"Eve..."
"Huh?"
". . . Eve . . . "
"What?"
"Eeeeve . . ."
"Who's there?"
My vision is blurry, and I feel . . . so weak. I'm cold. But I thought . . . wasn't I just walking to my car?
"Eve, can you hear me?"
". . . yes"
"I am so sorry for your fate."
"Who?"
"I can save you." This voice seemed familiar somehow, "But, you will have to make a promise with me if you would like a second chance at life. Do you agree?"
"Yes . . ."
"Confirmed. I, goddess Her of Planet Origin, promise to reincarnate the soul of Eve into a body perfectly fit for my created world. In exchange, you, the soul of Eve, will submit the flesh of your planet, Earth, so that I may repurpose this matter for the body you will reside within Origin. Eve must vow to the goddess Her of Origin to bring peace and equality to my lands. Take on the responsibilities of the crown, care for the wellbeing of my people, extend the love you have sheltered from your world into Origin. Be fruitful and multiply. Do you agree?"
"Mm..." ah, the pain is fading away. I feel a slight cool breeze as the warmth of my blood boils beneath my skin, and I open my dry eyes to reveal a blinding light.
Where am I? I try to recollect my sanity while my vision slowly adjusts.
My surroundings are entirely unfamiliar. My eyes strain to focus, and I find myself in an obnoxiously large bed in an even larger and more obnoxious bedroom. Crimson draping hangs from the ceiling towering above me and as my legs move slightly below, I note the slick cool fabric of the sheets wrapped around me and... "Am I . . . naked?" My heartbeat quickens and I immediately pull the thick comforter over my exposed chest.
"My lady." A cool toned masculine voice calls from behind the large wooden
door to the right of the room. "Have you woken up?"
"Y-yes..." is all I manage to conjure from my dry throat.
The door creaks open in a cautious manner and from the hall emerges two figures. The first man's skin appears soft to the touch with a warm undertone flaring under a solid base of ivory. His face is decorated in sharpened features and his clothing, though not extremely tight, clings to the physique beneath in the arm, shoulder, and chest areas. Long chestnut colored hair spills down his back from the ponytail tied atop his head. His eyes, narrow and a deep jewel-like purple, interlock with mine as he steps beyond the doorway in my direction. He leaves a courteous amount of space between us as I fight off an involuntary flinch, and he lowers his gaze to the floor. I briefly capture a glimpse of the figure left in the doorway. This man is tall and a bit lanky with a darker complexion contrasting to his snow-white hair, his eyes remain hidden behind icy lashes, his gaze frozen to the ground. I can't help but notice that his ears are larger than average and… pointy?
The man in front of me speaks again, "I am sorry to confront you so casually while you are in such a state." He bows his head slightly, "You must be very confused. Please, know that you are safe here and your memories should return in short bursts within a few days or weeks." He stops to measure my reaction, so I give him a slight nod and he continues, "My name is Assir and the man behind me is the head butler, Von Mae. Brunch will be prepared shortly. I am sure you are famished considering how long you have been in slumber, so let us have a meal together. There, you may ask me anything you would like to know about this world." He smiles a gentle smile returning his gaze to my face, a stark contrast to his sharp features, and his eyes follow suit. "There are a few simple clothing options in the wardrobe in the corner and the bathing room is just past that archway in front of you. I will be waiting for you in the dining hall and Von Mae will wait outside the room until you are ready to be escorted. Please feel free to ask him if you need anything." Assir bows again to me lightly and leaves along with Von Mae to the curious hall of which I can only tell has a peachy color to it.
"What in the world…" I try to collect myself, still very much confused. "How did I get here?" I mumble to myself before realizing the slight stinging smell of sweat coming from my underarms. I should shower first.
I push my feet sluggishly to the ground pulling the silky sheets around my own exposure and tip toe to the archway which Assir had pointed to before. Peaking cautiously around the corner I view a large stone decorated room with a huge pool in the center. The cream-colored stones cover every aspect of the room, the floors, the walls, and the ceiling with exception to the huge skylight opened above the pool. The sky outside is tinted green from the stained wavy glass above. The sound of water pulls my attention to the center of the pool where a waterfall is structured, which seems to be constantly circulating the water. I drop the sheet from around my body and walk my bare feet along the "path" made of miniature emerald stones leading to the bath. These stones match the large colored stones of the fountain and the inner floor and walls of the bath as well. Gently, I dip my foot into the water to assess its temperature. It's hot and oh so inviting! I calm my beating heart in a self-soothing motion tapping my fingertips gently against my chest. At least, for the time being, I will assess my surroundings. I seem to be safe for now.
