Where am I?

I don't know.

Right now I'm standing among a veil of unending darkness, stretching as far as my eyes can see.

And I'm not even standing, I'm floating.

My destination? I don't know. Where I'm going I have not the ability to control.

I can feel nothing on my skin.

It's not cold or hot.

Nor it's wet or dry.

I can't feel even my arms or legs.

I can hear nothing but absolute silence.

Nor see anything but the eternal void.

"Am I dead?" I whisper gently. So I can still speak.

"Is this the afterlife?"

I am confused as to why I'm here.

How did I get here?

Was I killed?

If so, by who, or what?

I close my eyes and still my thoughts. Concentrating my mind as I try to reignite my memories.

And like a raging river, my memories start to flow back into my mind.

I then immediately remembered.

The reason why I'm here.

" Elaa..." I whisper again.

The name of my precious little sister.

The little cheeky troublemaker that always skips work and sneaks out into the woods to play. The little playful one that always cause troubles in the village. Yet when confronted by the consequences of her mischievous behaviour she curls up behind me like a little lost kitten. The one that always seeks to sleep with me whenever she has a nightmare, with a teary and terrified look on her face. The one that follows me everywhere and tries to imitate whatever I do.

Along with my parents, she is one of the post important people in my life.

I do not want to loose another one of my beloved family member. Loosing Neola was too much for me at that time. I just didn't want to witness another one get taken away from me. Not father, not mother and especially, not Elaa.

She is such a pure young cheerful girl. She loves to explore, loves to hear tales from travelers or adventurers, loves mother's cooking and of course, loves me. She also loves...causing troubles to our neighbors, too. Not a single family in this village whose members have yet to be pranked by her shenanigans. She dreams to one day leave the village and explore the outside world, just like many other countryside kids. To be honest, I myself do want to explore the world, too, albeit just a bit.

And when the sight of her standing in front of that giant b'ar greeted my eyes, the first train of thought that flow ed into my mind was on how to separate it from her. She has her entire future ahead of her. She will live, and grow up. She will travel the world. She will meet her destined half and have a family, have children. And I was not going to let that beast take it away from her. So I did what must be done.

It is a shame that I can not live my life to the fullest and fulfill my dream. Unlike my little sister, I wish to serve as a clergy sister in the Church of the Light. I want to heal and ease people's pain. Lifting them from their suffering and agony. I want to save people. I don't want the common folks to get hurt or die, like my brother did. I guess that's also why I am here.

I am surprised that it didn't feel painful at all. That devastating strike to the back must have been what brought me here.

I was hoping to distract it long enough for her to run away.

I knew at that moment that I was going to die.

I didn't hesitate.

And I do not regret making that decision.

But I didn't expect the monster to catch up with me so fast.

Did I buy her enough time to run away? I do not know.

I can only hope that she is now safe and sound.

As for me, I guess I will be meeting with Neola on the other side.

I'm sorry Elaa but I have to depart with you. It was the only way.

My thought is interrupted by a strange figure standing in the distance.

The figure looks familiar.

A tall man wearing armor, with a Shadia kingdom emblem on his chest

He then takes his helmet off.

It looks like...

Wait...

It can't be...

...Brother?

Brother!

It's Neola. My brother!

I started running, my feet is now somehow on solid ground.

Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

I reach my hand forward. At the same time tears start to build up in my eyes.

"Brother! I missed you so much!"

He looks at me and smiles.

Ah, his smile. Oh so I have missed this smile. Nostalgic memories of my childhood floods into me.

Just like Elaa, back then I followed him around and imitated everything he did.

"I have finally met you." I can no longer speak coherently, my sentence got mixed with the sounds of me crying, " It has been so long."

My strides get faster and faster. I extend both of my arms out to the front, getting ready to hug him. This time I'm not letting him go.

But...

I can't

I can't touch him.

Rather, I can't get to him.

"What is this? What is going on? Why can't I get to you?!"

There is an invisible barrier some sort standing right between me and him. And it's not letting me through.

"Why..."

No matter how hard I try, no matter how hard I smash my fists into it, the barrier won't break.

"Why can't I get to you, brother..."

He is still there, looking at me with that smile on his face. He hasn't moved or spoken anything.

"I can't see Elaa anymore, and now you too..."

I collapse onto my knee, streams of tears flow nonstop down my face.

"Why oh great deities above...Why is this..."

"Because your time has yet to come, little Evaa."

He spoke, oh his sweet voice, a voice that has not been heard for many starcycles.

I look up and I see him. Now down on one of his knee, extending his own arm and touch the invisible barrier.

"What do you mean?"

"You haven't died yet. I am also surprised. Your fate was to join me this day. Yet you clearly are not. That somehow eases me." He speaks again, in his usual calm and sweet voice.

"Dear Brother..."

I extend my own arm and touch the barrier as well, my hand matches his on the other side.

Suddenly, there's light coming from behind me. The light looks so pure, like the light from Sir and Sar, it brings warmth to my skin wherever it touches. As if live it self is reaching out to me, filling my body full of it.

"I am very happy to see you, but you must live. Your journey has yet to end, in fact it had just begun." He speaks in a soft tone, still with that smile on his face.

"What do you mean? I am not dead?" I exclaim, mind still full of unanswered questions.

"Go, Evaa, return to Elaa."

An invisible force starts to pull me away from the barrier. It's trying to drag me into the light.

"Wait, no, not yet!"

