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72.6% Astral Flow / Chapter 53: Chapter 49

บท 53: Chapter 49

Lily could feel her heart race as she looked up, before her were the castle gates leading to the grand castle of Resovult.

As it turns out the first order of business was getting her recognized by the King and Queen of this place, supposedly they'd allow her to move freely if she could pass some kind of test.

What that test was… well no one would explain.

Apparently telling someone what to expect was against the rule.

"Come on, I promise you'll be fine." Vonder says with a smile as he walks through the gates into a wide open courtyard. "The King and Queen are the last people you have to worry about pulling anything."

"That's not what I'm worried about-" Lily pauses upon passing through the gates, feeling a rush of energy wash over her, quickly she looks back, her eyes narrowing a bit. "Are those… glyphs?"

Her eyes had focused onto carvings in the stone and iron that most people would've missed at first glance, something so minute that without feeling this strange sensation she would've missed it as well.

Vonder lets out an impressed whistle. "Yeah, how did you know? Aida and I couldn't tell they were even there until a mage pointed them out."

"You mean, you didn't feel that right now? It felt like a wall of cold air blew past me." Lily asks, now more concerned than ever.

"Nope, I didn't… but that means you're more special than I thought!" Vonder eases up a bit more. "After all you have to have some great senses to feel a warding glyph created by The Forgotten!"

"Those glyphs are said to be such fine spellwork that even the majority or mages can't detect them magically, they have to look for physical traces of them." Aida continues as she rests atop of Vonder's head. "So to feel the magic wash over you is a feat in and of itself."

"Alright… well at least they didn't activate some kind of alarm." Lily says now easing up as well.

"Oh yeah, they would've only activated if you were walking in with some kind of dangerous magic brewing or a killing intent stewing in your mind." Vonder continues, now walking towards the castle entrance. "It's not a perfect system mind you, but it deters most unwelcome guests from sneaking in."

"Alright then.." Lily looks at the glyph one last time before following Vonder inside the castle.

It was a surprisingly simple place compared to what she was expecting, Mainly using a mixture of Iron and Wood to build the structures and interior, with a few carpets and art pieces hung on the walls.

It was still very much a castle belonging to royalty… but it felt humble, as if all the money wasn't just going back to the king and queen.

Even the decorations here seemed to be less… eccentric than she was expecting.

It was primarily paintings, a chandelier and one stained glass window.

There were no statues, relics, or collector's items… it was honestly a little surprising to see.

"Ah, there you are, I was wondering when you and your friend would arrive." A firm but kind voice spoke, the way they spoke was smooth like velvet and kept Lily hooked on every word.

Standing at the end of the hall, in front of a set of double doors, was a woman wearing what looked like a mixture of butler-like attire and armor.

It was certainly a formal suit of some kind, primarily being black in color with little silver accents thrown in.

The armor was primarily a full cover over their right arm, it was silver and seemed to be engraved with the same glyphs that were at the entrance, aside from that the armor was some light protection around the elbows, heart, knees and neck.

All together while it did look stylish it did make Lily believe that this person could attack at any moment, they didn't seem like a normal servant.

Their appearance was nothing to scoff at either, long snow white hair tied up into a weird mixture of a crown braid and a bun.

Soft icey blue eyes that sparkled in the light.

Ghostly pale skin, making them seem almost like a ghost.

"Grey! What took you so long to show up? Usually you greet me at the beginning of the hall." Vonder begins, walking up to this strange person and casually slinging his arm around their shoulders in a very buddy buddy manner.

"Caution had to be taken, every new guest must be treated with extreme caution… even if you're the one to bring them." They reply with a bit of tired annoyance lingering in my voice. "We cannot just let anyone stroll into the castle after all."

Their voice- no, that's… why did it sound so familiar? Why did it tug at her heart so?

It felt like some kind of deep long forgotten memory was welling up inside of Lily, though she couldn't know what.

"I apologize, Grey this is Lily, she's been blessed by Cecil!" Vonder motions his head lightly to Gray now. "Lily, this is Grey, she's actually an outlander as well, currently she's residing in the castle to serve under the Queen."

