-Other ideas worlds included a Poke/Digimon-like world with people and partner mons, a post-apocalyptic world, a generic fantasy place, two worlds that had later stories set in them (including the one I did for NaNo 2010), and a prehistoric-like place.

-In one of the worlds, Aislin met up and worked with a travelling angel. The differences between the heavens and the world of the dead would be explained.

-About halfway through the world travels, Ria gets a call from someone saying she’s “broken the rules”. Soon after, her sister Sabia appears in the library and takes Ria away. When Aislin returns, Sabia’s the one looking after the library.

-Meanwhile, Ria’s being reprimanded by the Goddess of Death, Morrigan. It’s revealed that Ria’s her daughter, and that Ria’s also half-human.

-While Ria’s gone, Aislin takes the chance to make Sabia send her back to Ki-Lin’s world in order to rescue the princess. Aislin joins a rebel group with the same goal, and they’re successful.

-Upon her return, Sabia cruelly reveals to Aislin that Ria has no power to restore her life, and in the end it’s up to Morrigan to decide. Ria lets Aislin decide if she wants to continue to visit the worlds until then, which Aislin says she’ll do.

-Aislin only ends up visiting 12 worlds total (13 trips since she visited one twice) out of the 17 originally stated. Morrigan allows her to return to life since she’s been “such a hard worker”. It’s also out of kindness to her daughter, though she wouldn’t admit it.

-Ria chains herself to Aislin in order to take the trip through the soulstream to Aislin’s world, which has been frozen in time since her death. Ria heals Aislin’s body enough for her to live. Ria seems sad that Aislin is leaving, and lightly kisses her before leaving. Aislin returns to her body, and time starts flowing in her world once more.

-Aislin spends a week or so in the hospital recovering (over her winter holiday from school and the new year). Her body heals, but her mind is ravaged by voices — souls of the dying people in the hospital begging to live. She can also still see the reapers.

-Aislin’s condition doesn’t improve even after she goes home. Some days she doesn’t hear anything, while others she is bedridden from the pain of the feelings and voices. Morrigan visits her one night, saying that because of the close and prolonged contact with the world of the dead and with Ria has transferred some of their supernatural power to her. Morrigan regulates the power — Aislin can still see the reapers and feel the souls, but it won’t cause her pain any longer.

-And then there was going to be a sequel involving another world beginning to merge with Aislin’s, and the resulting demon invasion and other issues it caused.

Tomorrow I’ll start posting my NaNo2010 story

Part 7: Decision

Aislin unexpectedly tripped and crashed into the wooden floor. Looking up, still panting from her escape, her eyes widened as she recognized this area.

She had returned to the library, and Ria was standing in front of her.

“Sorry for the sudden…teleportation, I guess you’d call it.” Ria extended her hand to help Aislin up. “I happened to check in when you were in trouble. Not only that, but you got all the information I needed, so you didn’t need to be there anymore–”

Aislin interrupted. “Send me back.”

“Your work in that world is done, so you don’t need to go back.”

“I said, send me back.”

“…Why?”

Aislin jumped up, and grabbed Ria by her shoulders. “I need to save her…Ki-Lin, I said I’d save her!”

Ria tried to get out of Aislin’s grasp. “Even if you saved her, it wouldn’t matter in the end.”

“…”

“You were only gathering information that had been lost from the world’s data. Even if you had prevented her capture now, it would have happened later. You can’t change the future.”

Aislin was silent. Her arms dropped to her sides. Ria continued to speak.

“I’m sorry, but you have to understand this to continue…working here.”

A heavy silence hung in the air. With her eyes cast to the floor, Aislin slowly walked to her bedroom, locking the door behind her.

—
A long time passed before Aislin emerged from her room. Ria watched her as she walked into the main room. Aislin looked back, and the two girls stared at each other awkwardly.

“Would…you like something to eat?” Ria asked quietly.

“Not hungry.”

“Ah, you won’t be, since you don’t have a physical body, but it’s still nice to eat sometimes…I’ll make something you like…” Ria’s voice had dropped even lower now, and Aislin could barely hear the last words she said. Not that she cared at this moment. She walked across the library towards the door at the far side.

“Aislin?”

Aislin didn’t respond. She placed her hand on the doorknob.

“Aislin…you know that door leads to the soulstream…right?” Ria walked up behind her. “If you open it…”

“My shell will dissolve. I’ll be absorbed into the stream to await reincarnation.” Aislin turned to Ria. “I…This…” She hesitated.

