2 C H A P T E R O N E

Where do dead people go?

~*~

Synchronized clock ticking echoed inside the small white room. Clocks in different sizes and telling different time adorn the walls. And each clock has a corresponding mirror hanging below it. The mirrors also come in different sizes and colors. And in the middle of the room is a large floor length mirror with two grandfather clocks on both sides.

Lyma opened her eyes to this room, confused. 'Where am I?' She thought to herself. The last thing that she can remember is her own room.

She spun around looking at the entirety of the room and wondered if there is any form of exit. But much to her surprise there's no single door that can be seen.

She looks around one more time and finally noticed that she's no longer wearing her old pajamas but a white halter top silk dress that reaches her knees. She walked closer to the large mirror at the center to have a much closer look at herself.

She can't exactly pinpoint the specific emotion that she is feeling right now. Or maybe she is feeling a lot and the mixture of all these emotions confuses her. But Lyma knew one thing. She wants to cry.

She has seen her reflection countless of times. She can even be called vain by always looking at her face any chance she gets. Not because she is truly vain of her appearance but she just simply loves and adore her eyes. Her heterochromia. But at this very moment, it's not just her eyes that Lyma noticed. The reason she wants to cry is the overwhelming feeling that she feels inside.

'I can look like this?' She thought eyes sparkling, keeping herself not to let her tears fall. 'I look different.' She has never saw herself like this. Her skin's brighter and has more color and her face is more youthful and radiating, enhancing more of her features. She looks fine. Healthy.

It's refreshing for her to see that she looks exactly how she should without her sickness. Her gaze fell on her chest, remembering where the pain was.

'The pain is gone. And I feel...fine.' She thought as she raises her right hand to her chest and felt that familiar steady beats from her heart.

'Subject is awake. Welcome to the Lobby.'

Just then a loud robotic and computer-like voice echoed. Lyma quickly spun around again upon hearing the voice. "Who's there?" She asked. Though she knew she's the only one inside that white room. 'Where does it come from?'

'Launching World Reincarnation System. Launch successful. Opening Menu.'

The voice came again. And now that she heard it the second time, it felt like the voice is coming from somewhere near her.

'Menu successfully opened. Initializing Life-Deed Counter. Please wait.'

Listening carefully Lyma felt that the voice is coming from the large mirror in front of her. 'Is that mirror speaking?' She thought but since there's no changes in the mirror's appearance so Lyma is not quite sure.

Involuntarily, she took three steps backwards just in case something will suddenly happen.

'Life-Deed Counter complete. Reporting: Total deeds exceed required deeds for reincarnation. Subject is promoted to VIP. VIP Settings acquired. Installing VIP Settings package. Installation complete. Initializing VIP Settings' Pre-Incarnation. Subject analysis in progress. Post life review in sequence. Please wait.'

The mirror spoke continuously that left Lyma perplexed. 'What's that mirror saying? What is happening? Where am I exactly?' She felt that familiar feeling of panic rising inside her.

She knew that the mirror is talking about something since she hears the robotic voice. But what makes Lyma baffled is she can't understand what the voice is talking as if it's using a different language. And what's stranger is that Lyma knew, though she doesn't know how, that the voice is speaking in English. It's speaking using the world's universal language but she can't understand it.

Lyma don't know what to do. The room does not have any exits for her to run out to. She looked back at the 'talking' mirror and a thought came to mind. She knew it is somehow 'illogical' but she got that feeling, she neared the talking mirror and pressed her palm against it. She thought her hand would pass through as if the mirror is like a portal just like in the movies she has seen and books she has read. But nothing, her hands did not pass through.

'So, this is not a portal.' She thought as she withdraws her hand away. She decided to wait for the voice again.

'Post Life review complete. Wish garnered 206,789,545. Data accumulated from Post Life review in process. Processing may take a while. Next life generator starting. Next life generator in process. Subject will be notified upon completion.'

As expected, Lyma did not understand anything about what the voice have said.

'Pre-Incarnation: Subject Analysis complete. Pre-Incarnation world now ready. Subject can now proceed. Please enter through the main entrance. Thank you for choosing World Reincarnation System. Have a great day!'

Then as soon as the voice ended, the mirror in front of her started to lit up as if thousands of light bulbs illuminates it.

