Priscilla maintained her struggles, the simple hopes inside her kept her going— despite the pain and suffering. She hoped that there was a reason for it all, a purpose which justifies it all. She believed that if enough time passed, so too would the pain. She held on, if nothing else, for the chance that she may survive. Priscilla was strong, unquestionably so. Her willpower could be considered unnatural as she faced the torment that was thrown at her. The desires of her subconscious mind burned with fury inside her— fueling her and giving her strength to make her struggles worthwhile in the end.
'Damned be the Imperial family! Damned be the Valentine Dukedom! And damned be that crimson garbed slut that subdued father, and all those fools who aided her!' she cursed the people and places in her mind. 'Damned slums, and Empire, and the world that gave those people the power to frame me!' If she had to suffer— so too would they rue the day when they framed her.
''You wanted a witch... you should pray, that you never meet a real witch!'' she muttered to herself through clenched teeth— she uttered the words repeatedly as the torment of her body and mind continued. She repeated it so much that it became a form of brainwashing onto herself. The words stirred something, a fundamental law that began to resonate with them. It planted itself into her mind— waiting. For in the long passage of time, there was a concept that not many ever knew about. 'Be careful what you wish for, for words are the most powerful when spoken.'
This concept— this resonance, it pulsed through the void, unseen and unheard. Soon power swelled inside Priscilla, completely unbeknownst to her— it was a tiny negligible strand of something beyond her, it opened her mind up, connecting it to the greater world beyond. The words of power manifested, their form obscured by the void at large, they latched onto Priscilla as they resonated with her. The etched carvings of a long-gone language spread across her limbs and torso— they marked her. It was the language of the Stars, the forgotten words of the Deities long-forgotten. Words— they had all of the power, and now these words too— had been spoken into existence. It mattered not whether Priscilla felt it, nor if she saw it. She spoke the words, she manifested the power, and now— she was what they claimed her to be, a Witch. She was marked by something beyond her comprehension, tainted by it, possessed by it— she was one with it.
She felt an electrifying sensation in her body, it surged through her cells, a ceaseless flood of power that could have drowned her in its embrace. Her eyes opened wide, burning brightly with an azure glow that contrasted the burning void around her. Golden lines formed from the corners of her brow, swirling towards her forehead in a mystifying fashion. They formed an emblem that etched itself into her forehead, a golden stamp that could never be purged from her soul. Similar lines covered the rest of her body— shifting and adjusting themselves as they formed a connection with her body, and her soul. It was a circuit of power— etched into the depths of her being.
From afar the spectating woman was suddenly struck by stupor, for she had recognized the power that spread its influence across Priscilla. 'Another Divinity festers in the Abyss... its power eager to manifest. How wonderful! How wonderful indeed... there is hope after all!' she thought. The woman glowed with a perverse joy as she caressed her face.
''Your touch hadn't aided me, but surely she will be different— she has to be.'' the woman muttered, as she smiled into the distance. ''Absorb its essence well, child. This is a good thing for you...The world is greater than what you could have ever imagined. Suffering is temporary, but life... it is infinite. Stay strong, endure, become one with the power.''
Unknowingly the cycle repeated, time and time again the pain and the endowment continued. It strengthened her— it changed her. Power and misfortune slammed against each other in perpetuity, the nightmares of her past beat her down, while the words of power struck a balance with it— raising her up and mending her damaged soul. Priscilla hovered there in a muddled state, unaware and struggling. For her survival was the only thought that propelled her, she dreaded this unknown place and the pain it brought upon her life, but she dreaded the thought of death more— she did not want to vanish without a trace. She would not rest— she could not, while the people who made her this way lived comfortably.
Fortunately for her, creation was just— her suffering had to come to an end, and end it did. The floods may pour in, but the rains will inevitably stop. For the looming starshine of dawn shall always illuminate the night's sky.
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Priscilla sat in silence, the darkness once more blanketed her like winter's first snow. She flexed her hands in front of her, the feeling of having your own body back under your control made her sigh with relief. Even the darkness couldn't unnerve her after the radiant heat and brightness that swallowed her during her period of suffering. It was comforting, it was safe. She cradled herself softly, rubbing her cheeks. She was overcome with emotions, she endured the hardships, she— survived! It was a precarious hell where one moment's of negligence could have swallowed her up and damned her for eternity. She didn't gloat, nor rejoice— for survival was but the start. She clenched her first as she felt something surging inside of her. A heat enveloped her insides as the spark of power coursed through her veins, the raw hum of nature swirled around her fingertips eagerly awaiting spring's bloom.
Before she could fully adjust to this strange sensation, a path of light spread from afar, stopping directly in front of her. The surging waves of power pushed the darkness away forming a path, where a bare-footed woman walked towards her. The woman's long raven black hair overwhelmed the darkness that surrounded them, her steps were soft and regal. As she walked a trail of grass and flowers formed behind her, she was— mystical. Priscilla felt her fingertips tremble as she felt them resonating with the woman as she approached her. There was a warmth radiating from the woman, it was strange almost disconcerting, how could someone so strange... feel so— right? She wore a long flowy gown of cyan and golden accents that made her look impeccably noble in stature, even for Priscilla's standards having lived most of her life in the Empire.
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''Who are you?'' Priscilla asked, more curious than wary as her eyes focused solely on the mystifying woman in front of her.