“…Are you angry, Aislin? About earlier?” Silence. “You want to leave because of this?” Silence, again. “I thought you wanted to live…”

“Shut up!” Aislin spun around, swatting at Ria, who screamed and jumped back. The dark-haired girl paused, then sighed and pushed past Ria, heading back towards her bedroom.

“Fine then, be angry!” Ria called out to her back. “I don’t care what you choose to do!” The only response she received was from the slamming door. Knowing that Aislin wouldn’t be out again for a while, Ria went into the kitchen.

“That girl…maybe this was a mistake.” She muttered while pulling out various cooking ingredients and utensils. She busied herself with her cooking, trying to forget about the other girl’s outburst.

—
Aislin was curled up on the bed, hugging the pillow tightly. Her stomach kept churning, and her head was pounding.

Why did she care so much about Princess Ki-Lin? Was it to show that she wasn’t selfish in wanting to live again? It was a selfish wish, she thought. And she could easily turn that wish around…set things to how they should be.

“I don’t want…to die…” she whispered to herself. “Though…I’m already dead. I don’t want to be…dead dead.” Aislin sighed. The concept of this afterlife was still confusing to her. But there was Ria…Aislin realized how little she knew about the mysterious girl. She did know, however, that she needed Ria to live again.

Aislin sat up. Maybe she should apologize to that girl…and then get back to work.

—
“Oh, you came out.” Ria said flatly as Aislin entered the library. “I made food, you can have some if you feel like it.” She gestured to the table, which had various plates set on it. Aislin took a bowl of fruit and picked at it as Ria continued to speak.

“I guess you’ve decided to stay? Well, I don’t personally care about your decision, but I’d just like to make sure that you’re still working here. For other reasons.”

“Mm.”

“…Okay, then. I picked out the next world I’d like you to fix up. It’s the total opposite of the last one.” Ria held up a blue book. “I’ll go set the door up while you finish eating…um…do you like those fruits?”

“Mm.” Aislin emptied the bowl, and placed it back on the table.

“You could use words, y’know. Whatever…I’ll get more for when you return, okay?” Ria went to the back door of the library, and ran the machine that connected the worlds. Aislin followed her, and waited until the door was ready.

“Stay safe. The rules are the same as always.”

“Right.” Aislin nodded. “…Ria?”

“Uh…yeah?” Ria was a bit shocked at Aislin saying her name for the first time.

“About earlier…sorry.” Aislin stepped through the door, leaving an even more shocked Ria behind.

—
(And that’s all that was written.)

For the next few days, Aislin and Ki-Lin spent most of their days together. They ate every meal together, and took frequent walks through the gardens. Aislin even attended a few of the meetings Ki-Lin was forced to attend with her advisors.

Each meeting was focused on one thing: her marriage to Jiang. Even her advisors were arguing amongst themselves over what their princess should do. Ki-Lin stayed silent, usually looking out the window or to the floor. Her advisors were clearly starting to take sides, and each meeting had more arguments than the last.

Four days after Ki-Lin’s meeting with Jiang, everything turned for the worse. One of the servants found two of the advisors dead, poisoned sometime the night before. These two advisors had also been the only two to support Ki-Lin’s decision to not marry Jiang at this time.

It was obvious what the rest were pushing the princess to do.

Ki-Lin was sitting in her room with Aislin, braiding the older girl’s hair. She kept sighing and stopping her work to lean against Aislin’s back, holding back her tears. Eventually she finished, tying a ribbon at the bottom of the braid.

“You’re so beautiful, Aislin…” The princess spoke quietly, her voice wavering. “I really mean that, too. I…for some reason, I look up to you…your beauty, your maturity…”

“I see.”

“I don’t want to marry him…”

“I know.”

Ki-Lin had wrapped her arms around Aislin and was clinging to her tightly. “I really don’t want to.”

Aislin suddenly turned around, pulling Ki-Lin into her arms. The younger girl gasped at the sudden display of affection. Aislin herself was surprised that she had reacted in this way, not being one to act this nice to people. She was also blushing slightly as she held the princess. “I’ll…help somehow, okay Ki-Lin? Don’t cry more…”

“…Aislin!” Ki-Lin started crying anyway, sobbing hard into the older girl’s shoulder. Aislin awkwardly patted her back, not used to having to provide comfort to others. Her thoughts drifted to trying to figure out why Ki-Lin was so attached to her. She closed her eyes, thinking back through the last week. It had been surprising that it was only a week since she came to this world. On one hand, time had moved by rather quickly, but she also felt like she had known Ki-Lin for years.