Another outlander? No, that should've been impossible, the journal showed there were no other players here-

'She's not from this world or yours, that is the answer' Six whispered, finally speaking up for the first time.

His voice scared Lily half to death, but she couldn't show it, not right now.

Six's answer had provided her enough clarity for the time being.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Grey." Lily meekly says while holding out a hand.

The white haired woman pauses, looking at Lily's hand before slowly reaching out with the gauntlet and shaking her hand.

The gauntlet was freezing cold, colder than anything else in the room, it felt like it should've been covered in frost but it wasn't somehow.

"Likewise." was the only word uttered from Grey as she remained surprisingly stoic in the face of all of this. "Now, if you're here to meet with Queen Shara and King Flann they are currently discussing strategy in the war room, I'll show the way."

"Man, the way you can read people will never not surprise me." Vonder sighs a little before looking at Lily. "Well, are you ready?"

"Yes! Please lead the way!" Lily replies, now moving up to the other two.

Without saying another word Grey moves away from Vonder, her footsteps silent, not a single sound came from those footfalls.

If one didn't know better it'd seem like she was gliding rather than walking.

Together the four of them moved through the halls, though not a single word was spoken.

Lily had all the time in the world to just ponder on what was going on.

She knew that Six had some attachment to Resovult, but maybe there was something between him and Grey as well?

Grey's face evoked such strong emotions that Lily could tell weren't her own, they couldn't be, she didn't know a thing about this person or anyone who looked like her.

Not only that but for the first time Six spoke to her outside of the void, he didn't manifest but he did speak… and he knew that she wasn't from either world.

There was something strange here for sure, but Lily would need to better know Six or Grey to figure that out.

"Here we are." Grey flatly spoke while motioning to the iron door in front of them. "Please do be considerate of the Queen and King, this situation has already caused a great load of stress for them as is."

"Ah don't worry, Lily is a good person and I'm here so things will go smoothly." Vonder lightly replies, earning nothing but a blank stare from Grey before she walks off.

With a sigh Vonder just moves up and pushes the door open, revealing a domed room with a large wooden table in the middle, the familiar sight of a false sky hanging above it.

Standing in front of the table were two people, both wearing surprisingly casual clothing.

One was a short and slender woman with long silver hair that reached down the middle of her back, it flowed freely and seemed to have an almost metallic sheen to it.

Her eyes were that same metallic silver, though were slitted like a snake, yet she seemed unfazed by the new presence in the room.

Her outfit was simple, black slacks, brown boots, white button up shirt, silver bracers and lastly a single silver ring adorning her hand, it had some kind of pearlescent jewel in it, but not one that could be made out from here.

The other was a tall man with a lean but clear muscular build, He had messy black hair that was slicked back and a slightly patchy beard to go with it, to Lily it almost resembled a lion's mane.

This man's eyes were a bright orange that seemed to glow vividly, almost looking like embers framed by his coal black hair.

His face bore three scars specifically, one down his left eye, one across his nose, and then one going down the right side of his mouth, all of them connecting in a rather disjointed way.

As for his outfit… It was more simple than the woman's just black slacks, black boots, a black short sleeved shirt and black fingerless gloves.

The most stand out part of his outfit though was a strange pendant hanging from his neck that appeared to be a shield of some sort.

"Ah, I didn't know visitors would be arriving today…" The woman spoke up first, clearly a bit surprised and a bit embarrassed by being caught in such casual attire. "You've come at a bad time I'm afraid, we were just planning out our final strategy meeting."

"Final, what do you mean?" Vonder asks, now clearly worried. "You can't mean you actually decided to give up!"

"Yes, we did." She responds with clear reluctance lacing her words. "The one who cast the barrier is nowhere to be found, our best option right now is to hold off and keep our people fed and safe."

"Shara's right." The man spoke up, his voice sounding deep and imposing. "No one has been able to find the mage, not even a slayer such as myself… that means they're either using some advanced spell… or they're hiding in some place we can't get them."

"Just hold on though, I have someone who could help us! Someone from the outside! And, you may want to know this… Cecil woke up when she arrived and blessed her, it changed her rite completely." Vonder practically begs for them to listen, talking about all this right off the bat and surprising most everyone here.

