Life

An endless black void stretched onto infinity, an infinite amount of tiny white dots visible in the distance.

After an unknown amount of time, a hole suddenly appeared inside of the void, allowing a small blob to enter it.

As a small blob entered the void, the hole behind it suddenly began closing, but this did not seem to cause the blob any fear, as it slowly but surely began moving in a certain direction.

Unlike the void, which was pitch black with only the tiny white dots being visible far off into the distance, the color of this blob was a mix of white and black, with the black taking up the vast majority of its body.

Of course, compared to the black of the void, this black still had some sense of color, not being truly emotionless.

In this place without time, the blob kept moving in one direction.

Sometimes, time warped around the blob, sending it either forwards toward its goal or backward, but after trillions of years, or in a single moment, depending on how you see it, the blob had arrived at its destination.

Right now, the blob was seemingly close to its goal, being just a short distance away from an enormous white sphere, one of the countless white dots that were visible in the distance when this blob first arrived here.

Slowly but surely, the blob began entering the white sphere, gradually disappearing from this endless void.

Curiously, compared to before, the portion of the blob which was white had visibly decreased, at the same time, the color of its brightness had somewhat decreased, thankfully, it seemed as though the black portion of the blob was not transformed, as it remained the same color.

Eventually, the blob had truly disappeared from this place.

...

Looking at the two demon statues in front of him, which had now opened the door to the Shadow Monastery, Mr. Errol smiled before suddenly turning to his apprentice.

"Are you alright?" asked Mr. Errol as he turned to the white-haired girl behind him, who seemed to have been spacing out. Hearing her teacher's words, Beatrice suddenly shook, exiting her trance.

"Thank you, teacher, I'm fine, it looks like the flight had taken a toll on me somewhat," said Beatrice as she looked at her teacher. Hearing that, Mr. Errol began walking down the stairs and into the Shadow Monastery, with Beatrice following right behind him.

...

Looking at the Dark Elixir in her hands, Anne smiled before quickly putting it into her robe, when suddenly, a chill crawled up her spine.

Moments later, Anne turned around, and began to walk away from the counter, causing something to catch her eye, Mr. Eroll being followed by a white-haired girl, rather than focusing on Mr. Errol, Anne turned around and stared at the white-haired girl as she walked away.

As if sensing Anne's gaze the white-haired girl suddenly turned her head sideways, looking at Anne for a slip second before continuing to walk on her way. Until both Mr. Errol and the white-haired girl exited the hall, Anne continued robotically walking on her way, but the moment both of them were gone, Anne suddenly began sprinting towards her room.

…

Turning the knob of the door she knew all too well, Beatrice made her entrance into the room. Almost unconsciously, she began tucking her travel bags beneath her bed before adopting a seated posture on the same bed, legs folded beneath her. The room was engulfed in an unnerving silence for more than half an hour as Beatrice refrained from uttering a single word or engaging in any activities. She sat there motionless, her gaze lost in the vast expanse of the emptiness ahead.

"This cannot be an illusion," Beatrice murmured to herself, her gaze now intently exploring the familiar surroundings of her room. Unexpectedly, she hoisted herself off the bed and reached under it, her fingers tracing the minor fissures and indentations that had formed on the floor beneath her bed. Throughout her year-long stay at the Shadow Monastery, Beatrice had developed an intimate familiarity with the intricacies of her room, being thoroughly acquainted with every single detail.

'Could it be that I actually died?' Beatrice pondered, the weight of her thoughts so grave that she dared not voice them aloud, as if fearful of the silent walls that enclosed her. As her hand ventured to touch the wall adjacent to her bed, she abruptly turned her gaze towards her dress' shoulder, now ripped open. Simultaneously, she was cognizant of an emerging discomfort in her shoulder. With an audible pop, Beatrice expressionlessly realigned her shoulder using her other hand.

'This body is quite problematic,' Beatrice contemplated, rising from her spot beneath the bed to inspect the damage on her slightly torn dress.Without a moment's hesitation, she reached for the robe she had previously tossed onto the bed and proceeded towards the bathroom.

Despite the lingering pain in her shoulder, she, being an Official Knight, promptly discarded her dress and donned her well-known robe.Yet, the robe felt somewhat unfamiliar at the moment.

"Has it always been this loose?" Beatrice murmured, puzzled by the unusually slack fit of the robe around her body, particularly around the chest area which seemed significantly looser than she remembered.

Deciding not to dwell on this any further, Beatrice exited the bathroom, returned to her cross-legged posture on the bed, and began immersing herself in deep thought.Gradually, a crease formed on Beatrice's forehead.

'Who would wish for my demise?' Beatrice pondered, the memory of her death resurfacing in her mind. Having awakened just before her abrupt end, the haunting vision of a shadowy figure plunging a dagger into her was deeply etched in her consciousness.

After a few more minutes of contemplation, Beatrice's thoughts drifted towards a different, albeit critical, topic. However, in the midst of this serious consideration, only one thought managed to dominate her mind. 'Was it my innate talent that sent me back in time or transported me to an entirely different location?' Beatrice contemplated, harboring a firm belief that her inherent abilities had played a vital role in sparing her life, or possibly granting her a new one altogether.