Elaine's eyes gaped open, full of surprise. She was alive, but not lying on the forest floor or in a hospital bed. Instead, she lay in the middle of an endless, empty white space of nothingness stretched from one horizon to another.

Where am I?

She tried moving her body and realized the pain had disappeared. Elaine sat up and tested her arms and legs. They appeared in perfect condition, with no visible wounds or broken bones. But how? Elaine remembered she sustained fatal injuries trying to maintain the barrier. Her stomach still churned from the horror.

Was it all a dream? Or is this world a dream?

Elaine remained in silence while many problems lingered on her mind. Why did the Devil Beasts, which ignored her before, turn berserk and attack? And why didn't the method she read from the book work? Elaine began doubting her knowledge of Estella's world inside the book. The longer she reiterated the events, the more frustrated she became.

I'm getting nowhere thinking about this. At least, I need to find out where I am first.

She glanced down and noticed the ground was not solid but composed of a soft, misty material. Was she floating? How was it supporting her? Elaine tried applying her weight but, despite her best effort, could not poke through the cloud-like substance. She finally recognized that the place she 'landed' was not Earth, nor was it Crea.

What is this place? How did I get here?

Questions upon questions kept piled up without answers. Eventually, Elaine decided to explore the emptiness rather than dawdling away the whole day with her thoughts. She stood up and looked around, walking toward an unknown destination. Mist fogged Elaine's sight, further hindering her directional senses. She wandered for a long time, not knowing how many hours or days had passed. Peculiarly, Elaine experienced neither exhaustion nor hunger. Something was refueling her energy. Was it this strange mist?

Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

A sudden crackling noise perked up her ears. Elaine tried pursuing the direction of the noise. After a while, she finally saw four sitting silhouettes beyond the mist. Maybe they could tell her about this mysterious place. Unable to contain her excitement, Elaine ran toward the figures. However, she came to an abrupt halt before reaching her destination. The fog cleared, and Elaine caught the appearance of the sitting strangers, two men and two women.

They sat circling a small campfire, each wearing an ancient garb she had never seen before. They had bodies of humans but with heads of animals. The closest figure, a man with a tiger head, noticed Elaine.

"It seems like there is a young lady in our midst." He chuckled. "Come on over and warm yourself. It is cold out there."

Elaine hesitated, not knowing if she should trust the intimidating 'man.'

"It looks like our appearances scared the little lady." Another figure spoke, a woman with the head of an extravagant bird. "Come now, little lady. We meant you no harm." Her melodious voice beckoned Elaine while she reached out her hand.

Elaine stared at the half-human, half-animal strangers, still hesitant whether to accept their offer. But if she declined, who else could she find to answer her questions? Besides, could she escape even if she wanted to? Lost and confused, Elaine had nowhere to turn. She inched toward the campfire and sat next to the bird-woman. The woman gave Elaine an affable smile and handed her a plate of fruits. "Have some of these. You must be starving."

Elaine's stomach growled. Strange. She didn't feel hungry before. She reached for the fruits, but the other woman, a lion head half-human, stopped her before she could take one.

"I would not eat those if I were you. Unless you want to remain forever in this place." She warned.

Elaine's hand pulled back.

"Oh, I forgot. The little lady is a human!" The bird-woman exclaimed and retrieved the plate.

"Did you now?" The other woman chided.

"I wasn't really going to let her eat them. It was just a light jest."

Elaine scooted away from the bird-woman. Her idea of a joke was too dangerous. She then gave the lion-woman an appreciative glance.

"Could you tell me where I am?"

"You are at the boundary, of course." The bird-woman laughed.

"Boundary? Between where?" A bewildered Elaine asked.

"The boundary between life and death." The lion-woman answered.

Elaine's eyes opened wide. "Then am I..." She struggled with the word but finally uttered, "dead?"

"No, you are not, young lady." The tiger-man answered. His modulated tone calmed Elaine. "Your time has not come yet." He then looked into the void. She followed his gaze but saw nothing.

"It is time for you to return." He declared.

"Return? To where?" Elaine's brows wrinkled in confusion. But before she could continue her inquiries, her hands became transparent, disintegrating into small particles. "Wait! I don't want to leave yet. I still have many questions." Elaine panicked. These beings might be the closest she would get to solving the mystery of her transmigration into the book.

"Do not worry, little lady. Fate connected us. We will meet again soon." The bird-woman rang out with silvery laughter. "Since this is our first meeting, I will give you a parting gift." A small wooden doll appeared in the woman's hand. It then flew out and descended on top of Elaine's dress. "Keep this doll with you at all times. It might help you one day."

Elaine opened her mouth, but no words came out as the rest of her body transformed into stardust and flew across the empty sky.