From Me, To You

N-no way.

My mind suddenly darted back to the dream I had this morning. The enigmatic man in the black trench coat—his words echoed in my head, repeating over and over like a needle piercing through my skull.

They're coming.

They're coming.

They're coming.

The words that ominous man spoke kept repeating in my head as my brain started to shut down from the lack of oxygen.

There's no way... that dream was... a premonition... right?

"SHE'S COMING! HAHAHAHA!"

The words came, but not from me. Before my vision went black, I felt the grotesque breath of the being before me reach my nose one last time. He screamed those two dreaded words before breaking into a dreadful laugh.

Wait… who's she…?

With that final thought, I lost consciousness.

.

.

.

.

The first thing I felt when I came to was a headache. It was as though I had just recovered from a severe head injury—my body was exhausted. I tried to grip my head, but my arms wouldn't move. I tugged at them, only to realize they were bound behind my back.

The next thing I noticed was my position. I was sitting on something—a hard wooden chair. The old wood creaked under my weight as I struggled, testing the strength of the bindings on my wrists.

Finally, my vision started to return. My eyelids felt unbearably heavy as I pried them open. A dim, flickering light from a candle-lit lamp to my left assaulted my vision, forcing me to squint as I adjusted to the illumination of the...

Cage?

My head jerked to the right, my eyes wary of the lamp's glow. Surrounding me were rustic gold metal bars, stretching upward and converging at the top. The floor beneath me was wooden, old, and slightly creaky. The air carried a peculiar scent—a blend of aged wood and the sweet, almost overwhelming fragrance of roses.

Is this… a birdcage?

I peered beyond the bars, my curiosity laced with unease. But no matter how hard I strained my eyes, all I could see was pitch-black emptiness. The flickering lamp cast no light beyond the cage's perimeter, as if the world outside simply didn't exist. No breeze, no movement—just an eerie, suffocating void.

This is… weird. Is this some kind of trial? Or did they throw me into a dungeon? No, it can't be the latter. That 'thing' would have executed me on the spot. Where is everyone? And more importantly…

"Why am I back in my casual outfit? I even have my flat cap o—"

"Because that's how you imagined yourself."

A sultry, unfamiliar female voice suddenly spoke from my left.

I jolted, whipping my head around. My eyes fell on the corner of the cage, where the candlelight barely reached. There, lying on a small wooden bed, was a woman—her body reclined lazily as if she had just awoken.

Her long, rose-pink hair cascaded over the edge of the bed, a few strands hanging limply in the dim glow. One of her arms draped off the side, and a single leg dangled lazily, swinging ever so slightly. Her lips, full and vibrantly colored like her hair, curled into an unreadable expression.

Even though she had just woken up, her gaze was razor-sharp, piercing straight into mine.

And that's when I noticed something that sent a chill down my spine.

"Your eyes… they're the same color as—"

"The 'priest'? Well, yes, that would make sense." She smirked. "After all, I'm the one who used him to bring you here."

She sat up slowly. The thin red dress draped over her body barely concealed her figure—it looked more like sleepwear than a formal gown. Her bare feet pattered softly against the wooden floor with each step as she sauntered toward me.

"You're a bit un—"

"Beautiful? I'm flattered."

She interrupted me again, as she moved towards me in a graceful manner still overwhelmed by the lamps light. I sighed in frustration, furrowing my brows as I shot her a half-annoyed smile.

"Yes, I suppose you are beautiful. But could you please let me fin—"

"That compliment was at least truthful. And here I thought you had a habit of lying to girls, hmm~?"

I let out an exasperated sigh, hanging my head in defeat. There was no use arguing with someone like her.

Seeing my reaction, she grinned mischievously, her hands covering her mouth as if suppressing laughter.

"Yes, I guess I'll let you finish. But there's really no reason for you to speak, I can already predict everything you say."

Rolling my eyes, I responded in turn.

