Is our fate predetermined, or do we hold the power to shape our own destiny? Can we truly break free from the constraints of the script and carve our own path in life? Do accidents and coincidences hold a deeper meaning, or are they merely chance occurrences? These questions ringed inside a young lady's mind as she layed in a deep slumber. Suddenly, a deafening crash shook her to her core, and caused her to awaken.
"Where am I?" she muttered.
The lady found herself unable to see properly, not only had she just awoken from what felt like an endless sleep, but the room was also dimly lit by a candle, and one could not make out where it ended. The raindrops pattering on the window were the only sounds in such a quiet and desolate place.
She had taken notice of the bed that she laid on and was struck by its otherworldly softness. It was unlike anything she had ever felt before, with the gentlest of presses onto the cushion, she sank into its soft embraces, while delicate silk curtains descended from the roof-like frame,
As she examined the rest of the room, albeit hard to see, her attention was caught by the discernable silhouette of a woman who waited next to a large white double door. The woman kept tilting her head up and down before she managed to catch herself each time.
The lady tried to get up from the bed, but her sudden movement alerted the woman, and her demeanor changed instantly.
Now standing before her was a person cowering in fear, as if she was in the presence of a predator, like a mouse to a cat or an antelope to a lion. The woman, a silhouette until then, slowly approached the lady until the light from the nearby candle illuminated her.
She was struck as the woman was wearing the most curious of attire; a full-length black dress attached to a white apron along with a white duster cap.
"My lady, you have awoken, how do you feel?" said the maid, her voice quivering as she remained hunched over, not daring to make eye contact.
"Excuse me, could you tell me who you are and where am I?"
The maid upon hearing her question flinched and looked baffled.
"Please excuse me" promptly trotting out of the room, which almost resulted in her falling to the floor after tripping on her own dress.
The maid exited the room and the door shortly followed after.
Puzzled, the lady wondered if she perhaps had said something wrong, regardless she took the opportunity to stand up, grab the small candle holder that emitted the faint light and examine the place she was in.
The room was lavish and fascinating in nature, walls painted with beautiful yet intricate patterns, some were even ingrained with precious metals, while others held up rich tapestries depicting beautiful images. The lady questioned if they were real, as to her it would be completely ludicrous to waste such a thing for aesthetic purposes only.
The size of the room on the other hand could have housed a whole family comfortably. It was spacious with high ceilings, and the light from the moon casted a soft silver glow over it. It not only held the massive bed which she had previously rested on, but plenty of expensive-looking furniture to go with it, such as vases, couches and a table in the middle, where a tea set laid resting with a chime bell next to it.
In one corner of the room, she spotted a single lone door and surmised it was the entrance to the closet. Once she entered, she was stunned at the size of the room.
Every wall, from corner to corner was filled to the brim with dresses. Dresses that ranged from colors and styles to materials and decorations. It was unbelievable to think that one single person could own so many of them. However, and most importantly of all, the lady had noticed one distinctive feature amongst all the dresses, they belonged to a time period that had long passed.
Towards the back of the room and opposite to the entrance, right in the middle, was a mirror. As she stepped into its reflection, the lady stood still, frozen, staring, blankly, at her reflection.
She could not recognize herself, for what she saw in her place was a beautiful woman, with long and silky purple hair, golden eyes so sharp they could pierce through someone with just a gaze, and a slim body that accentuated her beauty and her intimidating yet elegant presence.
The young lady slowly touched her face, looked up and down, spun and jumped, and finally stared at her hands. She could not believe it...nor understand it for that matter.
"This is-"
Before she could finish her sentence, an abrupt and urgent knock came from the door. In a hurry the lady hastily sprinted to the bed, jumping towards it and sinking into its fluffy warmth, wrapping herself in blankets.
"Come in?" she asked, unsure if this was the appropriate response.
The door opened and the maid who had previously left, entered along with a much older man. The man had a curled-up mustache and wore a humble simple black suit along with a briefcase in hand.
