《Eyes Of Lucigarden》
Prologue - Part 01
Splash
She fell, drowning deeper and deeper into the cold and freezing river. An albino half elf, in a uniform fit for a knight. Tattered with battle marks here and there. Her blood, seeping out of the wound in her belly. The colorless water was gradually being dyed crimson.
¡°How did it all come to this?¡±
She wondered.
[X-X-X]
35 years ago in the empire of Lumane, a girl was born with a rare disorder called albinism. Her father was the emperor and her mother, one of his concubines. She was given a name, Anastasia Beatrix Lucigarden. A few days after giving birth, her mother passed away due to an unknown reason. Some said it was due to pregnancy, and consequently the blame was put upon Anastasia.
Anastasia was brought up all alone in a separate palace from the rest of the main palace building complex, surrounded by the royal orchard. She was more of, confined to the place and was never let outside. All she could go to was the orchard. The emperor, her father never visited her, nor did her brothers or sisters. Later she learned from her maids that her bizarre pale skin and snow white hair was just an eyesore for them. She didn¡¯t care about any of that, not even the fact that some maids stole her own belongings.
Anastasia was now ten years old. There was a big library in her palace, which no one seemed to use anymore. Even though at first she didn¡¯t know what was in those books she read, she read them. It was later that she found out they were books on magic and various spells and mechanics. This was when little Anastasia first fell in love with magic. Unfortunately for her, she was unable to cast more than a measly spell that made a single flower sprout or one which was helpful in keeping her hands warm on cold winter nights. As she heard, from the gossip of her maids, her brothers and sisters were doing exceptionally better in magery and other fields like sword skills and politics.
So continued her peaceful shut in life, till when she was 15 years old, it took a total turn. By that time, the empire had faced serious economical issues and was at the brink of falling apart. There also had been frequent disagreements with the emperor and other regional rulers, which had caused a minor civil war at one point. Taking advantage of this situation, their neighboring empire Tenibris, had launched an invasion. Almost all of Lumane''s Western parts were captured by Tenibris including the capital.
The whole imperial family, including the emperor and his empress were captured and publicly executed.
Fortunately Anastasia was able to run away just in time. By that time she was left with only one maid who had stayed loyal to her. A foxian girl. She also had a friend at the royal treasury who had often visited her library. (Her library had some pretty useful books related to accounts and economy.) It was with Their help that she was able to run away the day before the capital was invaded. She had been loaded onto a carriage of a trading group that headed east. It was sad to leave both the people who had cared for her all this long knowing they wouldn''t be able to see each other again. But Anastasia was immune to most feelings, and did not feel much pain. Though she did wish in a small corner of her heart, they''d meet again some day.
[X-X-X]
Anastasia''s maid had given her a letter. She was told to find an inn called The Nine Tails Tavern, when she went to the city of Portalia, and give the letter to its madam.
It was a long journey which took them several nights to reach the destination. Anastasia was so excited by the whole journey as she had been cooped up in her palace behind tall walls all her life till now. And it was the first time she saw some stuff. For example a herd of giant chrystalohms they passed silently, or vast grasslands with patches of meadowflare flowers scattered here and there.
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The crew of the trading group were nice people and had kept her good company despite her unique appearance. Sometimes they told her stories about their journeys to amazing places farther to the east. Anastasia listened to these with great interest. None of them knew, she was a fleeing princess.
Towards the end of their journey the group was met with trouble when they suddenly found themselves surrounded by a horde of bandits. They had demanded a certain amount of ransom money. Things had gone pretty smoothly till the leader of the group had noticed Anastasia and had demanded to hand them over the girl. An albino was a rare commodity to come across after all. Also one could say, she looked a bit too mature for her age.
The bandit leader had beaten up one of the crew members who had refused to hand her over, and tried dragging her out of the carriage she was in. Just then, with the sharp sound of something being sliced, her face got splattered in blood. The heavily built man who was holding her hand tightly, about to drag her out, let go of her hand and the next instance his head fell clean off his body. That was all Anastasia remembered until she passed out.
[X-X-X]
¡°An unfamiliar ceiling¡¡±
Anastasia found herself lying on a bed in an Eastern styled room. It was rather compact compared to her own room back at the palace, but was neat and tidy. There also were some incense sticks that gave off a calming aroma. She also found out that she was wearing different clothes. It was similar to that of a bathrobe. Anastasia had once read in a book that people in the far East wore such clothes.
As she slowly made herself up, someone else entered the room.
¡°Oh you''re awake!¡±
The quiet mature voice belonged to a beautiful woman who wore a pink eastern styled dress. She had long pointy ears and, probably, nine big fluffy tails showing from her back. Another calm looking lady, who had long black hair, with two pointy ears. Followed her in, slowly sliding the door shut as she entered.
¡°Who¡¯re you and¡ Where am I? ¡±, Anastasia asked.
The foxian woman came towards Anastasia, with the same gentle smile on her face, and sat down on the edge of her bed. Anastasia flinched and moved a bit backwards. The woman''s magnificent tails were all over the bedding.
¡°Don''t be afraid, princess. You''re in safe hands. Welcome to Fox Tail Tavern.¡±
And that was the first time Anastasia met Lady Tsukiko, the mistress of the Tavern.
Annastasia was told how she had gotten there. It had been that a traveler who had been passing the incident where the trade group was being surrounded by bandits had spotted them by chance, and taken out all the bandits by himself. She figures out that it was him that had lopped off the bandit leader''s head like it was nothing. She also gets to know that the rest of the trading group is unharmed and that they had left the western continent on a journey towards the far east.
Later after Anastasia is fully recovered she''s told that Heaven, the capital, and most of the central region had been captured by Tenibris. Also that almost everyone of the imperial family had been caught and publicly executed. Including the Emperor and his empress.
