Veil of Darkness

There were no shadows, for there was no light
In the belly of darkness, in the heart of blight
There was no sorrow, there was nothing to follow
No more reason for joy, no more hope for tomorrow

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Like a raft lost in an endless sea, Eva drifted alone in an ocean of twilight, gazing at the starless night sky. The veil of darkness stretched out farther than what her eyes could reach. It was so vast that staring at it felt suffocating.

It did not take long for her to realize—it was the afterlife.

Her body refused to move like a petrified gargoyle bathing in daylight. At this point, she had already given up the thought of having a body at all. Maybe she was reduced to be a mere spirit, patiently waiting for her verdict. Only one question lingered in her mind—how long must she stay there?

Time flew like an eternity inside the void, a recycling season of perpetual darkness. She could barely form a coherent thought from the lack of stimulation in her senses.

My name is Eva Alaine.

My name is Eva Alaine.

M-my name is. . .Eva Alaine.

The overwhelming drowsiness shrouded the young maiden, yet it wouldn't allow her to sleep—stuck in the limbo between dreams and reality. Each second she spent made the urge heavier, the only sign of change throughout her time.

Strangely enough, a realization kept her mind sound. The world of emptiness gave the peace she had been longing for throughout her life. Perhaps this was not her punishment but her relief. A compensation from life for all the miserable seconds she endured back at her home.

She gave an imaginary scoff at her notion. As if life was ever that kind.

If she was to give a single pleasant thing about her situation, it was the fact that pain grew to become a thing of the past, freeing her from the shackles of all vices. All except one. Guilt.

Serenity coursed in her heart while she strived to forget her past. But every time she tried to look back at the joyous times in her life, the flashes of her father—suffocating in disease—came surging back.

The same thing, the same place, the same feeling—it was all the same.

Stuck in its loop, Eva was convinced—this was not heaven. If this was not heaven nor hell, then where was she?

She searched for clues in the void. Unsurprisingly, she found none. All until a faint voice came weeping in the distance.

* * *

A sudden downpour of cries and whimpers tore through the silence, pulling her out of sleep. Like fire, she jolted to stand up, but her body refused to move. The sound grew closer and louder until they enclosed Eva like she was the eye of a storm.

"I offer my condolences, my King," cooed a man with a voice that soared above the others.

W-who is he?

A ray of light showered Eva's face with warmth and penetrated through her closed eyelids. From the atmosphere alone, she was nowhere near home.

There was no way for a dead person to come back to life, yet her chest thumped loudly underneath her dress. Steps lumbered near and far. The squeaking of the floor and rustling of the curtains painted a vivid picture in Eva's mind, but she could not find the courage to confirm it with her eyes.

As the crowd wept, Eva's senses slowly awakened. Like departing from a lucid dream, she felt as alert as ever. Moments turned into minutes, uninterrupted. The warm heat evaporated into a gentle ambiance, yet the fear of the unknown still lurked beneath the maiden's eyes.

Open them, she said, but couldn't.

Lift your eyes, she whispered, but her body denied.

Soon, the building curiosity began to take over. Eva had nothing left to lose, so why bother to be enslaved by fear.

One.

Two.

Three.

Eva opened her eyes in a flash. From her time in the void, she did not expect a light to come piercing her sight, but it did. The darkness waned, replaced by a blinding glint. As her vision danced, she lifted her back and rose.

The cries ceased; the chaotic melody ended. Everyone rose from their seats, muted.

Eva whispered to herself with a hoarse voice that she failed to recognize, "I can move." She clasped on her throat and felt a skin smooth as marble.

The crowd backed away, and some dared to leave. Some peeked in curiosity, while some froze in complete horror.

Men and women dressed in elegant outfits surrounded her bed. Their dresses and suits shimmied in a beautiful deep black as they carried flowers of the same color in their hands. The mattress she lay on was as soft as the clouds, and the lightweight sleeping dress she wore resembled a butterfly in hues of teal and blue.

