The dormitories in Flagstaff, Arizona were punctuated by snow-covered hills while dregs of forests formed makeshift borders around a university bathing in frosted moonlight. Lush, snow-covered trees surrounded Ana’s apartment complex. Most, if not all, of the residential parking lots were empty, just as most, if not all, of the students were elsewhere for the winter break. Ana’s apartment was found on the third floor, a dull, gray, rectangular building.
Adam, a handsome young man, wearing a white button-up dress shirt, a silk tie, and black dress slacks, walked toward the apartment complex. His eyes were fierce and vengeful, the snow falling around him. He muttered something under his breath and made his way toward Ana’s apartment.
A red line bisected the egg-shell white walls of Ana’s apartment. Black paint covered the lower half, while the upper half remained completely white, without any decoration save for an image of jellyfish emerging from a supernova descending into a field of golden wheat. Towards the kitchen, there was a bar with a cornucopia centerpiece, filled with an abundance of apples, blackberries, strawberries, and pears. Three people surrounded that bar. On one side, Ana, a young woman wearing a red wool jacket over a white long-sleeve shirt and a red skirt that fell towards her black stockings that reached just below her knees. She sipped from her mug, warm mocha with a dash of liquor. She savored every last drop, feeling the heat rush to her cheeks.
Setting the drink down, she stared at the couple across from her. The first person was Iona, with blonde hair falling just above her shoulders and piercing blue eyes. She wore a black blazer over a white blouse that was neatly tucked into a black skirt that ended halfway down her thighs. Next to her was her boyfriend of several years, Ewan, wearing a pink long sleeve and a pair of blue jeans. He swept his black hair out of his amber-colored eyes and focused his gaze on Ana.
“Look, Ana, we’re both happy that you got that restraining order, but in the grand scheme of things—and not to sound like a Debbie Downer but—a restraining order is about as useful as an umbrella in a hurricane.”
Iona contemplated an apple, but decided against it, setting it down with a light sigh. “What can she do babe? She’s already pressed charges.”
Ewan cracked his fingers. “Buy a gun. We’re in a stand-your-ground state, so you’d be well within your rights to defend yourself. The restraining order was a good move, but your ex is out of his fucking mind. A piece of paper can only go so far.”
“Ohhhh babe that is such an unnecessarily violent option,” and Iona turned her attention back to Ana. “Tell em’, Ana. Tell him that I’m right. That you and I are right, and that he’s wrong.”
Ana sipped her coffee and took a moment for herself before setting it back down. “Nah, I agree with Ewan on this one. I already have a gun, if I’ma be real with you. I have several.”
Iona stares at Ana as if she had just confessed to a serious crime, one that could even land her the death penalty.
Chill out,” Ana raised her hands defensively. “It’s not like I’m trigger-happy, but he did almost fucking kill me. All the times I've cried on his shoulders didn't do anything to change him. I feel like I'm finally waking up to everything you and Ewan and everyone else have been telling me. I might've loved on this guy hard, but enough is enough.”
Iona sighed. “I guess… I can’t force you to live your life the way I’d prefer you lived it.”
“You can’t force anyone to do that.”
Iona smiled and wrapped an arm around Ewan, pulling him in. “I disagree, I can force Ewan to do whatever I want.”
“Nope. You can’t do that. I have rights. I’m a human being.”
She pressed her cheek against his. “Whatever helps you sleep at night.”
Ana’s lips formed into a smile. She gestured towards her French press, half full, standing beside a bottle of liquor. “You sure you two don’t want any?”
"That's okay,” they both said in unison. “I'm good.”
“You two are too good for your own good. I, for one, would never—” but Ana froze in fear, the shock making her blood run cold.
Ewan looked around and saw Adam aiming a gun at them.
Iona stared blankly at Ana and then turned around.
Ewan got up, raising his hands defensively and cautiously stepping forward. “Adam, take it easy bro. We can talk this out.”
That night, time slowed down.
No one else moved.