Again, she extended her hand and 'touch' the mirror but this time she did not feel the hardness of it, whilst her hand pass through. Her eyes widen and instinctively she withdraws her hand again. 'It's a portal!' She exclaimed internally.

She should be afraid of what just happened. Of everything that's happening even. She doesn't know where she is! But she doesn't have a choice. And the circumstances call for her to 'enter' the mirror. So, that is what she did. She reaches out again now moving her body. She walked towards the mirror and entered it.

Instantly light welcomed her and she closed her eyes. When she opened them again, she's no longer inside that white room filled with clocks and mirrors. But she's laying below a golden leaf tree. Her head resting on the tree's largest exposed root. The leaves on the tree are falling making a scene as if it's raining gold. She sat up and looked around her surroundings.

She's sitting under a large tree that is in the middle of a small clearing. The clearing is surrounded by large, thick, and green hedges about ten meters high. And there are four openings along the hedges.

The tree's leaves continuously fall. Lyma reach out with palms open and caught a single golden leaf. Upon looking closely, she instantly knew what the tree is. It's a Ginkgo Tree.

A few moment later, a maid emerged from the opening on her right side. She is walking briskly towards Lyma as if she's in a hurry. The maid is wearing a black and white maid uniform that covers every inch of her skin from her neck to her toes. The black dress has a full skirt and is paired with a white ruffle apron and a white lace cap. Her hair is in a tight bun. And she's not wearing any kind of make-up but she looks youthful and beautiful.

"Greetings to the star of the kingdom." The maid curtsied as soon as she reached where Lyma is. "Your Highness, the King have summoned you and is now waiting at the Pavilion." The maid said, head hung low and in a bowing position.

Lyma look at her and blinked a couple of times, bewildered. She stood on her feet and the maid quickly adjusted her distance without breaking her posture.

"Uhm...are you referring to me?" Lyma asked and pointed at herself.

"Yes, Your Highness." The maid answered quickly.

"Uhm...I..." Lyma don't know what to say. She's still in a state of bewilderment. She just came from a weird white room and now she's having this kind of situation. Lyma, again, don't know what to do.

The maid is patiently waiting for her and it made Lyma felt awkward. She absent-mindedly felt the dress she was wearing and realized that it was no longer the white dress she had been wearing before. Instead, she was now wearing a yellow puff-sleeved dress that brushed the grass. The dress was embroidered with a beautiful and intricate pattern, and it was embedded with a few small stones that sparkled in the light. The dress was stunning, and Lyma knew that it was the fanciest thing she had ever worn.

"Your Highness? The King is waiting." The maid reminded her in a low voice.

"The King?" She asked, more confused. 'Why would a King be looking for me?' She thought.

"Yes, Your Highness. Your father, the King, King Andorran Silva Ytopia." The maid answered.

The name rang a bell in her mind. She thought that she had heard it somewhere before, but she couldn't quite place it. She tried to focus on the maid's statement, "Your father, the king," She pondered the implications of what the maid had said. If her father was the king, then she would be a princess. But Lyma knew that was impossible. She had no royal blood in her veins.

She tried to shake the thought from her mind, but it refused to go away. She kept thinking about the maid's words, and the more she thought about them, the more she began to wonder where exactly she is. And the added question of what exactly is happening. She has been to different places now. And both are not familiar to her.

"Padin!" Someone shouted. Lyma look pass the maid and into the newcomers. Two dashing men were walking towards them. One had curly golden blonde hair and the other had wavy black hair. The curly-haired man was waving at them with a big smile on his face.

"Greetings to the stars of the kingdom. Your Highness the Crown Prince and Your Highness the Second Prince. May blessings shower upon thy throne." The maid said and bowed when the two men stopped in front of them.

Lyma look over the two men and turn to the maid. 'Should I do the same?' She thought as both her hands clutch the sides of her dress. 'Maybe I should?'

She looks at the two men and was about to mimic how the maid bowed when two larges hands grasp her shoulders, holding her in place. Lyma stiffened and look up to the guy who's holding her. It's the guy with the black hair. 'It's the stern looking one.' Lyma thought. She wanted to look away but she can feel his brows twitching.

