An expanse of darkness enveloped the world. Seizing freedom of form, ways, and manner or norms of things that existed in the endlessly expanding stars, planets, universes, worlds.
Worlds that exist for individuals, Worlds that exist for a society, Worlds that exist in unique minds of delusions or fantasies.
This plane was free of those notions, free of reality, free of constraints that reasoning has created. Existing here was akin to nonexistent; being here was like falling into the bottomless ocean of influence, drowning their consciousness into this vast plane decorated with glittering stars, a nightly blanket that enveloped a net-like bright strings, entangled with each other disheveledly, illuminating akin to the sun but lit much dimly, and its light only made its presence known to the observer; it did not expand its illumination onto others.
Deep dark blue with a sea of lucidity, a world that should exist naught, a plane that should be impossible to access, impossible to meddle with except for the prisoners who were held there; their souls would reside lost into nothingness.
Darkness upon darkness surrounded by the glitter of starry night like a vast ocean, but nothing was visible more than that because nothing existed more than that.
Suddenly, a land was created, a vast land that was not visible as its visage remained dark, but the realization of the ground that suddenly existed was made only when the figure of a slender girl stood, mindless. She stood, her mind blank, her violent crystal-like beautiful eyes blank, her violent hairs disheveled.
Her figure mysteriously found its base, and then in a sudden change within mere moments of breath, a staircase appeared, illuminating with yellow bright light in the mighty expanse of the land Roza stood. The staircase elevated to a higher dimension.
Without much thinking, Roza took her steps, moving towards the sky to which the staircase elevated.
Climbing the steps of the staircase mindlessly, expressionlessly, she reached a point where the land was no longer in view, even though the ground she stood on probably never existed to begin with.
But neither did she have enough freedom to ponder the ways of things, nor did she hold any desire to bother with the ways of things.
The staircase met its end as a bright door suddenly existed; its existence was only known when Roza stood right in front of the open door, and bright light illuminated from the other side of the door.
Her mindless figure stood dazed for mere moments of breath, then she entered the dimension that definitely existed in the certainty of the moment.
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There was no need to knock or twist the doorknob as the door was opened, for people who wandered in that lucid plane. Still, it was the first human that had ever been able to cross that boundary from the living.
For ghost-like existence, it was not a place they could not reach, but for a living person to visit this place had been an event occurring once in a millennium.
"Welcome, Roza Kingsmaid," a woman with blond hair bowed slightly, but only her shoulders slightly deviated downward. She did not bow her head; in fact, she looked straight into the blank eyes of Roza Kingsmaid.
The maid's countenance was covered with a white mask, a mask that had no design, leaving only holes and space for her eyes to see. There was only an arced locus of a smile on the mask; that was the only expression the blonde maid could ever show.
"This way, that person has been waiting for your arrival," the blonde maid directed her arms towards the inner part of the place.
About the place, it was surrounded by huge shelves of books, floor by floor. The room was round in structure, its ceiling high enough that it could take days to cover the distance. From the ceiling, a bright, sun-like light illuminated the room.
It was neither too bright nor too dim, as if one could comfortably read in this atmosphere for ages and ages. The library-like room was surrounded by shelves upon shelves and floors that ascended endlessly.
But the marble ground floor where Roza stood had a small round table and chair set of ivory color with decorative luxurious design.
Roza walked through the ground and arrived at the table and chair set. Finally, her vision showed a form of awareness that she did not have before as her eyes met with the person sitting on the other side of the small ivory round table.
"Fufu, I didn't expect Miss Roza to be the first person to arrive here. Indeed, destiny is only responsible for the cause of things; it does not take effect into much consideration, isn't it?" The man nonchalantly sparked the conversation.
"Please be seated; it would do us no good to be unnecessarily cautious." He directed his arm towards a chair for Roza, who had stood aside, and she took her seat. Her vision once again met with the man's countenance.
