Deal

The blinding brightness enveloped me, stretching endlessly into white nothingness.

Am I dead? The thought raced through my mind, a jumble of confusion and disbelief. As an atheist, the idea of an afterlife seemed surreal and unfamiliar.

A vaguely feminine figure materializes before me, breaking the eerie silence.

"Hello, Lucina," her voice echoes softly.

"Uhm, hi? Am I... dead?" I venture cautiously, uncertainty coloring my words. The figure shakes its head in response.

"I'm here to offer you a deal," the figure continues, her voice carrying a mysterious weight.

"A deal? What kind of deal? And who exactly are you?" I inquire, trying to grasp the situation.

"I am a goddess, here to answer my child's prayer," she replies, her presence imbued with a sense of solemn purpose.

Before me, another figure materializes—a perfect reflection of myself, except for her striking silvery white hair.

"This is Lucina, another version of yourself from a different world or dimension," the goddess explains, introducing the other me.

"...okay, so why am I here? What deal are you proposing?" I maintain my suspicion towards the goddess. The other me looks uncomfortable, her gaze drifting to her feet.

"Every person has multiple versions of themselves that lead similar lives in different timelines, worlds, and universes," the goddess explains. "I would like you to live as Lucina from my world, while she takes your place in yours."

I glance between the goddess and the other me. The goddess's face is a glowing orb of light, revealing no hint of her thoughts. The other me, however, appears visibly uncomfortable.

"Why me? I mean, there should be other Lucinas who can take her place, right?" I question, trying to make sense of the situation.

"You're the only Lucina who has not succumbed to despair or lost the will to live. You seem content with your life. You're also strong-willed, a bit of an anomaly. If there's someone who can successfully live her life, it's you," the goddess explains.

"What you're saying is that I'm not a doormat," I remark, meeting the gaze of the other me.

"I can't make a decision without knowing what her world is like," I add, uncertain about the implications.

"That can be solved, just hold each other's hands," the goddess suggests.

The other Lucina steps forward and extends her hands. Hesitantly, I intertwine my fingers with hers.

In an instant, it's like an extremely fast slideshow unfolds before me, and I live through Lucina's life—a life filled with hardship and suffering. It's a pretty shitty life to be honest.

Lucina is the third princess of the Solana empire, the largest country on the continent.

Her mother, a traveling street dancer, unfortunately caught the fancy of the emperor. The greedy old man took her in as a concubine against her will.

At the age of 15, her mother fell ill with a suspicious illness and passed away. That's when it all went to hell, everyone wanted a piece of the girl's misery from servants, her half-siblings and the empress. Like that wasn't enough, at 18, she was sold to an old man. That was a foreign king that saw her once and fancied her, due to Lucina's youth and immense beauty, the old king became paranoid. He sexually and physically abused her, she still endured all but the final crack in the damn was when the old king's oldest son poisoned her causing to her pregnancy. 

The night she committed suicide, she desperately prayed to the goddess'. I suppose that's why we're here now.

I release her hands abruptly, my heart heavy with sorrow as I meet her gaze filled with awe.

"Well, now I can't decline without seeming like a heartless person," I murmur to myself, feeling the weight of the decision.

Turning to the goddess, I inquire, "You surely won't send me there without providing some sort of advantage, will you? Because if not, I'll have to refuse."

The other me's eyes light up with a glimmer of hope, eagerly awaiting the goddess's response.

"Of course, I cannot let this continue any longer. Do you agree?" the goddess asks.

I nod in agreement, bracing myself as an extremely bright light envelops me once more.

*

"Princess. Princess Lucina, wake up."

I groan, feeling a pounding headache as I slowly open my eyes. The scene that greets me is a group of presumably 'noble' teenage ladies, all standing around me. Their faces are a mix of faux concern and barely concealed smirks.

"Oh dear, it was a mistake, I didn't mean to trip you," the girl in front, Lady Starforge, says while fanning herself, clearly unremorseful. Her companions behind her struggle to stifle their laughter.

"I understand, Lady Starforge. Please, lend me a hand," I say, holding out my hand to her. With some hesitation, she decides to help me up.

As soon as I'm on my feet, I 'accidentally' stumble into Lady Starforge, causing her to lose her balance and tumble into her peers. The room erupts into a chorus of gasps and thuds as the other ladies try to steady themselves by grabbing onto one another.

"Are you okay, Lady Starforge? I wasn't stable, I didn't mean to trip you," I say with a bright smile before confidently walking away, leaving them in a tangled mess on the floor.