But then Ana opened a drawer beneath her kitchen bar, pulling out a gun.
Adam squeezed the trigger.
The bullets exploded toward Ewan.
Ana took aim.
The bullets drilled through Ewan over and over and over again, causing him to jerk violently.
Ana fired back, and her first and only bullet torpedoed into his skull—killing him instantly.
Adam fell to the ground.
Ana ran to Ewan, catching him before he hit the ground. She could feel his warm blood pour over her fingers, her arms, spilling onto the floor, the life leaving his eyes. “I’m here. It’s gonna be okay. You’re gonna be—IONA CALL 911!”
Ewan coughed up blood.
Iona fell to his side, her fingers feverishly punching the numbers to salvation.
“Hang in there, Ewan. Hang in there hang in there hang in there. You’re going to be—”
Ewan reached out for her, caressing her face with what little energy he had left. “I love you. I’m so happy to have…”
Ewan’s hand dropped, and his eyes closed.
Iona screamed, and the world outside spun into a blizzard, a complete whiteout.
Ana couldn’t say a word. All she could do was close her eyes.
An endless cherry orchard surrounded ruby hills that rolled down to powdery black sands that encompassed a yawning lake, a terrestrial mirror reflecting a celestial sphere of deepest crimson, its magnanimous frame surrounded by a blanket of dying light in the distant cosmos. Ewan woke up, unscathed, wearing the clothes that he died with. He found himself lying on the shoreline, the water gently washing against the cuffs of his pants.
He reached for his chest and inhaled deeply. He took a moment to think.
He could remember the horrific pain of being shot, the coldness that crept over him as his life slipped from his grasp, and the blackness and silence that fell soon after. And now he was here, wherever he was. The temperature was perfect, but there was a foreboding sense of dread that washed over him like a roaring tide.
The last thing he heard was Iona screaming until there was an abrupt cessation of sound. The next moment, he was here, so he got up and scanned the area.
He didn’t say anything, but he did smile. He thought to himself that if he was here, then maybe he didn’t die.
This is gotta be a dream, he thought to himself. The hospital wasn’t far away and medical technology had improved well enough.
Fantasy, a tall and naked woman with blonde hair and deep red eyes emerged from the yawning lake. She walked on the water as if it were solid ground, and violent ripples reverberated throughout the body of water with every step she took. “You’ve got quite the imagination, but why would you be in a dream?”
Ewan shamefully appraised the woman’s body before snapping his focus onto her eyes. “No other explanation. I got shot several times and now I’m probably in a coma, recovering slowly but surely, and this is just one big, crazy, lucid dream.”
Fantasy stopped walking. She smiled, but it was filled with malice. “You are dead, Ewan. Your life was taken from you.”
“Nope. Can’t be dead.”
Fantasy continued her approach. “It is rather unbecoming when men deny the reality that’s right in front of them. The way you’re dealing with this is rather uncharacteristic of you.”
Ewan backed up and focused his breathing, closing his eyes. He told himself that it was all a dream. He kept that mantra going for a moment, but when he opened his eyes, she was just a meter away from him.
“You’re not dreaming, so stop wasting our time.”
Ewan clenched his fist. “I’m not dead. I can’t be dead.”
Fantasy crossed her arms, and the water became still beneath her. “Fine. Keep denying that you’re dead. If you think this is a dream of yours, then you might as well play along, right?”
Ewan stared at Fantasy, not saying a word.
“So what’ll it be?”
“What do you want?”
“I’d like to give you the opportunity to continue your life, albeit in another world.”
“Fine,” Ewan relented. “I’ll play your silly game. The sooner we get over this, the sooner I can get back to Iona.”
Fantasy walked up to Ewan, her face just an inch away from him.
He stepped back, and she walked forward, pressing her body against him.
Ewan gently stepped back, but his eyes were kindling with rage. “What’s your problem?”
“Let go of your old life. Let go of Iona.”