"And can you guess what I'm thinking right now?"

Your pissing me off.

She looked at me, again covering her mouth in a mischievous way.

"A mere hello would have sufficed. But alas, you boorish men are always the same."

I sat there, a bit appalled by the misunderstanding she was thinking of.

But then, she seemed to stop having fun as she straightened her posture. She let out a soft sigh, her demeanor shifting from playful to something more melancholic.

She lowered herself to the floor beside me, curling up next to my bound form. Her head rested gently against my side, her arms wrapped around her legs. I furrowed my brows a bit feeling her head stab my ribs.

Um, when did I consent to touching me, lady?

Despite my inner protest, she continued as she spoke.

"I guess we can start here. After all, I don't know how long you can sustain this place, you mortals are quite fragile after all."

After she said that, I got a slight hint to where I was, curiously, I asked.

"Are you... an ancestor of mine? You definitely don't look like it, no offense."

She looked up at me, her deep pink eyes glowing faintly in the candlelight. At this distance, she was breathtaking. Porcelain skin, delicate features, an aura of both elegance and mystery…

In any other situation, I might have been flustered. But here, in this strange and tranquil place, I felt… calm. Unusually so. Almost as if this space belonged to me.

Finally, with another mischievous smile, she answered.

"None taken. And not quite, though, we are here for the same reason."

With cautious curiosity, I met her gaze.

"And what would that be?"

She turned to look into the abyss, her smile fading a bit.

"Usually, you inherit your powers from an ancestor correct? Well your quite unusual, as you posses my scent. So I wanted to meet you before anything else did. Your the first mortal I've ever seen carry my scent, so I was more than curious."

Anything? Doesn't she mean, anyone?

She than looked at me, her eyes serious.

"Your doomed to die if your black divinity is discovered. Fate dictates you will die now, but I don't need to take heed to my own domain."

Curious, I asked.

"Who are you?" I twisted my head to look her in the eyes. "You don't look like an average human, and we certainly aren't somewhere based in reality, are we?" I asked, still somewhat shocked I could remain so calm in such a situation.

With a soft smile, she returned to looking towards the distance. Her hands started to emit a faint pink-red mist, and she started to form them into strings, playing with them.

"No, I suppose I don't." Her tone remained melancholic, almost longing. "I'm someone of the void, neither Demon nor God, a bit hard to explain, I'm afraid."

She suddenly sounded annoyed, and her expression seemed scrunched as she continued to stare outside.

"And all I can do, is remain here in this endless void. I don't think you can comprehend how boring that is. But than this cage appeared, and its scent was so similar to mine that I claimed it for my own. Its doors only up to me as well, which helped keep all the other things away."

I stared at her, inquisitively while also glancing towards the blackness.

"What do you mean by things?"

Her gaze returned to me, locking onto my face. Her next words sent a shiver through my spine.

"Things that you couldn't comprehend, at least, not yet. And don't try to. If I'm not here, you'll voices, noises. Maybe even someone you know. Never leave this cage. Ever." With a slow nod of my head, she continued.

"After I entered this cage, I finally sensed it. Someone just like me, except he was mortal. So I waited until your ceremony, and quickly grabbed you before your death. Your welcome, by the way."

With a slightly disgruntled side glance, she continued to play with the red-pink strings between her finger.

But instead of thanking her, a sudden realization struck me.

Wait, why am I not remembering anything? Nothing about her, this place—nothing. Shouldn't I be remembering something about this? Is this not in Paradise Lost?

"Well, I'm happy to keep you company while I'm here if that makes it any better."

I felt the woman leaning on me to my left soften a bit, as if some tension had been relieved.

"Despite my temperament, I'd like that, but I can always just summon you back if I need to, so I wouldn't worry about that."

With a small nod, I continued my questioning.

"And what was up with the mad priest? Did you really have to summon me in such a horrifying manner? I thought I was dead."

I nearly died, and yet I still feel so calm.

