Neither black, nor white. It was red... All over the place. When Althea opened her eyes, she saw a light that was horrifying. Red was a powerful colour, after all. It was the colour of Cupid and the Devil, the colour of love and hate. It meant luck in China, where bridal wear was red, mourning in parts of Africa and sex in Amsterdam's as well as other countries' red-light districts.

Red was a powerful colour that could easily grab one's attention, increase one's heartbeat and stimulate fear, which is why when Althea was surrounded with this colour, there was so much discomfort. The sky above her was red. She looked below her. She was standing on a frozen pool of red colour. It felt as if she was standing on cold blood. She tried remembering why she was here or how she came here. Was it a hallucination or a dream?

She remembered talking to someone, a guy... No... Two, maybe? But who? She grabbed her hair as her head started to hurt. She remembered something... Brown hair and grey eyes... But who's? Some more images flashed before her eyes. Blonde hair and purple eyes... But who was that person? Wait... This means there were two people with her... She was trying to digest these new visuals when suddenly, she started hearing some voices.

"I think that scene is going right now, except you are with me..." This voice... It was a feminine voice. Familiar, it felt way too familiar. Was it her own voice? If yes, why did it feel like she doesn't know exactly what her voice sounds like?

"Wow. You world must have been amazing. If only I were from there..." A masculine voice... Who was he referring to? And what exactly did he mean by "your world"? Were there other worlds besides one? Her headache increased. This pain was intense. Suddenly, she could hear something... It was a bit like dealing with a constant background “shhhh” of distraction. She was not constantly aware of the "shhhh" unless she actively focused to sense it, but this extra overlay of sensation was nibbling at her. Fatigue was slowly taking over her. She wanted to sleep and end this nightmare. On reflex, her eyes closed themselves and she put her hands on her ears to stop the noise. Suddenly, she heard another voice, a masculine voice.

"You are fine. You can open your eyes now." Slowly, she opened her eyes, only to be greeted by the blinding redness around her.

"Are you calm now?" A feminine voice spoke from behind. She looked at the owner of the voice. A beautiful woman, too divine to exist, was standing, no floating around her. Her outfit was an easy one. Just a sheet or long section of white fabric was wrapped around her, as if tied into a toga. It was in a one-shoulder effect by wrapping it across her body.

She had a laurel leaf-style headband to imitate ancient Greek tradition. Leaf shapes made out of gold formed her wreath hair accessory. Tiny flowers were scattered all over her long, flowing hair which was loose and curled. This style was enhancing her natural beauty. She looked confident, relaxed and mysterious.

"You're lost... But, don't worry. I'll show you your way." The way she spoke was magic. Her voice was like an enchantment and Althea found herself loosing in it.

"Who..." Managing to find her voice, she spoke in a low voice but, couldn't complete her sentence due to the dazed state.

"Lilith. The ruler, controller and creator of this world. You, your thoughts, your bonds, I've created everything. Every single thing."

"Then... Bathala... The one I met before." Althea remembered meeting the Almighty. What she wasn't able to remember was what happened afterwards.

"He? There isn't one God. Many exist. And you? As a mortal, you'll have to submit to us, immortals."

Before Althea could process what was happening, the water beneath her started sucking her deep. The smell of blood was a sickeningly dry, sweet metallic scent. As it dried and aged around her, it took on a vile pungent that smothered her senses and suffocated her breath. She was getting eaten away by it. Slowly, she lost her strength and welcomed the darkness.
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Number of words : 719
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Things are going to go darker from now on...