Ewan sighed, and he looked incredibly tired. “Maybe Iona was right. Maybe I do need therapy. I’ve got some issues if you’re a part of my–”
Fantasy grabbed Ewan’s face with her hands, her eyes shimmering like light reflecting off the water. She came so close that she was a breath away from kissing him. “You really want to go back to a woman that walked all over you?”
“You don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“She cheated on you, Ewan.”
Ewan glared at her, a dark and sinister hate in his eyes.
“How scary. You’re not gonna hurt me, are you?”
Ewan walked away, ascending the hills.
“After you’re done managing your anger, I’ll be here, waiting for you.”
“You’ll never see me again.”
Ewan walked out of view, swallowed by the cherry orchards swaying in the breeze.
Sometime later, he emerged again and found himself at the same yawning lake, and now the moon looked like a shattered plate, the pieces frozen in the darkness of space. This was a peaceful place, but Ewan’s heart was fractured, on the brink of shattering completely. It had felt like he had walked for days, but there was nothing but an infinitely dense forest of cherry blossoms, the only sounds to accompany him were his own breathing, his own footsteps, and the myriad of thoughts that flowed through his head, but he kept going, on an on, never growing tired and never needing to eat, and so when there was a light in the distance his heart was ecstatic.
But when he ran into that light, he was back where he had started, and she was waiting for him, her legs crossed, and the water behind her.
She smiled when she noticed him return.
But he didn’t smile back.
“So, how was your walk? Did you have time to clear your head?”
Ewan walked down to where she was. “I’m really dead, aren’t I?”
She patted the ground next to her, suggesting that he sit beside her. “What made you come around?”
“I’ve been here too long… and if this were really a dream, I should have some control over the environment, but I haven’t been able to change anything.”
“So at some point, you must have thought to yourself that despite how nonsensical this situation may seem, it must be your current reality.”
Ewan got on a knee and made sure his eyes were level with Fantasy. He quelled the anger in his heart, the desperation and confusion that tore away at him and came at her with as much humanity as he could muster. “I built a life with Iona. We were talking about marriage… we were happy…” and he grabbed her hands as gently as he could. “Isn’t there some way I can go back?”
The wind blew hard, and cherry blossoms danced and twirled around them before gently floating to the ground. They landed around them, creating a strange asymmetric shape.
“But why are you so eager to return to an unhappy life?”
“You don’t know me.”
“But I do. I know all about you. I know about your upbringing and the silent pain you’ve carried with you since you were a boy. I know about the love you have for that woman and the love you had for your job.”
Ewan let go of her hands. “I still loved my job.”
You don’t have to lie to me. You’re already dead, and your secrets won’t be going anywhere else. Why not take this time to vent some of your frustrations? Surely the weight you’ve been carrying must have taken a heavy toll on you.”
“I… appreciate your offer, but I’ll pass.”
“I’m impressed that you went so long without truly sharing who you are,” and she placed her hand on his chest, feeling his heartbeat, which was steady and calm. “But if you keep your feelings locked away, it won’t be good for you or those around you.”
Ewan stood up, his eyes cast down on her. “When I first became a lawyer, I thought I’d finally have the power to make a difference. All those long, sleepless nights, all that hard work I put in. It finally paid off, but I didn’t realize how taxing the journey would be. It changed me as a person. I’m different from when I was younger, and I don’t know if it’s the better kind of change, but enough about me. Who are you? What is this place and why me?”
Fantasy stood up, meeting him face to face. “I was a terrible person in my previous life, and so this place is like a prison for me. I am here to atone for the sins I have sown, and that terms of my penance involve a long and grueling eternity, but I suppose you can call this place the afterlife.”
Ewan felt his heart skip a beat at that comment. He had never put too much thought into where people went after they had died. Part of him thought that it could be heaven or hell, another part considered reincarnation to be a possibility, but the biggest part of him had always believed that the only thing that followed death was complete darkness, the absolute end of one’s time.
Yet there he was.
Fantasy motioned to the endless cherry orchard around them. “Far different from the heaven and hell you humans imagine, I suppose.”