The princess’ movements in her arms brought Aislin back to reality. Ki-Lin had pulled back, wiping her face and straightening her hair. She was blushing.

“My apologies, I…broke down…how embarrassing. This is…so hard. I didn’t think it would be, but it is…”

A knock at the door interrupted their conversation. “Please enter.” Ki-Lin hid her wavering voice well as she allowed the servant to enter. It was Mei, and she smiled at Aislin as she walked in.

“Lady Ki-Lin, Lord Jiang is here to see you.”

“He…he’s early. It’s only been four days.”

“Yes, but…excuse me if I’m out of line by saying this, but you should see him, my lady. Before he gets angry.” Mei shifted nervously.

“…Yes. I will go now.” The princess looked at Aislin. “Will you…walk with me there?” Aislin nodded. They walked to the meeting room, and Ki-Lin walked inside. Aislin sat against the wall outside by the door.

—
Inside the room, Ki-Lin was met by her surviving advisors, Jiang, and his advisors. Her heart started pounding as they stared at her when she sat down.

“Ki-Lin, I’m glad to see you again. I was afraid that you wouldn’t come.” Jiang spoke softly.

“Why are you here? It has not been a week.”

“I heard about your advisors. I give you my condolences. However…” Jiang leaned over the table. “I believe you should make your decision now, dear Ki-Lin. You don’t know what might happen if you continue to stall.”

“…I do not want to marry you. That is my decision.”

A heavy silence hung in the room. The advisors were exchanging glances, and a few were whispering to each other.

“I see. Well, if that is your decision, I accept it. I’m glad you were able to tell me your feelings this time.” Jiang stood up. “We will take our leave now. I wish you luck in the future, my dear Ki-Lin.” He bowed, and left the room, his advisors closely following.

All of Ki-Lin’s advisors were staring at her now. One spoke up. “My lady, I apologize if I’m too forward, but…why have you chosen this? You know your country is in danger now.”

“I said I wouldn’t marry him.” Ki-Lin said, defiantly. “It doesn’t mean I won’t try to make an alliance with him.”

“He might consider your refusal a hostile act.” another advisor said. “I honestly believe you should reconsider you decision.”

“I believe all of you are overreacting.” Ki-Lin stood up. “Please calm down. If you are worried about my future, trust me, I will marry someday. I will contact Lord Jiang after he returns to his home with a request for alliance.”

—
(Pretty sure the chapter would’ve gone on for a bit more here, but I don’t remember now. Basically Jiang would’ve had troops already situated at the border in case of Ki-Lin’s decline of his proposal, and he invades. A war breaks out, and Jiang’s troops end up outside of the capital…)

—
Aislin and Ki-Lin spent the rest of the morning together viewing the garden. There was some conversation, mostly one-sided on Ki-Lin’s end. As they were heading back inside, a servant approached them.

“Lady Ki-Lin, your visitor has arrived and is waiting in the meeting room.”

“Visitor? What is the date?”

“The 16th, my lady.”

“…” Ki-Lin sighed. “I apologize, Aislin, but this is one meeting that I cannot run away from. You are free to do anything you wish for the rest of the day. I’m sure I’ll be in that room until dinner, at least.”

The servant turned to Aislin. “Lady Aislin, if you’d like, you can accompany me while I go into town. I have some errands to run…”

Aislin nodded. “Ki-Lin…good luck.” The princess nodded and went inside, leaving Aislin and the servant girl.

“You haven’t been to town yet, right Lady Aislin? You can look around as much as you’d like when we get there.”

“Mm. Your name?”

“Oh…I’m Mei.” She bowed slightly. “Shall we go now?” Aislin nodded, and she followed Mei out the front gates into town.

—
Meanwhile, Ki-Lin was slowly making her way to the meeting room. Her stomach kept doing nervous flips. She wanted to tell someone she was ill and wanted to rest, but she had done that the last time she had a meeting with this person. The time before that, she claimed she was out of town that day, even though she hid in a secret house located in the town for that week.

Her small hand rested on the door to the meeting room. She took a few deep breaths, trying to control her pounding heart, trying to calm her mind. She slid the door open and walked to the table, kneeling on the pillow at one end, facing the three men inside.

“Ah, Ki-Lin,” the youngest of the three said in his smooth voice, “it is a pleasure to finally see you after so long. Have you recovered from your illness?”

“I have, Lord Jiang.”

