Chapter 302: I Kneeled

Chapter 302: I Kneeled



***

'-Lash Step...'

!...?!

... What just happened?

Did something happen?... I don't know... No, something did.

I think... I think I was pulled somewhere by something that I didn't—I couldn't understand...

But I tried to, at least now, as I could still think.

Many ideas came to mind, but I settled only on one.

A portal...?

Maybe.

No... I shouldn't guess, not yet anyways.

I needed to confirm things first, as those thoughts of mine would take me nowhere.

[Ly? You hear me?]

[...]

[...]

[...]

[...]

A response I waited for but didn't receive.

Usually, moments or even seconds were the most Lyra would take, so this indicated that she was out of range.

And that meant that I found myself in a place far away from Sol's domain...

Or worse.

But there was nothing I could do about that, so I continued ticking off my mental checklist. 'Alright... Now I need to find any landmark or something to anchor in.'

I tried to move for the first time since my arrival here but couldn't.

I tried to see, to flutter my eyes open... but it was an ability that escaped me as well.

'Am I actually... Dead?'

'Just like that?'

'No... no, a being with such power wouldn't kill me for no reason... or 'They' might.'

'But at least 'They' wouldn't kill me secretly... though 'They' might as well.'

I tried to delude myself into believing that as fact, but logic maintained its resistance, denying my attempts.

'Doesn't matter, dead or alive, I should try to-'

Pa~

Just as that sudden sound resounded, one that resembled a piano's note... Control returned to my body.

My eyes finally opened wide, and what met them was nothing but the void.

A seemingly common occurrence, yet this void wasn't familiar.

It felt 'foreign.'

'Not a dream?'

My hands proceeded to touch every major part of my body that remained under my augmented suit, including my face, hair, ears, nose, mouth, teeth, neck, shoulders, arms,

hands, chest, stomach, back, thighs, knees, and feet.

Nothing was missing, and nothing was misplaced.

'Hm...'

I pinched my cheeks lightly.

'Hmm...'

My fingers pinched harder, scraping off a bit of my skin as I pulled my hand away. Though it didn't hurt much, I felt something-a sensation-that brought the truth into focus.

My nanobots.

While I didn't feel an ounce of Aether, my nanobots were still working, healing.

'I'm not dreaming... I'm...'

The 'truth' was that I did join the dead.

'I'm alive.'

A smile couldn't help but appear on my face as I realized that my worst nightmare hadn't come to pass.

Now, with my reality confirmed, calm returned as I proceeded with my unspoken checklist.

The next item to address: the very ground beneath me.

It, too, lay empty like everything else within my vision.

'Let's see here...'

Without pause, I extended my hand and pressed against the black void before my feet.

'Solid.'

After a second or two, I concluded that this place was similar to my unpainted dreams, which meant that I could safely walk on the black.

And that was what I did.

As I headed forward, the world moved with me.

DON'T DO IT!

DON'T! DON'T! DON'T! DON'T! DON'T! DON'T! DON'T! DON'T! DON'T! DON'T! DON'T! DON'T! DON'T! DON'T! DON'T! DON'T! DON'T! DON'T! DON'T! DON'T! DON'T! DON'T! DON'T! DON'T! DON'T! DON'T! DON'T! DON'T! DON'T! DON'T! DON'T! DON'T! DON'T! DON'T! DON'T! DON'T! DON'T! DON'T! DON'T! DON'T! DON'T! DON'T! DON'T! DON'T!

DON'T! DON'T! DON'T! DON'T!

DON'T LOOK-

Tinggg~

A... Piano?

Right, a piano's note.

It somehow drowned out my thoughts. Another few followed.

My knees buckled as I fell to the ground.

Each note that reached resonated with a quiet intensity, filling me with warmth that healed

my mind. It flowed effortlessly, as the gentle C whispered, ever so tranquil, and D blossomed like petals unfurling to the sun.

E shimmered brightly, lifting my spirits to a place of joy, while G grounded me, anchoring me

to the earth. E returned, renewed, and D followed, weaving seamlessly with the others.

And as the final note arrived, C, relaxation washed over me completely.

The melody came full circle as it faded, leaving me in silence.

'Wow... Just wow.'

'His' presence was still there.

'He' didn't go anywhere, and yet...

I was fine.

What I felt to be so suffocating that every nerve in my body screamed danger had left me

alongside the music.

It wasn't just the aura of power he exuded that affected me, but something deeper, something primal, that stirred my survival instincts.

Even though I was weak. Unworthy. Insignificant. Meaningless. Easily discarded. An ant, a speck of dust. No, not even that. I simply did not exist as they did... I was fine.

All of that was gone.

I was calm once more, and with that calmness came back my intellect.

'I'm good... 'He' doesn't want to kill me.'

With a low sigh, I did what I had to do and crossed the gate, entering the room. They, who I just noticed, and 'He' appeared to be waiting on me as they sat around a cozy

table, their stares following my figure.

So, not to delay whatever was going on more than I already had, I didn't take long and joined

them, my steps quick.

And on the way to the table, where seemingly all the 'fog' originated from, my eyes danced around the room, a room that could only be described as homely.

Red carpet adorned the ground below me, laced with golden Arcane and touches of black.

They flowed quite well with the red row of curtains on each side of the room that hid blocked windows. A few brown cabinets were placed in the leftmost corner away from me, alongside what

appeared to be an ancient music box, a Carillons à Musique, as well as a Dance Organ, an Accordeo Boy, a Gramophone, Juke Box, and an Acoustic Piano.

They were huddled against a similarly brown wall, making the relatively large room feel

filled.

While the place looked extraordinary, the table outshone the rest by its lonesome as it looked

too beautiful, too complex for my eyes to appreciate.

The 'complexity,' the symbols that adorned the table slowly dissipated as I neared, however, revealing a simple black finish.

Eight throne-like chairs surrounded the table: three on its left, three on its right, and one at

each end.

As I looked around trying to spot a free chair among the eight, only one showed itself to be

empty.

It was the one nearest to me, and directly opposite 'Him.'

'Of course...'

My steps halted when I reached my seat, and then my eyes shifted, lowering towards 'Him'

without making direct contact.

A weight, unseen but heavy, pressed down on my shoulders, urging me to a decision I had

never contemplated

before.

In a singular moment that echoed through the silent chamber...

"I humbly greet you... Divine one."

I found myself sinking to one knee as my hand neared my second heart.

It wasn't merely a physical act; it was a concession, an acknowledgment of a power greater

than my own.

In my short fifteen years of life, never had I entertained the notion of kneeling before anyone

or anything. It was a threshold I had never crossed, a line I had never approached. Yet here, in this moment, I found myself humbled, not by force but by choice, by the gravity

of the being seated at the end of the table.

"Am I allowed to sit opposite you?"