"What were you trying to do?" He asked, concern evident in his voice. Lyma was so nervous that she couldn't speak. Her voice caught in her throat and her mouth went dry. "Mushroom?" He called when Lyma did not answer.

"Hey! What are you doing to Padin?" The other man complained and pulled the black-haired guy away. "Pandora? Padin?" The golden-haired guy asked, worried.

Lyma started to feel uneasy on top of being nervous. She's surrounded by people she can't recognize and is calling her different names. She can feel them worry about her but she doesn't understand why. She is so lost she wanted the earth beneath them to just swallow and hide her.

Lyma has a lot of questions she wants to ask. And on top of that list is where exactly she is. So Lyma mustered her courage and asked. "Uhm...Where is this place?"

As soon as Lyma finished the question the two men froze on their spots and silence cover them. It's as if Lyma asked a very serious question that can make or break something. Lyma waited for quite some time before they both moved. Though she did not expect their reactions.

"You! What have you done?!" The guy with the golden hair shouted accusingly at the maid. Immediately the maid slump on the ground in all fours.

"Your Highness! Pardon me! I have done nothing! Please have mercy!" The maid pleaded almost chocking.

Lyma was surprised by the Prince's shouting but she was more surprised with how the maid reacted. 'She did not do something that needs her to beg like that. It's as if that Prince will pull-...' Lyma's thought was interrupted when the Prince with the golden hair suddenly pulled his sword and point it at the maid's throat.

"Your Highness!" The maid begged, crying.

'This is insane.' Lyma did not notice but her body stiffen at the scene before her. Her pale face became paler and fear is somehow evident in her eyes. The second prince noticed Lyma's discomfort and decided to cut in.

"Control your temper Crown Prince." The Prince with the black hair, the Second Prince, said. Holding the Crown Prince's right shoulder.

"No! This insolent being did something!" The Crown Prince reasoned. He is enraged. His natural playful aura has long vanished and is replaced with a dark and murderous aura. "She must have done something to Padin! Otherwise..." He was not able to finished his sentence when the Second Prince interrupted him.

"The Princess. Don't show such insolent attitude in front of her." The Second Prince said coldly. "You're the one making her anxious." The calm demeanor of the Second Prince suddenly changed into a colder version. He clenched his hands into fists as if controlling an undesirable emotion that wants to surface

The Crown Prince's eyes fell on Lyma and her body flinched at the Crown Prince's gaze. One look at Lyma's frightened face is enough for him to cool down.

"Leave." He commanded the maid. The girl immediately stood up and bowed, still crying, and walked quickly away from them. "I must have lost my mind." He whispered as he unsheathed his sword and look again at Lyma's direction. "I apologized for showing such attitude. You're not afraid of me, aren't you?" His voice was apologetic.

'Are you serious? Of course, I'm afraid! Anyone would be afraid of someone who just pointed a sword at someone who did nothing wrong!' Lyma wanted to shout at the Crown Prince but she stopped herself. 'No one knows what he'll do to me if I shouted at him. He might just remove my head from my body.' She thought.

Lyma calmed herself. And look at the two expectant Princes in front of her. She tried to recall the details that have been given so far. 'I don't know anything about them aside from the fact that they are the Crown Prince and the Second Prince. And somehow, I am a Princess. So, I must be a guest here or the both of them are somehow related to me. Let's see, they called me names a while ago. Padin...Mushroom...and Pandora. Pandora. He called me Pandora.' Lyma thought hard on the name. Just like the King's name that the maid mentioned earlier the name 'Pandora' seems familiar. And suddenly an understanding downed to her. She thought of only one connection between her and that name. And it was the book she just finished before all these things happened to her. 'Cockaigne. Pandora was the name of the protagonist. The princess of the Kingdom of Cockaigne. And come to think of it, Pandora did have twin brothers.'

Lyma looked over the two men who is still 'staring' at her. Golden hair that reflects the day, the Crown Prince, Prince Guerrier Cyprus Ytopia and Black hair that reflects the night sky, the Second Prince, Prince Gustave Cypress Ytopia. The Twin star of the Kingdom of Cockaigne.

Lyma wanted to laugh. She couldn't believe the things she's thinking. It might not be that farfetched at this point but Lyma thought that being transmigrated inside a book is beyond her.

"Why are you letting me wait for so long?"