She also found out that Jane, who used to be her maid, was a close relation to the mistress of the tavern, and that was the very reason she was here safe. Anastasia is told that she could stay there as long as she can but that she should change her name and appearance in case Tenibris was searching for her, the last Lucigarden.
As a result she cut her white long hair and used a special bracelet given to her by the mistress which helped conceal her albino features. It made her eyes light blue and gave her flaxen hair. She was also known as Anna from there onwards.
Even though she was told she was not needed to do anything. Anastasia, now Anna, volunteered to work in the tavern. Though at First she was rather intimidated by the fact that they provided other sorts of services there as well, 15 year old Anna got used to it with time. Although brought up in a rather pampered way back in the palace, she turns out pretty strong and diligent than other girls working at the tavern. Once she had sent a man flying when caught groping one of her coworkers. The guy turned out to be a high ranking adventure. And on another instance she had single handedly stopped a large shelf from falling on top of another one of her careless co workers.
Time passed. Half of Lumane was under the control of Tenebris, though the remaining four regions of Vale, Mirafleur, Greywoolf and Portalia remained independent.
It had been one year since Anna had come to live in Portalia, and she was more than accustomed to her new life by the time. This was when she had met a strange wanderer practicing with his sword all alone in the woods. Anna had been there by chance as she was searching for some mushrooms the mistress had told her to find. Then later on another day the person arrives at the tavern and she finds out that it was this person that had once saved her and a team of traders from a horde of bandits. After a series of incidents involving a few trolls. They gain each other''s trust, and Anna''s interest in learning the art of the sword is sparked. There onwards she trains with the wonder for the next five years. Though she is unable to learn all his secret techniques as Anna is weak in using mana.
At the age of 20 she joins an adventure guild where she makes new friends and gains more experience in hunting monsters and magical beasts, outdoor survival, exploring and navigating through dungeons and labyrinths.
Things went well until when Anna was now 23 years old a devastating war broke out between the remaining areas of Lumane and Tenebris in order to re-capture the capital and restore the empire. And through the next ten years Anna experiences the most hellish times of her life.
The true bitterness of war.
Prologue - Part 02
The bordering valley which separated both empires Tenebris and Lumane from each other, once filled with large fields of flowers, was now filled with lifeless bodies all over the place. A fierce battle was reaching its climax. Only a handful on both sides, The Imperial Army of Tenibris and the Allied Forces of Lumane, were left.
The two commanding generals of each side were finally facing each other. They stood, in the battlefield which looked more like a massive junk yard of swords and spears, focused on each other.
One was a half elf clad in silver armour and a white cape signifying the emblem of Lumane. She held a long sword in her hilt, ready to pull out any moment.
The other had long black hair, and glimmering ruby like red eyes. Her hair tied in twin tails. She wasn''t wearing armour but a red dress. It seemed to be tailored in a way that it would be easy to move in. Behind her she was holding a large red scythe which emitted a strong presence of mana concentration.
¡°Finally, faiiiiinally we meet. Lumane''s strongest swords master, Anna.¡±, she exclaimed with a hint of joy and playfulness to it.
¡°You seem overjoyed, your highness, princess Valeria Dunkelrose of Tenebris.¡±, Anna said.bowing respectfully.
¡°I must say your name feels too simple. It''s out of place.¡±, Valeria said, running her finger over her large scythe¡¯s blade as if testing its sharpness. Then started moving slowly towards Anna. ¡°Tell me, that''s not your real name is it?¡±
¡°Well who knows. I guess I''ll tell you if you defeat me...¡±, Anna replied playfully.
¡°Well then it seems I have no other choice.¡±
Just as Valeria said that, before even a single millisecond had passed, she was right in front of Anna, her Scythe raging at her with unimaginable speed and force. To her surprise though, Anna dodged it quite easily.
Shortly it was followed by another to the opposite side and then two more. Which Anna successfully dodged.
¡°Ha ha not ba-¡±, cutting between What Valeria was saying came a mighty blow that she blocked with her scythe. She grinned uncomfortably as she pushed Anna''s blade with all her might.
¡°Now now, if you keep chattering your head will fly off pretty soon.¡±, Anna said. She too had a sense of discomfort in her voice.
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Valaria pushed her back, with all her might. Anna jumped backwards and almost instantly struck back, as if she was a ball thrown towards a wall that bounced and came back at you. This continued for a while till Valaria finally started using her elemental techniques. Her red scythe started glowing and she was now faster.
Anna, even though unable to use magic or elemental abilities, was armoured with special equipment that utilised magic stones and made her in a way able to use limited magic. And her long sword, studded with magic stones was no difference. Glowing blue, she countered against each and every slash by Valeria, with incredible speed and force.
If you were one of the helpless knights spectating this battle from afar, it might have looked like two red and blue strips of lights clashing against each other. They were too fast; they weren''t even visible to the naked eye.
This decisive duel continued for a long time. Neither of them were aware of how long they''ve been at it. Both of them had severe bruises and cuts all over their bodies, but none seemed exhausted or giving up any soon.
A duel had only two outcomes, either win or loose. There was no draw. Incidentantally Anna won and Valeria lost.
They had been fighting for a long while. When they started the sun was halfway up the sky and now it was setting behind them.
Valeria knelt in front of Anna, a long sword pierced right through her chest, and her large scythe lay flat on the ground. She opened her mouth to say something but instead coughed out blood. Anna kept silent.
¡°I didn''t want this, so did you.¡±, she said looking back up at Anna''s emotionless face, with great effort. ¡°Princess Anastasia of Lucigarden¡±. Anna flinched and moved a bit backwards. She hadn''t heard that name in a long time.
¡°So you did know.¡±, she replied, collecting herself back.
¡°Heh¡±, Valeria let out a silly giggle which was interrupted by another cough of blood.
Anna bent down and reached towards her sword which was pierced through Valeria¡¯s chest. Valeria suddenly got hold of her hands. Somehow, Anna wasn''t sure how exactly, her protective leather glows fell off and Valeria was holding her bare hands.
