1 The Awakening to One Last Call

What the maiden felt for the first moment of her consciousness, was a motherly warmth that permeated her entire body. She didn't seem to have any memories — only the lingering sensation of waking suddenly from what feels to be a deep, eternal slumber.

As she became aware of her senses and body, she noticed that she was hugging her knees in a fetal position. Opening her eyes, the maiden slowly tilted her head to look around. Everything around her was coated in wrapping darkness, only disrupted by the faint glow of light that seemingly shined in from the outside. Faced with this darkness, she thought she should feel an emotion of fear and anxiety but she felt strangely calm as she took in her state of being.

*Where am I? Am I… trapped in something…? It's warm and soft in here.*

The young girl slowly stretched out her arm, feeling the surface around her. It seems she was encased in some sort of soft, smooth, silk-like material. An almost spherical enclosure was what she put together after some probing. In the midst of her investigation, the girl's ears caught some nostalgic noises.

*I think I hear some sounds from the outside… the sound of the wind blowing across grass? Are those birds I hear? Wait… how do I know what a bird is? Knowing the sound of the wind blowing against the grass? It seems I was born with some sense of conventional knowledge. Sure saves me a lot of effort in learning them I guess!*

Hearing the soft sounds of rhythmic chirping and the rustle of grass, she wondered what laid outside her comfortable little space. With the desire to leave this warm yet confining space, she stretched out her limbs and stood up in what was the first great yawn of her newfound life.

As if sensing her desire, the giant lily flower bloomed with a shower of glimmering pollen and a wave of sweet aroma washed over the maiden as she rose from the flower. She gently stood up, extending her arms to the sky as if it was the first time since she really moved (well she suppose it really was her first time) and arching her back, displaying her pleasantly slim, nude body as she yawned gracefully. Paired with the beautiful lily, the maiden's emergence could only be described as fantastically picturesque from an outside view.

As she slowly opened her eyes after the satisfying yawn, she was beheld with the sight of the bright sky. The birds she heard danced around in the sky, brushing the sky with their fiery red feathers. Beyond them, countless luminescent stars decorated the sky even during the day and a deep azure sun shined its grand light caressing this world.

The young girl took in the vast scenery, wondering how magnificent the night would look like. There were also visible planets from where she stood, both marveling in their size and distance to her world. She wondered if she would ever get the chance to go to them and explore.

Averting her attention from the sky to her birth world, the maiden saw her surroundings were brightened and cast in beautiful color by the soft rays of the azure sun. She was atop a small, round hill, surrounded by and overlooking an open circular plain covered with areas of beautiful flora and lush green grass as well as a crystal blue pond located nearby the plains. Fortunately, the color of the sun didn't change how someone perceives the world. The maiden took in the breath-taking sight with yet another yawn.

Bounding off her birth flower with glee. This was her newfound life and she wanted every opportunity to enjoy it. Feeling her delicate feet and toes on the grass and taking a fresh inhale of the cool breeze, she could barely contain herself as these new sensations filled her with euphoria.

*This is wonderful! The sunlight feels so invigorating and warm! Oooh! The grass feels so soft and nice! I bet it would feel fantastic to roll on! I can't wait!*

With blinding eagerness in her eyes, she rolled down the small hill into a field of lush flowers

"Wweeeee!!"

At the foot of the hill, careful not to crush such beauties in her excited state, the maiden walked through amongst the flowers, entranced by their beauty.

"Ohhh! What's this vibrant flower… what's this one… and that one!?"

As if answering her own questions, she knew subconsciously what the flowers were. Magnolias, Prometheus flowers, and cherry blossoms which she saw encircling this plain of flowers. Some of the flowers were alien-like, and some were so tall the maiden had to tilt her head up to grasp the full beauty of the flowers. One was bloomed into a display of ocean blue petals, extending gracefully out of the soft soil, its leaves curved and the flower slightly bent bowing to her; welcoming the maiden to this beautiful world. The young girl did a little bow in response albeit flawed in form almost tripping over herself. She felt strangely acquainted with each one of them and sensed a familial connection she couldn't describe. In support of that, she could feel the life energy of the flowers and… emotions? Or maybe it was the state of the flowers she was sensing? The maiden felt cozy at home amidst the flowers and flora brimming with life energy and radiance. Sensing not only the life energy, she suddenly took shock at another new sensation.

*I can sense some form of energy flowing through my body, it's swirling and stirring inside me. But it feels different, unlike the life energy of the plants and flowers around me… it feels much more ancient? I can move the energy around throughout my body… It kind of tickles. The feeling is so… surreal…*

Paying closer attention to the strange energy, the flower maiden noticed trace amounts of this energy within the plants and life around her. It was hard to detect but when she concentrated she could sense its flow… and it seemed to be emanating from the center, which was the hill. But the energy was slowly dissipating… bit by bit. It also seemed that the energy was only concentrated within this plain she was in and nothing beyond… at least not that she can detect.

Once she finished pondering about herself and her strange, ethereal energy flowing in her veins. The young girl decided to see really what she looked like, hoping to find out more about herself and any other surprises to be beheld. Skipping over to the pond, she stared at her own reflection. What she saw was a young girl with thick, ink-black, flowing hair hanging down to her chest with two curious licks sticking out of the top of her head that formed a heart symbol. They were silver-white in color along with some bangs that hang over one side of her face. Two long pointy ears stick out from either side of her head, slightly twitching as the wind gently blew across her face. In her nude state, she had subtle breasts and a small yet defined frame. Despite being appearance-wise at an age around 14 with her small body, the maiden's frame is rather robust but strangely did not take away from her charms. Her abdominal region is outlined in muscles and her arms and legs are naturally fit that showed untapped power. All of such features were defined in a hue of dark tan that was her skin.

