“Ugh...”

Viviane’s eyes flew open as she regained consciousness, pushing herself up as quickly as she could. The noblewoman had expected to hear sounds of combat and clashing steel. Perhaps even explosions from Bastiche’s deadly bolts. Instead, all she received was silence. The lack of sound and hurry was welcome, but it was also worrying.

Everywhere around her, all she could see was white. The ground, the sky, an endless void of white stretched as far as she could see. Though the surface that she stood on was solid, it also felt insubstantial and... wet. Taking an experimental step, Viviane found that she could traverse the strange substance as easily as she could solid ground. Interestingly enough, each step she took sent ripples across the pure white surface as if it really were water, causing Viviane to proceed gently and cautiously despite knowing it was safe.

Although the alabaster void was an appreciated reprieve from the adrenaline-fueled battle she had been a part of mere moments ago, Viviane couldn’t help but wish she would soon be able to depart from this world or dream, whatever it was. Casting her gaze around almost desperately in an attempt to find some sort of exit, Viviane’s plain white gown whirled with her movement.

Wait... Viviane looked down at her body, staring at her garments in disbelief. Although she should have noticed it far sooner, it was only now that she realized she was barefoot and clad in nothing more than a thin sleeveless gown dyed in the same color as the world around her.

“...Just where am I?” Viviane murmured. She was half sure this was something akin to a dream and that she had fallen unconscious as a result of the impact that sent her flying, but everything felt so vivid. The wetness of the “ground”, the sensation of flowing liquid between her toes, and the pleasantly cold solid surface beneath her that contrasted its strange fluid-like properties.

“You have found yourself in the Lake.”

Viviane released a yelp of surprise as the voice echoed from all directions around her. Its tone was smooth and gentle, but that did little to soften the jolt that she experienced at the abrupt answer to her question. After all, the seemingly empty white expanse of this mysterious space had caused the noblewoman to believe that she was well and truly alone.

“W-Who’s there!?” Viviane shouted, spinning around rapidly in an attempt to discern the source of the mystery speaker to no avail. “C-Come out! I’m not afraid of you!”

Despite her best efforts to sound brave, Viviane was woefully unprepared for a confrontation if the mysterious voice was actually hostile. She was unarmed and without a bow or a dagger. Worse yet, she couldn’t even sense her own ki circulation, much less use it to enhance her physical abilities.

“I am here.” The voice replied. “You need only reach out and you shall find me.”

“Reach out...?” Viviane frowned, extending a hand forward. It grasped nothing but empty air. “Reach out where?”

“Here.”

Viviane shuddered. This time, the voice was incredibly close, and though she looked in every direction, there was nothing to be seen aside from an endless expanse of white. However, it was that very fact which made Viviane completely sure of what she needed to do now. The noblewoman knelt, her gown sending a multitude of patterns rippling across the void as it brushed against the white surface.

Even now, she could see nothing beneath her feet other than the cascading rings that seemed to pulse beneath her feet, but she was sure of it. The voice hadn’t come from all directions. It came from underneath. Taking a deep breath, Viviane touched a hand to the strange solid-liquid beneath her... and thrust.

“Puha!” Viviane exclaimed as she burst out of the other side. It was the strangest sensation she had ever experienced. One second, she was moving downwards, attempting to push herself through a viscous, honey-like substance and the next she was desperately kicking as she struggled upwards. The sudden change in direction gave her a dizzying sense of vertigo, causing her to stumble slightly even as she emerged from the liquid void.

Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

The other “side” of this strange world was exactly the same as the side she’d emerged from. The same monotonous white filled Viviane’s vision infinitely, but there was a single element that made all the difference.

“...Medrauta?” Viviane frowned. No. It’s not her.

Even as the name left her lips, Viviane knew she was mistaken. The person standing in front of her couldn’t possibly be Medrauta. They had the appearance of a child that bore an unmistakable resemblance to how Medrauta would have looked at such a tender age, but that was where the similarities ended.