¡°These hands aren''t supposed to be this rough.¡± she continued ¡°If we do ever meet again in another life let the two of us go shopping together, have tea parties, pickni- cough cough- all sorts of stuff normal girls- caugh caugh splatter are supposed to do.¡±
¡°Yeah I suppose we could do that," Anna said, smiling back.
Valeria responded back with a warm smile.
Then she made Anna get hold of the sword''s hilt.
¡°We could be best friends," Anna said. She was surprised she said that. Maybe they both were going delusional due to exhaustion.
¡°I''d be delighted to¡..¡±
And those were Valeria Dunkelrose''s final words.
The long war finally came to an end.
Prologue - Part 03
The war was finally over and Lumain was now free from the clutches of Tenebris.
Throughout the last 10 years Anna had gone through a lot. The war had hit her peaceful life like a storm.
The main person behind all this was the new duke of Miraflor. He had formed alliances with the reminding duchies of Lumane and had organised a large-scale revolut to drive away Tennibrians from their lands.
Many young people from all over Lumane had volunteered to fight for their land. And most of them included adventures. Anna and her friends too had joined in along with the others.
War wasn''t a pleasant thing. It was absolute chaos. No one ever needed war, if anyone did that person might be either mentally ill or a total freak. Nonetheless the first few years till the breach of Heaven went quite well with no big losses. That was when Anna found love for the first time in her life. Sir Thomas was a knight from the northern region of Westwolf. A low rank lieutenant who was in charge of Anna''s troupe. Things happened between them and well, eventually they ended up sharing the same bed. Amid the cold bloody war, spring had arrived into Anna''s life. But this was soon engulfed by the merciless war.
The siege of Heaven was the most decisive and devastating battles of the whole war. Even though it was successfully re-captured from Tenebris, the losses on both sides were massive. Many lost their lives, including Sir Thomas. Not only him, many others of her own dear friends were all gone. Anna was one of the few survivors. This was a heavy blow and a remarkable turning point in her life.
Anna, who played a major role in the siege of Heaven, had been noticed by the Duke of Miraflor. After his coronation as the new emperor of Lumane, he had appreciated Anna''s talents and had promoted her as a knight.
Tasked with recapturing the rest of Lumane, Anna was mercies. She was known to show no mercy, slicing and dicing every Tenebrian in her vicinity. Later she was promoted to the level of Commander, after her countless victories.
She was now 32. Maybe because elven blood ran through her, Anna looked as young as ever.
¡°Captain¡ captain¡ mam.. MAM!¡±, a voice called from beside.
¡°Oh!¡±Anna snapped back from her thoughts.
¡°You ok captain?¡±, asked the bespectacled personage who sat on a horse galloping beside Anna.
After the events at the border valley. Anna and her brigade were heading back to the capital.
Besides her was Vladric Falken, the new emperor''s right hand man. Another person that played a major role in freeing Lumane.
¡°I''m sorry, I was spacing out a bit. Anyway, what might you need?¡±
¡°Oh well it''s that the boys seem tired. Might as well take a small rest?¡±
It was a long journey from Lutania to the capital. They had been travelling for a whole three days and were expected to reach the capital by two more days.
They were in the middle of a thick forest on the borders of Lutania. A few more miles and they¡¯d be in the central main lands which were filled with vast grasslands. Even though they stopped at a small village a while ago, these men had been fighting in a brutal battle just two days ago and it was natural for them to feel a bit physically unfit. Anna too was feeling a bit lost in thought so she decided to stop there and camp till tomorrow, as it was almost getting dark.
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A blond elf, with shoulder length hair, clad in a knights uniform was sitting on the edge of a steep cliff. Beneath her were the vast central main lands. The sun was almost setting which made the sky look rusty crimson. Anna had found this place after wandering a bit into the wild hoping to have a small breather. She kept staring into the far distance as if lost in thought, then heaved a great sigh and was about to head back when pointy ears twitched.
¡°Sir. Valdric, you know I don''t like sneaky cats.¡±, Anna said without looking back.
¡°Sharp as ever Anna. Guess there''s no use sneaking behind your back.¡±, Said the slender figure who appeared from within the bushes behind Anna.
¡°Don''t move.¡±, Anna said as Valdrac approached.
Unbothered by what she said, he kept walking towards her. Then suddenly found a sharp sword being pointed at him.
¡°I SAID DONT MOVE!¡±, pointing her sword at Valdric, Anna said in a furious tone.
His hands almost instinctively went up in the air showing hostility, but his face had no sense of hostility at all. If anything, it had the look of someone who had coldly murdered a hundred people. If anything, he gave Anna a calculated look slowly lowering one hand to adjust his spectacles.
¡°You smell of death.¡±, Anna said
Valdric¡¯s mouth curled into a wide grin.
¡°Oops it seems I''ve been found out.¡±, he said, but his expression said, too late.
¡°What have you¡ WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO MY MEN!¡±Anna shouted at him furiously.
¡°As expected from a commander of the Allied Forces. As I always say. Anna¡ or else should I say princess Anastasia Beatrix Lucigarden your imperial highness.¡±, he said, doing a courtesy.
Anna flinched. It was the second time she heard that name in a long time. She had never used her real name to the point she had almost forgotten it. And now these people suddenly started calling her that. I shouldn''t be worrying about this now. My men! I should hurry! Anna collected her senses back and was about to swing her sword at Valdrec. When suddenly her sword felt heavier than it used to be. It became heavier and heavier and dropped out of her hand. Anna felt as if her blood was boiling from inside. Her whole body started shivering. Unable to keep standing she fell on her knees. cough splatter, She coughed out pools of blood. Her eyes were blood red, blurring her vision. Tears of blood dripped down her face making it quite the unsightly look.
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¡°VALDRIC you son of a¡ gahhh cough cough¡±, she screamed at him painfully coughing out more and more blood. It was a whole bloody mess around her.