"Go now, little Evaa, back to the world of the living."

My hand separate from his.

"But..."

"Live, Evaa, live..."

I am now flying backward, his figure is getting smaller and smaller.

"I love you, brother." I shout as loud as I can while trying to suppress my cries.

And then my vision goes all white, the light has completely engulfed my body. I can no longer see my brother anymore.

"love you, too. Evaa..."

. . .

. .

.

I can't see anything. Everything is completely opposite from before. Instead of the darken void, there is only brightness around me now. The light has pulled me into it, and I'm now back to a free floating state.

The difference is, I can hear sounds. Sounds of the gentle gusts of wind, of the leaves, the trees, sounds of the nature. But they are incredibly blurry, sounds more like distance echos.

It feels nice. The light warm my skin and the wind caresses it. My blond hair is now flowing along with the gusts. As the moments go by I can hear the sounds clearer and clearer. And also, a voice from behind me.

So I turn my head, and I see. A figure is approaching me, followed by a mantle of darkness.

It gets closer and closer.

Its head is a skull.

And is holding a large scissors.

I immediately recognize what the figure is.

It's a minion of the Death lord Todas, a reaper.

He is coming for me.

[YOU ARE FATED TO BE DAMMED TO MY MASTER'S DOMAIN THIS DAY]

He speaks in a strange echoing voice. As if he is speaking directly to my mind.

[INSOLENT MORTAL. YOU DARE TO DISOBEY MY MASTER'S COMMAND]

The reaper raises his scissors and opens it wide, dark aura starts to emit from the blades.

Wait, am I going back to the Death? But he told me I have yet to die.

He lunges forward, thrusting his wide open scissors blades at me.

But he couldn't strike me, the same barrier from before stops the bloodied scissors from reaching my body. And the next instant, the reaper screech in pain, very loudly.

[AAAAAAAAAAAAA-]

A powerful lightning came from the light and strikes the reaper. The light from it was so bright I thought I was going blind. And the sound was so loud I thought I was going deaf, like a thunderous lightning strike from the Lord of Storm Blitzel.

The dark one immediately dissipate into nothingness, its mantle of shadow fades away, replaced by the bright light.

Suddenly an immensely powerful shock zaps through my entire body, rocking me to the core.

I start to hear the sounds of nature again, and they are getting even clearer than before.

Along with them, comes and unknown language, spoken by what sounds like a man.

".......wi...........puls........"

".......go...............wais............ing..........."

"Ev...."

"Eva........"

"Evaa......come......ack..."

That voice...Elaa? Why am I hearing her voice?

"Please....bring.......h......ack......ease..."

She's crying. And, talking to someone?

Once again the shock comes as it rocks my whole body yet another time, but now I can feel where it comes from. It came from my chest.

"...puls.....get.....ger.......gowing........ore...."

The sounds are getting very clear now.

"Evaa.......please........"

This time, there's no mistaking it. It is indeed my little Elaa's voice. She's talking to me.

Yet again the same shock pulse through my body from my chest.

This one is the strongest one.

I feel something else pulsing in my chest though.

I put my hand onto it.

And I felt it.

It's my heart.

It's beating...

"Evaa, please, come back..."

My sister is calling me, I have to get to her.

I take a breath.

The air feels fresh, cool and comfortable, but smells strange. A smell that I can not describe. I've never smell this scent before in my life.

Then I open my eyes.

The light gets even brighter, so bright that it might even blind me for real.

But then it settle down as my eyes adjust to the brightness.

I can see leaves, and a tree trunk, as well as the blue sky and white clouds. It seems I am lying underneath a tree. But I can also see something else.

Something I've never seen before.

A black and round surface is hovering on top of me. I can see my face in its reflection, as well as its surface's strange pattern. And...eyes. I can see eyes through the black surface. It is staring at me.

What is this object? Why are there eyes in it.

I dart my gaze to the side. And the object turns out to have a creature, no, a person's shape of some sort. Is it a humein? It seems to have a humein body with arms and legs. But I can tell it is much bigger than a normal person, much bigger. It is clad in black from head to toe. Wearing such armor I've never seen before.

Then I refocus into its eyes.

I keep staring at the eyes as my eyes open up wider and wider. Its eyes are strange. It looks so humein like, yet at the same time, not.

"Evaa!"

Someone's arm came wrapping around my chest. It's...Elaa.

"Dear sister, you are back...I thought you were dead..."

Her voice was hardly comprehensible as she is crying. And she snuggle her head against my cheek. Her body jump slightly everytime she lets out one of her cries. And I can feel moisture wetting my neck.

I then notice that there is something transparent covering my nose and mouth. Several tubes are connected to my nose.

But that does not concern me.

What matters most now is my little Elaa is safe.

I smile and put my hand up to pat her in the head.

"I'm...back, Elaa...I'm back..."

---------------------------------------------------------------------

"I was there at the barrack's infirmary. I witnessed him suffering in agony. I couldn't do anything for him, other than helplessly watch as his soul returns to the domain of Death. All I did was to hold his hand at the very last moment. He didn't even get to say goodbye to his family. I was there at that church. I witnessed him buried. He never got a chance to chase his dream, to one day be a baker and own a small bakery. No more shall I allow myself to witness such tragedy. It shall never happen again to my family, to the ones I love. Henceforth, lives shall I save, souls shall I heal, and a Holy servant shall I become."

- Evaa Fies Hieright -