"Cecil woke up?!" Shara's eyes go wide as she slams her hands on the table. "Why didn't you say anything?! Do you not know how important that is?!"

"He only woke up briefly, then he went right back to his normal state." Vonder replies, holding his hands up in defense. "I didn't tell you because I was looking to figure out what caused it and to see if I could replicate it even a little bit."

Shara pinches the bridge of her nose and sighs a bit, now beginning to pace back and forth as she mutters something under her breath.

"An outsider chosen by Cecil huh?" The man comments, a small smile forming on his face. "Well then, I say we get right on to the test."

Without warning he marches up to Lily, his imposing figure growing only larger and larger by the second.

Shara, Vonder and Aida seemed to panic at this but none stopped him.

Lily was frozen in place, too afraid of him, afraid of what those burning eyes were seeing in her.

As soon as he approaches he places one hand on her forehead and takes a deep breath.

"Now, let's see who you really are."

Then, as a wave of magic rushed through her everything went dark.


บท 54: Chapter 50

Corridors of stark white.

Blinding lights.

The stench of chemicals hanging in the air.

This is the reality that was unveiled to Lily.

Quietly she looked around, easily recognizing it as the place she'd spent most of her life, only ever seeing the outside halls briefly when she was strong enough to walk.

This seemed like the real world, but she wasn't trapped in her bed, so what was this place?

"The Inner Universe." Six spoke up, appearing to her as he leaned with his back up against one of the walls. "A world shaped by your memories, your soul, your thoughts." He lightly holds a hand out and slowly motions around. "Everything that you will see here is caused by your own mind, just remember that."

Lily paused, carefully considering her options before sighing and walking forward, after all chances are the only way out was to beat this test.

Though she hoped this wouldn't pry as deeply as she feared it would.

For if this was a test to see her true self… it wouldn't be pretty or interesting.

Quietly she walked through the halls, eventually making it to her room… or rather where it should've been.

For instead of her room there was another hallway, one filled with countless doors she didn't recognize.

Walking up to one she could see it was marked with the name of a game she'd played years before, a rush of memories returning to her.

Things she'd forgotten about, people who she'd spent time with now residing in a foggy part of her mind.

"Welcome to your hall of memories, the name is self explanatory." Six says as he walks up behind her. "This is where you'll find the memory of your truth, though I wonder what you'll choose? It can be anything really… just has to be something to satisfy Flann out there."

"So he's just going to judge me off whatever memory he sees?" Lily asks, now more worried than before.

"Indeed, though you don't need to worry, there's nothing here that'd make him upset." Six casually says while strolling through the hall. "Though if you want him to really accept him why not open up a little, relieve the first simulation you went through? Show him your first taste of freedom."

"The first taste of freedom? That was…"

Slowly Lily looked at one of the doors and walked up to it, seeing a simple word written on it.

[Sunflower]

Her hand slowly traces along the word, the feeling of sunlight rushing over her already, a soft smile finding its way onto her face.

A small bit of hesitance rushed through her but she braved it, pushing the door open as a bright light blinded her.

As her eyes adjusted she found herself sitting in her room, stuck in a familiar feeling chair with dozens of needles poking into her arms and legs.

"Alright, we're ready to begin… are you ready?" A kind old voice spoke to her, easily identified as none other than Thelman himself.

His kind old face looked slightly concerned as Lily nervously took in a shaky breath.

This was the first time trying this new procedure, it honestly sounded ridiculous, a Fulldive system that could slowly heal her while she relearned how to walk via simulations?

It almost made her want to laugh, but she held off, her father and Thelman had already invested so much into the project… might as well give it a shot.

"I'm ready…" Her voice was hoarse, weak, barely above a whisper as she strained it out.

It was painful to speak, but it hurt more to hear herself like this, so weak… slowly decaying away day by day without any hope of seeing the next.

"Alright, then here comes the last piece of equipment…" Thelman said as he moved what looked like a gas mask over to her, carefully placing it over her head and onto her face. "Now, I want you to relax and take deep breaths, follow the instructions provided by the built-in screen."

Though the mask was a bit claustrophobic she did her best to follow his advice, taking deep breaths and relaxing as best she could.