''I am— you. Not the current you, but the you that you will become.'' the woman replied softly before chuckling. Her melodious voice struck the air like a chime as she continued. ''Aeons have called me many names, a Demon, a Witch, a Deity, the Mother of All. I am Zae-Rin, but you child, can call me Rin.''
''Zae-Rin? It can't be! Are you from the Old World?'' Priscilla asked with astonishment. She studied so much in her life, she knew that the naming sense of the old world was unique and vastly different than that of current times. Only some tribes still maintained some relation to it— but that was only because they hadn't developed much since the fall of the old times. Was this woman so ancient? Her outward appearance rejected that thought, but considering how estranged this space was— maybe she was.
''Is that what they call it? That may be— it was long before your Empire came to be. War and strife emerged and man's ulterior motive came on full display as it brought ruin to the unity that was built. It's all meaningless titles and trifles now, in this purgatory where one is neither alive nor dead all those things are unimportant. Even with all the time we have— let's not focus on the insignificant parts!'' she said as she placed a hand on Priscilla's shoulder offering her reassurance.
''Now!'' she said suddenly, clapping her hands together. ''You must be extremely confused and lost, that's okay child! I'm here now so, fret not! It's all very simple!''
''Uhm.'' Priscilla was a tad reluctant after the energetic outburst from the woman, but she added ''I died in a fire, but you call this place a space where one's not dead or alive— so I think I understand it enough.''
''Do you understand it? You might! Surely there's stories of the abyss, purgatory, or the afterlife in general. These concepts should have spread across all Empires since the dawn of creation. For some this place is a prison, and for others a technicality that guides them to their final resting place. For most it's a fleeting moment that ends before they're even aware— but you. Your strong emotions while dying lead you to awaken in this place, it was a final lifeline that the fundamental laws of creation gave you in your time of need and desperation. Where there is hope— there is a way.'' Zae-Rin explained.
''You endured the repeated trials and tribulations thrown at you, facing the cruelty of a timeless torture designed to shatter soul's attachments to life— the fire, the demons, they all serve to cleanse your soul of the connection to life that formed in your last moments, and safely move you to the other side. But since your desires superseded the rites of purification, you've found yourself in a situation where you can actually use that connection, and return to the world of the living.'' Zae-Rin continued explaining, seemingly lost in a foreign sensation. Having been confined for so long, she had long since forgotten how it was to talk to another soul. She didn't even give Priscilla a chance to chime in instead going on a lengthy monologue.
''Now there's even more! In your circumstances you miraculously even resonated with one of the forgotten Deities of the Ancient Era! Your determination— I must say is quite strong! That's also why I said that I am the you, that you can become! For a long time ago I too was marked by one of those Deities. The only difference being that I was still alive when it happened— but that's besides the point.'' she shrugged it off as unimportant, but one could feel the excited tremble of her voice as she mentioned it.
''I can't be certain if your power is similar to my own, I can see the resonance that surrounds you, but there's countless variations of it. So child! Show me what you have!'' she clapped again and nudged Priscilla to show her the powers she has.
''Uhm... Lady Zae-Rin, I don't really know how to use them, I only barely felt it when you made your entrance. It all just kind of happened along the way.'' Priscilla was finally given a chance to reply, once Zae-Rin let her. ''All I felt was a surging inside like electricity coursing through me, it felt very natural— but I know nothing else about it.'' she made a fist, a verdant gust of energy swirled above her hand momentarily, before fading away.
''That's normal, child! Clear your mind of distractions and wandering thoughts, focus purely on your connection to the power within. It should have formed a circuit inside of you, constantly flowing, waiting for you to harness it. Open your palm and try to condense a spark of the power within your hand. Picture the energy manifesting— that is crucial. Manifestation is the soul of resonance that gives power to your thoughts. Create a tool in your hand, something which helps you realize your desires with!'' Zae-Rin instructed Priscilla, giving her the ideas and wisdom freely as she nudged her in the direction she needed to go without complaint.
Priscilla took a deep breath, nodding. ''Okay, I'll try.'' she cleared her mind of the thoughts, distractions and impurities that plagued it. She cleansed her heart of the sorrows and anger that lay buried in it. The power within thrummed with joy. It glowed with a flurry of colour as it began to condense in her hand. Streaks of crimson and azure, verdant and violet, the hues of black and white encapsulating them within a comforting shell. The power flourished, escaping the palm of her hand as it coated her entire body. Priscilla's now waist-long hair fluttered as her body began to hover with a mighty glamour. She opened her eyes briefly, feeling the mists vanish from her sight, but the distraction cost her as she began to sink back down and the power began to disperse around her.
Zae-Rin watched, her arms folded in front of her chest. She felt a stone's weight crumble from her shoulders. 'The girl has a perfect resonance!' it was a delight that brought a smile to her face. The universe blessed her with the best seed possible to nurture.
''Quickly now! Re-absorb it!'' she suddenly shouted at Priscilla. ''Swallow the energy and take control of it in its intensified form!''
Priscilla nearly fell from the sudden shout. She quickly calmed herself and began to absorb— it stung crazily. The forceful aura seeped into her bones as it flung itself viciously around her. It sliced her hair cutting it at an angle with one side at her shoulder and the other extending slightly lower. She hovered down, her feet touching down upon the groundless void. She exhaled a deep breath as she closed her eyes. It was a strange sensation— she could see inside of herself, she could see the power resting within her organs. It formed radiant circles of multi-coloured energy that revolved around them, oozing tendrils of subtle power that caused her heart to beat. For the first time ever... she felt— truly alive.