“Please, just Jiang is fine. I do expect to get much closer to you, after all.”

“I assume that is what you are here to discuss. My answer is still no.” Ki-Lin was trying to stay calm, but that got harder with each passing minute. She wanted to run away from this room, from the palace. Her mind wandered back to Aislin, wondering how she was enjoying the town.

“…and you do know if you don’t comply…Ki-Lin. Please, I’m sure you have a vivid imagination but this is not the time to be dreaming of what could be.” Jiang leaned over the table. “Your reality is to marry me. Think of what it would do for your country.”

“You would just take over, I know how militaristic your country is. You instated that forced military conscription policy yourself.”

“It would be a simple alliance between our countries, there would be no…invasion or war at all.”

Ki-Lin jumped up. “Do you think I trust you, especially after you took over that seaside country a half year ago!?”

One of the advisors also stood. “They invaded us first! It was in self-defense!”

“Please, calm down, both of you.” Jiang placed his hand on his advisor, who sat down. Ki-Lin stayed standing. “Do not dwell on the past, let us just think of this moment and of the future. Ki-Lin, my dear, if you marry me, think of the benefits to your country. We would be available to protect your citizens from any attack, provide new trade routes and goods, and alliances with other countries. You are taking this situation too…personally.”

“Of course I am! It’s marriage! I…I’m not ready for that…”

“You are old enough to rule a country, therefore I believe you are old enough to marry.” Jiang stood up. “As usual, I will be in town for a week, and I do want a decision made by then. If you avoid this decision…” He walked over to Ki-Lin, leaning in close to her ear and whispering, “my terms might not be so friendly next time.” Waving his hand, he and his advisors left the meeting room, leaving a shaky Ki-Lin standing alone.

—
Aislin and Mei were heading back up the path to the palace together, carrying their various purchases. Aislin was turning a small doll around in her right hand. For some reason, it caught her eye and she bought it as a gift to Ki-Lin.

“Oh…I guess that’s who Lady Ki-Lin was meeting…” Mei was looking ahead at a group walking down the path in the opposite direction. Aislin also started watching them. The rich-looking young man glanced back as her as they passed next to each other.

“That was?” Aislin asked.

“Lord Jiang…he’s the ruler of the country to the south of this one. He’s been coming here every month to meet with Ki-Lin. He wants to…marry her.”

“…I see.” The two walked together in silence for the rest of the way to the palace. When they entered, Mei excused herself to put away the goods she bought. Aislin decided to locate Ki-Lin. She went to Ki-Lin’s bedroom and knocked on the door.

“I said before that I don’t feel like a meeting tonight, please let me rest.”

“…Ki-Lin.”

There was silence, and the door was opened. “Aislin…I’m glad it’s you, really. My advisors have been wanting to talk ever since the meeting earlier and I …sorry. Here, please enter.”

Aislin walked in and extended her hand. “Here.” Ki-Lin took the doll from her and smiled.

“Oh, it’s so cute! Thank you, Aislin. I’ll treasure this gift.” The girl’s mood had improved significantly by the small gesture, and even Aislin almost smiled.

“The town…it was pretty.” Aislin said, quietly.

“Yes, it is very nice this time of year, everyone’s outside since it’s sunny almost every day. I wish I could visit more often myself, but my advisors…” Ki-Lin sighed. “I understand that they only want to help me the best they can, but sometimes they can be so suffocating.”

“And they force you into things.”

“…I guess Mei told you some things about today. Don’t worry, she won’t be in trouble, I know you still have questions about me and the country and everything. I think you…deserve to know.” Ki-Lin took Aislin’s hand and lead her to the table where they sat next to each other. Aislin lightly mentally kicked herself for being blunt with her last sentence.

“I was visited by a lord of a neighboring country today…”

Aislin interrupted. “I saw him on the way back. He seems…a lot older than you.” Again, she was being blunt trying to get information.

“Oh, yes, he is…I believe he’s about 25 years old? He’s been ruling for a few years now. I…I just turned 14 at the beginning of the year.”

Aislin was slightly surprised. She had noticed that Ki-Lin was younger than her, but not that young. She also realized that this girl was the ruler of a country.

Ki-Lin leaned against Aislin. “You’re surprised, I can tell. I’ve been ruling this country for four years now. Of course, I have my advisors, but sometimes they just make it harder.” Her voice dropped low. “I feel as if some are trying to decide my life for me…by forcing me to marry Lord Jiang.”

“So it was their idea.”

