Death's Rebirth

CHAPTER 05: CURIOUSITY KILLED THE CAT

The intense flash of brilliant white light invaded her eyes all at once, casting the world around her into a sudden wave of darkness. She felt completely blinded and disoriented by the unexpected sensation—suddenly unable to comprehend her surroundings.he heard a deep, low voice whisper suddenly from her left. The words floated through the air, seemingly coming from nowhere and everywhere at the same time.

"You shall arise when it is time." It was a haunting and ominous message—one that filled her with a strange combination of both excitement and unease.

When will that time come?

Instinctively, she turned her head towards the voice with eyes full of curiosity. However when she looked, she was met with a stunning sight. A glinting figure stood beside her, shimmering and radiant within the darkness.

How familiar. My body feels so warm by it's presence.

The bright, shimmering figure stood before her, "And I will be here, waiting for you." It's voice was so gentle and alluring—that a strong sense of comfort and reassurance immediately enveloped her from hearing it, until—"I will make sure of it." Its words suddenly took on such a darker tone that they echoed within her mind.

The girl squinted her eyes in a futile effort to focus on the glowing silhouette. Darkness was quickly encroaching on her vision and winning the tug-of-war—shrouding her sight within the blackness. The silhouette began to dissolve away, its warm light fading into obscurity.

Her hands reached out in desperation to stay awake, desperate to keep that warm glow. As she reached closer, a black ink-like substance coated her hands—dripping on the ground and pooling around her.

At first, the cold ink felt chilling and off-putting. However, it suddenly felt strangely inviting, as though inviting her to surrender herself fully. She started to feel as if her mind was drifting away from the pressures of reality, all the stresses and pressures of life fading away.

Then I'll wait for you.

A strange, tranquil smile appeared on her face as she accepted her fate. The girl was slowly being pulled into the murky abyss, slowly being swallowed up by a comforting blanket of shadows—safe from the world.

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"What a liar."

The girl in present time was struck with a sharp chill as she hunched her way into the centre of the dark pool—where she now sat as if the pool were her bed. She felt the cold touch of the murk and the dampness of the darkness surrounding her, as the fear of the dark surrounded her on every side, creeping in on her and enveloping her in a chill that was more than just a physical feeling.

It had been days now since she had awakened and she was still confused, scared and entirely lost. Everything was unfamiliar and strange to her and she could only recall—vaguely, a voice before she had fallen unconscious.

Who was that?

Why did he leave me here?

That voice seemed to be the only connection she had to this unfamiliar place and the strange situation she had found herself in. As the days passed, the sense of longing and despair grew within her heart. She wondered what it meant for her to remain here, where it had been days now—yet it felt even longer than that.

What am I even waiting for?

Who will come?

She felt foolish for being stuck in this strange and unusual place while knowing nothing about it for such a long period of time. Although the woods were dark and frightening, they did provide a certain measure of solace for her troubled heart.