After her collision, Li Na felt her soul lift itself up from her body. She could not hear nor see anything, and only felt that time and space was distorted into an incomprehensible medium that her spirit currently traveled in.
She then felt a soft breeze guide her in one direction, until she could gradually feel something like the weight of water and a body taking form around her soul.
𝘞𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘳?
Her mind was in a daze as her soul floated through nothingness, but she immediately entered into a state of extreme panic and anxiety when water began to encase her as if it was slowly sucking her in like quicksand.
Even though her head was above the water, she began to choke and her breaths became rapid. Her mind swam with images of the past, causing her to feel suffocated, and it was as if water was crawling around her throat, slowly cutting off her oxygen supply.
She tried to move her arms, but only managed to weakly twitch her fingers. Faintly feeling the cold metal tightly wrapped around her wrists and and the intense, numbing sensation in her arms, Li Na subconsciously understood she was at the moment bound by chains.
She kept her eyes closed tightly as she endured waves of dizziness and anxiety from the water and her current state. What happened? Where in the world was she?
She thought she already died--was this hell, or another place for her to experience pain and death all over again?
𝘊𝘢𝘭𝘮 𝘥𝘰𝘸𝘯, 𝘓𝘪 𝘕𝘢. She was not the type to let fear completely take over and wallow in despair. Slowly but surely, she shakily sucked in and out the murky air around her, until her rapid breathing turned into steady but laborious breaths. At some point, Li Na was finally able to get through her mind that she was high enough above the water to take in air without the need to struggle.
When she at last mustered the courage to open her eyes, what met her was pitch black darkness.
She was blindfolded, but she could also tell her surroundings were dark because of the lack of light through the cloth.
Li Na moved her leg back slightly through the water. Her toe felt the gritty, rock floor and met with an especially sharp object, causing her foot to curl up in pain.
Judging from the musty air and hard surface below, she deduced that she was currently locked up some kind of metal box fill with water.
At that moment, she heard multiple footsteps echoing through the ceiling above her at a distance, along with muffled voices.
When they got closer, she heard a muted voice: "She has been stuck inside for 10 days or so now, she should be easy to coax."
Li Na tried to quiet down her huge breaths, but only managed to make it return to rapid breathing. Flashes of being underwater kept running through her mind.
𝘚𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘨𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘳𝘺 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘴𝘪𝘥𝘦.
She heard the sound of metal screech like a dying animal from above and a dim light flooded through her eyes.
A low chuckle resounded through the air, chilling her bones. "Lift her up with those chains."
Her numb arms dully felt a throbbing pain as she rose from the water, and the metal door screeched again, closing with a resounding thud as it fully closed the small water prison.
She was seated on a wooden chair and felt two rough hands put her wrists behind her. The chains rattled noisily and there was a click of a lock.
"My, my," the same voice that ordered her up, hummed in pleasure, "the precious 5th princess of Gerwenia spent so long within that box, it's a wonderful thing to see that it only enhanced her beauty."
As a long, bony thumb slid across her cheek, Li Na suppressed the urge to lean her head away and kept silent, head bowed.
Slowly, the hand wrapped lightly around her thin, pulsing neck. "Now tell me Princess, do you treasure your life? If you work for me, I promise you a long life filled with riches and comfort. No one without my permission will cause your any more pain."
Li Na knew nothing of this man's purpose for her that caused him to propose this deal. She only just understood that she was some princess, and she neither had a personal connection with the princess's family. But she sensed from his words and actions was that if she gave in to his deal, her life would not be her own; just a doll encased within his play house.
The man's attitude of approaching her reminded her of the kidnappers she encountered in her past life.
When Li Na gave no response, the man's grip on her slightly tightened. "Bring in that boy."