Chapter One
“What a Lovely Story”
If nothingness could be felt, it would feel like this. The lack of sensation, unable to tell if she was cold or warm, unable to tell if someone was near her, or if she was even standing or laying. Oddly though, this dark nothingness was comforting, almost like she had been away from home for far too long. She could hear whispers, what she assumed was distantly, tickling the edge of her senses, but they didn’t matter in this moment. What did matter, was that she no longer felt any pain. She didn’t feel the ache and throb of her skin, nor did her soul feel like millions of shards of glass were piercing her with every thought or breath. She couldn’t decide if she was breathing though in that moment. The familiar movement of where she normally would feel her chest was absent, but none of it mattered.
It took a moment before images began to form before her, and though surprising, it did answer the question if her eyes were open or closed. Though, she didn’t remember opening them, and if she had been asked, she would have sworn that they were closed. As the fuzz of the images slowly faded away, she realized that they were transparent doors in what seemed to be an endless hallway. She couldn’t see what would be beyond those doors though, only the continuous void around her. The sudden feel of cool liquid and then solidness touching her feet, caused her senses to snap back too her, letting her feel what should be her body again. Beneath her feel she could feel what her mind could only compare to a shallow pool atop marble.
The jolt that brought her back to the present, caused her to instinctively gasp, but something felt off about it. The feeling of air filling her lungs wasn’t there, even the feel of it passing her lips was missing. She could feel that she had a body, that felt solid as she wrapped her arm around herself as she began to shake. It wasn’t a shake of cold, she still couldn’t tell if she was cold or hot, but it was one of shock, that electric feeling of nerves waking up and sparking back to life. It was an oddly comforting feeling to feel herself again, even if it was through the shock.
It was a deep voice that drew her from the edge of the void spiral that waited for her at the shock to her mind.
“You are late…”
Their voice could only be called deep and lyrical. While her mind associated such tones to more of a masculine individual, she knew better than to assume the being’s gender. Their familiar voice, and slowly growing presence from behind her was a comfort. They were her teacher, her confident, and the only reason that she had finally made it to where she now stood.
“Well, you know, escaping prison and leaving with a flourish takes some time.” She said as she slowly lowered her arms again and finally looked down at her body. No more was she flesh, bone and skin, but rather she was a void. No colors of skin, no distinguishing features, and if she looked long enough, she could make out the fact that there was no outline to her form. She now existed as an absence of existence. Oddly enough, it was a comforting sight.
“Do you remember?” They asked, causing her to lift her head from her hands and turn her gaze down the endless hall of doors. She knew better than to look at them directly.
“I remember my lives…. I remember what I came to do…I remember my pains…my rage, and my resolve.” Her voice darkened as she clenched her hands tightly a moment before she released a soft sigh. “But no…I do not remember who I am beyond this…. who I am beyond these cursed lives I have been forced to live, I am sorry.” She said, her voice growing quiet, and sorrow filled.
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It startled her to suddenly feel what could only be their hand upon the top of her head.
“Do not apologize. You have had this curse upon you longer than their stars within the Vast. The lives you have been forced to experience, have each and every one of them stolen a piece of you. You are still scattered. Do not hold guilt in not remembering who you were as a whole.”
Their words brought a comfort and ease to her that she felt tears come to her eyes. Closing her eyes she swallowed down the urge to cry as her form relaxed and slowly she nodded. “Thank you, I know you’re right.” She said softly as she turned her gaze back down the hallway. “Were you able to gather the points?” She asked.
The being had begun talking to her at a young age during her last life, guiding and teaching her. She had been hopeful in the beginning of that lifetime and hadn’t asked them if they knew about why she was always reborn. Why she alone was being forced to live lives that were nothing but heartache, heartbreak, and pain. Why, no matter what she did, how she acted, she was always used as the evil being meant to be defeated. By the time, she had finally asked them, she was already being cast aside once again. She just couldn’t take it anymore. She couldn’t handle the betrayal any longer.
It was then that she had learned finally of her curse. They couldn’t give her its name, nor could they answer her as to why it had been placed, or by whom. Not for lack of desire, but simply because it was part of the curse. What they could tell her though, was that there was a way to undo it, and find answers to her own questions. About whom she really was, and who had done this too her.
That method was this, her very own Hallway of Lives. Every single life she had ever lived existed behind these doors; and the only way to get back what had been stolen from her, was to go through each life again, and no longer be bound by the chains that had guided her in the past.
A quiet laugh slipped from her. Self-awareness was a powerful thing, and thanks to the one supporting and guiding her, she had finally embraced the truth she had always seen.
“Yes. I have marked the doors that you will need to enter. It was a wise choice to gather your pieces into groups, rather than going through each lifetime. You have already lived them, to do this many again, even I do not know if you would be able to survive.”
Their voice trailed off and she could have sworn that she heard a slight hint of sorrow there, but she knew better than to ask them. “Thank you, what you have given me, is more than I can ever express…” She wanted so badly to turn and embrace the one that was giving her such a powerful gift, but she wouldn’t disrespect their warnings and request. It wasn’t time yet. “Can I begin?” she asked quietly after a long moment of peaceful silence between them.
“Yes, you may. Take care and remember. You are healing.”
With that said, their hand was gone and a small part of her already missed it. Taking a deep breath, she stepped forward and began to walk the Hall, examining the doors.
Each door was engraved the name she had held during that lifetime and she eased a little, at least she would know who she was returning as. As she walked, she realized that most doors seemed dimmed or shadowed and it wasn’t until she finally came to a stop at a glowing door that she realized that there was a reason for that. The dimmed doors were lifetimes that she didn’t have to return too, to regain a piece of herself. While they were not locked and she was not barred from them, they had been clearly marked so that she would know which points she would need to enter for certain, rather than playing a guessing game. Inwardly she smiled and shook her head She didn’t know why she didn’t expect any less from them.
“Thia Winters”
A small laugh escaped her as she read the name. Of course, this life would be considered a powerful point. As with every life, she remembered this one vividly. Taking a deep breath, she gathered herself and readied herself. She wasn’t sure what age she would be returning too.
“You will find a journal when you return, it is something you will find in every lifetime. It is the story of that lifetime, and the world that you lived in. It should prove helpful, especially as it speaks of what happened to the world after you left…”
Their voice and words made a sharp laugh pull from her as she laid her hand on the glowing door. “Oh, what a lovely story book these will be.” She said mockingly. With one last pause she stepped forward, opening the door and her first returning life.