1 Drifting (Edited)

Darkness, the last thing Rose remembered was this sharp pain in her chest as her eyes closed, and just like that, she was surrounded by complete darkness. After a few seconds of floating her eyes finally opened and looked around. But there was nothing in this dark space for as far as she could see. Rose spent what felt like a lifetime contemplating what this place was, whether it be her personal hell or just some limbo that she had the misfortune of ending up in. But of all her thoughts and all that time she spent thinking, there was nothing she could have come up with that came close to what happened next.

Rose continued to float aimlessly as she found herself thinking about something that crossed her mind ever since she first entered this space. "What did I do to end up here?" That single question lingered in the back of her mind for what felt like eons at a time. But throughout Rose's entire life or whatever glimpses she could recall was always being taught that doing good deeds had a positive effect whether that be something as simple as finding money or as monumental as saving a persons life, but the same could be said about bad things like lying, stealing or even murder.

Rose remembered being told that all of your deeds both good and bad would determine where you would end up in the afterlife. But all of those ideals were dashed away the moment she ended up here, and as she had little to no memories to call back upon. Rose was once again doomed to an eternity of silent contemplation.

However, these unusual thoughts didn't last long as Rose found herself being interrupted by a sudden flash of intense light accompanied by an unknown feminine voice. "How did you end up here, little sister?" Slightly startled and partially if not fully blinded Rose looked around desperately trying to search for the unknown source of the voice. After a couple more seconds passed her eyes were finally starting to adjust to this new source of light. when she found herself staring uneasily at the mirror-like surface of a white porcelain mask as the voice sounded out once again. "Can you not comprehend me?"

Rose could barely manage to stammer out an answer as she continued to stare at the mask in front of her. "W-Who are you, where am I, who.. ?" Rose's questions were cut off as a small tendril of solid light wrapped itself around her incorporeal form as this warm feeling spread all over her. "Well aren't you excitable?" the voice said as a smile could be seen forming along the face of the mask as the voice began to speak once more. "I can tell by your reaction that you don't know of this place, are my assumptions true?"

Rose slowly nodded my head in response as I continued to stare at the smiling mask before her. The smile on the mask broadened "I guess proper introductions are in order then, my name is 'Aerous' and I am the Goddess of Rebirth and Anonymity." Some of the tendrils then began to take more humanoid forms."I am the deity currently tasked with watching over mortal souls. Either make sure that they either reach their appropriate afterlives or reincarnating their souls allowing them a second chance at life."

As Aerous's words echoed throughout the space more streaks of white and silver light could be seen flowing outward, shaping the space around them. Rose soon began to feel a cool surface pressing against her ghostly feet. "Is this how the earth feels, how long has it been since my feet touched the solid ground?" Rose questioned internally trying her best not to stumble as she turned back to face Aerous. "And these darling things are shards, the physical form most mortal souls take once they reach this place." Rose's face morphed into one of curiosity as she stared at the blank-faced creature, "What exactly is this place?"

"My realm goes by many names, but I believe most mortals call it purgatory. This is the place where the souls of many go to be judged and ultimately sent into their respective afterlives. But even I can't place how you ended up in that ancient place and not as one of my shards." Even with the light calming her Rose still couldn't help but feel quite anxious when hearing about how peculiar her situation was. "Why are you telling me this, and what do you mean by ancient place?"

"The place you were floating in was the remnants of the realm known as Divinity's Cradle. It is the birthplace of all life in the multiverse including that of the gods." "The fact that you were flung there instead of one of my realms must mean…"

Rose could feel her thoughts begin to race and clash against one another as she struggled to take in all of this new information. But before she could get lost in thought that warm feeling returned once again calming down her aching brain. "Must mean what?" Aerous's voice was filled with excitement as the smile on the mask grew even wider. "You might be the new Gaia."

Rose looked up and as Aerous spoke more streaks of silvery light could be seen flowing out from her pearlescent skin. Soon the cool feeling of stone against my feet faded, being replaced with an oddly familiar itching feeling. Rose looked down to see she was standing in a patch of thick green grass. "Good luck little sister."

"Where am I now?"