It was her
Or at least, it looked like her.
The figure of a girl stood before me, her appearance disarmingly familiar. Sixteen, or thereabouts. Long, flowing white hair framed a face that was both serene and unsettling. Her deep blue eyes shimmered like ocean waves under a cold moonlight, and that calm, unbothered smile rested on her lips as if she were in control of every thread in this strange tapestry.
She stepped forward, the sound of her bare feet echoing softly across the warped, empty space.
"Why don't you stop using that body?" I said, my voice calm but edged with irritation. "It's not yours."
Her smile deepened, the expression almost playful. "Definitely not," she replied without hesitation. "But I like it. It fits me perfectly, don't you think?"
I didn't answer. Instead, I averted my eyes, refusing to engage with her game. "Why did you bring me here?" My voice was steady, my face betraying no emotion. "If my team realizes I'm missing, they'll be worried."
"Oh, don't worry," she said, her tone light and amused, like she was letting me in on a private joke. "Time doesn't exist here."
My gaze hardened as I studied her. "Then where am I?"
She began to walk past me, her movements fluid and almost regal. There was an undeniable grace in her steps, as if she owned this place and everything within it. Her presence was unnervingly magnetic, each step drawing me further into the surreal gravity of her existence.
"I call it…" she said, pausing dramatically as she turned to face me. Her arm swept outward, gesturing to the towering structure in the distance. The palace loomed behind her, its jagged spires clawing at the colorless sky. "Forsaken Heart."
As if responding to her words, lightning crackled across the ashen sky in brilliant arcs of yellow and red, the sound rumbling like the growl of a colossal beast. Her voice seemed to echo within the storm itself, reverberating through the very air around us.
"Forsaken Heart," I murmured under my breath, the words tasting foreign on my tongue.
The palace felt alive, pulsing with an energy that seemed to reach out and press against my skin.
"What am I doing here?" I asked finally, my tone sharp enough to cut through the thick atmosphere.
The girl... no, the thing wearing Celia's face smiled, her expression unreadable.
"Well, of course," she said with mock innocence, "it's for the date. Why else would I bring you here?"
"A date?" I repeated, my brows furrowing. I nodded slowly, sarcasm slipping into my voice. "Well, if it's a date, then I can't be of any help to you."
I turned slightly, preparing to tell her I had no interest in whatever game she was playing, but her laugh stopped me. It was soft at first, almost melodic, but it grew louder, cascading like a haunting melody.
"Not that kind of date, silly," she said, her voice laced with amusement. "But if you want… we can go for one."
Her tone turned teasing, but before she could finish her sentence, I cut her off. "What is it then?"
The words were sharper than I intended, but I didn't care. I was done playing along.
She paused, her head tilting slightly as she studied me. For a moment, the smile on her lips softened into something more subtle, almost contemplative.
"A mission," she said simply.
My stomach tightened. There was no elaboration, no immediate explanation. Just that single word, dropped like a stone into the void around us.
"What mission?" I pressed, my voice low but firm.
Her smile returned, wide and chilling, as if she'd been waiting for me to ask. The air around us seemed to shift, growing heavier, denser.
Her voice, when it came, resonated with an otherworldly weight. It wasn't just sound; it was a force, shaking the very fabric of this strange realm.
"Kill Yadred," she said, her tone calm and deliberate. "Emperor of the Forsaken."
Her eyes gleamed as she continued, her voice dipping into a serenely haunting whisper.
"And devour his Larvae."
The words hung in the air like a death sentence, their weight pressing down on me as the palace loomed larger in the distance, its jagged spires casting twisted shadows across the bloody ground.
I stared at her, my mind a maelstrom of questions and doubts, but she offered no further explanation. Her smile lingered, unyielding and enigmatic, as if she already knew what my answer would be.