Domain And Tribulation

Lysandra Malkov

"Sorcery — the compkex phenomenon across all forms lf energy, natural and unnatural, the shaper of the empirical supernatural forces, the alteration of reality."

Lysandra's eyes twinkled, hearing her reflection sonorous voice. Even though it sounded better than the one that made her wish for death some moments ago.

"Domain of Esotericism — the pryer and the whisperer, the seer and hearer of godly and ungodly secrets. The mask of reality, the revealer of what lies beyond. "

Lysandra's spine turned cold, hearing her reflection. It felt as though each Domain had different effect on one's state of mind, and this particular Domain made her yearn for answers, a bit in a twisted and distorted way.

The apparition paused, sparing Lysandra a glance before averting it. Back to the translucent wall with complex inscriptions.

"The Domain of Wisdom — with sapience, comes pansophy, the frame of cosmology."

'That's all?' Lysandra glanced at her reflection with a questioning look.

This was the shortest explanation she had heard so far. Not only did it sound vague, but it also didn't sound like am explanation either. Shrugging, she waited for the reflection, for the last Domain.

"The final Domain…" The apparition's piercing voice cit through the air.

"The Domain of Technocrat."

"The neitral force, an extension of consciousness, the one who came at the final hour."

The reflection landed with a soft tap, locking her hands behind her. A cool breeze blew the thin garment she wore as she gazed at the young lady whose form she assumed.

"Um… so what next?" Lysandra asked, her brows raised.

"You choose thy Domain." The reflection answered in her usual emotionless tone.

Lysandra's face remained unperturbed. She expected that answer. But…

She needed some time to think about which Domain to choose. At this point, she felt if she didn't understand what this whole thing meant, she might as well donate her brain.

'The Domains are probably the remains of the gods when they died?' Lysandra's cheeks faltered.

The cult preached absolute devotion to the gods… but the gods were long dead, she knew that, even though everyone thought she was a sinner who would suffer in the deepest pit of hell.

'Choosing a Domain probably means becoming a follower, or maybe a descendant?' Lysandra furrowed her eyes. She couldn't be reckless with her choices.

"I think you're getting it twisted." The slithering voice of the apparition rang in the air.

"Hih?" Lysandra glanced in her direction, giving her a question look.

"No one said anything about you having a say in the Domain you choose." The apparition licked her chin, her fork tongue flashing in the air.

"What?" Lysandra's head turned, taken aback.

"But… you said I should choose a Domain." she said.

"Yes, by touching the wall… you leave the rest for it to decide." The apparition shrugged as though she was saying something insignificant.

Lysandra, on the other hand, couldn't help but feel a growing sense of foreboding. She wanted the Domain of Death, the only right choice in her opinion. She wanted to bless everyone who cursed her pain with death… in the most gruesome manner.

She didn't even know what Domain of Death mean lr what it had to offer. In fact, she didn't know the reason she found herself here nor the end goal. However if she'd take a stroke of lick, she would rather go for something that aligned with her goal the most.

However, her hope had been watered down before it even surfaced. Every thing from here kn depended on what the wall felt was right for her.

Releasing a long breath, Lysandra took that step — the step that changed her life forever.

With a gentle tap, she placed her palms on the translucent wall feeling a warm energy course through her body. This continued for a while before the energy became turbulent.

A wave of hot air attacked her, then came sweet and obnoxious smell that assaulted her nostrils. She tried to take a step, but her palms refused to remove themselves from the wall.

Just when the feeling became unbearable and she started feeling uncomfortable, the translucent wall flashed with a green light, and then…

"Domain of Alchemy."

An ancient voice that seemed to travel across multiple timelines rang in Lysandra's ears, making her tremble as she fell on her two knees, bleeding from her nostrils.

Before she could recollect her thought, the voice sounded again. This time around, even Lysandra's reflection took a few steps back with wariness.

"Prepare for your tribulation, Invader."

"What's that?" Lysandra wondered panting. However the voice didn't keep her waiting for too long.

Like a flash, Lysandra lost control of her body, hovering like a feather, and then came the information override. Things she couldn't comprehend, things that had hidden deep within her. But that wasn't all.

The ceiling of the training hall vanished, revealing an emeral, starless sky. Lysandra's reflection leaned on a wall like a statue, not daring to look into the sky.

"Argh!" Lysandra whimpered.

She wanted to scream, but it felt as though she was drowning, getting her throat stuffed. Her skin start shedding, her black hair falling off like dried leaves. Bones and flesh wriggled, and grey hair replaced her old strands of hair.

Her hair grew to her waist, dancing in mid air in a still environment. After a few minutes, Lysandra fell to the wooden floor, beads of tears trickling down her face as she opened her eyes slowly.

"You're welcome to Cursed Paradise once again, you're now an official Invader."

The apparition's voice rang in her ears, but she paid her no attention. The pain just now…

If she thought everything from before was her imagination, this right here wasn't. It felt like the realest thing that had ever happened to her. Inspecting her body, her eyes twitched, the first thing that entered her view were the long strands of white hair that felt like silk.

Then her skin, she didn't look more beautiful, nor did she add any colour. She could even see all her old scars. Yet, something seemed different about her.

"Cursed Paradise, huh?" Lysandra smirked.