Ki-Lin nodded and closed her eyes. “I don’t want to marry yet. I understand if someday I must marry for politics, but not now…I can’t even bear him any children yet.” She smiled slightly. “What do you think, Aislin? Am I being selfish?”

“…Maybe so. But it’s your…your life. You should be able to choose how you want to live.”

“So you have that freedom where you’re from, to choose your life?”

“…Yeah, I had that.”

Ki-Lin blinked. “Past tense? Did something happen?”

“No. I’m…obviously alive.”

“Of course.” The princess smiled. Aislin noticed that Ki-Lin was still leaning against her, with her head resting on her shoulder. Aislin, after a few seconds of thought, wrapped her arm around the younger girl, pulling her close. Ki-Lin sighed happily. “Thank you, Aislin. You’re so kind.”

“No…you’re much more kind than I am, taking me in here.”

“Maybe so…maybe so.”

The two girls spent the rest of the night sitting together, forgetting about their problems, only enjoying the moment surrounding them.

The sunlight streaming through the large windows awoke Aislin the next morning. She rolled onto her back and stared at the ceiling. Her body still ached slightly, and her head was also still fuzzy. She briefly noticed that she wasn’t hungry like she expected to be after the night. The thought was forgotten as she ran her hand through her hair, bumping her ear. Aislin flinched in pain, and then remembered about the earring Ria roughly stuck through before she left the library.

“…Damn jewelry.” She cursed as she twisted the ball a few times, mentally noting to take it out for cleaning later. A knock on the sliding door brought her out of her thoughts.

“Lady Aislin? May I enter? I’ve brought breakfast for you.”

Aislin sat up, pulling one of the sheets around her “…Fine.”

The servant entered the room with a tray. “Today’s meal is rice with a side of fruit grown from the orchard here. I’ve also brought some hot tea.” The girl looked up at Aislin, and blushed. “A-ah…I could…also help you get dressed…?”

“If you want.”

The servant blushed more, but went to the pile of clothes left in the room the previous night. Picking out a set, she returned to Aislin. “Please stand, my lady.” Aislin obeyed, and the servant skillfully wrapped the kimono around the girl’s body, followed by the traditional obi to hold it shut. “You look beautiful, Lady Aislin. I’ll take your dirty clothes to wash.” The servant girl bowed, picked up Aislin’s uniform and left the room.

Aislin walked around for a bit before sitting down to pick at her breakfast. Even if she wasn’t hungry, she didn’t feel full either before or while eating. The food was good and it would be a shame to waste it. She shifted a bit. It was too awkward to sit any other way than kneeling in this kimono, and her legs kept falling asleep. She had just finished eating what she could when there was another knock at the door.

“Aislin? It’s Ki-Lin…may I enter?”

“Yeah, sure.”

Ki-Lin quickly opened the door and slid in, shutting it as quickly behind her. “Good morning, I assume you slept well? The servant that checked on you around dinner time said you were fast asleep…but I didn’t expect you to sleep for sixteen hours.”

Aislin blinked. “That…long?”

“Well, you left my room around half past five, and I guess it took a bit for you to fall asleep. It’s about half past ten now, and you only woke up a short time ago…”

Aislin sighed. She wasn’t typically a long sleeper, though her hours depended on schoolwork. “I see.”

Ki-Lin laughed. “Oh, you look so shocked! I didn’t expect you to be, honestly.” She laughed more. “The look on your face…was also unexpected.” Ki-Lin reached up towards Aislin’s face. Aislin jerked back. “I-I apologize…” The princess retracted her hand. “Your hair, covering your face…I was just curious.”

“There’s nothing special there. Why did you come? Hiding again?”

“Oh, no…not yet, at least. I do have a meeting later with someone. It’s…confidential.” Ki-Lin was nervously fingering her kimono. “I’d just like to spend some time with you before then. We can walk around the garden, it’s beautiful this time of year.”

“Mm.” Aislin stood up along with Ki-Lin, and the two walked outside together.

The young girl, dressed in expensive robes, opened the basement door and quickly fled down the stairs. She adjusted the clips in her hair as she walked down the dark hallway. She ducked into the familiar alcove…stumbling over the body curled up within.

“A-ah…!” The girl screamed as she fell to the floor. Aislin jumped up, now wide awake, and looked around the darkness. A nearby torch slightly illuminated the other girl’s outline. She sat up and turned to Aislin.

“I apologize for falling onto you. Are you injured at all?” Her voice was light and quiet. “Who are you, anyway? Are you hiding?”

