The darkness was unbearable.
My name Anri, and for most of my life I have been an orphan. Abandoned at an orphanage when I was just a few months old. Leaving me sad and lonely for life, well that's how it would've gone if I was a normal child. Contrary to popular belief being an orphan isn't really that traumatic.
I've never met my biological parents and since I have no attachment to them I've never resented them for leaving me on a stranger's doorstep. I also never thought of finding my biological parents, there was no point in doing such pointless things.
In the end, no one adapted me but other than that I would say my childhood to adulthood was pretty nice. I went to school, made friends, fell in love, married and I landed myself a decent job. But everything must come to an end.
As a novelist, of course, I've thought about death plenty of times. It was an unavoidable cycle everyone will eventually experience. There are countless stories written about death, such a topic can easily be thrown around in stories.
It can be a convenient plot point. In romances, it can be annoying to write about parents especially in a teen rom-com, most writers would prefer killing off the protagonist's parents as part of a convenient, tragic backstory or just simply angst. In mysteries, the death of a victim is just another cheap way to introduce a plot. In fantasy... well, dying then transferring into another world seems to be the common trope these days.
There are plenty of guesses about what happens when people die. Do the souls leave the mortal body to wander aimlessly without purpose? Do they go and finish their unfinished business? Is there such a thing as heaven and hell? Do the souls reincarnate or simply disappear? What is a soul in the first place?
Well from what I can see... or can't see, it's just a pitch-black void. And again I must say the darkness was unbearable. It wasn't necessarily painful but it wasn't exactly comfortable. The only good thing that came out of this is that I don't get those annoying dark spots dancing across my eyes.
My sense of time has completely been messed up after being landed in this pocket of space. Then again back when I was alive I've never been able to keep a healthy internal clock. My deadlines are much more important than sleep.
After what felt like years, I was finally given a chance to see light. It was blinding at first, the sharp contrast between the dark void to the now boundless sky was too much for my eyes to handle. It took an extremely long time for me to adjust.
The sky above was beautiful, changing according to the time. From the light of day to the starry night sky and in between a brief dash of colors and beneath me lies an illusion that mirrors the sky, which ripples as I walk across it. It was definitely a breath of fresh air.
"You've gotten quite comfortable in my domain, little one." Pleasant like gentle rain, a clear voice resonated throughout this strange yet peaceful area.
"Who? Where?" I have thousands of questions but where to begin?
"Behind you." A figure that vaguely resembles a small child suddenly materialized, playfully blowing soft words into my ear.
Hearing that same voice, now more clearer next to my ear, I shrieked, taking a step back only to stumble and landing on my back. How embarrassing tripping over my own two feet.
As if ten years had flashed by the "child" was no more, morphing into a more mature figure that looked roughly fifteen or sixteen. She was beautiful, wearing a dark purple silk dress accompanied by a pair of black arm guards. Her hair is in a half and half style, white on the right side and black on the right side. Those thick locks of hair flowed unrestrained, moving in accordance to the wind, making her look majestic as if she had descended from heaven.
With elegant lines that shape her figure to her flawless skin that can make any heart sigh, this beauty truly is a masterpiece of the gods.
This mysterious person only stared down at me with those big eyes, one's gold that reflected the sun and the other one's sapphire as deep as the oceans. Those heterochromatic eyes shined mischievously as a smile blossomed on her face. A sound of laughter escaped her lips, it was comparable to a pleasant spring breeze.
"Wow~" she commented on my embarrassing stunt. "I never thought someone would fall for me this quickly~"
"N-no, that was not my intention." I immediately blushed, stuttering over every syllable.
"Oh my," as the young woman continued to laugh, wiping off the tears forming from her eyes, "I'm just teasing you, no need to get all bashful."
"Who are you? Where is this place? How am I-"
"I'm sure you've got plenty of questions for me, but please don't overwhelm me. They will all be answered in due time," the lady simply stated, "as for who I am, my name is Empusa, the goddess of this world. I brought you to this world, for one sole purpose and that is to be this world's heroine."
"Why?" I questioned the goddess.
"I was bored so I just summoned the most recently deceased soul as entertainment," Empusa stated bluntly to my disbelief, "What. Were you expecting me to say the whole 'I saw that you were special and deserved a second chance' trope?"
"No," I answered truthfully.
