Page 2 of Ruined Kingdom

As I was struggling against my invisible bonds, my vision was suddenly filled by a large hand reaching down from the darkness above, emitting a white light from its fingertip right before touching my forehead.

Warmth was the first thing I could feel since I’d opened my eyes, and I became aware of how cold I truly was.

Only upon realizing that did I start sinking into the ocean of darkness beneath me.

“No.” The word weakly left my lips as I clawed at the surface, trying to stay afloat, but I was taken too quickly.

I sank fast and without any mercy until I fell right out of the bottom of the ocean.

Pitch darkness instantly gave way to light and pastel colors. I was now freefalling through a beautiful blue and peach sky, painted like a sunrise in springtime.

There was one thing I was sure of now: I wasn’t just dreaming… I wasn’t even in the mortal realm anymore. I was somewhere beyond it.

My fiery red hair waved and danced around me violently. But I slowly came to a standstill, and soon I wasn’t falling anymore.

A rush of confusion and adrenaline shot through me as if shocking me back to life. I shot up and looked around. I was in a strange new place.

It was unlike anything I’d ever seen before.

“Where am I?” I asked, my voice sounding as if I’d spoken it from far away.

I knew that wherever I was, my mind wasn’t able to perceive it entirely. Was this supposed to be heaven? The more I questioned it, the more I remembered the pain I felt right before going unconscious.

So, it’s true then… I did die.

Sadness boiled up to the brim of my throat, nearly drowning me.

This can't be it. I have so much left that I have to do. There are so many people I’m leaving behind.

I hugged my knees to my chest and tucked my face down.

“My child, why do you weep?” That beautiful voice called to me, drawing me away from the sad abyss that was consuming me.

As I opened my eyes, the light flooded into them, bringing me comfort where there was once despair. I looked up to see a tall, thin woman with long, beautiful hair as black as raven feathers. There was a tint of purple to it though, and it was accentuated by a light that seemed to shine brightly from behind her.

Her eyes looked like small white stars within the sockets of her face, and she had no pupils or irises. I knew then that I was not speaking to a mere mortal. In fact, some part of me recognized her.

I slowly stood before her, bowing my head and folding my hands over my chest. “Are you the Goddess Helene?”

“I am. It’s a pleasure to finally make your acquaintance, young Sophia.” She extended her long, slender fingers toward me.

I was frozen in fear for a moment. The thought of touching her hand with my mortal fingers felt like a sin. But would turning her down not be even more damning?

Noticing my hesitation, she instead raised her fingers to caress the cold tear dripping down my cheek. “My dear, why do you weep?”

“I am dead, aren't I?” The words stuck in my mouth like old taffy, fearful of what I already knew the answer was.

“Yes. You are dead in the sense that your spirit has left your body.” She spoke sullenly, dropping her chin just a little bit to mimic the sincerity of human emotion.

“But I still have so much I have to do. I'm not ready to die yet.” I leaned into her, pleading with my eyes, unsure if it would make any difference.

She pressed her slender knuckle against her lips and let out a gentle, airy chuckle. “Oh my dear, I know it. The fire in your soul still boils for justice and love. There is indeed something left that you must do.”

Her words gave me a modicum of hope. Did this mean she was planning on reviving me in some way? Was she even able to do that?

“I will show you the way back to the lower dimension, but for a soul to reattach itself to its physical body again after having left it, is something rare indeed. But your spirit is strong, and your will even more so. This is why I believe you’ll live again.” She then gave me a whimsical smile as she tilted her head and folded her hands in front of her. “So, once back there, let’s do our best not to die again, all right?”

It took me a moment to realize that that had been her attempt at a joke. I gave her a hesitant smile and nodded my head. “All right, I'm ready to go back.”

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