“I…” Aislin struggled to find the correct words. “Just…had to get in somewhere for the night.”

“That’s understandable.” The girl nodded. “If you’d like, I could try to bring some food or clothes to you…”

“You will do no such thing, Your Highness.”

The two girls looked up to two armored guards standing above them. Both carried long, decorated spears as weapons.

“Princess Ki-Lin, you must stop running off every day! Do you not understand the importance of the meetings with your advisors?”

“Oh…but I was not in a meeting, I just wanted to walk around.”

“It’s still dangerous, my lady.” One of the guards grabbed the girl known as Ki-Lin by the arm, pulling her close to him. “I’ll escort you back to your room.” He turned to Aislin “And this girl…”

Ki-Lin spoke up. “She is a harmless traveler, only seeking shelter. Let her stay here.”

“B-but Your Highness…!”

“Let her stay.”

“Y-yes…” The two guards glared at Aislin, though it was hard to tell due to their helmets. Aislin herself was silent. She was also slightly confused. Why was this girl of such high standing protecting a stranger?

The four of them left the basement, walking back up the narrow stairs. Outside, they walked along the palace walls for a short time before heading through a door to the inside. The inside of the palace was as magnificent as the outside. The wide halls were bright from skylights evenly placed across the ceiling. The floor was made from what looked like bamboo surrounding the stone path they were currently walking on. Cloth tapestries adorned the walls, red with gold and white designs on them.

They arrived at a set of double doors. The guards opened them, and the two girls walked in alone.

“Ah…I’m sorry for this mess. But I suppose this is the best outcome, right…um…” Ki-Lin tilted her head slightly. “Your name, traveler?”

“…Aislin Reinard. Just Aislin is fine.”

“A strange name…where have you traveled from?”

Aislin was silent. She couldn’t tell this girl that she was a wandering soul trying to come back to life. What could she tell her, anyway? She knew nothing about this world, let alone countries. Ki-Lin noticed her struggling.

“If you cannot tell me, then it’s fine. You can call this country your home if you were exiled.” She smiled, then briefly ducked out of the room. When she reentered, she knelt on a pillow by the table sitting low to the ground. “I asked a servant to bring us some tea and snacks. Dinner will be served later, I believe we’re having fish tonight.”

Aislin sat across from Ki-Lin. “…I…don’t know anything about this place. Could you tell me…ah…Lady Ki-Lin?”

“Just Ki-Lin is fine when we’re alone together like this.” She smiled again. “And I would be happy to tell you about my country.” She started at the beginning, from the history of the discovery of the land to the present day people, agriculture, and cities. Aislin listened intently to her girl’s sweet voice, somehow finding it interesting. Or was it just her voice that captured Aislin? Even after the servant delivered their snack, Aislin paid more attention to the girl than the food in front of her.

“I believe that’s enough for now. I can see that you enjoyed the history lesson, Aislin.” Ki-Lin sipped her tea.

“Thanks…” Aislin also drank from her cup of tea. The warm drink relaxed her, and she realized how exhausted she still was. Her sleep the last night had been uncomfortable. The stone floor was coarse and painful to lay on, and basement had been rather cold.

Ki-Lin stood up. “If you’re tired, I’ll take you to your sleeping quarters. I’ll see if the room next to this one is open.” She extended her hand to Aislin, who took it and also stood up. Together, hand-in-hand, they went to the adjacent bedroom. Ki-Lin had servants bring in a futon and bed linens, along with a few sets of clothing for Aislin.

“Sleep as long as you need to, Aislin. You can ask any of the servants for a meal no matter when you awaken. Rest well.” Ki-Lin smiled and returned to her own bedroom.

Aislin took off her school uniform, folding and placing it in a pile near the door to be washed. Not putting on another outfit, she crawled between the blankets on the futon. She sighed, thankful for whatever luck she had been graced with to fall into such a good situation. She was also thankful for Ki-Lin’s kindness, though she wouldn’t say it out loud to anyone.

She had someone. She was together with someone. Briefly, Ria flashed through her mind, but the thought quickly faded. Ki-Lin seemed to be a much better person than the strange girl of the library. Sleep overcame the girl quickly as she curled up more underneath her blankets.

She appeared in a forest.

Aislin scanned the area. Other than the occasional chirp from a nearby bird, it was silent. She guessed she was rather deep in this forest, since there were trees in every direction. She wasn’t even on anything that resembled a traveling path.

