"No... Please no..."
Cold, lifeless bodies walked up to her, she begged them to stop but they didn't listen to her.
"No...No...NO... NO! NO!!!"
She shook off the dried, rotten hands that caught her ankles and began to run away while shaking her head. Constantly begged for the corpses to stop, but they didn't listen to her desperate pleas.
"Ah!"
She tripped and rolled on the ground, eventually falling to a muddy ground. Her knees scraped and blood dripped. However, she didn't even notice the wound and got up, the corpses might catch up to her anytime. The fear was greater than the current pain.
"Huh?"
–At least she tried to get up but couldn't. Her hands were stuck in the mud, gradually sinking below.
She tried to pull her hands back while cursing and struggling, but the struggles made it worse. The mud swallowed her arm to her elbow and her whole lower body.
"No... Fuck no! Shit..."
Tears trickled down from her amethyst eyes as she sank more and more, eventually, her nose and mouth got under the mud. Her lungs screamed with pain, trying to take in air as much as they could but failing miserably. She broke down and began to sob uncontrollably until her vision was claimed by the mud.
"Gasp!"
Seraphina's eyes opened, revealing her puffy eyes and constricted pupils.
"Huff... Puff..."
Her skin was littered with sweat, her breathing ragged and irregular, and her heartbeat fast and painful.
"Oh, fuck... again?"
The previously comfortable clothes were now sticky and suffocating to wear. The sweat and nightmare about suffocating in the mud caused her to have fear of the stickiness, albeit temporarily.
Seraphina slowly lifted her upper body and kicked the sweaty blankets. After getting to the sitting position, she leaned forward and rested her face in her hands. The platinum blonde hair cascaded down the sides of her face and stuck to her cheeks and forehead.
The suffocating feeling grew with the absolute silence of the room minus her ragged breathing and loud heartbeat.
Lifting her trembling arms, Seraphina grabbed the sides of her shirt and removed the only clothing she was wearing. Exposing her bare, sweaty body to the warm rays of the newly rising sun. When the sweaty shirt that felt like confines was no more in contact with her skin, she managed to take a deep breath.
Nevertheless, her chest rapidly moved up and down, and her legs trembled. The warmth of the sun and the feeling of escaping from the confines didn't immediately calm her down.
With weak steps, she got herself into the bath and opened the faucet.
Warm, relaxing water drops began to rapidly fall on her head, washing the sweat off and easing her mind.
Wet hair fell on her face as she sat on a stool and blankly looked down on the floor.
Gradually steam covered the bath and she decided it was time to get out. She already stood in the bath more than necessary, her head was dizzy.
Stepping out from the bath, her feet landed on the cold floor, sending slight shivers to her whole body. She quickly grabbed a white bathrobe and wore it, then tied the belt around her waist, so that the bathrobe wouldn't slip.
"Sigh..."
Letting herself face first to the bed, Seraphina watched the sun's slow rise.
Oh, how she longed to not care about her life, dangers, end of the world, and to live like a real teenager. However, she couldn't do that. There was nothing she could do other than struggle with everything she had to live, even if her mind broke down and her soul dyed black.
Slowly getting on her feet, Seraphina removed the belt of the bathrobe, causing the bathrobe to fall around her feet.
Her attention was on the full-body mirror that was in front of her. She couldn't believe her eyes that was seeing her reflection.
Her gaze was like that of a dead man's and her posture was like that of poor commoners. The clear dark circles under her amethyst eyes and slouch-back weren't something she could show to others. Her future as a noblewoman would be basically nonexistent.
'I can't go out like this...'
Lifting her hands to her face, she hit her cheeks.
Slap!
The slap sound resounded in the room and her fair, white cheeks turned to red.
The pain of the slaps woke up her mind and the light of her eyes recovered. Vigor came back to her as if the previous slap sent the depressive aura out from her body.
Her previously shaken spirit and trembling body were now steady. Her back was straight and her fair, small shoulders were squared.
The mirror was now reflecting a confident-looking young, beautiful noble lady, albeit a naked one.
Even though she straightened herself, the dark circles weren't going to disappear easily, they were still present under her eyes.
Fortunately, she could hide them with a little bit of makeup.
Seraphina wandered her attention from the dark circles to her body. Even after a few years, she couldn't get used to seeing her new self in the mirror.
She was now a beautiful and graceful young lady with soft and unblemished white skin, a charming smile, shining purple eyes that were akin to a pair of amethysts, and platinum blonde hair.
Her new appearance wasn't even comparable to her old, plain self.
'Not like I remember how I look or whatever my name is. But I feel like I was ugly.'
The body that wasn't too big or small. Average height, well-portioned body, medium chest, smooth and firm belly– which was the fruits of her efforts– and beautiful legs.
After checking her body once again, Seraphina wore her undies and black socks, then pulled the socks over to her knees. Afterward, she donned her white skirt that reached to her knees, black shirt, and over her shoulders a black-colored mage robe.
Lastly, she dipped her hands under the pillow and grabbed a dagger which she always carried around for safety purposes.
Carefully putting the dagger over her slender waist, she finished her preparations.
"Time to go."
...
Ding Dong!
Seraphina rang the bell and waited anxiously.
Was her brot– Caelum going to open the door?
Was he even in his room?
Fortunately, before her worries worsened, she heard some noises inside. A sign that someone was present inside the room.
Subconsciously releasing the breath she was holding, Seraphina waited.
Creak!
The door opened and Seraphina's eyes widened. In front of her was her br– Caelum who was wearing an apron and the vice principal of the academy, whom was covered by a large coat that clearly belonged to a man, Caelum's coat.
'I was worried that something happened to him but he is just playing around with a woman!'