Grapevine (Zetheria Series #1)

Prologue

The sky was aflame in thousands of shades of crimson, drowning the graveyard in deep shadows. Selene stood in front of the crowd and stared blankly in the cold air left by the passing rain.

Which is odd, because she never went out of the building this week.

There was a man in a black robe speaking in a foreign language while holding a glowing orb and two other men wearing the same clothes standing on each side, holding the incense.

Yet, for some bizarre reason, Selene could understand what the priest was speaking, including the hushed conversations of older women behind her.

"The duke and his heir left awhile ago..."

"How about the second son?"

"I heard he was in the front lines..."

"Is that so?"

"Ah, I don't know if I should pity the young lady."

Her mind was a bit hazy, but Selene couldn't be mistaken.

She was inside the laboratory when the whole world shook and the test tubes fell on the floor. She managed to shield herself by hiding under the table, watching the cracks run through the floor and the walls.

The shaking was too much, she struggled to keep her head steady and at some point, she hit something hard, and that was the last thing she can recall.

Staring at the last vestiges of the dying sunset, she pondered hard to explain the strange situation she is in.

'Could this be a hallucination?'

She casted a side glance at the man beside her, who held the parasol with a straight expression. His hair was blonde, his eyes were blue, and his posture was as straight as a stick. He stood with an air of dignity and pride of a soldier.

'A foreigner? Where on Earth am I? Who are these people?'

Even though the winds were cold, Selene was sweating under the black dress she couldn't have afforded. She can still feel the ground shaking under her feet, with the memories of the earthquake still fresh on her mind.

While checking the whole place, her eyes landed on a puddle and saw the reflection of a young woman. She held a white rose on her gloved hand with a frightened look on her pale face. Her eyes were swollen and her nose was red. It took Selene a moment to realize that she was staring at her own reflection.

Lifting her gaze to check the faces of the silent crowd, she saw none of her friends or acquaintances. What's even stranger was that, she can't remember who died. Even if someone did die, Selene wouldn't have the time to attend the funeral.

Sobs resounded across the solemn crowd as the casket was lowered down beneath the ground. Selene watched the entire thing happen with apprehension.

Her heart grow cold.

'No...'

Shivers ran down her spine and she found it hard to breathe, as if something was stuck in her lungs. A warm liquid streamed down her face.

Selene knew in an instant that these emotions were not her own.

She was inside the body of a stranger.

'Did I die?'

The smell of fresh soil hit her nose, as though giving her the proof she needed to see that this wasn't a dream. All of it was too real.

Selene's mind was in haywire, her thoughts appeared and disappeared at lightning speed. She didn't realize how much time had passed. The moment she came back to her senses, the crowd was already dispersing.

"Do you wish to go home, Lady Selene?"

Selene flinched.

"P-Please." She croaked with much effort.

Ignoring the curious glances of the remaining guests, they walked towards the carriages lining up outside the gates of the graveyard.

Finally inside, she took a deep breath and calmed herself.

'Did I really die?'

'If I did, then why am I here? That man talked to me, so, I couldn't be a ghost.'

She fanned herself and looked at the window as the carriage moved. She looked closely at the view zooming out as though they were ascending into the sky. The graveyard and the church made of weathered stone grew smaller the more she stared.

Upon closer inspection, Selene confirmed that the carriage was indeed flying. She poked her head out of the window and watched as the light from the establishments grew smaller. They were flying along with some other carriages, appearing like fireflies in the darkness of the descending night.

Selene blinked stupidly as she sat back to her position.

"What in the world."

The only rational explanation to this is that she had finally lost it. Countless days she spent sleeping at dawn might have caused her to see virtual hallucinations. However, at the depths of her mind, a suspicion was slowly growing.

'No, there's no rational thing about this.'

She massaged her head and tried to sleep it all.

'It's alright. It will all be alright the moment I wake up.'

She's wrong.

Selene let out a scream when she woke up, still inside the carriage.

One of the footmen took a peek inside to check on her.

"Is there anything wrong, Lady Selene?"

With wide eyes, she grabbed the footman's necktie and pulled on it. "Why am I here? Where is everyone? What is this place?"

He coughed and gasped for air. "M-My Lady... his g-grace and the young lord l-left a—please have mercy!"

She caught herself and let go of the footman's necktie. She stared at his face for several seconds before heaving a deep sigh.

"D-Do you r-require anything, My Lady?"

She shook her head and sat back, staring into space with her thoughts swirling. Her suspicions were more or less confirmed.

The footman waited for a few seconds. He took the hint and disappeared from the window.

"Ha, seriously... Something like this is actually happening..."

Selene chuckled mirthlessly. The absurdity was hard to accept. There had been no real evidences of transmigration happening in real life. Travelling into the future is a more scientifically accurate phenomenon. One could go into the future if they travelled into space at the speed of light and go back to Earth. However, transplanting a human's consciousness into another body was unheard of.

Selene was almost sure now.

'I'm in a different realm...'