The girl awakens to find herself submerged in a vat of liquid. In a desperate attempt to break free, she bangs on the glass, but to no avail. A woman with bluish-white skin and pointy ears sits across from her, and upon hearing the commotion, she turns to investigate.

"Oh! So you're finally awake!" the woman exclaims, as the girl continues to struggle against the glass. "Don't struggle, I'm letting you out now. This might hurt, though."

As the vat opens, the girl falls out, but the woman catches her. "Careful, darling," the woman says, as the girl tries to breathe but finds her lungs still filled with liquid, causing her to choke. "Hey, hey! Don't fight it. I'll remove it for you." The girl ceases her attempts to breathe, and the woman waves her hands and fingers.

Mysteriously, the liquid drains out of the girl's lungs, exiting through her mouth and nose. Though she struggles, the girl manages not to gag. "Good girl. It seems like he was right."

"Where am I? Who are you? Why am I here?" the girl wearily asks.

"The name's Skadiel. Nice to finally be able to introduce myself to you, Miss Rona," the woman, who introduces herself as Skadiel, proclaims.

"That does not answer all my questions," Rona retorts, visibly annoyed.

"Explanations come later. We'll wait until your other girlfriends wake up," Skadiel responds, pointing behind Rona.

Rona tries to turn around, but she struggles, and Skadiel notices and helps her. Rona sees 24 other capsules containing liquid, each containing girls of similar ages to herself.

"Who...are they?" Rona questions.

"Oh no, you don't remember?" Skadiel worries. "They're your friends, you know?"

"I...don't...know....?"

"Well, like I said, explanations come later. First, we'll eat dinner while we wait. They should wake up soon," says Skadiel. "Pola?"

A woman with the same skin color and ears as Skadiel enters the room, wearing what appears to be a maid uniform.

"Prepare dinner," Skadiel orders, without looking at the woman she called Pola.

"Understood," Pola responds.

Skadiel looked to be thinking of something "You know what? Let's eat and wait here. I'll help you Pola" She glances at Rona as she stands up "Watch your friends for me okay?"

Rona nods, while still trying to process everything.

Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.

She watches as Skadiel and Pola exit the room, leaving her alone with the other girls. She walks around, inspecting the capsules and noticing that each one has a nameplate attached to it.

She approaches the one nearest to her and reads the name: "Nikola". She tries to recall any memories of a friend named Nikola, but her mind draws a blank.

As she moves to the next capsule, she hears a soft moan which comes from what it seems to be a speaker. She turns around to see one of the girls stirring in her sleep, her eyes slowly opening.

"Hey, you're awake," Rona says, approaching the girl's capsule.

The girl blinks a few times, then looks at Rona. "Who...who are you?" she asks, her voice raspy.

"I'm Rona, and you're one of my friends," Rona says, trying to keep her voice calm.

The girl looks around, confusion evident on her face. "I...I don't remember," she says, her voice barely above a whisper.

Rona nods sympathetically. "I don't remember much either, but we'll figure it out together," she says, placing a comforting hand on the girl's capsule.

As the other girls begin to wake up, Rona realizes that they all seem to be in the same boat as she is. They have no memories of who they are or why they are in these capsules.

As they wait for dinner, Rona can feel the tension and anxiety building up inside her. She wants answers, and she wants them now. But for the moment, all she can do is wait and hope that Skadiel and Pola have some answers for them.

***

Skadiel and Pola return to the room, and Skadiel notices that the other girls have awakened. "Great, we can start the explanations while we eat," she says as she sets the table and chairs. Rona tries to help, but they insist that she sit and wait.

Once everything is set, Skadiel addresses the girls. "We'll let you out now," she declares. "Oh, and Miss Rona, can you explain to them what will happen once they're out?"

The girls look apprehensive, but Rona intervenes. "Don't worry, they won't harm you. Our bodies are weak right now, so you'll fall as soon as your capsule opens. And as for the liquid inside you, they'll somehow drain it by waving their hands-"

"Magic." Nikola's voice comes through the speaker in her capsule.

Skadiel is surprised. "You still have your memories, Miss Nikola?"

"No, it just entered my mind when Rona said it," Nikola explains.

"Well, beggars can't be choosers as they say." Skadiel says. "Pola, ready."

"Understood" Pola confirms.

The two women begin to release the girls one by one, using their magic to drain the liquid from their lungs. Rona helps the girls to their seats as they come out, and although Skadiel tries to stop her, she is unable to do so.

*

While the girls were eating, Skadiel began to recite their names one by one, starting with Rona, then Nikola, Bianka, Jeanne, Liyah, Cetallica, Alvishia, Seonna, Christine, Keiara, Vonna, Mishaira, Daphne, Venicia, Drea, Silva, Eula, Gia, Lyth, Jilla, Mell, Vera, Gira, Naima, and Merry.

"Welcome to the 25th Empire!" Skadiel exclaimed enthusiastically.

Bianka chuckled and asked, "What, there are 24 other empires?"

Everyone laughed, but Nikola had a more serious question. "Is it just a coincidence that there are 25 of us and we are in the 25th Empire?"

There was a sudden silence in the room, and Skadiel looked at Nikola with a smile. "Firstly, Miss Bianka," she said, turning her gaze towards Bianka. "There are no '24 other empires'; in fact, the 25th Empire already controls the entire world." The tension in the room increased.

"Secondly," she turned her gaze back towards Nikola, "No, it is not a coincidence."

"Will you now tell us the answer to my third question?" Rona defiantly asks.

Skadiel glances at Rona, smiles, then stands up, she flicks her fingers and everything on the table freezes "It all starts with the man named...

Yule"

*prelude end*