Gehenna's Gate

Secret Garden

The sound of bells was the first thing to reach her ears, yet she found she couldn't open her eyes.

Her body felt- off. Empty. Not even the beating of her own heart.

Somewhere overhead, birds were chirping peacefully, singing a beautiful song that carried across the wind, yet she didn't feel the breeze against her skin.

There was a subtle warmth spreading across her body, radiant and growing slowly from her core, tingling and fuzzy.

A sound reached her ears, similar to waves lapping up against the shoreline, rolling back into itself after hitting the sand, only to repeat the process over and over again.

Still, she wasn't able to open her eyes, or even lift a finger. It felt as if she wasn't truly in control of her own body.

"I'm so, so proud of you, my child."

The voice triggered an immediate response in her, one that would have reacted with tears of joy, yet none came, her body remaining completely still.

"But it still isn't your time... Give your mother a hug for your old man, will you?"

Slowly, her senses began to fade, the volume seemingly getting lower and lower, farther away with every passing second, yet the warmth remained.

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"I'm serious, go get Xiao- I saw a tear go down her face just now!" The voice was distorted, blurry even, as if it was from another realm. Another time or place.

A pulsing pain practically emanated from every single part of her body, vibrating as the girl let out a soft groan.

"She's awake! Go get him, now!"

A ringing was present in her ears, a dull throbbing in her temples, a soreness covering every inch of her body as she struggled to crack open an eye.

The sound of various feet moving around could be heard, but Vena's head felt like it was spinning.

The light burned once she'd finally managed to open an eye, trying to blink away the unpleasant brightness right before it had been flipped off by a light switch, replaced by a dimmer lamp in the corner of the room.

"Sorry," A woman apologized softly.

Vena attempted to sit up, only to immediately get yelled at.

"No no, don't do that! You're very hurt and we don't want you to risk popping any stitches, just relax."

Vena's eyes finally focused enough to be able to tell it was Mona seated in a chair beside her.

Wait, I'm actually alive? How am I alive?

A figure nearly tripped upon running into the room, Mona's head whipping around to smile at them as they exhaled a huge sigh.

"I'll leave you two alone for a bit." Mona gently cleared her throat before patting Vena's arm, standing to her feet and taking her leave.

It wasn't hard to assume the beautiful golden eyes she could make out looking back at her belonged to Xiao.

"It actually worked, holy shit." The man cursed under his breath after falling into the chair beside her, gingerly taking her hand in both of his own.

"I'm... alive?" Vena flinched at the sound of her own voice, hollow and hoarse as if her entire throat was covered in sand.

Slowly but surely, her senses began to return to normal, her hearing finally beginning to sound like she wasn't trapped in a fish bowl anymore. Her eyes felt dry and were a bit blurry, but it was better than before. The sharp scent of mint filled her nostrils, her body visibly relaxing a bit more as the smell became stronger. What started out as a dull ache was slowly becoming more violent, various parts of her body throbbing in unison.