Valdric bent down and placed his hand on the helpless half elf¡¯s shoulder.
¡°It was a few years ago when the emperor found out that you were related to the late imperial family. He told me to keep an eye on you, that you might be a hindrance to his ambition.¡±
They were on the edge of the steep cliff. Valdric lifted Anna¡¯s weak body without much effort.
¡°Why¡¡±, Anna asked in a low painful voice.
¡°You''re strong and with your current status, could easily overthrow the throne and reclaim your position as empress. The emperor fears you. And as a human he¡¯s doing the most natural thing us humans do. Destroying what we fear.¡±
Valderic pushed Anna closer and closer to the edge of the cliff.
¡°Nightshade dust. Dried and grinded seeds of fruits that grew on Nightshade vines, a slow acting poison. I put it in your dinner yesterday. Don¡¯t worry It was only in your food. Your men are doing fine. I just casted a mass sleeping spell upon them.¡±
Now Anna was at the very edge of the cliff. One tap and she''d be plunging down.
¡° The next moment I go shouting their commander had accidentally fallen off of the cliff, they¡¯ll all awaken from the spell and go looking for your body in the river underneath.¡±
When he looked at Anna''s face all he saw was a faint smile.
¡°That¡¯s a relif¡¡±, Anna finally said.
The earth beneath her crumbled and she plunged down the deep cliff. Before she fell off, Anna was able to catch a slight glimpse of Valderics face which looked rather conflicted, as if he had done a terrible miscalculation.
¡°Idiot¡±
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Anna¡¯s almost lifeless body fell into the river with a great splash.
The bracelet in her hand snapped and went floating up. Her blond hair slowly turned back to its original colour. White.
Anna went drowning deeper and deeper into the cold river. The blood she had coughed out all over her uniform mixed with the water gradually dying it red.
Water flooded her lungs, suffocating her. There was nothing she could do about it. Not even struggle. The poison had paralyzed her whole body.
All she felt was the coldness as she went deeper and deeper into the lonely depths of the river.
Why did things turn out this way?
the thought echoed faintly in her mind.
All I wished was a normal life back in the country helping the madam at fox tail.
She could see the faces of those idiots in the knights brigade she had worked hard to train
I wonder what those idiots would do without me¡
Then came his face. That handsome face with long blue hair and light blue eyes.
Ah¡ It¡¯s cold. It¡¯s so cold.
So cold and lonely¡
Her thoughts faded into the blackness of the deep river. Her story had come to an end.
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Or so she thought.
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Her story was yet to start.
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Something felt strange.
Anna wasn¡¯t drowning anymore. She felt like she was standing on a hard surface. It was a bit chilly, but wasnt wet anymore. Her clothes felt light. In fact she herself felt lighter.
She opened her eyes, the whole environment bathed in moonlight peering through dark clouds of the night sky. In front of her was an odd looking gate and beyond it was a large building.
Such bizarre architecture didn''t exist in her world. But then again why did this sight look awfully familiar?
The clothes she was wearing, a dark blue skirt and a white blouse with a red bow and her hair tied in a short ponytail. Black hair, and in fact her whole body was different.
It was all different yet familiar.
On one side of the gate post was a metal plank. On it was written;
| Tsukiyomi Academy |
Then bellow it on another Smaller metal plate was written;
| 108-9675, Hoshizora Avenue, Suginami District, Minato, Tokyo |
The faint sound of a piano coming from far within the building caught her ear.
She went towards it.
End of prologue.
Chapter 01 - Part 01
The strange music filled the empty corridor. Pale moonlight spilled in through the large windows, casting long shadows on the floor as Anna walked slowly towards the source of that strange music.
Anna paused for a moment resting her hand on the cool glass of the window, gazing at the night sky lit by the full moon which hung like a glowing pearl. The music she heard which was now a bit clearer, seemed to match with the whole environment.
She could see a faint reflection of herself on the window glass. A narrow face that had an Eastern look. Probably in her mid teens. Who was this person?
But the actual question she had was;
What''s this place? Is this the after life
There seemed to be no trace of anybody. The only lively thing was the music she heard. And was why she went towards it.
Anna or whoever she was now, started walking again. Towards the direction of the music.
She headed out of the hallway onto a flight of stairs which led to another hallway and finally at the far end of it she reached a big door.
The music was clearer now, and no doubt, came from whatever was on the other side of the door. Anna opened the door, for the music which was a bit muffled earlier to become even clearer.
Inside was what seemed to be an auditorium. On the other side was a stage and on it was a large white piano. Seated at it was a girl with pastel pink, wavy hair. Her fingers effortlessly moved across the keys.
There was nothing Anna could do. She didn¡¯t want to bother the girl or stop her playing either. So she sat on the nearest seat to her and stayed there patiently enjoying the music. Each note hung in the air, delicate yet filled with a quiet intensity. It was as if the music had become the very breath of the theatre, wrapping Anna in its embrace.
With the music coming to an end the whole enchantment created in the atmosphere disappeared and there was a sudden sense of emptiness, and suddenly Anna found the pink haired girl staring at her. Her hands, still on the keyboard.
The edges of her mouth lifted, giving off a slight smile. Then she lifted her left hand and SNAP.
The whole environment changed. It was more like Anna was teleported to somewhere else. She seemed to be in a hallway of the same building. Earlier it was night time but now it was morning, warm sun rays filling the hallways instead of moonlight. She could hear birds chirping. It was so sudden she just stood there motionless, unable to process the whole situation. The whole atmosphere had changed with the blink of an eye.
After finally collecting herself back, she realised she was in a hallway. There were many doors which had labels on them in an orderly way. The one in front of her was 1-A. Out of curiosity she slid the door open and went inside.
There were orderly placed rectangular Desks with a chair for each and in front of them was a bigger table along with what seemed to be a green black board. Warm sunlight cane through the windows. This seemed like some sort of a classroom.