As I rest within the ginormous pool of steamy hot water, I lay my head back on the cool stone and try to think, to remember . . . My name is Eve and I am from the constantly rainy city of Seattle. I moved to the city to get an education. I study humanities in college. I was an aspiring artist in my extremely limited free time, and I always started new projects only to never finish them in a decent period, thus I would find a new obsession before ever mastering the previous one. It was a vicious cycle. My room was kept tidy with an exception to the many smutty romance novels I read daily and lists upon lists I had obsessively revised and rewrote over and over. I love animals, but living alone in the city does not permit me enough time to care for a pet. I like learning about people, but I am somewhat introverted, and I tire quickly in group settings. Human equality issues and anything else capable of instigating an existential crisis are my favorite topics of discussion, but the few people I keep close bore easily from my constant ravings of human rights and useless debates about whether or not cannibalism can be achieved ethically. I often fall asleep listening to true crime documentaries. I took a personality test on the internet once, and the result said I was an "advocate" type. I was a bartender on the weekends. I hustled for funds to support my many, expensive dreams. I am not a patient person... I appear mature and easygoing to others, but inside, I am writhing for a change, and I am completely exhausted from the hustle culture.
I sigh to myself. "My roommates are going to freak if I don't come back in time to make this month's rent."
At this point, the heat is getting to be too much for my head, so I emerge from the bath only to find no towel.
"Shit."
I slick my hands down my bare body to whip away the water droplets collected along the surface of my skin and ring my hair as I make my way to the wardrobe that was mentioned to me before. Within the intricately detailed woodwork of the wardrobe's doors are three dresses. They are all long and flowy types with a squared neckline and fabric that pulls together under the bust. I choose the lilac colored one as the long pink layers falling from under the bust are most appealing to me. The fabric is soft and dainty feeling as I step into the dress and pull the shortened sleeves over my arms. A mirror panel within the wardrobe shows the reflection of a face that appears much younger than my spirit feels, rounded blue eyes, a tall-ish nose, and small pinkened lips that admittedly feel a bit crusty at this moment. My baby shaped face framed by fine, straight, almond colored hair and the tiny brown birth mark I have always had sits right on the tip of my nose as always. I give an approving nod, noticing this dress has pushed my almost nonexistent breasts into a cute mound of cleavage spilling from the tight garment. I use one of the spare pillows from the bed to fluff the excess water from my hair and then run my fingers through the damp tangles just well enough to seem presentable. Well, presentable by family members or maybe sorority sister standards... "Not that I've ever stepped foot in a sorority house before." I chuckle to myself, walking across the vast floor to the other side of the room.
My breath catches in my throat as I almost hesitate to pull the brass handle to the door which leads to the mysterious outside world. It will be okay. Keep calm. You have made it through more questionable situations. Just pay close attention. Von Mae stands just outside, his back facing the wall to my right. "Um . . ."
"Ah, hello miss! Are you ready for brunch?" He says speaking energetically as if he were a puppy who had been waiting on its master's return. Now that I'm in closer proximity, I see that his ears really are larger and pointier than normal. Much larger.
"Yes . . . please!" I add to try to sound more polite.
"This way miss," his hand gestures to my left. "Miss, if I may ask, have you remembered your name yet?" His focus remains ahead of us as we walk along the hall, indeed in a peachy colored wallpaper as I thought before.
"Oh, yes!" I clear my throat a bit, "My name is Eve. It's nice to meet you, Von Mae. Um, thank you for taking care of me. . . I guess?"
"Absolutely, it is my pleasure to be of service to you, miss Eve." A grin spreads across his face as he turns to meet my attention for a short second. "Then, do you remember your home planet? Where are you from?"
"Where am I... from?" I ask myself. "Earth, obviously? Or are you asking for my home country?" Ah, that is right. This place does seem to be foreign... "I'm from Seattle. It's a city in the United States."
"I see." He trails off, and I follow him into a steady halt. "The dining room is just down these stairs and past the entryway."