The person’s gaze was sharp, almost unbearably so. Their eyes stabbed into Viviane’s own like twin sapphire daggers. Every strand of their lustrous silver hair seemed razor sharp as if a mere touch would be enough to cut her into pieces. Even the way they moved was more akin to slicing through the air as opposed to passing through it normally.

It’s almost like they’re a sword, Viviane realized.

“So that is who you perceive me as. No matter. Welcome to the Lake, Child of Eventide.” The faux-child Medrauta said. “I would be delighted to answer all of your questions, but first I must apologize.”

Viviane flinched without intending to. Even now, the person standing before her spoke with a gentle tone that reminded her of a mother attempting to soothe their child, yet even their words bore a bladelike quality.

“Apologize...? Apologize for what?”

“For deceiving you. Though a small deception, it was a deception nonetheless.” The bladelike individual bowed, their motions precise and almost mechanical. “You did not ‘find’ yourself here. I brought you here.”

“Then can you... take me back?”

“Of course. But first, there are a great deal of things that I must share with you, Child of Eventide. Firstly, you may call me ‘Emrys.’ I am but a humble servant and an open book to you. Secondly, you must regain your inheritance once you reach the top of the Spire, and thirdly—”

“Wait, wait, wait! What does any of this mean? ‘Child of Eventide’? ‘Spire’? I’ve got no idea what you’re talking about!”

“Patience, child. Your connection to the Lake is tenuous at best, and such emotional outbursts will only cause it to waver even further. After your mother tried her hardest to sever your connection to this place, it is taking all my power just to keep you here.”

“...My mother?” Viviane frowned. The more information she received, the more questions she had. Everything that Emrys was saying confused her to no end, and though she now confirmed that this place was a separate space from the real world, she had no idea whether the passage of time here was slowed or progressed at the same pace as outside of it.

“Indeed, but that is a tale for another time, Child of Eventide. You must first learn to draw upon the power of the Lake such that you may enter and leave it seamlessly.”

“And what is this ‘power of the Lake’?” Viviane asked, suspicion in her voice. Though she was about to attempt throwing a random tantrum in an effort to free herself from this space and return to Medrauta’s side, Emrys’ latest words offered her an alternative solution that sounded much more appealing.

“It is your birthright.” Emrys replied, their voice suddenly adopting a powerful timbre that nearly caused Viviane to step backward. “It is the power over life and death, for the Lake is where the souls of both the living and the dead reside.”

“...Right.” Viviane bit her lip. Although Emrys didn’t seem to be lying, such a power seemed far too great for a mortal to wield. Rather, it sounded as though it was something that trespassed into Aluvsha’s domain, and that was certainly something Viviane wanted to avoid. “Look I... I just want to go back to my knight. Surely she’s in trouble by now...”

“Perhaps so. Time does not stop even in this liminal space, and even I cannot vouch for your knight’s safety based on the precarious situation you have found yourselves in.” Emrys nodded. “Let us begin then, Child of Eventide. Stretch your hand out.”

Viviane nodded, doing so. Her fingers looked woefully tiny in comparison to the vastness of the space around her, but she was far more colorful in contrast to the emptiness of the world. As she focused on the everdistant plane of nothingness, she felt as though it no longer extended as far as she thought. After all, there were no “edges” like a room would have nor were there any lines that divided where land began and ceased.

In other words, the entirety of this infinite space was identical. With no discerning features to mark where something began or where something ended, the size of this plane was utterly irrelevant.

No. There is something. Viviane realized. All around me is nothingness, but...

“...I am here.”

Immediately, Viviane understood what it was she must do to exit this world. Even without further instruction from Emrys, she inherently grasped the nature of this world, but then again, perhaps there was no need for further instruction. All she needed was a change in perspective, and that was exactly what Emrys had given to her.

“I am the beginning... and the end.”

Viviane grasped the world in her hands... and pulled.