Where have I seen this before? Why is all this so¡ familiar?
¡°Let me guess¡±, said a voice ¡°You''re wondering why all this is so familiar?¡±
¡°Ahh!¡±, Anna jumped by the sudden realisation that there was someone else there in front of her, leaning against the window sill.
She was wearing a similar dress to Anna ''s.
¡°Oh my, did I scare you?¡±
Her pastel pink hair swayed in the soft breeze that blew. The girl brushed a loose strands
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of hair behind her ear, her fingers grazing her soft skin as she gave Anna a radiant smile.
¡°Oh the piano girl!¡±, Anna let out
¡°Pfft, Piano girl?¡±, she replied giggling.
¡°It was you that played the piano a moment ago¡¡¡±, Anna said with a hint of confusion. Who was this girl? Was she a spirit? Then was this some sort of a spirit realm Anna had wandered into after her death?
¡°No Ayame-san, I¡¯m not a spirit.¡±, the girl said, moving towards Anna.
¡°Wa- did you just read my mind? Who exactly are you?", Anna asked. Wait, what did she just call me?
¡°I am Shinku. The onlooker of the realm in-between. And I''ve been waiting for you, Ayame Fujiwara.¡±, she said with an elegant bow.
¡°Huh? What''s the in-between? You mean in-between the actual world and the spirit realm? Are you a soul reaper?¡±
¡°Hahaha, I''m not a soul reaper. Well I do guide interesting souls like you, Ayame-san sometimes. To be more specific you can call me The Editor¡±
¡°Huh?¡±
¡°Ayame-san might be confused bu-¡±
¡°Wait wait wait, hold on. I think you got the wrong person mis soul reaper.¡±
¡°I told you, I¡¯m not a soul reaper. And no I am not mistaken.¡±, Shinku replied, with no hint of annoyance in her voice at all. It was as if she was used to it.
¡°But, my names Anastasia Lucigarden and¡ and¡ no wait what¡¡±
Anna remembered she was in an entirely different body. Lost in thought she looked at her slender hand which Shinku took hold of softly. She looked up to find herself confronted by a pair of radiant eyes.
¡°Let us jog your memory.¡±, Shinku said.
It was as if Anna was drawn into those radiant eyes. Her memories that had been long lost flashed before her.
A small house in a land called Japan. A mother, a father and an elder sibling. Friends, school, a carefree life. That name¡ Ayame Fujiwara they all called her that. It echoed in her head.
AYAME FUJIWRA¡ AYAME-CHAN¡ AYAME¡
AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME AYAME
Anna- no, Ayame dropped on her knees unable to bear the pressure of all the sudden memories that flooded into her mind. She clenched her chest panting heavily.
It didn¡¯t take her too long to realise she wasn''t in the classroom anymore. She was on a road, her knees and hands bruised as if she had slipped and fallen. It was gloomy and raining, her whole body drenched. Suddenly a truck came charging at her, screaming she instinctively moved backwards only to hit herself against something hard. It was the sliding door. She was back in the classroom.
In front of her stood Shinku. Unfazed, looking down on her with those radiant eyes.
Chapter 01 - Part 02
¡°Here, have some cookies and tea.¡±
Shinku placed a tray with cookies, two teacups and a teapot in front of Ayame. After Ayame dramatically recalled the memories of her past life, Shinku had done the snapping of her fingers again and there they were. In a different room.
This place was quite compact than the classroom they were in earlier. On the left and the right were bookshelves filled with various books. Here and there you could see an odd ornament placed on the shelves. And right at the back of the room was a window. In the middle was a large desk probably enough for six people. Ayame was seated at its far left. Shinku, who had poured her some tea and then herself, had taken the cup, went and sat down at its far right with the window to her back.
Ayame took a sip of the sweet tea and took a good look around the room. A small figure of a golden cat with its left paw in the air caught her eye.
¡°Alright¡±, Shinku said, gaining Ayame¡¯s attention. ¡°I hope by now you are aware of your past life.¡±
¡°Yes, pretty much. But why just not let me die. By the way, isn¡¯t this the school I used to attend?¡±
¡°Let me explain it all,¡± standing up from her place she continued, ¡°This universe is formed by a large library of books. The world you used to be in your first life and the world you were in just a while ago are all books. Books with stories written by some unknown being.¡±
¡°So you mean when someone dies their soul transfers from one book to another?¡± Ayame asked.
¡°Exactly.¡±
¡°So you''re the person that manages this place¡ what did you call this place again?¡±
¡°The in-between.¡±
¡°You¡¯re a librarian?¡±
¡°Ahem, No. There''s another person for that. She isn''t here at this moment. I am the editor, and the one responsible for keeping all books and their stories in proper order.¡±
Shinku went towards one of the book shelves.
¡°You see, lately these otherworldly beings have been submitting a ton of books and not all of them have a worthy enough story or world building to be an actual world. That was when I caught yours.¡±
She placed a large book with an oak white cover on the table. It had no title. The cover was just blank.
¡°What''s this?¡±, Ayame asked.
¡°This here is Anastasia''s world. An incomplete story.¡±
¡°You mean I was reborn as a character in that book?¡± Ayame asked, reaching her hand to the book which was swatted Away by Shinku.
¡°Yes, and- hey no! Swat¡±
Shinku swatted away Ayame¡¯s hands again.
¡°Leme read! I wanna know the future too.¡±
¡°No you can''t know the future. It goes against the rules. You know too much to begin with.¡±
¡°What it''s not like I''m going back?¡±
Shinku kept smiling
¡°Wait, am I?¡±
¡°Yes you are. And you shall be the one helping me edit and rewrite this one mess of a book.¡±
¡°But I don''t wanna.¡±, Ayame protested, placing her teacup on the table with a loud clink.
¡°It''s not up for you to decide.¡±
Ayame had the urge to protest. But felt an immensely overpowering aura coming from the pink haired girl in front of her and decided to give in.
