The flames from lit candles flickered with the sudden gust of wind.
For a moment, thousands of flames swayed as if to be extinguished, only to remain burning the next.
What followed was a blinding light, then the sound of hushed gasping could be faintly heard.
The people kneeling in the hall prayed vehemently at the miraculous scene.
[Wh..what happened?]
Dea drowsily opened her eyes to the sight of darkness. While kneading her forehead, she tried hard to recall the previous scenario.
She remembers walking out of the campus to head home, but a girl stopped her. Then, she was speaking about something while handing her a handkerchief, and then…
There was a flash of light then... nothing.
Stroking her glabella once again, she jolted.
[ Where is it? Where is it?!]
Dea began to carefully but frantically fumble in the darkness, afraid of breaking her glasses.
Inch by inch, palpating on the cold floor.
[ Shit! Shit! Shit!] Dea started cursing in her mind because she can't see shit.
Fortunately, she managed the grasp her glasses before she loses her temper.
Wearing it gave her solace and returned her calm.
She then tried to figure out her current situation.
Dea sat on the ground and glanced around absentmindedly.
[Where the hell am I?]
It was dark, and only a narrow ray of light beamed towards the other side of the wall. Its pitiful amount made it dim but still very particular within the darkness. The constant murmurs from afar and the absence of light seem eerie, but Dea isn't afraid.
She even knelt, skimmed over her surroundings, and surmised she was in a box-like structure made of concrete.
It wasn't spacious, barely two meters in height and width.
[The hell is this??]
Dea wanted to ask for help but heard a loud voice outside.
She peeped through the small hole where the light came from and saw an astonishing scene.
Hundreds of people knelt with their palms folded before them- like devotees praying.
[ Damn it, why are there a lot of people here?] Her brows furrowed in annoyance.
She dislikes crowds a lot.
Fidgetting her fingers to calm herself, she glanced further to see the environment.
Then Dea saw a familiar person.
"Hey... Isn't that the girl?" She murmured
The girl was wearing a school uniform and stood before the masses.
It was the very same girl who stopped her midway from leaving the school gate.
The joyful expression she had just moments ago has now turned into sobbing and a look of apprehension.
Well, Dea can't blame her.
One second they were standing on school grounds, then the next, they are in some place that resembled a big church. They are even surrounded by odd-looking people everywhere.
Just look at that.
There's even an old man wearing weird clothes with matching fancy scepter. He stood beside the schoolgirl, looking solemn and stuff.
[ Good thing I directly popped inside this box thing.] Dea mused, acting as if she was a bystander who didn't teleport into the strange environment herself.
They seemed to be in a serious situation, hence Dea decided to stay put and let them finish before asking for assistance.
Crouching inside the "box", Dea watched the scene before her while reminiscing where her pancake had gone. She was teleported here but her take-out pancake didn't come with her. So sad, she sighed. She should have just eaten them on the spot even if there was quite a crowd at that school festival.
"Priestess, as the prophecy foretold, you have finally come to save your people." The old man in fancy clothes spoke.
"Wh..what? No, I don't know what you're talking about sir. Where is this place? Will you please send me home?" The schoolgirl begged, looking pitiful as she cried non-stop.
"I'm afraid I can not do that, priestess. Our world needs you. The people of Andean need you."
"No! No, Sir! Please send me home."
Dea stopped listening to the crying sounds before her and pondered,
[ Andean, huh?]
In all her, ughh.. twenty-something years of life, she is sure as hell there isn't a place called Andean on Earth but...
She touched her glasses and pinched her skin, confirming that she truly exist in this place they called Andean at the moment.
So, she concluded that she might have died without noticing, and this is the afterlife. That, or she's in a coma, dreaming all this or plainly hallucinating as hell.
Either way is not good.
She still has work tomorrow. She's almost done arranging the boxes in the utility room.
She still has to dispose of the garbage piling on her door because tomorrow is garbage day collection and,
she isn't sure if she unplugged the rice cooker when she left in the morning.
[ Oh, wait!]
As if remembering something, Dea fished her mobile phone. Maybe, she could...
Before she could finish her thoughts, she saw the "No signal" sign and her dying battery life at 4%.
[ Sonnova****.] She expressionlessly turned her cell off and pushed it into her pocket while she watched the drama up ahead.
Dea doesn't know what they've chatted about in such a short moment but, the schoolgirl has stopped crying her lungs out.
She watched them talk for a while more. The gist is that the schoolgirl is their priestess, they have summoned her, and she can't go home until her mission is over because their world is on the verge of destruction and whatnot.
Well, Dea can only silently comment that it sucked to be the schoolgirl, alright. In addition, the mere thought of asking a thirteen-year-old girl to save their world made her eyes roll slightly, thinking, no wonder their world is crumbling.
Anyway, it's not her problem, and she's only waiting for them to finish so she can ask them to send her back.
After all, she is not the priestess and was only summoned by mistake.
But, to her dismay, they kept talking and talking then, introducing everyone to everyone and stuff. It was impolite to intrude, so she kept silent. However, she got bored to the point that she touched every corner of the box and accidentally found a small door.
It was a pleasant surprise to find the exit, and Dea crawled silently, careful not to interrupt their conversation.
When she finally stretched her body and adjusted to the light, she realized that she had stayed under the "stage" of a giant sculpture.
She got out from the back of the statue and couldn't figure out the exact picture but knew it was a woman's figure.
She sat down, leaned on the cold marble, and waited for the ceremony in front of the work of art to end. Fortunately, she is on their blind side, and they can't see her figure.
When Dea almost fell asleep waiting, she finally heard her cue "Priestess, let me send you to rest." She tumbled as she stood and hurriedly shouted,
"Wait! Wait!" She went from behind the sculpture and called out.
The hall filled with hundreds of people instantly went silent.
Dea felt so unwell all over, knowing everyone was looking at her, but she could only suck it up and say,
"You accidentally summoned me with your priestess!" She paused, took a deep breath, and continued,
" So, will you please send me back now?"