"Hngh!"
Her chest pounded badly till her heart seemed to be on fire. She was startled out of her spacious, homely bed. A violent cough struck Valeska as if her neck was being strangled by a deadly hot chain that nearly broke her collarbone.
Her head throbbing with soreness, V felt strange and distorted. She was so thirsty, she got out of bed, staggering around in search of a glass of water. V had never been this desperate to gulp down her water, surprisingly; she needed more to drink than she thought.
The pressure of ache and heat dissipating, she was able to let out a long sigh of relief. Glancing at the enormous, majestic mirror that reflected her body vividly.
"What the?!
The glass fell freely from Valeska's hand, shattering under her feet. V walked forward, approaching the majestic mirror; she was so shaken and disoriented. Her hands ran over her different face, but it was so real. She freaks out. "Why did? Who's face is this?! Where am I?!"
Valeska knows what was happening to her; she was unsure how to explain this madness, but she was trapped in the body of a strange lady. A beauty so unusual, so heavenly, that it took Valeska's breath away for a moment. A pair of blue, clear eyes, captivatingly brilliant, lips as red as blood, alabaster smooth skin, pointed nose, feminine lines, silky hair glowing golden bronze, long wavy locks that touched her hips.
"No, this must be a nightmare. Impossible." V grimaced as she pinched her own cheek. "I should be dead; why do I keep coming back to life again and again?! Now what?! Oh, what about Nero?"
Her memory was still sharp; V remembered Hadeon wanting to shoot Nero, but V was able to move and save Nero. "I don't remember anything after that. Everything was dark." Even trying to remember, Valeska could not find any clues. Other than the faint sound of Nero's destruction lamenting her death.
Her eyes wandered around, staring in horror at the spacious room with its magnificent, majestic furniture and rococo-style rooms. The entire floor, the roof, and even the walls of the room showed their shine. There were several portraits and paintings of the lady whose body V was now taking over. V makes sure her hands and feet are firmly planted.
V found a pile of strange sealed letters, various stamps of titles of nobility; she picked up one of them. She muttered. "To Lady Vienna Beaumont. So, this is your name? At least our initials are the same. But our lives are obviously different. I'm pathetic, and you're glorious, Vienna. What age did I wake up in? How did I get here, in this body? Through time?"
Darting to the balcony, a cool breeze blew her hair. Valeska gaped at the beauty of the enchanted blooms and fantastical landscape spread out below. V found many types of living things that she had never encountered in her life. "What's? Fairies? Dwarf? But it's stunning."
Three phoenixes flashed through the sky, their voices joyfully tearing up the air. Moonlight butterflies wandered around, and a lunar guardian with a splendid golden glow approached V, perched on her fingertips but left rapidly before V could examine it closely.
A winged white horse runs joyfully with its mate in a meadow of blossoms.
Valeska knew she was in the Beaumont family's noble castle. But she couldn't fathom why this lady Vienna was living in a tower separate from the main building.
"Argh!" V unconsciously stepped on a shard. She winced in fright, lost her balance, and collapsed on the burgundy cabriole sofa. Fresh blood seeped on the floor. "Damn," she mumbled, biting her lip while pulling out the glass shard that stabbed her foot.
"How?"
But something perplexing happened as V observed the deeply lacerated skin of her leg; a tiny silver light emanated, slowly forming new skin tissue, closing and self-healing.
V examined the skin of her leg carefully, feeling it over and over again, looking for the wound. No trace of scars or blood had magically disappeared. The skin on her feet was smooth again. "Oh, I feel insane. Self-healing ability?!"
Finding it hard to believe this crazy and super weird situation, V picked up the broken glass on the floor and sliced her own hand. "God. It's happening again! I can heal my own wounds."
The wound on her hand gave off a similar tiny silver light, which completely covered the wound tissue.
"Powers? Am I a witch now?"
"Vienna?! Are you okay, my dear?! Oh! Thank goodness you're awake! I was so worried about you, child!" A woman who showed a genetic resemblance to her opened the door of the room wide; she rushed in and hugged her daughter lovingly. The woman was so bewitching in a sage-coloured foliage dress that shimmered. "I know the healer's diagnosis is wrong. I believe you will recover. Oh, my child. You've finally come to me."