Soon the visor dimmed and a chime was heard, a tiny red triangle appeared on screen as a new voice spoke up.

[Welcome to the Reflection, please be at ease while we run the first time setup.]

[Reading biometric data…]

[Comparing to database…]

[VIP Patient: 01]

[Is the username "Lily" alright?]

[Y/N]

Lily sat there confused for a moment, trying to figure out how to operate the machine, was she supposed to talk to it?

"You don't need to push yourself to talk." Thelman's muffled voice spoke to her as he sat nearby, examining a monitor carefully. "Just think of your answer and it'll register what you want."

That's it? It was really that easy?

Slowly she looked back at the screen and focused on Yes.

In that moment the text vanished as the voice continued.

[Profile complete]

[Loading Project: SUNFLOWER]

[Please relax and take deep breaths, keep your mind clear as we begin your first dive]

Silently Lily slowed her breathing and tried to keep her mind clear as she focused on the voice and screen.

[Good, now let yourself drift off as your dive begins]

Slowly Lily's mind began to drift off, the low humming of electronics and beeping of monitors soothing her already tired mind as she breathed in and then out.

In…

Out…

In…

Out…

In…

Then, just like that, it felt like she wasn't even in the chair anymore, rather it felt more… natural?

Like lying on the ground, feeling the earth pushing up against her back.

Even the room suddenly felt warmer, more relaxing as well, the floral scent of flowers taking over senses.

Slowly she opened her eyes, first noticing the bright blue sky above her, it was stunningly realistic.

Lily smiled, feeling the warmth of the sun on her skin and the feeling of the earth below her rubbing against her hands.

It felt good, it felt relaxing… it felt like everything she'd dreamed of.

A light laugh escapes her, though instantly surprises her as it left without pain and didn't sound strained.

Quietly she began to look around, seeing if there was anyone nearby who could've caused that sound… but she was alone.

Cautiously she began to raise her voice, letting out "ahs" and "ohs" until she exploded into a full on yell, excited to hear her voice echo out into the sky for the first time.

Then an epiphany struck her, if her voice was fully working now… could she actually move freely?

Slowly she raised her right hand, laughing as she saw it rise above her with no troubles.

It wasn't shaking, or jittery, nor did it feel numb.

It felt alive, really and truly alive.

One by one she tested her limbs until she stood up, feeling her body stretch out and react to the world around it for the first time since she was a child.

Tears welled in her eyes as more laughter escaped her, the scene of this place now coming into full view.

She was in a of sunflowers, ones that were only a foot shorter than her, each flower gently swayed in the breeze.

The sight stunned her, leaving her frozen in place as she slowly moved forward, a smile creeping up on her face.

Gently she lightly grabbed one of the flowers, feeling it for the first time, the texture of the flower petals flooding her mind and filling it with bliss.

There was so much she'd missed out on that such simple things felt alien to her, it felt like experiencing a whole new world for the first time.

Though she couldn't help but wonder how good her body was.

Thelman hadn't told her anything here was dangerous, so, perhaps she could do whatever she wanted?

Slowly she walked around, getting used to walking on her own two feet again, and then once she was comfortable she took a deep breath and looked towards the direction of where the sun was setting.

Then she ran, kicking off with as much force as possible, the rush of air blowing past her as she ran through the field.

It felt liberating, rewarding even to feel her lungs on fire, her legs screaming as she pushed herself further and further, running through the field until she could run no longer.

Collapsing to the ground she laughed once more in between gasps to catch her breath, euphoria practically filling her mind.

For a moment she just lies there, catching her breath and enjoying the feeling of exhaustion before standing up once more.

Now enough time had passed to where the sun was setting, yet another rare sight for her to behold, it wasn't often one would get to see a sunset while trapped in bed.

Yet now here she was, standing and moving on her own, feeling better than she'd ever felt before.

Sure it was just a simulation… and the treatment may not actually cure her, but hey maybe it was worth sticking around now after all.

She wouldn't be stuck just in bed now after all, there were thousands if not hundreds of thousands of places for her to visit, places that probably couldn't even be found in reality.

As she let out a peaceful sigh one final thought crossed her mind, one she never thought she'd have in her remaining time on this earth.

"I want to live."


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