Cynthia was simple. An average face, brown hair and brown eyes. Nothing about her was eye-catching. She rarely smiled or expressed any emotions, which came off to others as rude.
Reading books was the only thing that brought a smile to her face. It gave her a chance to escape reality and get lost in a fake world.
She wondered if her life would be any different if he was alive. Her only friend in her lonely life. But it was pointless to wonder about those things.
Cynthia didn't know how death was supposed to work, but it was strange that she was still conscious. She couldn't see or feel anything but she could think.
She waited for a while, thinking that she might slowly lose consciousness, but her thoughts became more and more clear. She could feel cold air brushing past her skin. Her fingers were twitching and in a while she sat up. Her whole body was writhing in pain.
'Look who decided to wake up! And at the right time too. The auction is just about to begin. Get on your feet you brat!'
A middle aged man with shady looking eyes and an unshaved goatee screamed at her. Cynthia tried to respond but her thoughts were completely jumbled up.
In response to her silence, the man kicked her hard.
Cynthia's back thudded against the wall and she groaned. Her head was spinning and every bone in her body ached. Who was this man and why was he treating her so badly? Her confusion turned into anger and she growled at the man.
'Ho ho.. This brat! Where did you learn to growl like that huh?' He grabbed Cynthia's hair and lifted her to meet his eyes. Cynthia gave him a sharp glare. The man looked taken aback and released her.
Satisfied with herself, Cynthia stood up. Her feet were a little wobbly but she managed to walk past the man still glaring at him.
Her eyes scanned the room. About ten to twenty young children were all standing in a line. They were dressed in rags and looked extremely malnourished. They had scars and burn marks on their body.
Cynthia felt herself bubbling with rage but she kept silent. She couldn't afford to make another scene.
'Get in the line!' The same man shouted at her and attempted to grab her hair. She slapped his hand off and got in the line. The man muttered a few curses but left her alone nonetheless.
Cynthia signed. No matter how brave she acted, it was a fact that she was scared. Her line of sight was lower than she thought, making the man look like a giant in front of her. She was weaker than the man and her legs hurt every time she moved. She noticed that her hair was shorter and blacker than before. She was skinny and short.
'This is not me. I am in the body of a child' She murmured, slowly realizing. The man didn't notice her talk to herself but the kid in front of her turned back. His blue eyes stared at her. Despite his scrawny figure, he was a cute kid.
She tried to start a conversation, but the boy immediately looked away, his eyes subtly glancing at the men keeping an eye on them.
'So interaction isn't allowed...' She thought to herself.
She observed the stage. It appeared to be some sort of theatre with a really big backstage area. Curtains blocked the view of the stage from the backstage.
After a while, one by one children were called upon the stage, wrist and ankles bounded in chains. She could hear people calling numbers, which kept on increasing.
Soon, the boy in front went on the stage. Cynthia peeked from the curtains and her suspicion was confirmed. This was a slave auction. Hundreds of people in masks with boards in hand were calling out numbers. Her expression twisted into shock as her hands started shivering. She had no idea how she got here but there was no way she would become a slave.
She tried to formulate an escape plan. Her eyes scanned the room around her. She checked the strength in her arms and legs. She couldn't run far considering the state of her legs.
Her thoughts were interrupted when the curtains were blown away with the force of wind. The stage was clear now. The black haired boy had an eagle in front of him which was slapping its wings creating a wind storm. The handcuffs lay to the side of the stage, cracked due to The force of the wind. The boy seemed to be controlling the glowing eagle. 'He is using mana..' Cynthia realised. How was this possible? Was she in a dream? This world seemed too real for it to be a dream.
Cynthia shook her thoughts. The confusion was perfect for her to escape.
The men of the slave auction were busy trying to close in on the boy. The people in masks were running around the seating area hurrying towards the exit. The women were in expensive looking gowns and men were in colorful tuxedos. All of them were swarmed around the exit complaining and shouting.
Cynthia scanned the backstage for an alternate exit. There was none. The boy was still controlling the eagle, but the thunderstorm was getting smaller by the minute. The boy looked even more pale than he already was. She had to get out. Though she did pity the children, her current situation was too dire for her to care about others.