Lyma looked past the two princes and saw a man approaching. He was tall and regal, with a long beard and a stern expression. Lyma had read about him in the book: he was King Andorran Silva Ytopia, the ruler of the kingdom. Lyma was amazed at how much he looked like the Crown Prince. He was the spitting image of his father as if the Crown Prince had simply aged into the King.

Lyma thought, "That's why the name of the King sounded familiar. I should have realized it was a clue."

The King approached Lyma, his authoritative tone demanding an answer. "My Princess, what happened? Did these two boys do something to you?"

Lyma said "Nothing," but the King heard something else. Her voice sounded forced, and he could tell that she was lying. He knew that she was hiding something, and he was determined to find out what it was. The King turned to the two princes, his presence so imposing that they both straightened their backs in response. Even the guard and the servants flinched. Lyma could feel the intensity of the situation, and she unconsciously called for the King's attention by coughing.

"Are you perhaps feeling unwell?" The King asked if she was feeling unwell, but Lyma was so focused on him that she didn't even notice he had turned to look at her.

Lyma opened her mouth to say that she was okey, but then her ears started ringing. A high-pitched static sound pierced her ears, and she felt a sharp pain. She tried to cover her ears with her hands, but it was no use. The sound was too loud. She curled up on the ground, trying to block out the noise.

The King was alarmed when he saw Lyma's reaction. He grabbed her shoulders and asked her what was happening. Lyma could hear him, but she couldn't understand what he was saying. The sound was too loud, and it was making her dizzy. She covered her ears and curled up on the ground, trying to block out the noise. The sound intensified, and Lyma felt herself losing energy. She was getting weaker and weaker, and she knew she couldn't keep this up for much longer.

The King was frustrated. He didn't know what was happening to Lyma, and he was worried about her. He picked her up in his arms and carried her back to the pavilion, shouting for the servants along the way. Lyma was already unconscious.

The King instructed everyone to call for the Head Healer. He then laid the unconscious Lyma on the divan inside the Pavilion. He checked her temperature and breathing, and she seemed fine in both aspects. He then looked at her ears, but he didn't see anything alarming. He sighed heavily, as if a heavy weight had been lifted from him.

The Head Healer arrived and immediately began to examine Lyma. The King was so angry that he could have killed someone. The two Princes also had dark expressions on their faces.

After the examination, the Head Healer reported that Lyma was only unconscious and was not in any danger. "What can you tell me about her condition?" he asked.

The Head Healer shook his head. "I'm afraid I don't know much, Your Majesty. She seems to be in a good condition and is simply sleeping. I have checked any traces of magic but there's none that I found. I am not sure what else to do."

The King sighed. "We will just have to wait and see," he said. "In the meantime, I want you to keep an eye on her."

The Head Healer bowed. "Yes, Your Majesty."

After the Head Healer left, the King dismissed everyone except for his two sons. He turned to them with a hard look on his face.

Guerrier spoke up first. "The maid. She must have done something."

The King raised an eyebrow. "The maid?"

"Yes," Guerrier said. "A maid was with her when we found her under the golden tree. I was suspicious when Pandora looked lost and uncomfortable. She kept staring at us like she didn't recognize me or the Second Prince. And when she spoke, she asked us where she was."

The King's eyes narrowed. "What are you implying, Crown Prince?"

Guerrier took a deep breath. "I'm think that Pandora might have lost her memories." He explained. "As I observed, she acts like she doesn't remember anything. As I have mentioned, she just stared at me and the Second Prince, and she even tried to bow to us. This might be a side effect of the magic that was casted on her."

The King's face hardened. "Find that maid," he ordered. "And bring her to me."

Guerrier bowed. "Yes, Your Majesty."

The King looked over Lyma's lying body. She was as white as paper and her lips were pale and almost purplish. "We cannot just jump into something without a proof," he said. "But it's also not something that we can look over, especially at the current situation. We must investigate this matter."

Both princes nodded. The King turned to Gustave. "I will be giving this task to you, Second Prince. You will bring her along with you as you do your duties."

Gustave nodded. "Yes, My King."

The King dismissed Gustave and the Crown Prince. He then looked down at Lyma, his heart filled with worry. He didn't know what had happened to her, but he was determined to find out.

(Edited)