The man would grab a nearby chair and place it next to the bed facing the lady.
"My lady, it is my pleasure to be at your service, I'm Theodore the family doctor of the house of Forst...Would you happen to remember your name?"
Upon hearing the question, the lady was deep in thought,
<
Regardless of the ongoing situation the lady gathered her thoughts and answered.
"...Louise...Louise Forst, isn't that right?"
"Yes indeed! That is correct Lady Louise, have your memories perhaps come back to you?" inquired the doctor.
A simple question at first glance, yet Louise realized her answer carried a lot of weight. Were she to answer yes, then she would have to act accordingly to what was expected of her, including the skills that a modern person would not be acquainted with. Henceforth the answer was obvious to her.
"To tell you the truth, Sir Theodore"
"Si-Sir??!?!" both the maid and the doctor were so taken aback, that Theodore nearly ended up falling from his chair after reclining too far back.
<
"Yes…the fact of the matter sir Theodore is that I believe I have lost most of my memories, I can only faintly remember some details here and there, such as my name."
"Indeed, this does look quite serious, after all, you were nearly successful in-" the maid shouldered Theo from the side before he could finish his sentence.
"Ehem... aside from that, how does the rest of your body feel?"
"It feels fine, just a bit exhausted and stiff."
"I understand, regardless it is quite late into the night, I will go inform the duke...your father I should say, of this matter. For now please get some rest, once daylight comes we can thoroughly examine your condition. If you need anything or feel ill, please call the maids with the chime on the table and I will also come as quickly as I can."
"I understand, thank you."
Once again, both looked appalled at the words that were coming out of the lady's mouth.
The doctor and the maid then proceeded to bow but as they headed out of the room Louise suddenly stopped them.
"Wait! One last thing" exclaimed Louise
"Could you tell me what the date is today?"
"1031, 3rd Sunspin of the Goldharvest" responded the doctor.
<> thought Louise.
"uh…are there any events coming up?"
"Certainly my lady, you were set to leave for the royal academy in two weeks' time, however, if you feel too ill then perhaps we can discuss matters with the duke to do something about it"
Bingo.
"No that won't be necessary, that would be all."
Both the doctor and the maid left the room shortly after.
As soon as the door had closed, Louise let her body sink into the bed, before exhaling profoundly.
An unknown amount of time had passed as Louise simply stared into the pitch-black roof of the bed's canopy, unable to rest.
"Unable to be a heroine, and instead a Villain huh... even in the next life my bad luck continues."
Louise got up from the bed and approached one of the windows pattered by raindrops. As she looked outside she couldn't help but scoff at her reflection and at the weather.
"Even my first day is mocking me...a dark and stormy night."
Louise had never set foot in this land before, but she knew of it well...yes, very well... after all, it was the world of a game.
Despite this, Louise felt rather calm, she was no stranger to such situations. Even if she was a Villain, then all she had to do from now on was behave kindly. Live accordingly as she had done before... don't bother anyone, and perhaps.
"Perhaps I can live a peaceful life…"
"I wouldn't be so sure," said a mysterious voice behind Louise.
Louise turned as quickly as she could, but was taken aback when she realized there was nobody there.
"What's wrong? You seem flustered" said the mysterious voice, with no clear indication of where it originated from.
"Who's there?!?!" exclaimed Louise.
A bolt of lightning followed by a roaring thunder descended catching Louise off guard. As she turned toward the direction of the window where the lighting fell, a blob of darkness began to take form. With no discernable features, there stood a lone and uncanny humanoid-looking figure.
"What...are you?" said Louise while she cautiously backed up.
"Names are insignificant to me" replied the shadow.
"I have been here since the beginning, watching and observing all that transpires. I am the essence of all that is, was, and will be. To some, I am the embodiment of love and mercy; to others, I am the bringer of justice and retribution. My form is a mere illusion, a reflection of your perception. So, tell me, Louise, what form shall I take? One that makes you feel the most comfortable?
