Oblivion, A Timeless Void

Chapter 1: To You, From the Shadow of Humanity

She had always believed that souls were the rawest form of life. Not that the body and mind weren't vital for being - she simply believed the soul mattered the most. It influences thoughts and decisions and clouds rationality and emotion alike. A tainted soul would mean a tainted being. That would be unfortunate, no?

"...cestis... Alcestis!"

The said girl snapped out of her trance at her name being called. She looked up at the blonde woman before her, wisteria eyes crinkling as she gave her a smile. "Yes, master?"

The woman sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. "I told you not to call me that, Al."

The girl just laughed a little. "So, why'd you come to me today?"

The blonde woman was quiet for a few moments before she started pacing around the field of flowers they were in, Alcestis sitting before her, cross-legged. The sun's rays shone tenderly, making the woman appear like an angel. Her honeyed eyes shone brilliantly in the light.

"I need you to retrieve Glacies."

"I'm sorry?"

"Glacies. The Ice Geo."

Alcestis's brows furrowed in confusion, but she was still smiling at the woman. Her features embodied the serenity of the twilight sky before dawn. "What's a Geo?"

At her inquiry, the woman's head tilted to the side a little as her footsteps came to a halt. "They never told you what a Geo was?" Alcestis shook her head as if to say no.

"Well... a Geo is a relic that can grant you a magical attribute so long as you have it on. It is usually in the form of an accessory, and it can only be granted by a holder of that attribute. It's the reason why the Elementals can do what they do."

Alcestis's smile dropped at her words. "You're asking me to go find my parents, huh? Touché."

"Al... They're the only ones you can turn to right now. You're now old enough to handle Glacies. That is my belief as its previous owner. I've long been dead... so take care of it for me, okay?"

The girl did not give her an answer, instead opting to stay quiet. She only stood to her feet; expression indifferent. "Where do I find it?"

"Look through the basement. Al, please - try to be as discreet as you can. They can't find out about it." Alcestis nodded, and the dreamscape dissipated, taking the kind woman with it.

When the girl awakened once more, she was lying in her bed. A pounding headache washed over her the moment she did - that always happened whenever the woman visited her dreams. So, she had to stay put until it subsided a little in order to be able to get out of bed.

There wasn't much to her room. A few books lying around, some pictures from her childhood... that was all Alcestis had on display; all the attachment she held to her life. Seeing that her brown hair was a mess as she passed by her dresser, she decided to tame it before leaving for the basement.

As she passed by the kitchen on her way down, her grandparents paid her no mind and went about their breakfast peacefully, almost as if she didn't exist in their world.

Soon, Alcestis stepped into the basement. It was old and dusty and carried painful memories. She loathed the basement. But to answer the call from her dream, she looked through the many boxes, attempting to find the Geo. It took almost an hour of rummaging before she came across a black velvet box containing a necklace with a pale blue snowflake charm attached.

Alcestis knew she struck gold. Now that the first step was done... how was she supposed to use it?

She examined the necklace once again while she attempted to think of any way to utilize it. It was too pretty to go to waste, she thought. In the end, she decided to touch the centre of the snowflake. Yet against all expectation, a small pixie emerged out of it. Only... it looked just as confused as she was.