It was the time of night, when the city was freshly showered in the monsoon rain and the dense clouds were leaving the sky.
The city lights reflected upon the glistening wet pavilion as a young lady who seemed to be in her twenties walked over them. One of her hands was carrying a coffee cup, the other hand was occupied with a cell phone which showed a webnovel and an umbrella was balanced between her hand and shoulder.
Suddenly her phone started vibrating and the young lady almost flinched. Her finger paused for a second before she picked up the call.
A loud sharp voice exclaimed as soon as the call was connected.
"What's taking you so long? Mrs. Choi will be arriving with her son soon!"
When she heard about the 'son' her body tensed up in a second.
"There was an emergency case in the hospital-"
"Okay I will let it pass this time." there was a sigh, "But you need to learn how to manage between your career as well as personal life. None of them can be compromised! I raised you with so many struggles not for you to become a shut in. Mother simply wants you to not face the troubles I have to face...you understand me, right?"
The young lady bit her lips tightly and blinked back the tears that appeared in her eyes. She took a deep breath and asked.
"Mom, do I have to meet them?"
"Of course, how-"
"I don't like him. He disgusts me, he-"
"Not this again. We talked about this, men are like that sometimes. They get a little undisciplined but that's not a reason for you to just break off the marriage! You two are already engaged. What will-?"
"You don't even know…" her voice was barely a whisper before she pressed the red symbol.
The call was disconnected.
Within the next second her phone started to vibrate with an incoming call but she was tired of hearing the same thing again.
This life of hers, where she always did what she was told, it was becoming suffocating.
Since childhood, she was groomed into a well behaved child who accepted all that she was taught. But with time she began to see things that didn't feel right, she wanted to speak against them but that was not something she was taught.
She wanted to fight, but she didn't know how to do that without offending her close relatives and friends. They praise her and treat her so well when she is obedient and acts how they desire, how will they react if she does anything outrageous?
'We have a reputation to maintain'
These were the words of her mother that silenced her almost every wish.
When she has tried so hard to please others and understand them better, she also wanted to be understood.
She was crossing the road when a sudden pang in her heart made her freeze, blood trailed down her nose. She lifted her fingers to touch the warmth, but when she saw red, her breaths became quick and shallow. There was a scream, someone was shouting and a loud noise was approaching her but she could not hear them, they all were like distant echoes.
She lifted her eyes, two sharp lights blinded her vision and the distant screams became too loud.
She could barely remember the pain, but she remembered the silhouette of that truck. The hazy faces of people surrounded her and her body was being claimed by cold at a frightening speed. The darkness came soon, like an old friend that embraced her too well, too quickly, and something she could not resist.
Her phone was lying on a pool of blood, and the cracked screen that showed 'The Damsel Of Death' was glitching violently.
…
..
.
.
.
..
…
The darkness was everywhere and she knew that her end had come. Strangely, it was not death that grieved her heart. Death seemed like a peaceful alternative to her life that was weighing her down.
It seemed too much at one second, and worth nothing at another.
When she thought back to her life of twenty one years, there was nothing she could really remember. All that happened was like a blur which was lived by someone other than her.
It was her life, but the control was never hers.
She was fortunate enough to be born in a wealthy family, but her parents never had time for her. After her mother and father divorced, things only became worse. Her mother was an ambitious woman who refused to take anything from her husband and instead dedicated her life to building her own hospital.
She rose from rags to riches and everyone respected her.
Her daughter never blamed her for not giving enough attention to her, but how was her heart supposed to be satisfied with the scraps of love she received?
The only person who ever claimed to be her lover betrayed her. He has made so many promises but all of them were shallow in the end. He took advantage of her naive nature.
And she had no choice but to agree to marry that man.
Their families have already decided it.
If only she had the chance to go back, if only she could right all the wrongs, if only she could live… if only…
As if her thoughts were heard, something stirred in the darkness that enveloped her. Small specks of light manifested and spread across like stars that appear in the night sky.
The darkness around her began to swiftly change, it melted with light and created galaxies. There were suns and stars, moons and planets, and a whole universe in front of her.
"You are dead."
Suddenly a voice spoke. It was hard to tell the gender, but the voice had a very soothing tone despite the words it said.
"I know I am dead,"
"Once someone leaves their world, they can never return. The stars decide fates, if something is not meant for you… you will never get it."
"..."
"However, I am not someone that the stars can control."
"..."
"What? I am beyond the bounds of fate, time and space and even reality! Don't you want to ask me for some wish or something?" The voice exclaimed at lack of response she was receiving.
"...that's why you came here. You already had something in mind, my asking it does not change that fact." the young lady replied calmly,
There was a laugh.
"It's not always wise to run your mouth so carelessly~"
"I am already dead, what worse can happen?"
"Sigh, they are often this obnoxious after dying." the voice chuckled, "But you see, it's my job to fulfill wishes before taking the souls, and hence I would give you one wish. You can ask for anything!"
"...my wish?" the young lady closed her eyes and pretended to be asleep, "What if my wish is something that can not be fulfilled?"
"Huh?"
The place where she grew up has tired her soul too much. Even if she goes back there, there was something about it that made her want to run away as far as possible and start a new life.
"What if my wish involves something that does not even exist?"
The voice laughed at this, and the young lady felt a sudden cold presence behind her. The hair on her neck rose but when she turned around she could see no one.
"Look around you, child. There are endless galaxies and endless dimensions. In these multiple universes, there lies endless possibilities. You can be anything, you can be anywhere."
The stars begin to swirl within the galaxies, their light reflecting in the young lady's wide eyes. She took a hesitant step back as the voice became more loud and it echoed magnificently inside her mind.
"You have one chance to change your destiny, what would you wish for?"
"I… I can wish for anything?"
"Yes, my child. Not everyone gets this opportunity. Choose wisely~"
She bit her lips and her eyes lit up as a wild thought invaded her mind. There was nothing to lose.
"I want to live inside the world of 'Damsel of Death'!"
"Oh but before that, I need you to give me your name."
The lady said her name.
"Your wish has been granted~"
The voice suddenly became a little wicked, something about it sent a shiver down the young lady's spine but before she could think anything more, a dark smoke swirled around her and the force keeping her afloat disappeared.
It was as if she was falling inside a giant hole of light and shadow. Distant voices clouded inside her and then suddenly, an AI voice spoke. The voice was rugged and broken at first before it slowly became clear.
A red holographic screen appeared in front of her.
[____, do you wish to proceed? This action is irreversible.]
[Yes] [No]
The young lady pressed 'yes' without a second thought. Her surroundings shook with a rough tremor. It was as if thousands of stones were clashing against each other right outside her smoke vortex.
[The connection to galaxy-170408 has been established.]
[The world is identified as Type S]
[Merging of the two realities initiated...the consciousness is asked to brace themselves.]
What she experienced next was the worst pain of her life. It was so overwhelming that she begged to die but there was no voice to answer her. It was as if her soul was being shattered into a million pieces.
[The transaction has been completed.]