She plucked a cherry blossom from the ground. “Normally, whenever a human dies, their souls wander to this place, where their individualism dissolves into the soil. As you can imagine, this causes them to lose their sense of self, but in exchange, they are granted blissful oblivion…”
Ewan had a mortified look on his face, but he quickly swept that horror under the rug, and his face was neutral again.
Fantasy released the cherry blossom and the wind carried it away, past Ewan and out of sight. She took one step forward and pointed at him. “But every now and then, there are those with exceptionally strong wills that resist assimilation. People like you, Ewan.”
“So I’m not the first person that you’ve met?”
“Yes, and I have sent others to my old world.”
“How many worlds are there?” “Your home was never the only one with humans.”
Ewan looked winded, like he had just been punched in the stomach. He took a moment to gather himself. “The people that came before me… didn’t they want their old lives back?”
She crossed her arms. “Some did, but others weren’t as fortunate as you. There were many who didn’t have anyone or anything to go back to.”
Ewan opened his mouth like he wanted to say something, but he decided against it, gesturing at Fantasy to continue.
“I understand why you would want your old life back. A woman to love, a good-paying job, and money in the bank. I’m sure you had your regrets and grievances, but overall not too bad.”
Are you able to take my back to world?”
Her eyes twinkled with malicious mirth. “This is what I’m willing to do for you, Ewan. I can rebuild your body and guide your soul to the world I originated from. In exchange, you go on the epic quest I have for you, or you can learn to be comfortable here with me, forever.”
“What's the quest?”
Fantasy smiled. She raised her index finger to her mouth as if she was going to bite down from excitement. “As a payment for my help, I have but a single and simple request—I want you to defeat The Supreme Ruler, the evil overlord that threatens all of Nayuta!”
Ewan smiled at her, but there was no happiness in his eyes. “You know… Stories, where some random person goes off into another world and overthrows a tyrannical ruler, are just that. They’re stories. I’m not some destined hero. I’m a normal person. What you’re asking for is impossible.”
Fantasy closed the distance between them. “If that’s how you feel, you’re more than welcome to stay here, with me, for all of eternity. Meanwhile, your precious Iona will be on her own, never knowing that her fiance gave up on her.”
At that moment, Ewan looked like a man ready to kill someone. But he closed his eyes. When he opened his eyes, it was like a switch had gone off. Whatever trace of anger he had was buried.
He took one more moment to truly calm down, the gentle waves splashing to his feet.
“So,” he said. “What about the people that came before me? What happened to them?”
“They either failed or gave up. None of them have been able to do what I asked.”
“So… how am I supposed to do any better?”
“Well, you’re in luck. Those that came before you came in a time when no one in Nayuta had the power to oppose The Supreme Leader. Had you come at any other time, you’d likely be destined to fail. But this time around, things are a bit different. This time, her own people are conspiring against her. Even some of her most elite and trusted, cordially known by all as ‘Angels.’”
Ewan pondered this for a moment. “Sometimes all we need is to be in the right palace at the right time.”
“A rather optimistic way to look at it, but I agree nonetheless.”
“So, you mentioned that these ‘Angels,’ are conspiring against this evil overlord. Are there any in particular I should know about?”
“I am so glad you asked,” and she floated away from him, landing on the water. She snapped her fingers and an obsidian slab rose from the lake, floating behind and above her. The water rolled off the smooth rock and the entire thing vibrated like it was being charged with an immense amount of energy. Like curtains being drawn apart, the blackness of the slab separated to reveal the image of two, distinct women.
Standing side by side, one woman had green hair and green eyes, wearing a black, semi-transparent suit punctuated with heart patterns and a red short skirt with the sides cut. Another had white hair and red eyes, wearing a tweed coat with a black and white checkered dress.
Fantasy held both her arms high, like presenting a gift to the world. “These two women are actually part of The Supreme Leader’s special task force, also known as ‘Angels.’ But recently, they’ve been having somewhat of an existential crisis. Now, I don’t know them on an intimate level, but I do know that they are reaching their breaking point. I don’t think it’ll be much longer until they openly rebel against the status quo.”