Unsure what to say or how to react, but the warm embrace of a mother felt so amazing that she was at a loss for words. For the first time, V felt an overwhelming sense of comfort—she didn't want to let go. Her instincts sensed the situation, telling her to survive, adapt, and find out what was happening to her.
Or is there a possibility that Valeska can return home to the human world?
Yeah, I can play the role of another person for a while. Sorry, lady Vienna. Don't hate me.
"Mom?" V's voice trembled, slightly stammering. But she tried to remain calm. "What happened to me?"
A mother's caress, is this warm? Nero and I were orphaned as children. We didn't know what it was like to have loving parents. Our adoptive families always threw us away or were abusive to us.
"Don't move too much just yet, Vienna. Why is there so much broken glass here? Be careful, you could get hurt." The woman guided V to sit on the edge of the queen-size bed. "You must be perplexed that you've been in a coma for three months."
Coma? Does that mean Vienna's is dead? And why is my soul trapped here? What the hell happened?
A line of maids arrived carrying trolleys of food. "Excuse me, Countess Tresha."
"Yes, bring it here. My daughter has woken up from her coma, you see? It's a miracle, isn't it? We should celebrate it. Please clean the floor too; there's a lot of broken glass here." Tresha laughed thrilled, holding Vienna's hand gently. "Your father and brother will be excited to hear this good news."
It's strange. Their gaze... Why do I feel imprisoned in this room?
"What am I sick of?" asked Vienna innocently, though she was actually being cautious. This was a strange place; V couldn't trust anyone easily.
Tresha stroked Vienna's hair, giving her eyes a soft look, loving. "You don't remember anything?"
V shook her head, maintaining a confused expression.
"When you visited Frostholm, the Dark Witch ambushed you. You returned home badly wounded. The guardian knights died too; only three remained and escaped to bring you back home." Tresha sighed deeply. "The mage healer said that the Dark Witch struck you with a hazardous death spell. You're in a coma. But I didn't want to give up, as I was sure that one day you would come back to me. My wish has come true. This is a great day."
Suddenly V had a severe headache, then a peculiar memory flashed in her mind. A menacing array of unfamiliar faces, treating her badly, and making Vienna extremely frightened—powerless against them.
What the hell? Is this vision? The past? Maybe this was some of Vienna's memories.
"Vienna? What's wrong, dear? Does your head hurt? Say something if you still feel unwell."
V was unsure and massaged her head. "I..."
Tresha ordered the butler, who was faithfully waiting beside her. "Enola, call the healer Mage back and tell him Vienna's condition. It must be that the Dark Witch's curse still remains inside her body."
"Yes, Countess." Enola nodded obediently. Making sure all her subordinate maids served the meal properly on the table. "It is good to see that you have regained consciousness, Lady Vienna. I wish you a speedy recovery. You've been in a coma for quite some time; these are easily digestible snacks; please enjoy them to give you a boost of energy."
Vienna smiled meaningfully. "Thank you."
What happened to you exactly, Vienna? Who were those people in my vision? What did they do to you? I could feel all your terrify and helplessness.
Something bad has happened in this place; Valeska's premonition is getting worse after seeing visionary memories in her mind. V's lost. For the time being, she must adapt—find out all the truth about Vienna, who these people are, why Valeska's soul could be trapped in this body of a noble lady, and the peculiar silver light power she had.
"Well, so the maid' rumours were true. I was in a hurry to see you. Hello, my sister. Did you miss me?"
V gasped, glancing at a charming young man dressed in training gear. He was sweating and smugly displayed the Craven Edge sword at his waist that shone in the sunlight.
Oh, no. Him?! Why is my fate always awful when it comes to family?
He chuckled strangely, folding his arms over his chest. "You still remember this flawless brother of yours, don't you? I'm afraid you've forgotten me, as I doubt the Dark Witch's offense must have destroyed your entire body."
"Vante!" Tresha chided, "Be nice to your sister. She's still unwell. Where's your dad? We should celebrate with a nice dinner."
"Oh, mom. You're always defending Vienna. I'm just speaking the facts. I'm just glad Vienna's coming back to us." Vante smirked wryly, his poker face so good. Then he hugged Vienna and whispered in her ear. "Too bad, sissy. It turns out you're not dead. It's okay; we have much time."
Valeska's world collapsed under her feet when she realized the shadow of Vante's face in her vision—bullying and treating Vienna so badly.
***