¡°We''re running out of time, so I''ll make it quick," Shinku said.
Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
Ayame drank another sip from the cup. It was a sweet tea. Not a taste she had had before.
¡°It''s simple, I''ll be sending you back. But this time with an additional perk on your hand that I suggested and got the approval from.¡± taking the big book back in her arms she continued, ¡°and this time I hope to see a better story carved out.¡±
¡°Wait what perk? And who did you-¡±
Ayame¡¯s whole body felt numb and hardened. It was the same feeling she got in her last life. The feeling of being poisoned. Gahh, Not again! Ayame helplessly fell down from the chair landing on the floor. She lay, looking up at Shinku who looked unfaced.
Shinku came closer, bent down and shifted a loft of Ayame¡¯s hair which had fallen over her face.
¡°This cant do Ayame-san, you haven''t learned your lesson yet. Don''t trust anyone too much. That''s how you shall progress through the new plot.¡±
Ayame couldn''t say anything as her whole body was paralyzed. The last thing she saw were Shinku''s glowing eyes.
It was as if she drifted into a sudden sleep. The whole world went dark. Ayame felt as if some unknown force was pulling her down. It was like gravity acting on a falling person. And then suddenly fell and hit herself against something. Thunk
Grass?
She found that she could now feel her body. Which certainly felt odd. She opened her eyes and made herself up. She looked around with astonishment. The place had many orderly grown trees and in the far distance she could see the roofs of some large buildings.
It seemed she was in an even smaller body this time. Her small hands, slightly bruised and her dress a bit disheaven. Ahhh my head hurts. What even was in that tea? A few meters ahead there was a large fountain which she instantly recognized. Wait, I think I know where this is.
She went towards the fountain and looked into the small pond around it. What was reflected in the clear water was the face of a small girl, 4-5 years of age, white hair, long ears and golden eyes. She felt her face with her small hands.
She was back, Anastasia was back, most probably 10 years before the invasion. The place she was in was the royal orchard that surrounded her small palace. But something wasn¡¯t right. Why were her eyes golden?
Was this what the strange girl from earlier had told her? The perk? What even would these golden eyes do? If anything they would bring more attention to Anna, and that''s something she didn''t want happening.
Moreover why do all those things that happened feel like I was in a long dream? Was it really a dream? No way certainly was not. I feel more mature than someone with this baby body should be.
¡°Princess! Where are you princess!¡±
Anna heard a voice, and as she looked in its direction, she saw a young woman who looked troubled, coming toward her. She was wearing a maid¡¯s uniform, had brown braided hair, freckles, and wore a pair of glasses. It was a face Anna longed to see again. Tears drifted into her eyes.
¡°There you are pr-¡±
¡°Jeanne!¡±, saying Anna suddenly hugged the maid.
¡°Ehhhh what are you doing princess!¡±
¡°Jeanne! I missed you a lot.¡±
¡°P-princess must be teasing me," Jeanne said, confused.
After a moment Anna stopped crying and let go of the confused young maid.
¡°Oh my, princess, did you fall? Look, the dress is a whole mess. Let me dust off. Awww look at my princesses hands. Come let us go back to the palace princess.¡±, Jeanne said, dusting off and adjusting the disheaven hem of Anna''s dress.
But Anna wasn''t listening. She was deep in thought trying to get onto the right track of this situation.
¡°Wait. Jeanne.¡±
¡°Yes princess?¡±
¡°What year is it?¡±
¡°Princess?", Jeanne looked a bit surprised but answered promptly, ¡°It''s the year 489.¡±
¡°Oh that means I''m 5¡ hmm hmm¡±
The little elf, Anna, made a sort of thinking pose, holding her chin with her right hand and left hand on her waist, tapping the ground slightly with her foot.
So that means I got 10 years till the invasion. What should I do¡?
Anna started scratching her head as if racking her brain for an answer. Quite the un-princesly behavior.
Jeanne looked shocked. Her little princess was a calm person. Never did she act like this. Perhaps she hit her head somewhere!, Jeanne thought.
¡°Oh yeah!¡± the little princess said at once startling Jeanne. ¡°Were my eyes always this colour?¡±
¡°I''m sorry?¡±, Jeanne asked. Did she just hear what she just heard? Did her beloved princess actually lose her memories!?
¡°My eyes. Were they always this colour?¡±, she meant to be a bit stern but her child features made it look less threatening.
¡°Well no, princess, your eyes were red. The gold started appearing last year.¡±
¡°Last year huh¡¡±
Before Anna asked any more questions Jeanne held her tight with both her hands. She looked almost on the verge of tears.
¡°Awww my poor princess, you might have lost some of your memories. Let us slowly recover them.¡±
¡°Ehhh but I''m-¡±
¡°No more questions princess.¡±, Jeanne said, cutting between Anna''s words, ¡°Now come here princess. Let us go get a nice warm bath and get rid of these dirty clothes. I-I''ll get the physician to attend to you after that.¡±
¡°Huh? wa? Wait Jeanne!¡±
Jeanne dragged the helpless little princess back to her palace.
Chapter 02 - Part 01
The empire of Lumane, excluding the central regions which directly fell under the imperial rule, had six major regions. Lutania, the largest, bordered the west. Popular for two things. One being their wine, and secondly having the largest Luminite mines in the whole continent. Luminite are mysterious ores formed by the crystallization of mana over thousands of years, found buried deep in the ground. These are what, after a complex refining process, become magic stones. Which is an important raw material in this world of magic. Literally the functionality of almost every small magical device to large flying ships rely on these stones.
In the last timeline Lutania was invaded by Tenebris, the bordering empire. Which cut off this massive income resource from Lumane. Causing the fluctuation of the empire''s economy giving birth to a civil unrest, from which the empire of Tenebris took advantage and further invaded inland successfully dethroning the emperor.