The hallway opens to a massive room featuring a huge crystal chandelier in the center. I feel my jaw unhinge and drop from my face. The stairs, of which Von Mae and I stand at the top, curve along circular walls and lead below to a wide and open marbled floor. I place my bare feet one step at a time down the cold marble stairs, carefully holding onto the thick decorative marble railing which follows in a decline along the staircase.
"Miss Eve?" Von Mae's voice expresses concern, "Did you forget to wear your shoes?"
"Oh, I didn't know there were shoes available." I admit embarrassingly. It's not that I mind anyway. Being barefoot reminds me of the freedoms I had as a child, exploring the world for the first time step by step.
"I apologize, miss." The cheerful expression on Von Mae's face disappears. "Please excuse me." He says as he instantly lifts me off the ground into a princess hold, and a weird noise escapes me. Heat rises through to the surface skin of my cheeks. "I will bring you a suitable pair of shoes to wear once you finish your meal." He states determined.
As we stride along the empty entryway, Von Mae's steps echoing with every step, my heart begins to pound wildly at the realization of how close his face is to mine. I bite my lower lip slightly and try to sneakily take a peek. This man is handsome. He has a strong jawline and fierce eyebrows that mimic the appearance of white flames and skin that reminds me of the smoothest honey. His eyes, which I could not see the color of before, are a smokey grey. These guys really are foreign, I think to myself as we enter the dining hall. Surely, this is what they mean when they say "tall, dark, and handsome?"
"The miss had not known there were shoes available to be worn. I apologize for not noticing sooner, Sir."
The man, Assir, sitting at the elongated table, leans his forehead into his fingertips to show his displeasure, then gestures to the empty chair at the head of the table. Von Mae carries me to the empty chair at the end and places me gently within it, bows heavily, then disappears through the back doorway.
"I sincerely apologize for not giving you better instruction before leaving you to take care of yourself earlier." Assir's eyes looked concerned as he gazed into the depths of my very existence.
"Th-that's actually my fault since I didn't particularly look for shoes to wear. I really don't mind." I stumbled over my words and dropped my eyes to the table in front of me. The heat rose to my ears, and I gripped at my dress in my lap. "My bad."
"You are not bad, my lady. This was simply a miscommunication." Assir assured.
"Oh, uh..." That's right these guys are foreign, "'My bad,' actually just means, 'that was my mistake.'" I clarified.
"Oh, I see." A look of pure amusement and realization flashed across Assir's face as he laughed aloud in a howl before settling back into his cool expression. "My lady, I do not mean to be rude, but have you regained any memories yet?" I feel a bit stunned as his demeanor changed so suddenly.
"Well, to be honest, I think the only thing I'm missing is how I got here." I declared. "Oh, and my name is Eve. I did not mean to be rude. And thank you for hosting me here." I rambled words from my mouth just as quickly as the thoughts appeared in my mind.
"My lady, Eve. That is such a beautiful name." Assir smiled gently, "Then I believe I should begin by explaining where 'here' is."
"That would be very helpful." I smiled back. Just as I spoke, Von Mae and a group of about five other men dressed in matching black formal attire entered the dining room from the back door behind us. Everyone moved quickly and in full unison. Before I knew it, the table was set, and a wide variety of foods were set in mass in front of me. Visualizing and smelling the spread reminded me of just how hungry I was, and my stomach answered right away with a small "erroogl" sound. I chuckled bashfully... Assir grinned silently and began filling my plate with an array of different meats and veggies.
"Thank you..." I muttered.
"I am happy to give you what you desire, my lady" Assir responds. "You should eat while I explain. You need to build some strength."
I nodded and against my best efforts immediately started shoveling food in my mouth. The taste of the meat mixed with these weird looking vegetables, caused me tear up a bit. It was so. fucking. delicious. Like a full-on orgasm of the mouth. Assir chuckled lightly, but I could not bother paying it any mind. These guys do not seem to be too bad after all. I decided.
"Well, I guess I should start by telling you about my home. This is the kingdom, Prospertinia. It is the largest collection of living beings involved in a functioning society in the world. Anyone living outside of the kingdom are usually country dwellers unrelated to the agreed upon laws of our society. In our world, there has long been a dwindling population of female beings. The goddess, who created this world, has been trying to offset this problem by bringing souls from other realms for the last one hundred years." He pauses, waiting for a sign from me to continue, and I nod while swallowing the last bite necessary to tame my beast of a stomach long enough to invest fully in what Assir is saying. "Our goddess's name is Her. She is the one creator of our world, but she only has direct contact to celestial beings which are typically of female origin. You have more than likely already spoken with her."
