The first thing Asta saw when she opened her eyes was a void that boxed her in entirely.
A sense of something entered, and then a light—a flip was switched, and a sudden intake of visual breath took her heart away, the glitching, fragmenting colors dyeing the world and bathing it with purpose.
Her eyes fluttered from the influx of sensations that surrounded her suspended form, and with a cautious yet fluid twirl, the world sharpened with clarity.
A rippling midnight greeted her curious yet tired eyes, one tourmaline red and the other an icy blue while she took in the sight of the fields under the expanse of a wide, wide sky.
A touch of warmth caused her to look down, only to see her little serpent curled around her arm, their eyes matching hers with the red and blue.
"Levi..."
She quietly cradled her friend, and it was only when she looked directly beneath her did she realize why she felt so distant and dreamy, like an illusion straining against the wind.
A dead, half eaten corpse stared blankly at her, eyes a dull gray and the girls hair a halo of blonde and blood, as her rotting innards were exposed and her chewed intestines checkered the grass.
However, in spite of her caved in chest cavity and the exposed muscles and bones, that was not what frightened Asta—the slope of the strangers ashen cheeks, the the bridge of her nose, and shape of familiar eyes that she'd seen in the mirror for twenty years now.
As she stared down at herself, reality slapped her in the face, and she tried to throw herself away from her corpse, but at most she could do was float in an unfamiliar yet instinctive pattern.
If she could throw up she would, but it seemed that as a ghost, she was unable to preform such functions. Even so, she trembled, an odd sense of nausea overcoming her body; Leviathan curled around her more, the warm creature providing comfort that Asta desperately needed.
It was on when she'd calmed down properly that she remembered the creature.
Curious, but no longer worried as she doubted the creature could touch the incorporeal, she urged her body to move around, and with an aptitude she'd never known she'd had, she gently floated to where the creature usually was, but she came to a surprising sight on the way there.
The monster was curled up, high pitched keening noises coming from it as it rolled around with discomfort, like something was burning them from inside and they couldn't bear it.
Pain laughed as it danced around the creature, its claws slashing away at the immobilized monstrosity until it turned to stare at Asta with black, blank eyes. She shifted her gaze away from the little emotion, drifting away from them before settling on a hillside with lovely silver flowers.
The grass did not crinkle beneath her weight, as it seemed that she had no weight nor mass that could cause it to do so, but the texture was felt by her. It was extremely odd—she could easily interact with the world, but it seemed the world could not properly interact with her; she felt the sun on her skin and the breeze through her hair, but she could not pick the flowers she felt.
Disheartened and confused, Asta quietly returned to her corpse, her little snake being the only thing that she could interact with properly as they didn't slip through her fingers.
She thought of another someone who'd been this warm, a kind smile and milky eyes that promised her love and the world.
"'I will name you a name that means "love" in my home country, as that is all I shall give you. Your name will be 'Asta', and like the stars you will shine, and you will be filled with love...'"
Though no one could touch them, tears began to dribble down her face at the thought of never seeing her Grandma again, of never experiencing life with her again.
No longer would her Grandmother hold her close whenever memories of that man named Father came back to haunt her; no longer would she help her down the stairs, as sometimes Grandmother forgot where the steps ended and she didn't want her to get injured.
'I was supposed to be back by dinnertime... I'd only set up my character and then I'd get off, and eat dinner with her.'
Asta had been on college break, and needed a rest, but with all the anxieties she had with going outside, she'd remained inside while doing online college. She'd quietly listed away, even with her Grandmother's company; seeing this, her Grandmother had decided to help her beloved child with letting her experience the outside alone while being safe inside.
The VR headset seemed the ideal choice for her agoraphobia afflicted child, and so she bought her the set, unaware of the consequences of her actions.
Asta couldn't even try to hate or resent her—she'd only acted out of love and concern for her, and Asta could never fault her caretaker's love for her.
She died, and that was that...but why did she still exist?
Drying her tears, Asta swiped the air, startled when the system screen came to life.
[Generating [Main Menu] for player Asta...]
{[Main Menu]}
*[Status Screen]
*[Patron]
*[Ingrained Talent(s)]
*[Inventory]
Shocked at the ghostly blue screen, she pressed on the [Status Screen]:
——————————
Name: Asta Alfsdotter
Race: Specter
Patron: Jörmungandr
Level: 12
Title(s): Survivor, (+5!)
———
Stats:
AGL: 89
STR: 12
DEX: 5
SPI: 100
LCK: 20
CONST: 58
PERCEP: 120
MANA: 1500
——————————
Asta blinked rapidly, bewildered expression on her face, and for a second, her face seemed to blank. It was then a single thought occupied her mind:
'....Eh?'