"Quite the honest child aren't you. Well, I would love to continue chatting but time has officially run out!" Empusa announced, staring at the nonexistent watch on her wrist. And with a wave of her hands, she pushed me out of her dimension, "The stage has been set, now shoo, off you go."
I panicked and instinctively screamed as I fell back into the void, bracing myself for impact however nothing came.
Slowly opening my eyes I looked around finding myself floating down onto a body of water. Then as if possessed my body moved on its own, walking on the surface of the water. Ripples formed with every movement of my feet as I slowly made my way to shore.
I don't remember much of what happened at that moment, everything was fuzzy and the sounds that made its way to my ears were muffled. However one thing did catch my attention, it was a girl with hair, pure and white like a blanket of fresh snow in winter. The girl wore an elegant dress and was the first to greet me in this world.
Upon reaching the shores I was suddenly drained of all my energy and immediately collapsed. Well, this is embarrassing... walking on water must've been taxing on the body.
I tilted my head up a little to get a good look at the person who caught me from kissing the floor. It was the same girl I saw before. Even though my vision is blurry I can still make out the distinct features on her delicate face, her large silver eyes stared down at me in shock and disbelief.
I didn't think much of her expression. What went through my mind was how warm her hold is.
This warmth sure is familiar...
Soon my consciousness fades before I could thank the kind lady.
*************
I woke up to the blinding light that made its way through the window, finding myself lying on a bed much too soft to be my own.
I heard rustling movements and voices of people outside the room I was staying in. A moment later a maid knocked and came in.
"Ah! You're awake!" The maid spoke as she placed my breakfast on the bedside table.
"Where am I?" I asked her.
"You fainted last night, thankfully one of the noblewomen found you. You are now in one of the guest rooms in the palace. I'll come back to help you prepare after you finish your meal. The king seeks your presence at noon." the girl answered before leaving.
"What have I gotten myself into?"
**********
Meanwhile...
A portal opened within the spectrum and entered a dark winged figure, descending down. Upon landing the figure morphed into its human form and stood beside Empusa.
"Aren't I amazing, Kaguya?" Empusa flattered herself with a laugh.
"How so?" Kaguya asked in a monotone voice.
"Why does it sound like you are secretly cursing me?" Empusa asks her disciple.
"You are mistaken, Milady." Kaguya denies without hesitation.
"I've granted that human girl a second chance, she's going to be adored by all those handsome gentlemen," Empusa exclaims excitingly like a child getting a brand new toy.
"Like every single reverse harem anime with a dense protagonist with even denser men," Kaguya responds in a bland tone then questioned. "Milady, have you looked through the girl's past records at all?"
"Nope~" Empusa playfully replies.
Split seconds later a thick portfolio fell from the sky, landing on top of the goddess's head.
"Read it." Kaguya said sternly.
"Yes ma'am" Empusa answered by dragging the words then opening the portfolio reading the information, her face shifts in surprise, "wow~didn't think the girl swung that way..."
"Additionally, do you still remember that incident 16 years ago when you were *ahem* bored?" Kaguya reminded her mentor.
"I vaguely recall such an incident," Empusa said thoughtfully, "yes, I planted that soul into the so-called villainess, Blanche? Blanco?"
"Her name is Blanca, but that's not the problem. That soul from 16 years ago and the girl you just kicked out were lovers before they died." Kaguya explains somewhat annoyed at Empusa's carefree attitude
"...." Empusa blinked a few times at the news, her features turned serious as she silently thought to herself.
If anyone ever mentioned the goddess, Empusa, it would always be full of respect and praise for the almighty deity. They would've definitely believed that every single one of her decisions are well thought out and planned.
Now, if anyone sees this scene they would've believed that Empusa is currently regretting her decision of sending Anri to the empire and is thinking of ways to fix the complicated situation.
Well her followers aren't wrong when they assume that their goddess has a reason for her decisions it's just that her reason isn't anything their puny mortal brains could fathom.
The goddess Empusa is just simply bored out of her mind after watching the humans for many millennials.
Empusa shrugs then tosses the portfolio into the trash can labeled as 'ARCHIVES' then dusts her hands off, exhaling, "Well props to me fifteen years ago. Who would've thought those two lovers will now plunge into a setting where they are forced to be rivals."
With a wave of her hand, she summons a crystal ball and some popcorn. "Things just got interesting. I'm excited to see what those two will do."