I always hated the ferric taste of blood in my mouth. It's even worse when it's a blend of blood, saliva and dirt. It seems stupid to attach such importance to this detail when your are slowly losing consciousness, but trust me, when you have a dagger proudly stuck in your back, it helps. This wretched feeling, the pain, I don't even remember the last time I felt something like that. My mind is clouded, my eyes foggy. Thinking was becoming harder with every drop of blood splashing on the puddle that was now under me. While hearing cries and footsteps far away from my own private pool, I asked myself what the fuck happened for me to end in this state. This question accompanied me while my consciousness faded away. Sleep, yeah, sleep is always the best.

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In the middle of a quiet and dimly lit palace far away from the worries of common men sat a priestess. She was held in high esteem by the plebeian. Venerated for her grace, beauty and good deeds aiming at improving the lives of billions of her people. Watch duty of the guards safeguarding her was a highly sought-after position. The calm of her meditation was only disturbed by her rhythmic and melodious breathing.

When she suddenly opened her eyes a flash of light blinded the spectators. A groan escaped from her mouth while she was pulled into the air by a mystic force. A vision occurred.

It was a sight to behold, witnessing her when a vision occurs. Mystic sentences of cryptic meaning. But it never happened to be something so majestic, overbearing and dangerous. Records of her bloodline never mentioned an effect this disproportionated. The light ray swiftly became a radiant sun and was illuminating the pillars of the room.

All people present could now hear her groans transform into cry for help.

Bloody tears running along her pale cheeks dirtying her usually immaculate gown.

Something went awry, horribly awry.

The servants knew it, the guards knew it and the captain was sure of the gravity of the situation when everybody failed to push forward to help her !

Unable to cope with the situation he dispatched one of his men to seek her father, the King, with a simple nod of his head.

Everything happened so quickly that nobody could even react when the light disappeared sinking into deep darkness and she fell to the ground like an inarticulate doll. The dull, heavy sound she made when she hit the floor broke the heart of everyone.

Dashing straight to her body, seizing her in his arms, he reached for her cheek, softly shacking her to get her eyes to focus on him while he muttered :

"Priestess, princess, miss, Merry, please, respond, can you hear me ? Dear god, what can I do ?"

Matthew, the captain of her guard was aghast when he saw her in this state. Her face was drained of all colors except for the blood stains. He tried to bring her back to herself but the sole answer he got was a feverish whisper :

"I saw him... Find him. Find the one who walks among us but is not one of us. The golden immortal, find him and help him. If he dies or loose it again, we are doomed. Doom...ed..."

"Merry, Merry, please, stay with me ! What do you mean by golden immortal ? What do you mean by loose it ? Please stay with me. GUARDS, SEND MEDICAL SUPPORT NOW ! Merry, come back, Merry ... "

Her cry faded away, muffled by the pain, where her consciousness was heading to, it was impossible to perceive them.

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I don't remember when or how I came to awake in this strange space. No word would be able to perfectly describe what I had in front of me because I was not event able to process and comprehend what I was seeing.

Is it a dream ?

Is it death ?

Is it both at the same time ?

Dunno ...

Weird, the possibility that I died didn't even phase me. I feel strangely disinterested to even weight the consequences that my death could have ...

Could have for whom ?

And why would my life or death matter to anyone ?

The more I tried to think about it, the more I was losing the trail of my thought.

It was like feeling an object turning to sand in your hand.

Sure, you can contain part of it, but with every movement, a little bit of sand escape your grasp.

What was I talking about again ? Yes, my unusual situation.

"..."

I tried talking, but my voice didn't produce any sound.

What kind of voice was I even expecting ?

What was I trying to say ?

To whom was I even trying to talk ?

And more importantly ... Who am I ?

Suddenly a barrage of thoughts and emotion rushed to me, it seems like a flood after a dam collapsed under pressure. I started suffocating even if I wasn't even breathing. I was not able to regain my calm under the pressure, threatening to drown me. Besieged from all side, vertigo soon pummeled me.

"Stop thinking !"

Oh ? That came out well.

My shout seemed to release all the pressure I was starting to accumulate and I was finally able to relax somehow. It seems that not all of me is gone, finally.

A lot of questions are still unanswered, but well, one step at a time.

Firstly, what is this place ?

I bear this strange feeling that I do know this area like the back of my hand despite not remembering it. I also feel I merely have to want, crave or desire something to make it happens here. That my every thought can shape this world.

So ... why is everything motionless, every color bland and everything ... broken ?

Am I broken ?

Is my world broken ?

I don't understand, my instinct screams at me that I am the sole master of this place and that my will allows me to take control of everything in existence. Creating life and destroying all with a ordinary swipe of my hand.

But nothing move, all is dead.

Am I also dead ?

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No, no useless thoughts, let's focus !

What do I want ? I want to repair my world.

And when do I want it ? I want it now !

I get a feeling that something snapped back in place in my head. It's the right way, I know it.

I push my will in this direction, I mend, stitch and repair all I can even if I don't understand what it was before. I weave reality together, bulldoze my way with pure brute force. Crave for my life back.

Give me back my world !

Who knows how long it took me but this broken world started to regain some color, things seems more real and tangible.

Particularly one shape, one I definitely know.

I distinguish it, her, but she is impervious to my questioning glare.

This unmoving shape...

I don't recall her name, but I crave to say it.

I don't know her, but I loved her.

I almost want to linger here with her, but she wants me to leave.

The shape seemed to smile and all my world became white.

All disappeared.

For better or worse, we'll see very soon.