“It’s almost as if the stars are aligning for our success.”
Fantasy tilted her head to the side. “... Our success?”
“Yeah. You get what you want, and I get what I want. It’s a win-win, hence ‘our success.’”
Fantasy blushed, and she finally smiled like she meant it.
Ewan found himself doing the same.
“So, what needs to be done?”
“You’ll want to get into an adventurers' guild. It’ll be the best way for you to gather resources while you figure out how to carry your end of the deal.”
“Is there magic in your world?”
“Of course there is,” Fantasy said. “But the gods in Nayuta have a monopoly on magic. Magic used to be for anyone, but they changed history and locked the truth away from everyone.”
“There are gods in your world?”
“Oh there are quite a few,” Fantasy said.
Ewan took a moment to take that in. “That's actually... crazy. Your world is so different from mine.”
“Our worlds aren't so different actually,” Fantasy mused. “But I should warn you, be careful if you ever consider making a pact with a god. What they desire from you is something that you'll never get back.”
“I've never been one to trust in higher powers,” Ewan said.
“I know, but I figured you'd appreciate the warning.”
“So do the gods run things back where you're from?” Ewan asked.
“For the most part, yeah they do,” Fantasy said. “The supreme ruler isn't the only threat to my home world, but she's the most manageable one.”
Ewan pondered for a moment. “Okay... but if I'm understanding you correctly, the gods in your home world have so much power that they effectively rewrote history.”
“You needn't worry about undoing their evil,” Fantasy said. “I wouldn't be so cruel to give you such an impossible task.”
“So what else can you tell me?”
“Telling someone everything is the ultimate display of trust. I’ve shared what I’m comfortable telling you.”
The obsidian slab fell into the lake, causing the water to surge over her, washing over her hair and draping it over her red eyes. She gently floated back to Ewan, brushing her hair behind her eyes so that she could see him in clear view. “If you want me to tell you more, then earn it from me—or you could spend all of your time here with me, instead. I wouldn’t be opposed to some company.”
Ewan closed his eyes and opened them to the sky, the way the moon looked like continents drifting away from each other, the way the stars twinkled in and out of view. The wind stirred around them again, making the cherry blossoms flutter like birds, rising and falling back to the ground.
He looked at her. “I get it. If people gave up before, you don’t want wanna waste time explaining everything to someone that might do the same.”
Fantasy leaned forward with a smile, placing her hands on her hips. “You're rather perceptive. It's no wonder why you were a lawyer.”
He smiled, appreciating the compliment. “I still need to know how I'll get a hold of you, once I'm on the other side.”
“Don’t worry about it. I’ll come to you.”
“You sure there's nothing else you'd like to tell me right now?” Ewan asked.
“You're an intelligent man,” Fantasy said. “I'm confident you'll figure it out.”
“I like this sweeter side of you,” Ewan said praisingly.
Fantasy smirked at him. “Don't get used to it, big boy. Now when you're ready, just go ahead and dive into the lake behind me. You'll lose consciousness and then wake up in your new life.”
“Okay… I guess, this is goodbye then.”
“Only for the time being. I’ll be seeing you again, eventually.”
Ewan backed up so that he could have a few meters of a running start, but he made sure to address Fantasy one last time. “By the way, what’s your name?”
“Fantasy. It was a pleasure meeting you.”
“Nice to meet you too… and, one last thing. I don’t know what you did to end up here, but since you’re helping me I’ll say this: I hope you get out one day.”
Fantasy almost cried tears of joy, but she kept her composure, smiling at him like she had known him her entire life.
It took a moment for Ewan to realize that he was smiling back. He nodded at her and then sprinted into the water, running as fast as he could before diving into the dark depths.
He was gone, and she was alone again, but for the first time in a long time, she was happy.
“I always wondered when I’d run into you again…”