Now the question is. How did Lutania fall so easily? Some said they weren''t actually invaded but the Duke of Lutania handed over their lands to the enemy. This was quite a popular gossip Anna had heard back in the last timeline. The main reason for this speculation was the fact that the duke of Lutania had this famous grudge with the imperial family for some reason.
For the next few years Anna''s goal would be to find the cause for the fall of Lutania and stop it from happening.
.
.
.
Lumane¡¯s capital Heaven was a large metropolis located in the central plains, divided into five major districts such as Western, Northern, Eastern, Southern and Central Heaven. If one looked down at heaven from an airship, it took the shape of a large circle evenly divided into four triangular districts by large moats. The center was not divided leaving a smaller circle. This was Central Heaven and where the imperial family resides. To its north western side was the main royal palace building complex and to the south eastern side were headquarters for the First Imperial Knights Brigade. Right in the center was a tall tower that gloriously overlooked Heaven. Everything else was a large beautifully maintained garden. Hidden within it was Anastasia¡¯s small palace, which was a bit close to the central tower. A small albino elf stood below the tall tower staring at the top, her golden eyes glimmering in the moon''s light.
It had been two whole days since Anastasia had regressed back in time. Even though she was aware of all that really happened in an alternate timeline, it all seemed as if she had been seeing a long weird dream. Especially the additional memories of a person called Ayame. And for some reason her inner personality seemed to be more mature than that of a five year old''s. Forget Ayame, if things happened according to the last time line, within ten years time, part of Lumane including the capital, would fall into the clutches of Tenebris. The war afterwards and all the losses suffered would be inevitable, including her own demise. That double crossing son of a- oops kids shouldn''t be cursing with such words¡
All this was too much for her to process to the point she had been unable to sleep the last two nights. Now the very reason she was at this place was because little Anastasia thought she would be able to relax herself better on top of the tall tower. Why she came here by night dawn was because Jeanne never let her out of her palace¡¯s private garden, which seemed a bit odd. What felt more odd was that she was the only maid working there. Anna remembered having a few maids working at her palace even though they were just slacking off. She felt as if she was confined within her palace. Did that pink haired girl really change stuff?
The entrance to the tower was through a large door, which was covered with some large vines. Little Anna simply pushed the door which opened without much effort. The inside was hollow and there were no staircases leading upwards. Moonlight seeped through the many windows that surrounded the tower unevenly. The floor was covered with some variety of white flower she had only seen once before. And that was when she visited this place in the previous timeline, after the recapturing of Heaven. In the middle was what looked like a large cage shaped like a cylinder. It looked more like a fancy garden shade with a blue roof surrounded by white iron bars.Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.
As the little elf walked towards the cage, she noticed a few glowing lights flying here and there. Too big to be from fireflies. One flew right past her, it was not a large firefly but a tiny creature that looked like a girl with wings and blue scales covering parts of her body. She could hear a light soft giggle. Moon fairies.
Fairies were pretty common tiny magical creatures, but moon fairies were something you would not often see. Just as their name implies they come out only during a full moon night. It was indeed a full moon night but seeing them in this part of the empire was rare.
Another flew past her but this one made eye contact with the little elf and suddenly froze. Oops did I scare her? Fairies were timid creatures after all. The little creature came closer to Anna¡¯s face, her tiny face reflecting in Anna¡¯s golden eyes. The fairy smiled and kissed her cheek which surprised Anna but she cared not to jump fearing she¡¯d scare the tiny thing away. Softly giggling, the fairy flew away up into the dark tower.
What was that¡
Lost in thought staring up into the dark ceiling of the tower, Anna came back to her senses and headed towards the cage. Upon entering she was greeted by a rotatable contraption fixed to a pole in the cage''s center. She rotated it, causing the gate to enter the cage close. Then with another twist and a satisfying mechanical tick sound, the whole cage started moving upwards.
Such an amazing piece of magic craftsmanship.
.
.
.
Shortly the cage reached the top of the tower. It did not go all the way up onto the top, but to a certain platform. There was another similar contraption on this platform, which probably was to call back the cage when you need to go back down. The platform led to a door which revealed a flight of staircases leading to the top most balcony.
Onto the balcony, past the door and up the staircase went little Anastasia, and finally on Heaven¡¯s highest point. It was a big round open space with a table in the middle. The roof was supported by large arches which also worked as large open windows. There were small iron bars covering, halfway up, the windows most probably to prevent anyone from accidentally falling off.
The little elf went towards the window which was a bit high for her to get a good view, She clumsily made herself up the considerably wide window sill. Went towards the iron frame, climbed a bit up and hung onto it so that half of her little body was above the frame. The vast metropolis looked like a sea of glowing lights surrounding her, and the clear night sky filled with stars. A pang of nostalgia gave her slight goosebumps. It was a never changing view, in the last time line and now. The only difference though was that half of the city was destroyed, and wasn''t this illuminated at night.
Little Anastasia was too enchanted with the view, she didn''t feel the light breeze that sent her long hair swaying outside. Her hair was a bit too long for a girl her age making it a bit heavy. This made the little elf loose her grip and almost fall over, snapping back she quickly grabbed onto the iron bar.
¡°Oh shit that was close!¡±
Suddenly a big hand grabbed onto her waist and pulled the little girl off the iron bars. It was so sudden and unexpected Anastasia was unable to process the situation.
¡°Oh god you almost fell over!¡±, the person said, still holding her in his hands like a little kid. Well she was technically a 5 year old¡ Still unable to process the situation Anastasia kept blankly staring at the person''s face. It was a quite well looking young man with blond hair and crystalline blue eyes.
¡°Little bunny, that was too risky, you know. Wait wait wait¡ how did you even get here in the first place?¡±, he asked with confusion clearly written over his face.
All the little girl could get out of her mouth was,
¡°Bunny?¡±
Chapter 02 - Part 02
[A few minutes before Anastasia got to the top of the tower]
A young boy about 14 years of age, looking quite mature for his age, strolled through the pathway that led through the orchard, clicking his tongue as if annoyed. Moments ago he had been in an argument with a certain personage, and was why he was in a bad mood.