The vision resembled a work of art: his face meticulously shaped with attractive features, his dark black hair, his deep red eyes, broad shoulders. He was seated with his manly features, wearing a black and white suit, his hands covered with gloves.
He stared right into her violet crystal eyes, then
"---Robert Ruse," as Roza Kingsmaid muttered the words.
"---Miss Roza, what do you seek? What is it that is so important that you held the unicorn's horn in your hands and for whom are you determined to struggle this far, so far as to reach this place?"
"For this place is separated from that of the living, not to say only from the living would be an understatement, but calling it a lucid plane would be the most understandable way to counter reason." He continued talking, but Roza continued to maintain her expressionless blank face.
"For my Master," Roza muttered.
"Excellent, you have your love for your master even in this place. If some blonde maid were to show the same devotion, it would bless this humble abode of mine, kufufufufufu."
"Master, your tea ☕," suddenly, the blonde masked maid appeared by the side of that person.
"Hot, hot, hot---uh," the blonde maid, without any hesitation, poured the contents of the kettle onto the thighs of that person.
"Oops, it seems I missed the mark," the maid nonchalantly said.
"Were you aiming somewhere else? It hurts," that person complained.
"Oh, it seems you misunderstood me," the maid answered.
"Hot, hot, hot, hot, hot, hot---uh, it hurts! Don't just repeat it again; at least try to hide your intentions, ah," that person complained again as the masked blonde maid poured the contents of the ivory kettle she held onto the man's lap again.
"Why do you have to be so hostile, really," stroking his seemingly burned lap, that person complained.
"Have some cookies, Roza Kingsmaid," the maid suddenly slid a tray filled with sweets and cookies.
"---No," Roza, still with her blank face, declined.
"Have it as you wish," the blonde maid left into the corridors of the bookshelves with a slight bowing gesture, which was more a nod in name; neither did she lower her head nor bend her posture properly for a proper bow.
"---no idea," Roza's blank countenance replied.
"---then can you really proceed as things are proceeding? Have you given up on your love? Has the difficulty of this extent made your love fade for your Master? Is this the extent to which you can go to protect the person you love? Has the love that kindled in your heart finally started to fade, kufufufu? It's interesting how people truly give up at difficult times, even though they were brimming with eagerness to shower their love for people or things alike," the person stated, without much consideration for the girl seated in front of him, as he continued his speeches.
"-------" Roza remained blank.
"Is this your true self, Miss Roza Kingsmaid?"
"------"
"Guess my expectations were invested for naught."
"-----"
"Snap out of it."
"-----"
"NOW THAT ALPHONSE DECLINED AND YOU HAVE SO MUCH LESS TIME LEFT, what will you do? Finding the labyrinth is the only way to reach the life you want to bestow upon yourself and your love."
"I don't care about what you think about me--------."
"Huh???? ---you can speak? Interesting, interesting. For someone from the living, you can achieve this level of freedom even in this place." Tears of admiration dropped from that person's deep red eyes.
"Then follow my words if you want to achieve your DREAM LIGHT FANTASY."
"My dream light fantasy?"
"But do not worry, Miss Roza Kingsmaid, for you, I have already completed all the arrangements."
"What arrangements?" Cocking her head, Roza asked.
"All you have to do is entrust your body to me---only for a while. Existing in the plane of the living would be impossible for me, but if you were to be the catalyst for me, then I can help you," that person offered.
"But----"
"TRUSTING ME is the only way you can achieve lucidity, Miss Roza Kingsmaid. The cosmos always maintains a balance of things, so if you were graceful enough to entrust me with your soul, as you can see, I cannot exist in the world of the living for long periods of time," that person replied.
"If I lend you my body, then will you help me?" Roza asked, hope glittering in her eyes.
"It would only be for a moment, but my powers are needed for further events, and to do that, I need a catalyst for my interaction in the world of the living."
"Then I consent to lend you my body, only for a while."
"Excellent choice, Miss Roza Kingsmaid."
"For only I could lead you to your destined place," Robert Ruse lied again...