sensing the iciness of the ground, Arie Yuna Jahad lifted her head. Quickly recognizing that she was no longer at the entrance of the Tower, she sat up and observed her surroundings. She was sitting in a cavernous chamber lit only by a few lanterns here and there, with shadows stretching the entire width and length of the room. Yuna shuddered. Too many dark spots, too many places for enemies to hide in.

Suddenly, a thought crossed her head. Yuna looked and saw she was still wearing her puffy, ceremonial gown. She sighed, slipping it off her waist and standing up to let it fall.

'Thank Jahad my outfit has a fancy side and a combative side,' she mused as she gathered up the many folds of her dress and magically stuffed them into a single primrose adorning it. 'Actually, I take that back. Thank my designer for creating such a practical style.' The white-haired princess was now dressed in a white qipao that went up to her lower thighs.

Pinning the purple flower on her head, her attention was swiftly averted to someone emerging in the shadows. The floppy things on his head made him resemble a demented rabbit.

"My, my, it's been a while since there's been a visitor like you here," the bunny murmured, its voice deep and elegant, before suddenly shaking his head. "Scratch that, a few just came in." 

"Pardon me, sir, but may I just ask what the actual fuck is going on?" Yuna asked with a blank expression. Ignoring her question completely, the man just chuckled.

"My bad," he purred, pronouncing each syllable slowly and clearly as he stepped forward. "Please ignore that last part. Welcome to the tower, miss."

Annoyance briefly flashed across her expression, then disappeared. 'Why am I with this motherfucker?' She asked the ones above.

The psychopathic rabbit continued to stalk towards her. "My name is Headon. I'm the guardian of the first floor of the tower. What's your name, miss?"

Yuna stepped back. Hesitating, she pursed her lips in suspicion and light recognition before replying, "Arie Yuna Jahad. It's a pleasure to meet you, sir."

Headon stumbled. "Miss, how exactly did you get here?" he asked with a slight note of hysteria intertwined in his voice.

"I...don't know," she said, curling and uncurling her fingers. "The doors wouldn't open when I pulled on them, but suddenly they did and I was brought here. Sir, why did that happen?"

"Oh," he sighed. "There's no need to worry, that's something that happens all the time. It's natural."

The princess's eyes narrowed the slightest bit. Something was off with what he said. Pausing for a moment, she dug through her brain for anything that might help her when suddenly she remembered.

"Wait...only irregulars come to this floor, right?" she recalled, sucking in a breath. "Then why am I here?"

"A glitch in the system. It must've recognized that your potential was incredibly strong and registered you as an irregular because you were so powerful," Headon seemingly calmly responded.

The white-haired girl's eyes stayed cautiously narrowed. "Okay...alright then," she accepted the rabbit's explanation. At this point, she was ready to take anything that was even slightly logical as an answer. "Can I please go up the tower now?"

"Naturally. I'm assuming that's why you are here...but one final thing," he warned. "The Tower is a mysterious place. Head up, and all your questions will be answered. Whether you are looking for wealth, immortality, absolute power, magical abilities, or mysteries, just head up. All the truth, glory, and happiness of the world are all up there. The tower is such a place."