Plink, Plink, Plink...
The sound felt eerie and disturbing. Anaaya tossed and turned as she continued to have a frown on her face throughout her sleep.
"Hello? Is anyone here?"
The place was pitch black. She stood there quietly just breathing in the air around her, senses open, listening carefully to the only thing which she could hear. It was a weird yet sturdy sound.
Plink, Plink, Plink...
She decided to follow it.
"Welcome little lady." A sophisticated voice of a woman resonated in the void leaving Anaaya surprised. With hesitation written all over her face, she decided to confront what or who was speaking with her.
"Who are you?"
"I am you, your deepest conscience. The Queen of the undefeated empire of Jaanvi." Her voice was brimming with pride and dominance which made Anaaya shiver slightly.
"I don't understand what is happening here."
"Do not be afraid. The time has come for you to embrace your destiny. Follow this sound to get out of this void. We shall meet again."
As confused as she was, she could do nothing but to follow what that woman said.
*GASP* Anaaya shot up straight from her bed with a startled gasp, unable to control her breath. She continued to mumble 'Jaanvi' and desperately searched for her mobile as her hands continued to shiver.
"There is no way this could be true. Jaanvi? Never." As she punched the word Jaanvi on the keypad the results startled her a little.
"I am sure this is just a coincidence. That was just a dream, a dream which felt a little real. That's all."
~~~~
The break-time arrived with the buzzing of the school bell. Anaaya played with her wavy black hair as she continued to stare through the window from her seat. A short girl with a bowl cut approached her, "Miss Julie is looking for you at the teacher's lounge."
"Thanks. I will go take a look."
As Anaaya entered the teacher's lounge, a beautiful woman in her greenish black sari waved at her. Miss Julie, her history teacher, a fair looking beautiful lady in her late twenties. Anaaya sought her help on the facade of working on an history project.
"Good day, Miss Julie."
"Good day, Anaaya. Have a seat."
"It's unfortunate to say that I have nothing new on this empire of Jaanvi. Like you said in the morning, I tried checking on the myths about that empire. But nothing is proven. Just like the word says it is nothing but a myth. My friend suggested you to go check out in this library. Maybe you could find something new?" She handed out a piece of paper with the name of the library on it.
Anaaya took a quick bow as she left. The Empress Knowledge, one of the biggest library in that city. Mr. Dev drove her there after the school ended. The library was big and grand. She got a little help from the librarian to get to the section that she wanted.
Anaaya was one of those people who gets enchanted by the earthy, musty, "old room" smell of the books. She took a deep breath to inhale their wonderful scent, as if she was savouring them.
As she was slowly browsing through the bookshelves, the ring started glowing in a way which felt like it was trying to guide her towards something. Anaaya walked a little deeper inside, the area was secluded. A fall of a book from out of nowhere broke the silence making her gasp in surprise.
Anaaya slowly walked towards that book and carefully took it. The moment it reached her hand, it started glowing along with her ring. The light was blindening making it impossible for her to see anything.
~~~~~~
"What is a girl doing on top of a tree?"
"Who is that girl?"
"Look at her clothing."
A crowd started gathering around as if they had spotted a monkey on the zoo. Anaaya slowly opened her eyes and found herself hanging on a tree. She was so startled that she moved recklessly, a branch which was holding onto her broke, causing her to fall flat on her butt.
"Where is this place? Who are these people?" She was frightened, not knowing where she was or how she went there. Everyone were dressed in the traditional clothing. Men in plain looking dhoti and women in simple sari.
Anaaya looked for an opening as she tried to escape from the eyes of the crowd. She held onto her bag as if it was the only thing she had in the world. As far as her eyes could meet, all that she saw was ancient looking homes and people in traditional wear.
"What the hell happened here? Where in the world am I?"
Her confusion took the better of her. Wherever she ran, her clothes were attracting attention. She sneakily stole a cloak and covered herself with it to blend in with the group unaware of what is happening.
~~~~
Somewhere deep inside a forest a witch who was meditating felt something pass through her. Something so strong that it felt like a thunderbolt making her cough up a pile of blood.
She smashed a pot full of water, the hair on the back of her neck standing straight, eyes so fierce, "She is finally here... HAHAHAHA", her manic laughter made the forest still in fear.
Anaaya unaware of where she was, seemed to have already made an unknown enemy.