The humanoid figure that had remained still until then, began to disintegrate before transforming into a small white bunny with crimson eyes, then it changed into a silver eagle and finally a deer with golden antlers.
"... or perhaps the most fearful."
As the shadow spoke those last few words, he returned to a humanoid form, but this time it mimicked the appearance of an older man. Despite not being able to see the face clearly due to the darkness of the night, Louise could instinctively tell who the familiar figure was.
Her breathing became erratic and uncontrolled, as she stepped back, she would fall to the ground.
"What do you want with me?!?!" inquired Louise frantically, finally losing her composure, to which the being simply smiled.
"You are asking all the wrong questions, my dear Louise. Shouldn't you be asking other things like...what happened to the original Louise? Where you are? Why you are here? You arrived here and accepted without hesitation your situation, but did you ever stop to consider where the original went?"
"...No, but I'm guessing she is-"
"That's correct she is dead; she was not able to fulfill her role. Then... using that 'prior knowledge of yours', you should already know the true nature of this world, isn't that right? It's one you are very well acquainted with after all".
The figure would quickly morph into a book that would slowly open up to reveal a pop-out of a castle, a prince, and a princess, and which pages would turn to reveal a new pop-out each time.
"A world with actors and actresses, each with their own distinctive roles. A world where the script must be adhered to no matter what. A world where when something goes wrong, when one of its actors suddenly decides to quit…we simply find a replacement. As they say, the show must go on."
"But why m-"
"You of all people should know better than anyone. This is a story that has happened many times, one that always repeats itself. An outsider suddenly takes the spot of a character, always having a trait, a background, or a skill perfectly suited for their situation…why do you think that is?"
"I'm not sure I'm following..."
The mysterious deity lets out a sigh and transforms back into the shadow humanoid.
"I'm basically spelling it out for you. There is always a link, a bond, a connection, whatever you want to call it. Otherwise, the body rejects the soul. The experiences and situations that shape the individual must be similar enough. Do you understand now? You have taken the spot of the original Louise because she has failed miserably to fulfill her role...well, I suppose she did serve her purpose, just not at the right time."
"You... you can't be saying!"
"I congratulate you new Louise, you are now the actor and the villain who must die in this heart-throbbing, wonderful story!" Mysterious confetti began to slowly pour from the ceiling.
Louise felt a chill down her spine upon hearing the words of the deity. The villain of the story? Destined to die? It all seemed so unfair to her.
"What? You're kidding right?"
"I'm afraid not, I, as the stage director have come to rightfully inform you of your role, and more importantly to advise you... don't bother going against the script. You can't change it."
"...you just expect me to do nothing, and accept my death with arms wide open?"
"My dear Louise, it seems you are under the misconception that you can even do something about it. It doesn't matter what you do, derailing the original events or running away, this world will always find a way to make you the villainess, even when you least expect it. An unavoidable future, a sealed fate, a predetermined story, a destiny set in stone. All so you can serve your purpose in this story."
"DON'T MESS WITH ME!"
Louise met the deity's gaze, a flame of determination set ablaze in her eyes.
"After all I have been through?! You want me to just die like a dog?!?! I refuse to accept another miserable destiny. I'll find a way...no matter the cost."
"No matter the cost you say? Then I hope you are ready to take responsibility for those words, the path ahead is a grueling one, perhaps far worse than any other possible choice you thought you made. I was simply trying to be merciful."
"Don't. Don't give me that crap, I don't need your pity. You underestimate me, and the human spirit for survival."
The deity lets out a sigh once again.
"Feel free to squirm all you want, but as one last word of advice, I would suggest ceasing your futile struggle and enjoying this time while you can."
Like a fleeting dream, the deity had appeared and vanished in an instant.
Louise was yet again, all alone in the room.
Even the rain had stopped.