Everything that existed in past will continue to exit in future.
✧ⴵ✧ⴵ✧
Ugh...my head! It's killing me!
The mundane chaotic dream that seemed to stretch years on end abruptly shattered by a single thought being thrown into the mix, like a stone being thrown at a mirror.
Alice, still in stupor, rolled over her stomach to bury her head into the soft cold pillow, a feeble attempt to relieve her headache.
Yet, when she had expected her front to be met with the soft mattress of the warm bed, unexpectedly met the cold air instead. Earning a short yelp before even that got intrupted.
Wha- Thud!
Feeling as if she just slipped off a skyscraper, alice fell face first onto the floor, her lower jaw clattering against the upper jaw. She felt agonizing pain reverbrate through her mouth and cheek bones.
F**king dream about falling!
Alice, reeling in agony for few moments, in daze, took support of the hard mattress to get on her feet. Gradually waking up from her stupor.
The pain bit by bit build enough mental strength to penetrate through the hazy morning veil in her mind, enabling her to push through the urge to sleep again and greet a unrequited new day in office.
This headache...a migraine? Great another unpleasant gift early in the morning. Might as well hit me with writer's depression too!
I swear if today is overtime then the "un-" in "unchocked neck of lovely boss" is going on vacation! Idealing such thoughts, her focus slowly returned, like a wisp turning into a radiant flame, letting her now form coherent peices of thoughts.
Gradually her eyes fully opened, blurry and hazy at first, then clear as polished glass. Her gaze lazily scanned the room by habit, then froze as a realisation set in, blanking her mind as if struck in head.
This is not my room!
Her heartbeat quickened at that realisation, assuming if she possibly drink too much alcohol last night or whether she was kidnapped?!
Either ways it was neither her room or some party venue! Nor some hospital!
Alice stood near the middle of the smaller than usual room, which was made of rotten wood, chiseled stone and earth. Dead oil lanterns the size of an adult's head hung in two corners of the room like a cheap chandler, held up by cold black chains spanning from the withered down wooden chelling that might collapse at any given moment.
Two ok-ish wooden chair stood besides her, towards her left - a carte above a old worn stove that has seen better days , cold ash beneath it, possibly due to not being used in a while.
Behind her was a excuse of an bed, just some white feathers in a fiber-like cover. Standing at the height of her knees, It was perhaps the cleanest interior in the room, highlighting it's unemployment.
This...am I lucid dreaming?!
...
She had expected to wake up in her highrise appartment greeted by a soft pillow, luxurious desks, painstakingly bought coffee machine and most importantly her laptop which held her deepest secrets.
But never had she expected to wake up in a crib that seemgly belongs to some peasant from middle ages!
Did I write and read too many magical fantasies? That I am hallucinating them now?
Oh god, looks like I have to go on hiatus[1]! It's not good for my mental health if I dream like this. Should I seek a psychiatrist? No, too expensive.
Alice thought that she was dreaming, because the turn of events were unreal as such. The thought of it being a dream was both disappointing and relieving. It disappointed her greatly that it was a dream, and relieving that she could return home after this dream ends.
Not bad~
Assuming it was a dream, she needed to explore this dream, or else that assistant demon of coperate that is her alarm will snatch her back to reality before she finds anything of significance!
Perhaps she could get some new inspiration! Oh wow, that will be great!
Alice found oportunity in this dream about role-playing as a peasant. It reminded her of times when she roleplayed on internet formus. Manipulating readers with alt[2], leaking false and true informations, weaving wild stories and theories.
Chuckling under her breath at the remembrance of her old antics, she continued to survey her surrounding, looking for something interesting. She wondered if she could imitate superpower considering it was a lucid dream. After few Chuunibyou[3]-worthy gestures, unfortunately it turned out to be a dud, making her face flush pink from embarassment.
Just as she thought of other more stupid things to do, loud yells from outside invaded her ears, making her winch in slight pain.
"All glory to Aroga!, All glory to Eternal Saint Sun!, the One above all! The lord of the sky! Ruler of Chaos sea!"
Alice wondered who they were so vigorously praising. The titles sounded very exgaurated, more Chuunibyou then her gestures she believed. Taking five steps to walk outside with intention to investigate, the bright golden sunlight pierced her retina, making her vision go dark all of a sudden due to sensory overload.
Ugh ...it's midday? Oh heavens, peasants could sleep till midday?! Was I a slave to demons then?!
Her affirmation about coperate being a demon's trade further solidified.
After adjusting to the bright light, slowly the world painted itself around her. Showing slightly better looking shacks with stable roofs lining the leveled mud street, and people wearing loose brown linen just like her. Appearing exactly how peasants in middle ages of Europe should have.
Most commonly people had were black and brown eyes matched with similar color hair, with no noteworthy features. Few stood out having red, green or blue eyes accompanied by hair of similar or mix of those combination. They seemed to be yelling something with the passion of online arguments.
"Burn the traitors who sided with the blasphemers!"