"So, you're telling me I'm in a kingdom which worships a goddess who brings women to her land for . . . what, exactly?" I question.
"The goddess brings spirits from other realms who have parted ways with the physical ties they had to their home worlds. She does this for many reasons, but the main purpose is to promote procreation. Without female beings, we are incapable of continuing and sustaining life and we lose our connection to Her, the creator of this world. I do not know what your home world was like, so it's difficult to know your frame of reference in relation to this world." He explains.
"Wait, so what do you mean exactly when you keep saying this world and your world?"
"This world you are in currently is not the same world which you were originally born in your past life. Your life has ended in your own world and your soul was recycled by the goddess." He stated bluntly. I could not help but take his moment of silence to think to myself and try to make sense of all this.
"My life . . . ended?" I muttered feeling the anxiety crawl up my spine raising the tiny hairs of my arms.
"I apologize, because I do not know of your life before arriving here, so until your memories return to you, I am unsure of who you are, where you are from, what your experiences were, and how you have perished." Assir's expression seemed concerned as he spoke. He reaches a hand across the table and pets the top of my head trailing his fingers down the length of my hair before returning it to his side of the table. "It is my job to help you with the adjustment period here. I contain all the resources and information you would need to thrive here. Of course, there are other mentors if you find me to be insufficient to your needs." He adds.
"Then, what should I be doing here? How am I expected to live if I choose to continue life here?" I state, hoping he will not notice the reference I made to possibly ending it all. I mean, I've died once already apparently.
"You made a promise with the goddess so you must fulfill it if you do not want to become a lost soul. That is your only requirement for gaining access to a physical form in this realm. The goddess is unable to save souls from other realms without making a deal of some kind as it would anger other gods if she were to 'steal' unwilling souls from them." He paused, stretching a bit in his chair. The buttons on his shirt seemed to be holding on for dear life and I couldn't help but scold myself for getting distracted so easily in a situation like this. He rustled back down in his seat and smiled brightly, "Other than that, you are welcome to do whatever you want! The goddess is clear that the beings coming from other realms are to be treated with respect and care. You are not obligated to anything other than the promise you made." His smile displayed the most beautiful pearly whites I had ever seen and before I could recognize my own body's movements, I found myself standing, leaned over the edge of the table, pinching this man's unusually sharp k-nine between my fingertips for better inspection.
"Oh my god! I am so sorry!" The heat rose throughout my body, blushing everything from my chest to my face and the tips of my ears and I abruptly let go. "I really don't know why I did that!" Assir looked stunned with his eyes wide and mouth gaping until he let out a roar of laughter then stood up swiftly.
"You are a very interesting being indeed." Towering over me, he leaned down to my level placing my chin in the palm of his hand and squishing my cheeks between his long fingertips. "You have the most peculiar-colored eyes..." His deep purple eyes gazed into mine and for a split second I was entranced.
I pulled my face from his taunting grasp and said bluntly, "Your eyes aren't exactly normal by my standards either." He smiled again looking quite amused.
"It would be wonderful if we were able to become closer, my lady." He lifted me effortlessly from the ground and unlike the princess style which Von Mae had carried me before, Assir flopped me over his shoulder. As we stepped out of the dining hall into the entryway, I noticed small shoes left in the empty seat right beside the chair that Assir had been sitting in. He carried me all the way outside into a gorgeous garden off the right side of the mansion and placed me gently in the soft grass. "You like walking around without shoes, don't you, my lady?" He smirked.
"How did you know that?" I asked, astonished.
He shrugged, "You said you didn't mind before, but it didn't seem like you were trying to make me feel better about my mistake." I nodded still completely stunned but trying to focus more on collecting my expression. "Tomorrow, I would be honored to escort you to the market. Whatever you desire, clothing, books, jewels, hobby supplies... shoes," He smirked, "They have it all! And if I had not already mentioned before, this mansion, the staff, and myself, are completely yours to do with whatever you want."
"This house is mine?" I gasped.
"Your needs will always be met here as the lady of this house." Assir assured.