“Sssh her Highness is still unconscious!” a high-pitched voice hushed

“It takes an awfully long time for her to retain consciousness,” another high-pitched voice commented. 

I groaned as I opened my eyes to see myself in a valley? It was a rainbow on land with so many different flowers with species I'd never seen before but still beautiful as it gave the atmosphere a lovely aroma. The warmth of the place wrapped around me while the bird chirped softly playing a melody you probably hear in heaven. There were little glow balls I saw before I lost consciousness.

I rubbed my eyes as there was something in front of me. A swarm of butterflies…no but looked like mini humans, kind of like dolls but they had wings?

“Your Highness you are aw-”

“Ahh!” I shrieked, shocked falling back. 

I was attacked near the forest so perhaps I was dragged into it by some monsters. But this place is too beautiful to be a forest filled with monsters and I would have been eaten already. 

I moved closer to inspecting them with my body feeling strangely light for someone who was attacked.

“Who or what are you guys?”

“Well we are spirits of your world and once beings of the planet that merged with your Earth,” one of them spoke as they bowed.

Did they know I was a princess in my last life?

“Monsters in your world used to be peaceful creatures in our world but the merge caused a mutation in them,” it spoke gloomy 

“So what exactly is this place and what are you beings?” I questioned again. I already knew about the origin of this world but I was confused about this place.

“This place is the source of mana and the alternate realm connected to the earth, a small bit of energy from this place leaks into the earth and provides what you call mana, in simple words you are in the spirit world, Your Highness,” 

Spirit world…after everything that had happened to me this being a spirit world could be true plus everything felt different.

“Prove it to me that this is the spirit world,” I requested. 

The creature smirked “Forgive me Your Highness for what I'm about to do,” the creature lunged forward toward me whispering as a weapon appeared in her hand cutting me with me I had no time to react to her speed nor her force as it pushed me back. My body ached yet there was no blood. 

“That is the first thing about the spirit world, your physical body is left behind on Earth but your soul is transported here hence why there only the soul is harmed,” it explained 

“So my body isn’t harmed?”

“You can still die here in addition your heart is left vulnerable on earth and damages you sustain there will have a small effect here,” She continued

“The spiritual world is shaped by emotions and spiritual energy so negative energy from earth occasionally sends a few shakes, There is so much more I wish can tell you, Your Highness however there are more pressing matters at hand,” 

If what she said was true…then my physical body was in danger.

“Train your body and if you're ever in danger call out πνεύμα,”

-

I woke up in a white room. I felt a bit more heavy than in the spirit world.  Everything felt a bit different. When I squinted my eyes I saw threads of different colours and sizes and when I reached out for them I realised I couldn't. I was chained up. Why did I always end up in strange places? 

“You're awake?” a familiar voice said 

I looked up to see Liliana. Her black midnight hair was tied up as the dark purple strands by the side covered her ears. She wore black heavy boots that amplified her footsteps as they echoed in the room as she got closer holding a tray in her hands covered by black gloves.  She stared at me with her beautiful indigo eyes.

“You need to eat,” she said softly, taking the cover off the plate.

“Why did you guys do it?” I questioned 

“Do what,” she replied, still focused on prepping the food.

“You guys helped massacre the village,* 

“We simply killed the few people that didn't comply with the order and detained the ones we were able to,” she spoke so smoothly with no hint of sadness.

“If they comply, they would get sent to a rehabilitation camp!” 

“If they don't want to die,” she responded as she held up the spoon trying to feed me. I simply looked away in disgust.

“Can you even hear yourself? Rehabilitation camp is nonstop labour with no hygiene and treats women like prostitutes. What would you do if your family was being sent there!?” I yelled in fury, how was she acting so nonchalant?

She paused her attempt to feed me as she scoffed. “You act as if I was the one that brought that upon the village? Was I the one to try and flee knowing the fucking consequences!?” She screamed, throwing the bowl at my head as it dropped to the ground shattering. 

This wasn't the Liliana I knew.

“Me and Winter families are safe,” she stated as she ran her hand through her hair staring at me with her cold eyes.

“Would you kill winter if they told you? Because you’re acting like their dog,” 

“Do you think you're some type of all-righteous being?” She asked as she came closer to me “You have two beautiful ears,” she sang tracing my ears with her fingers.

She smiled as held up the hair strands covering her ears. One of them was missing. 

“You think you know everything but you would probably break in me and Winter's shoes,” she picked up a piece of the broken bowl as she rolled up her sleeve. “I really wanted to save everyone, I wanted to see you again. But those feelings disappear and you want death to come,” she whispered as she stabbed herself over and over again laughing. 

I wanted to stop her. To snap her out of whatever she was going through even if she helped kill people.

“We are just weapons, weapons don't feel pain, I tell you this to prepare you for what is to come,” she licked off the blood dripping from her arm smiling before leaving me in the white room giving it some colour with her red blood.

I remained chained up in deafening silence thinking about what Liliana had said to me. What had happened to my sweet best friend? 

The longer I was here the more I wondered. Why was I still alive? Why was I being chained up here? I should have asked Liliana earlier. 

I simply was there in this white room chained up for who knows how long but I was slowly dozing off. 

“She from that village?” a lady asked. She had long blonde hair flowing down like a river

I looked up to see a guy with white gloves and a white mask in a lab coat with a blindfold hiding away his eyes. He turned toward me while unveiling his blindfold. He looked deep into my eyes with his dark blue eyes glowing slightly. 

His eyes weren’t the ocean but I felt like I was drowning in them. I couldn’t tear my eyes away from his.

He listed “Nolly, 15 years of age, female, and a grade 5 from the southern village of the last sector”. How did he know all of that? And a manaless person like myself is a grade 5? 

“What a strange soul,” he mumbled, breaking eye contact.

The lady licked her lips as she examined me with her emerald green snake eyes “I am Doctor Sylvia and this is my assistant T and you'll be in my care,” she introduced smirking “An officer had sworn that when he shot you down you were on the brink on death but when I found you you had not a single scratch with an impressive amount of aura,” she claimed walking closer.

That explained why I didn't feel in pain despite getting attacked but I had never gone through a mana awakening. 

“I decided to bring you back, a girl rumoured to have no mana suddenly healed a critical deep wound perfectly, you are aware that for a commoner this is a hidden gem,” 

“What are you devils planning to do with me?” 

“Oh you know just the usual cutting you up open and typical lab test,” She answered happily signaling the boy over as he crouched down opening the big suitcase. 

There was so much pointy stuff and whatever you called those medical pieces of equipment. The boy took out 3 syringes coming close to me as I remained unable to move due to the chain. I clenched my fist as the boy drew blood letting the needle slowly sink into my skin and then handing it over to Doctor Sylvia. 

“Open wide,” she commanded as she took out a pill.

I couldn’t defy these people. If I was truly in the academy then this place was government controlled. For now I shall endure.

“Ahh,” I opened my mouth like an obedient subject swallowing the pill. 

“Good girl, I’ll go analyse the blood sample while T stays with you,” she chuckled leaving with a smile. 

Now it was just the two of us.