With a slight chuckle, the woman pulled some of her hair behind her ear, allowing me to see her full face.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean for it to be so 'explosive.' I merely sent one of my pets to possess that man for a quick second before he killed you, so we could communicate. Otherwise, they'd find out about your 'unholy' element."

So shes been watching me? She sounds like she knows much more than she lets on. Not to mention, if one of her "pets" can posses that monster.... than who the hell is she exactly?

I ask another question, starting to feel a little drowsy while doing so.

"So you want me to inherit your power right? I'm guessing it's that red-pink mana your playing with. What exactly is the path you follow? I'm not too well versed with that color."

I knew what red meant, and had a clue on what pink represented. But pink and red? I was almost clueless.

She faced me yet again, but this time was different. Her eyes started glowing more than usual, and shapes began forming within them. Even in such a tranquil realm, the whole room began to shake and tremble. The air seemed to gather on this side of the room, as if the woman before me were siphoning all the energy from it.

She widened her eyes, revealing a glowing pattern within them. Reflected in them was ancient magical arcana—something lost to time many centuries ago.

Magic circles.

Her eyes reflected intricate magic circles inscribed with engravings, stained red and pink—a deep, chaotic beauty that struck my brain and robbed me of all control. I was powerless. Trapped in a room that should have been within my jurisdiction, yet I could not struggle.

She finally closed her eyes, returning them to normal.

"You can inherit these eyes. My affinity is Fate, it's up to you to discover more. You will inherit my affinity, and you will inherit these eyes. Therefore, I will forever be a part of you, and you, a part of me."

Sounds... creepy? But shes strong, and I need a different element if I want to keep my head.

"You can decline my eyes, if you'd like. But know this, the only other route I see for you is death. The strings of fate I control dictate you and I are intertwined, but you can cut the strings now, if you so desire." She continued talking to me, while getting up from the floor. Even doing such a movement, power and prestige seeped from every movement, and I felt like a mortal in front of a deity. She than straddled me, cupping my face with her hands, while keeping eye contact with me, as if she was preparing to rip my eyeballs out of their sockets.

I answer her resolve with a slightly sarcastic smile.

"I have a choice? From my current position, I was sure that wasn't on the table. Then again, I guess you've already assumed my answer, given the way your currently smothering me. So sure, I'll inherit your eyes—just make sure the priest doesn't see th—"

With a genuine smile that I hadn't seen yet on the woman's face, she covered my mouth with her hand and whispered in a sultry and dependent voice.

"Don't worry, I've thought of everything. After all, I saw this coming, as you've already guessed… hmm~?"

In a slightly annoyed face, I looked at her and moved my face away to remove her hand.

"Whatever, and also please don't just straddle me without my consent. I know you don't live in reality, but many would consider thi-."

I suddenly started to feel incredibly tired, as if weights had been attached to my eyelids. My body ached, as though I had run a marathon, and my entire form tensed as I struggled to breathe.

Through my hazy vision, I saw the woman before me—her expression had shifted. A slight sadness settled in her eyes as she looked down at me.

"Well, I guess it had to end eventually. But don't worry, we will see each other again when the time is right. For now, I guess I'll redecorate our home. Its a bit bare currently."

She seemed to resign herself, as she got off my body, still looking at me.

I struggled to let out one final sentence before exhaustion consumed me.

"W-wait… what's your n-name?"

Her expression brightened just a little, and with a soft smile, she brushed a few strands of hair away from my eyes.

"Charlotte."

Hearing that, I wanted to say something before she cut me off.

"Don't worry, I know. I'll see you soon, Damian. I'll be watching~."

My eyes finally shut, exhaustion overtaking me. Darkness seeped in, and my senses dulled as if I were floating away.

Suddenly, I heard one last thing before unconsciousness took me.

"Also, you might want to investigate the drinks. Consider it a parting gift from me…"

They're coming.

"…to you."