In the crystal clear surface of the water, two orbs with long, gentle eye-lashes shine a shade of radiant gold as they blink curiously back at her.

*Huh… I thought my hair and appearance would have been similar to the colors and appearance of the flowers… My hair is pretty messy and poofy. Woah! Look at these muscles…*

The flower maiden then looked back at the grand lily flower she was born from. It's delicate radiance contrasted harshly to her physique and appearance. She couldn't help but be a little disappointed she couldn't attain the mesmerizing beauty of the flowers around her.

*But I think this looks fine too. In fact, I'd say I look quite cute but a little wild too! Hmm?*

Interestingly, she noticed through the reflection, four white petals symbols on her abdominal region with short vines one pointing towards her nether region, another upwards towards her chest. There was another set of symbolic depictions on her chest and on her back as she twirled around watching her own reflection. The maiden was rather smaller in stature, around 4'10".

She also sniffed herself a bit, and a faint, fresh scent of sweet Lily flowers filled her nose. It was a pleasant aroma and welcome addition to her bodily charms.

Once satisfied with looking at herself and having an abnormal amount of fun making cute yet embarrassing poses, the maiden then gazed at the pond and admired its natural beauty. Its clear waters allowed her to look at the various fishes swimming elegantly in the water, almost falling in herself as she desperately leaned closer to get a better look. The fishes came in small and large, and some tiny fishes traveled in groups. Their alien appearances and chrome scales caught the eager, prying eyes of the girl as she followed them. Yet to have her fill, she moved around the pond feeling, touching, poking, and sniffing whatever creatures and flora unfortunate enough to come across her burning light of elation at every new discovery.

Once her excitement has calmed to some degree. She went back to her birth flower and noted how abnormally large it was. Not only that but the ancient energy she felt before was largely concentrated in the flower, seemingly the flow of energy she felt before came not from the hill directly, but the Lily flower. A glowing Lily whose color resembled peerless pearls. What is she? Who is she? And perhaps more immediately important, where was she?

Looking around further in the distance from the hill, the maiden saw forests surrounding the flower fields and the village. The forest had trees of ancient design with many of them extending their large, mossy roots into the ground. Large vines rose out of the ground, twisting and forming elegant structures and spires. Above the forest were majestic, floating islands. Some broke above the clouds while others were suspended close to one another interconnected by vegetation and smaller islands. Mist like fog rolled off some of the islands, caressing the forest below with its dissipating touch. Looking even further, the maiden was amazed at the sight of mountains whose impressive size and beauty took away her breath. She wondered what other incredible sights and gorgeous places there are in this massive expanse and beyond on this planet.

She also spotted a stone-paved path from the flower field to a distant, expansive village not too far away. What caught her eyes the most was a large, titanic tree at the center of the village. Towering over the mountains and landscape, its branches extended over parts of the village, seemingly as if protecting it in a warm embrace.

"A village! And look at the size of that tree! It's so cool and pretty! Maybe I can climb it? I wonder if there are a lot of people there?"

Keenly aware of her lacking knowledge about the world she was born in, the girl needed information to help her survive. Though that was the main goal she also felt a rush of giddiness in the hope of finding people to meet and discovering more of the world as well as hopefully who she is and what she is. She was born with an adventurers' heart and an all starving mind for learning about this great world she was brought to life in.

Proceeding to walk towards the village, she hit something with her foot within just a few steps.

"Ooww!"

After recovering from the legendary pain of a stubbed toe, she glared back at what she hit. Half covered in grass and flowers, was a skull-like mask with cracks showing wear and decay. In the mouth guard and jaw were uniformly carved, jagged fangs. The visor of the mask akin to a knight's helm. Oddly its color was an indescribable dark, steel gray, reflecting no light as it rested on the grass. It seemed out of place among this beautiful plain with its solemn, scary appearance. The maiden felt unnerved by its presence. Yet she couldn't shake off the feeling of anxiety-driven connection with it… but how? Upon another closer inspection, she noticed carvings on the mask.

"In the memories of Asura…"

The name Asura slowly rolled out of her delicate pink lips. The word seemed to be caught on the back of the maiden's mind, almost like a thick fog descended upon her mind, and she couldn't clear it no matter how hard she focused her thoughts.

*Asura? Why… does it sound so familiar? I… don't recall such a name… or do I? Have I… seen this mask somewhere before? But how?*

Questions rushed into the girl's mind, and each time she attempted to answer them only more served to sprout up like weeds. It was clear she was going nowhere with her thoughts, but she couldn't shake off the odd feeling emanating from the mask. In fact, it was very literal.

*I can… feel heat radiating from it…*

An unknown drive pushed her to reach out to it. But before touching its cracked surface, the maiden pulled her hands back. Despite its familiar yet disturbing aura, it gave off a feeling of pure dread that unnerved her profoundly yet she couldn't grasp why.

*I… I don't think I want to touch it… why would I seek out such a creepy looking mask anyways? I can't think of any reasons for this sensation… yet why does it bother me so much? I...I should get going… I can't sit here forever pondering about something I have no clue nor knowledge about. It isn't mine and I gotta go to the village anyway.*

Not wanting the experience to weigh down on her, the maiden hesitantly left it alone. She continued on her journey to the village and began her adventure, quickly forgetting the depressing atmosphere of the mask as her love for exploration took over.