Chapter 1: Waking up in Helvete

I held the medium-sized vase close to my chest as I heaved. The maids around me were pleading with me to put it down as I slowly backed away towards the door of the luxurious room.

"No one come close to me! I warn you all!"

The maids quivered as they nodded. I then turned the knob and rushed hurriedly into the wide hallway. The red carpet below kissed my feet as I threw the vase to the ground and ran down the corridor. My chest felt as if it were repeatedly punctured by a knife. My red hair slapping the walls as I turned each corner.

The multitude of paintings of beautifully dressed people passed me with each step. I felt their glittering eyes judge me.

And the truth is...

I know very well why they would be.

The only thing I felt as I ran through the labyrinth of a place was confusion.

WHY IN THE HELVETE AM I HERE?

A couple of minutes ago I was screaming in agony as a sword entered my abdomen. Instead I woke up in a foreign bed, in a foreign room, surrounded by foreign individuals. My heartbeat quickened as the sound of metallic footsteps filled my ears.

Shit!

I looked back to see what seemed to resemble an army of armor clad knights run towards me. The one in the front, who seemed to be the captain shouted.

"NO ONE LET HER ESCAPE, HIS MAJESTY REQUESTS THAT SHE BE BROUGHT BACK!"

Nothing but escape seemed like an option to me. My arms screamed in pain as I forcefully pushed doors open. After a couple of minutes my legs began to burn. I winced.

Since when did a simple sprint tire me out this much? In my previous life I used to run from corner to corner in Midgard without so much as a belated breath. How ridiculous!

Nausea seemed to even take over my body as the scene in front of me began to swirl. And to top it all of, my line of sight was shorter than usual causing me to crank up my neck to see. As I opened the final door which had some light seeping from its edges, a mirror on the wall caught my attention. And staring back at me was a young woman with features similar to mine, but she was of smaller and thinner stature. It looked like a version of myself before all of the hellish training and the days of being on the battlefield. An ominous feeling filled my being as I felt myself shudder. A small smile formed at my mouth as I slammed open the door. The realization of my situation had hit me, and it was one that I was happy to have. My laughter echoed as the sight in front of me took my breath away.

The room was larger than all of the houses in Midgard combined. The ceiling was as high as the distance of Midgard to the sky which reigned above. Pillars of a white limestone stood high as they looked down on me. Golden banners hung from the walls as a similar red carpet tickled my feet under me. I then unintentionally whispered.

"Wow."

Never in my life as an inhabitant of Midgard have I ever seen a place as luxurious and grand as this one. Except in the one instance that I visited Asgard to meet the great Norse god, Odin. I smiled to myself.

Thank you Odin for granting my wish in my past life to give me another chance to prove my worth. No way in Helvete would I disappoint you once more. Suddenly, a voice interrupted my thoughts of gratitude.

"Oh my, oh my. The very empress that wanted to escape me surprisingly came to see me. How contradictory indeed."

My eyes widened slowly as I walked towards the bearer of such a voice. Despite the icy nature of the sentence, his honey-like voice made it seem normal. I felt my heartbeat speed up significantly with every step I took closer. There was only one person with a voice that sounded as sly as he acted.

I stopped as my feet reached a distance of a couple of inched away from what resembled Odin's throne. I looked up to see a handsome man who held the hands of two equally beautiful women beside him. I felt goosebumps rise all over my arms as exhilaration filled me. His short blond hair, curled at his ears as his blue eyes sparkled. The man's high cheekbones and sensual lips would make any woman go crazy. Especially so with those long eyelashes of his which seemed to amplify the beauty of his deep eyes. His red clothing spoke of celebration and his bloodthirst as I felt his eyes pierce right through me. The handsome individual then chuckled as he released the hands of the women quite harshly. Their faces turned to that of disappointment.

The familiar smell of lavender filled my nose as the handsome individual who was dressed in robes of the finest of jewels stood up and bent over to whisper in my ear.

"My dear it has been quite a long time since we have been acquainted. I have grown quite restless waiting for you to wake up."

This is the worst instance that I could have ever faced. Reuniting with this man. The very man who had used his very sword and sugar-coated voice to trick me. I smirked. This time I will finish him off for real.

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Thank you so much for reading my luvs! I hope that you have enjoyed this chapter! I tend to update two to three times a week! Enjoy your day and stay safe my luvs!

In Norse mythology: Helvete-hell, Midgard-Human world