Portrait of Seraina

Act 1

You may recall the story of a courageous little girl who stumbled upon a wondrous and dangerous world. A world where art itself wandered freely. This story might have you believe that that little girl overcame all adversities in order to escape the terror of the world of art by destroying her captor and gaining her freedom, but art is more than just a picture on the wall, and is not so easily destroyed. Inside that world are more stories being told, and just as art can affect the heart and soul of the people that view them, those people have an affect on the art as well.

A voice echoed in a dark room that looked scorched, figures stand in the shadows over a busted painting that had been set ablaze. A sweet but distraught voice rang out, "they burned her, poor mary poor poor mary...can she be repaired?" Many voices spoke now, one after another as if they were of one mind. "We can, but not as paint..." "..We'll need another..." The figures shift excitedly, "You mean like the one who got out?" The figures shuffle towards the door, their voices became harsh whispers, "Yes, like the one who got out..." "we'll need another a vessel..." "She will be a living doll." After a moment of intense silence, they stopped and turned, becoming still as if statues as they turn and regard the shattered painting, they spoke in unison, "...for mary," closing the door behind them.

Our new story starts off in a very familiar setting, and much like the last, an innocent girl with a fascination for the finer works of art will be taken on an incredible adventure. Here in Gueretena's gallery a youth named Seraina, an aspiring artist with a mind and heart of a true genius artist, and the talent and knowledge to match Gueretena himself, was heading to her favorite artisans gallery. It was a warm spring evening as Seraina walks with her mother and father into the famous art gallery of Gueretena, she had always been a big fan of his work, she herself was a talented artist at a young age of sixteen her skills were quite advanced she was very proud of herself to say the least and now she finally gets to go to her most beloved artists art gallery, she heard they've gotten new displays and she implored her mother and father to take her, they finally agreed yesterday and so today the were off to the gallery. They finally arrived around noon and went through the doors. She walks with her mother and father to the receptionists counter she turns to her mother and smiles excitedly "im going on ahead mother, i want to see the new paintings! don't worry you know im well behaved." her mother turn to her and smiled "my dear Seraina im never worried about you my dear, go and enjoy the exhibits me and your father will be there shortly we're going to get pamphlets and make sure to see if we can make the evening tour, now off with you and have fun but mind your excitement, we wouldn't want to disturb the others." Seriana nods and wanders off she looks up the stairs then down the hall in front of her and decides to go there first. She wandered into the main hall a few people surrounded a painting that lay in the center of the floor, Seraina walked over to it and smiled in awh at a painting that had an Eel or some type of sea serpent in it, the waters around it were dark and deep, she frowned she couldn't make it to the plaque to read the name of this marvelous painting, she looked behind her and ran to a painting on a large wall at the entrance to the main hall. Hanging in a silver frame taking the entire wall was a painting of a large gray hall with shadowed figures down at the end of it, a small flame between them. Seriana looked at the plaque and read it aloud "Ominous Assembly" she smiles at the painting not noticing the woman walk up beside her "it's a new painting they found. It replaced the Well Meaning Hell Exhibit, i find this painting to be rather foreboding and for some reason it makes me feel uneasy." Seriana turned and stared at the woman beside her, she was tall and beautiful her long brown hair flowing around her, her soft red eyes regarding the painting as if at any moment it was going to come alive, her pale skin looked smooth and Seraina kinda wanted to touch it, she shook her head and looked at the woman's dress it had a white top and a red skirt that went down to her ankles, Seraina felt an odd connection with the woman and she decided to let the woman know her name, "im Seriana ma'am its nice to meet you!" the woman turns and smiles the foggy look in her eyes clearing "its a pleasure to meet you, my name is Ib i come here often, it's the first i've seen you" Seriana smiles "i finally convinced my folks to bring me here. I'm a really big fan of Guertena's art, i simply love his work. Are you perhaps a fan to?" Ib's eyes suddenly become troubled again "no, not really, ever sense i was young i felt as if i've forgotten something or someone important and i feel as if they or it were tied to this place, in truth when im here i have a sense of fear and dread but none the less i find myself coming here quite often as if in search for the thing i've forgotten..." the look on Miss Ib's face seemed sad, all Seriana could do was rub her back and smile reassuringly "im sure you'll find it ma'am" Ib nods appreciatively and then curtsies "well i must be going, i bid you adieu and Seriana" Seriana looks back up to the woman finally seeing fear in her eyes "please do be careful. I feel as if you're in danger..." she turns and walks off leaving Seriana frowning. She turns back to the painting looking at the figures masked by darkness, a chill goes up her back and she then decides to go to the south hall of the main floor.