¡°Adults, they never listen¡ tch¡±
Even though it was night, the environment was quite illuminated by moonlight. There were small twinkling lights moving here and there through the dark orchard. Common fairies. It was as if they were playing together with the tiny fireflies.
Leon stopped when he reached a tall tower that was right in the middle of central heaven. He had come walking quite a distance, having not even realised it. He didn''t come here often unless he was passing this place to meet with the general supreme. But that, also by carriage.
The central tower was just a tall tower, with an open area above it giving you a good view of all Heaven. They say it had been frequently used by the founding empress to host tea parties for her closest associates. But after her demise there had been a certain spell casted on the tower forbidding entry for anyone other than that of the royal family. And dueto this the place was left abandoned for centuries.
Leon inspected the large door at the bottom of the tower. There were vines going all over covering it, but it seemed sturdy. Maybe the spell was preserving it. Moments later after placing his palm on it, the vines reclined as if they were tentacles of some living creature, and Leon pushed open the door. As soon as he entered, the door closed from behind, and he could hear the vines moving outside. And yes, Leon had royal blood running through him.
Inside the tower was a hollow space filled with a variety of white flowers and vines running here and there in the bottom floor. And in the middle one could find a cage like contraption that would take you to the top of the tower. Moonlight seeped in through the large windows around the tower.
Leon got into the contraption and made his way to the top. Just before he did, he thought he saw what might have been moon fairies. But immediately brushed off the thought, as moon fairies didn''t live in this part of the empire. He had only seen them once. A distant memory filled his mind.
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A nostalgic atmosphere.
A small boy, peeks from behind a tree at a fairly young elf wearing a velvet gown sitting on the lush grass, beside a large fountain. She has a round cloth and a needle in her hand.
She notices him and smiles looking his way.
¡°Oh you''re here again, boy?¡±
She calls out, and gestures for him to come sit down beside her.
¡°What are you doing?¡±This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
The little kid asks as he sits down beside her on the fountain¡¯s edge.
¡°Embroidery, wanna see?¡±
The little boy even though unable to understand the meaning of that word was able to understand what she was doing.
¡°What''s that thing in it?¡±
¡°It''s a flower. A flower that grows in my homeland.¡±
¡°Ohh¡±, the kid stares at the partially embroidered flower.
¡°They grow all over Lutania.¡±, She says while continuing her sewing. ¡°Hehe, let''s go see them, once I''m done with this thing here¡¡±, The lady elf says gently touching her swollen belly.
¡°Waaa your tummy has gotten bigger!¡±
¡°Ahahaha, wanna touch?¡±
¡°Uhh No!¡±
¡°Ahahaha, oh come on boy. Ahaha¡±
¡°Stop teasing him Elda¡±
Someone calls from behind as the memory fades away.
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Without Leon''s knowing the contraption had reached the top. The slight jolt brought him back to the present.
¡°Maybe I should drop by tomorrow. Wonder how she¡¯s doing¡¡±
Leon thought to himself as he got off and went towards a door which led to a flight of stairs ultimately leading to the top.
It was a spacious open area with a large round table in the middle. The roof was kept on huge arches that gave a splendid all around view. Leon went towards an arch, then took a deep breath and let it out.
¡°Haaah that''s better¡¡±
He then sat on the quite spacious window sill and leaned against the pillar of the arch. There he spectated the bustling metropolis of Heaven. Guess I''ll stay here for a bit longer.
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.
A short while passed and it was starting to get a bit chilly. Leon was about to get off the window sill when he heard a noise of soft footsteps coming up the stairs.
Leon froze and stayed where he was. There were only four, other than himself that could be up there, and two of them were out of question as they were too young. The other two whichever it was made Leon profusely sweat.
To his astonishment it was a small girl, probably 4 - 5 years old in what seemed to be her night gown. She had long milk white hair which shone in the moonlight. This made her look a bit older than her actual age.
¡°A cute little bunny!¡±
For some reason it seemed like this was not the first time she had come up the tower.
The little girl went towards a large arc and, with much effort, made herself on to the window sill. Then peaked looking out of the tower. That was when a sudden gust of wind blew past, swaying her long hair. She was losing her balance and was going to fall off, when Leon acted swiftly without hesitation, getting hold of the light thing and bringing her towards him.
She looked like a frightened little bunny who had been caught sneaking out of her hole.
Extra Chapter
Hello there! Its me Ruchith!
First of all, Happy New Year 2025????
Next I should apologize for my inconsistent updates, as I''m writing Eyes Lucigarden while also managing my studies at university. Please also note that the uploads between chapters would be a bit delayed till April. (Which is when I get my vacation hehe.)
With the new year the novel gets a new cover and a small sneak peek of what a bit older Nastya (Anastasia) would look like.
Big thanks for Yuni (@yuniteuer17 / @Yuni_Teuer17) who drew this and we would be working to bring you even more character/ background illustrations in the future.This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.
So with that said let us move to the story. Eyes of Lucigarden (Eyes of Lucigarden) is the very first series of Shinkuverse the multiverse it takes place in. So this is just the very tip of a very huge ice berg.
Now the story of EOL takes place in a fictitious world which doesn''t have an exact name, you can call it what ever you want haha! The first volume which is currently serializing would be focusing mainly on the intro of the series. Anastasia, Nastya in short, would be dealing with the past traumas of the previous time line and try find a way to avoid the fore told invasion by their enemy kingdom. As she has already noticed the story has been slightly altered, and we get to see how Nastya deals with these newly brought changes, and the changes she herself goes through. Like for example, her eyes.
I do apologize for my inconsistency in grammar sometimes as English is not my first language. But, I''m learning and would reduce these mistakes as the story progresses further.
That''s all for now. See you again by the end of the first volume!