"Everybody!"
"You bastards! You are the reason why I failed to woe by queen! You terror horse shit-!"
"My daughter must have died from the sickness due to your vile stench of blasphemy!"
The angry and excited mob in the distance screemed curses at someone. Though it was at a distance, she could still make out their words. She felt as if the language they spoke were both foreign and familiar, two contradictory factors. She could make out few words but most terms felt like a blurr, as her mind autofilled in the gaps with its own Stanger logic.
Alice, stood aimlessly on the street, unable to decide weither she should join that mob to see what's happening or not. She just arrived here and had no idea of this dream world's etiquette. Just as she pondered over this conodrum a young voice suddenly called out to her in excitement,
"Sister Luna! You awake - I knew it was just a common sickness!"
Luna?...Moon?... isn't that a pretty name? Better than Alice in Wonderland hehe. The name sounded very much like her favourite character, so she adoured being called has such.
Alice glanced at the cute wheat haired boy dressed in simple linen, and suddenly felt a weird urge to ruff the boy's fluffy head. Giving a practiced coperate smile, she let the urge win, ruffing the boy's wheat hair with practiced precession. The boy in return did not resist, but he did pout for some odd reason.
"Sister Luna! I am not a kid anymore!" Retorted he, feing a hurt expression.
Kid, if you are an adult. Then am I an aunty?
The boy continued- "Sister! You dropped unconscious out of nowhere, burning with fever! Mom was worried sick about you, she even called in a charity doctor from a more reputable district! We thought you caught the "Blasphemer's plague"!"
Alice did not understand much - only that her character was sick, his mother called in a expensive doctor and they believed that she caught the "blasphemer's plague" or something. The last point intriguing her interest.
"Blasphemer's plague-?!" Said she in a suprised voice, which wasn't faked as she genuinely was surprised by her beautiful melodious voice. The boy too seemed momentarily stupified by her voice, then breaking out of his stupor exclaimed, pointing towards the mob at the distance.
"Sister Luna, let's go before it ends! They must have been the once who plagued you!"
Holding her hands, the boy excitedly dragged her towards the angry and excited crowd. Letting her get a closer look at them. She could notice the genuine anger, hatred, excitement and... Fear in their eyes.
What's going on?
Pushing through the crowd, and getting annoyed glares for that, they arrived at the very forefront of the crowd. Observing the commotion by its source.
"Burn you heathes! Get purged by the flames of justice! Dogs of Blasphemers!"
"Die! Die! Die!"
In middle of the huge square were three human sized wooden crosses, upon which two men and one women were pinned to each. Wearing simple linen clothes under a torn black robe. Their head was covered by a gag which looked claustrophobic.
It finnally came to her that this was an execution ground. Or would a witch trail from middle ages be more appropriate term? People threw rotten tomatoes, sharp stones, rotten eggs, and mud at the convicted hung on the cross. The convicted who took this beating didn't scream or even flinch, like a living corpse they hung, bleeding to death from their grevious wounds.
This isn't it too graphics and realistic?-
"Hahaha, you fools!"
Her thoughts were immediately cut short by the laughter of the man in middle cross. His voice stopped the onslaught of beating. Drowning the square into absolute silence.
"The Omnipotent and Omniscient hand guides all! You are merely my lord's playthings! And I AM THEIR HERALD!"
"Unlike your FALSE god and their FACADE of truth buried under corruption, my lord spoke to me! THEY SPOKE! They told me my mission in dreams!"
"I Am Alive, standing over you dead deafs. I shall reach true heavens decorated not by gold but PEACE!"
"I don't condem you! YES! I don't hate you! Why should I hate poor critters blinded by sun! Fools that can't even think for themselves, deserves no hate! I rather pity you illiterates! Hahaha!"
The man's manaical declaration followed by a maddening laughter, as his guts fell from his torn pouch in abdomen made Alice feel ill in stomach herself, turning her head away to avoiding gazing at the gurosome sight. The crowd was too stunned into silence, has all whispers ceased.
Hearing no retaliation, the man manically crackled louder, letting Alice know how a tearing vocal cord sounded like.
"MARK MY WORDS! MY LORD SHALL BRING TRUE DAWN TO AL-!"
Woooshhhh!
Before the man could finish, a pillar of golden light fell from the sky eloping the three catholic crosses entirely. Strong winds flustered alice's short hair, has the bright light and warm heat made her assume that the sun had descended.
She began to hear Chorus and hymmes being played from within the pillar. But it was too bright to perceive has she had to cover her eyes with her hands to avoid blinding herself in attempt to pear into something far beyond understanding and logic.
People around her knelt to this divine pillar, muttering a prayer under their breath. In language unknown to her.
This...it's a dream right?!
...Is this a transmigration?!
The thought of transmigration sent both a hot thrill and a cold fear down her spine. Making her reconsider if it's still a dream.
[1] break
[2] Substitute account
[3] Middle school syndrome