The dark-haired girl sighed and sat against a tree. She noticed a leather bag on the ground next to her. Inside was a book almost identical to the one Ria had in the library. This one was thinner, and after flipping through the pages, completely blank. Aislin had hoped it would have some clues as to who to look for in this world, but there was nothing. She sighed again.

This was the first time she had ever been truly alone.

Granted, she wasn’t really a social person. She got along well enough with her family, but didn’t usually accompany them on shopping trips or other outings, and they rarely went on vacations. At school, people only talked to her during group projects or for occasional help with work. She had one person that she considered closer than the rest — Aislin didn’t call her a friend, but the girl wasn’t a stranger either. But in all of those situations, people were still around. This time, as far as she knew, she was the only one in this area. To make it worse, this was a completely unknown place to her.

Aislin knew she had to find civilization quickly.

She stood up, lifting the bag over her shoulder. The forest was dense, and she didn’t seem to be on a well-traveled path. The dark-haired girl started walking, carefully avoiding the protruding roots and sticks that littered the ground.

—
Aislin didn’t know how long it had been, but it felt like hours. The sun was starting to set, though Aislin couldn’t tell exactly where it was in the sky. Not like it would help, she didn’t know how to tell time just by looking at the sky. She was still in the thick forest, which was starting to seem an endless mass of trees. She hadn’t even seen many animals in this area, either.

Suddenly, there was a wall in front of her. Aislin stopped short, not expecting that she would run into a building this quickly. The wall was made of large, reddish bricks, rough and covered in dried vines. Aislin sighed. At last, she had found some sort of possible civilization. Placing her left hand along the wall, she started to follow it around. She continued to follow it around the corner. There didn’t seem to be any gates on this side either, however there was a pile of wood leaning against the wall.

Would climbing over the wall count as breaking in to the property? Aislin knew she needed shelter for the night, and the property seemed big enough that she could hide somewhere until the morning.

She climbed up onto the wood pile. It shifted slightly, but stayed upright enough for her to clumsily scramble over the wall. It wasn’t a graceful climb at all, and her momentum caused her to tumble over the other side. Aislin gasped when she hit the ground — the fall hurt more than she expected. Was this what Ria meant when she said that the soul shell was weaker than her normal body? She shook her head, and stood back up to look around.

It seemed to be a courtyard surrounding the building a good number of feet away. The building looked like to be a sort of palace, made of the same red brick the wall was made from, accented with gold and white colored trim and well-trimmed plants. The side she was on had a door leading inside.

Aislin decided to take her chances. She didn’t know what would happen if she was caught. The girl walked up to the door and opened it, revealing a staircase leading into a basement under the building. Slowly, she started to descend, shutting the door behind her. There was no light in the basement, and she had to carefully use the wall as support as she walked down the thin stairs.

There wasn’t much light at the bottom of the staircase either. A few torches dimly illuminated the walls. Aislin looked around as best as she could, trying to get her bearings. After her eyes adjusted, she continued on. The silence was deafening. Aislin could only hear her own light breaths echoing slightly through the empty hall.

She reached an alcove in the wall. She was exhausted from all the walking she did today through the rough terrain. The girl sat down in the alcove, which was barely big enough for her to stretch out in. It was cold in the dark basement, and slightly damp. Aislin shivered.

The realization had just struck her. She was completely alone.

She drew her knees up to her chest, hugging them tight. Her breath was ragged, even though she kept trying to breathe deeply to avoid crying.

She couldn’t. The tears silently rolled down her face. Aislin buried her head into her knees, shivering. Her thoughts were entirely jumbled. She wanted someone with her, anyone.

And she wanted to be home again. Alive.

There was a sound. Then nothing.

I want to live!

—
Part 1: Library

Aislin opened her eyes. Blinking a few times to clear her vision, she was able to make out a wood ceiling with a fan spinning slowly.

Everything seemed normal, like nothing had happened.

“Happened…?” She coughed. “What…happened?” Slowly sitting up, she looked at her surroundings. It wasn’t a room she had ever been in before. There was the bed she was sitting in, with a small table next to it. There was a door on the wall to her left, though she couldn’t tell if it lead outside or to another room. A desk was pushed against the opposite wall with some paper scattered across its top. There were no windows; the room was lit by a single light hanging from the ceiling fan.

The door creaked open. Aislin looked over, and saw nothing. For a moment she thought about getting up to look, but her head didn’t like that idea, and by the time the moment was up, she could see a hand holding onto the door.