Suddenly, a big blast was heard near the exit. Alarmed, Cynthia turned around. The people in the masks had fainted. A different set of people dressed in white suits came in holding a sword. Cynthia saw them handcuffing the people in masks. Some were protesting while some gave up. A few of the people in white were running towards the stage. Were they the police? The boy saw the people in the white, relief flashing on his face. The eagle disappeared and the boy thudded against the floor. Cynthia was still trying to assess her situation when suddenly a rough hand grabbed her and pulled her towards one of the rooms. She tried to struggle but the man was clearly stronger than her. She was put into a sack and was being carried somewhere. 'An illegal place will obviously have an escape route..' Cynthia thought, her eyes watering.
It was better to kill herself rather than live as a slave. She had no idea how she ended up here but she had to go back somehow. Her previous life, which had finally given her some hope of happiness, was ruined again. Suddenly, she felt herself thrown to the floor. Her aching body was getting worse, but this was her chance. She tried her best to struggle. She felt someone open the sack. A blonde hair woman in her 20's, who wearing the same white uniform looked at her. As soon as she was out of the sack, Cynthia ran. However, the woman was just as quick in catching her.
'It's fine girl... You're alright.. You're free now.' She said her warm eyes melting Cynthia.
'This is a good person.' She thought as the woman hugged her and comforted her. Cynthia didn't dare shed a tear.
'It's okay. You can cry.' She said. At her words, all control fell apart. Cynthia felt tears pooling her eyes. She let all of her trapped emotions out.
'What will happen to me now? And what about the other kids?' Cynthia asked the woman after wiping her tears.
'They will be taken to different orphanages and given for adoptions. But you will be coming with me. You seem to have mana. I am not sure which kind, but i will take you in. Along with that eagle kid. He will be coming too.' She said pointing to someone behind Cynthia.
Cynthia jumped, scared of the sudden appearance of the abnormally pale looking boy that she saw on the stage. His appearance was ghastly and weak. Cynthia figured that it was probably due to overuse of his power. She wasn't completely sure which world she was in but it was very similar to the fantasy novels that she loved to read.
The boy looked like he was on the verge of fainting. 'Are you ok, little boy?' Cynthia asked. She was slightly taller than him and her mental age was quite old. 'I am fine, also call me Alistair. I am not a little boy. I am quite sure I am older than you'.
'Oho.. The way of speech is quite mature for kids your age. Loosen up a bit, children.' The woman said looking at the both of them.
Both of them didn't answer. Instead Alistair asked Cynthia, 'What's your name?'
'It's...Cynthia.' She replied hesitating a little. She wasn't sure what the name of this body was, but she preferred her own name rather than someone else's.
'Who are you miss?' Cynthia asked the woman.
'I am Sir Julianne, a knight serving the Duke of Arzentine. I prefer to be called Julie. A pleasure to make your acquaintance'
Cynthia's mind turned blank. Her headache became worse. Duke of Arzentine. The family of the female lead in the novel,'Not A Happy Ever After'. She couldn't believe it. She was inside her favorite novel. But before that, the name Julianne felt very familiar to her. Her headache got worse as she tried to recall.
'What's the current year?' Cynthia inquired.
'It's currently the 725th royal year. Why is that relevant?' Julie asked.
Her question went unanswered as Cynthia was lost deep in thought. Unaware of the storm inside Cynthia's mind, Julie decided to not to pry.
'Let's go to the carriage. The commotion seems to have stopped. I hope that the scene isn't too bloody. Let's see if the commander went wild or not.' Julie said warily.
At the mention of the commander, Cynthia once again began to recall. The kind commander of Arzentine. She remembered him being a forty year old man when Cynthia was young. But of course this person would be different. The novel ended in the Royal year 715. Which meant that this current year was ten years after the end of the story. The current commander was probably a young person who succeeded the previous commander. Cynthia didn't realise when the carriage arrived. Lost int thought, she tried boarding the carriage. But alas, she was stopped.
'Get rid of the girl. We don't want another burden.' said the commander. His angel like appearance with green eyes and blond hair was contradicting with his cold stare. He was standing right next to the carriage. 'Here comes the problem.' Cynthia sighed.