At the entrance of the south hall, there's a large rose statue, Seriana stares in awh but cannot seem to get any closer for people are swarming around it marveling at its beauty she frowns "ill just have to come back to it i guess..." she looks to her right and notices a painting on the wall beside her she walks over to it and frowns it was of a man coughing and that was indeed its title, she smirks "it's one of his more simpler works but none the less its an artistic masterpiece teheh." she looks around and sees one of the new exhibits, its a statue of a woman in white, she has no face and her ears a point like knives, her arms are outstretched as if she was protecting something behind her. Seriana looks down at the plaque and smiles "Cry for Chivalry" she smiles feeling a warm feeling from this perticuler work of art. She turns and spots another new exhibit and walks over to it she tilts her head curiously for this painting made little sense to her, in it there was a distorted shadow of a lady and below her was a shadow of someone laying down she looks at the plaque "Jealousy's Vengeance" she shivers and feels uncomfortable around this painting and decides to leave the main hall, exiting back to the reception room she runs into her mother who smiles at her "oh there you are, come! i have an exhibit i want you to see it confuses me but i really would love your insight on it!" she grabs Seriana by the hand and leads her up the stairs to the second floor and to an exhibit of three mannequins one of red, yellow, and blue dress color, she reads the plaque aloud "Death of the Individual" she study's them before turning to her mother "i believe its saying that "the individual" lies within one's expression, and that if one cannot see those expressions that the individual dies, or so that's my interpretation of it anyways" Seraina shrugs and her mother stares at the exhibit pondering her daughter's words. Seraina suddenly felt compelled to go to the south hall of the second floor, as if her body had a mind of its own she began to walk past the new exhibits, her heart pounding as she rounded the corner and into a empty hall with one large wall she turns and studies the painting, it was a world that looked drawn and frightening the strokes of the brush erratic and feverish creating a slightly horrifying world. She turned from it to see an empty frame on the opposite wall she walks over to it and frowns, the frame seemed odd and as she looked closer she gasped. The frame was ethereal, it wasn't really there at all, she looks at the plaque "Ma-" two letters are missing from the plaque, Seriana begin to have a bad feeling and she turn back to the larger painting and read the plaque "Fabricated World" suddenly she felt kind of sick, she decided she needed to speak to her mother she turn and left the south hall but when she entered the main hall of the second floor it was empty, she frowned and begin to have a sinking feeling, she walked around and still saw no one, she then saw something shadowing the window and walked over to it looking out, she frowned, "it's all misty outside, i can't see a thing...how very odd. i have a bad feeling maybe mother and father are back at the entrance" she turns and walks down the stairs to the receptionists but stops on the stairs as the lights flicker and die, the room becomes dark but somehow still light enough for her to see. Seriana walks to the main doors and wiggles them but finds they are locked, she turns and sees a figure walk by the two main windows she rushes to them and looks out but sees nothing but mist "whats going on here...did everyone go to the main hall?" her heart is full of fear now and speeds up then suddenly a bloody hand bangs on the window making Seriana rush back from the window with a scream, she turns and runs to the main hall but stops and stares around because once again the room was empty. she walks to the big painting in the center and stairs down at it frowning "th-this isn't right wasn't there an eel here?" there is a shuffling behind her and a voice of a girl "it's waiting for you on the other side teheheh" suddenly Seraina is pushed but instead of hitting solid floor or a soft canvas she falls into frigid water her eyes seeing the light above her at a retreating figure, her mind becomes foggy and her last thought before blacking out was that of Ib's parting words "please do be careful. I feel as if you're in danger."