"Y-you're alive!" cried an elderly man wearing a regal gown. A crown made of gleaming silver rested atop his ashen-gray hair. His face was lean, and his body was round. But most importantly, he was a stranger to Eva—everyone was a stranger to Eva.

The king's mighty poise broke as he lumbered towards the young maiden with tears flowing down his polished beard.

"It's a miracle! The goddess gave a miracle! Reia, you're alive," he whispered again, sobbing on her shoulders.

Reia? Who's that? Is he talking to me?

The weight of the king's head almost had Eva crashing on the bed.

She looked in confusion and muttered coldly, "What is happening?"

Eva nudged the man away, but he clasped hard on her dress and resisted her push.

"W-who are you?" she said, stammering in fear.

"I'm your father," he whispered.

"I don't know you."

The king's eyes broadened; his jaws opened wide. He let go of her clothes and backed away, simultaneously wiping the tear dripping down his face.

Amongst the crowd, a man wearing an elegant black outfit strolled toward the bed. He strode with confidence as he carried his black handbag in his left arm.

"Can I borrow the princess for a minute?" he whispered to the king.

Princess, that man called me a princess. What in the world is happening?

The king hesitantly stepped away, then ordered the crowd to head out. To the nobles' dismay, a king's word was absolute.

The old king studied Eva one last time before smiling and leaving through the wooden double doors. It didn't take long for their footsteps to fade, leaving her alone, defenseless with a middle-aged stranger inside a bedroom she didn't own.

"Hell, where am I?" she whispered to herself.

Her voice drew the man's stoic eyes towards her. Eva quaked. She reached for the blanket and pulled it over her body as the stranger stomped nearer and nearer. The two observed each other with a face of mutual bewilderment.

"What are you going to do with me?" She scowled at the man.

"You have no reason to fear. I'm not here to harm you. I just have a few questions," the gentleman said and peeled off his flashy black coat, exposing his white buttoned long-sleeve shirt.

He stood tall with poise and a slender body. If Eva were to assume, she would place his age between thirty to forty.

"Do you know where you are?" he asked as he sat on the chair with his shoulders lifted.

"No. Where am I?"

The man did not answer. Instead, he stretched his right arm forward as three long thin cords went out of his sleeves. They floated out with minds of their own, leaving Eva startled in her seat.

"Please, open your mouth," he said.

Eva glared at him and shook her head. "Answer my questions first, then —"

"I'm a doctor. You can trust me."

The young woman parted the brims of her jaws, allowing the strings to travel inside her mouth. They slid down her parched throat without her feeling a thing. The doctor gawked inside, maneuvering the thin threads with his digits. After a while, he pulled them out, drawing them back inside his coat.

That's magic. I am sure of it. But I've never seen magic as bizarre as his.

The doctor sighed. "There's not a sign of the poison. Y-you're healed?" He pulled a notebook out of his pocket and jotted down a few letters.

Poison? Healed? Crap. Nothing's making sense.

"Excuse me." She chased after him. "Are you a magician?"

"Magician? Do you perceive me as a clown, performing parlor tricks?" He rolled his eyes. "Forgive me for forgetting to introduce myself. My name is Ferdinand Harbor. I am a healing sorcerer and your family's doctor."

That's it. I'm done with this bullcrap.

Eva hopped out of her bed and stomped away to the exit. The soft carpet pressed against her bare feet as she made her way through the spacious chamber.

"Where are you going?"

"Outside."

"No. You may not."

"I do not answer to you!"

"— Because you will die," he stated calmly.

Eva paused her steps—the hairs throughout her body spiked up like an anxious feline. "Fine. . . But at least tell me everything that is going on."

"You've been giving signs of amnesia. Interesting. . ." He rubbed his chin with his thumb. "Then, sit down, princess Reia Astra. I shall tell you all you want to know."

Eva shivered upon being called by a different name. A nightmarish scenario that she put together seemed to be coming true. Despite that, she gulped and turned back.

A large oval mirror hanging on the wall made her catch a glimpse of her reflection. Everything made sense as the lady in the reflective glass gazed back.

"Who is this woman?" she whispered to herself.