The door opened more, giving enough room for a head to be stuck inside the room. Aislin almost gasped at the sight. The person looking in looked like a young girl, fifteen years old or so, with white hair and large red eyes. The girl’s mouth briefly twitched into a smile when she saw Aislin.

“Oh good, you’ve woken up.” She said in a light voice. “I have some tea made, if you would like to come out and join me.” The girl started to pull out of the room.

“…What happened? Do you…know anything?” It was the only question in Aislin’s mind right now. The details of anything before the last five minutes were extremely fuzzy.

The girl stepped fully into the room. She smoothed out her light blue dress slightly before speaking again. “You’re Aislin…I saved you after the accident.”

“Accident? And how do you know my name?”

“Oh…well, I guess it’s understandable that you would forget.” The girl stepped forward a little. “You see, you were killed. I…saved your soul before a reaper could take you. I…I guess I thought you deserved a second chance.” The girl was looking away now. She turned around. “Well, I’ll be in the main room. I hope you like mint tea…” The girl left the room, shutting the door behind her.

Aislin sat, stunned. She certainly didn’t feel dead. She placed two fingers on her neck, and felt a heartbeat. It was light and slow, but it was there. Her skin, her body, her mind…it all felt alive. She needed more answers, and that strange girl seemed to know what had happened. Aislin slowly got out of the bed and straightened the sheets before walking out of the small bedroom.

She didn’t expect the main room to be a library.

A seemingly infinite number of bookshelves filled the room. Everything was neatly arranged into rows, with more shelves against the far wall surrounding a door that presumably led outside. On the right wall was a set of stairs leading up to another floor, and to the left was an open door. Aislin realized it lead to the kitchen when the white-haired girl from earlier walked out with a tray in her hands and began setting a table in the middle of the room. Aislin slowly walked up to the table.

The girl looked at Aislin, then smiled and pulled out one of the chairs. “Here, please sit.” The girl sat in the chair on the other side of the table as Aislin settled into her own seat. Before Aislin could think of anything to say, the girl spoke again.

“I’m sure you have a lot of questions…I will answer them as best I can.” She smiled again. “My name is Ria. I take care of this library. This place is located in the underworld and is directly connected to the observatory and to every world whose souls arrive here upon the death of their body.” She sipped her tea before continuing.

“This library is used to keep logs of the stories each world has. So while each book corresponds to one world, there are many other books inside them, and so on. The observatory is used to watch over each world and keep track of events…just in case someone decides to try something like, merging two worlds.” Ria smiled. “Of course, that doesn’t happen often…hm? Are you even listening?”

Aislin had been glancing around the room during Ria’s speech. She looked at the girl in front of her. “…I don’t really care about what this place is used for. Just tell me why I’m here.”

Ria grumbled. “Well, I told you that I felt sorry for you when you died! So I’m giving you another chance to live…you just have to do something for me.”

“What are you?” Aislin asked in a flat voice. Ria tilted her head in confusion and opened her mouth to speak, but Aislin interrupted. “Your ears, your hair, your eyes. You can’t be human with those looks.”

Ria’s hand brushed past her white hair and up her slightly pointed ear. “Well…you’re right, but does that matter right now? Don’t you want to know what you have to do to be revived?”

“Hm, I guess so.” Aislin shrugged. For a brief moment, Ria wanted to reach across the table and grab the other girl, shake her a few times, and ask if she really cared that she was dead. A question would do instead.

“Well, if you don’t want to work, you could leave…enter the soul stream, await reincarnation…”

Aislin’s eyes widened slightly. Her hands gripped the edge of her shirt. In her mind, she remembered the last words she thought in life.

She wanted to live. As much as she could try to hide it, she did want to live, and getting a second chance was very lucky.

“…Then what do you want me to do?”

“It’s very simple. You just have to collect some stories for me. Sometimes…things happen, and stuff doesn’t get written down in the books. I go to those worlds, and get the information caught up. It’s sort of like time travel…you can’t affect anything in the world.” Ria smiled again. “Seventeen stories should do. That’s how old you are, right Aislin?”

Aislin nodded. Considering that Ria had already known her name, she wasn’t surprised that she knew her age as well. If Ria had been just guessing, Aislin thought, she probably would have given a higher number. Aislin was rather tall, and exuded an aura of maturity.

“All right then!” Ria smiled widely. “We can get started now, if you wish. Unless you have more questions, or would like to do something else before going anywhere.”

“…This body. I don’t feel dead.” Aislin said, flatly.

“Oh, right…it’s your soul shell. A projection of what your body looked like when you died, it protects your soul from being harmed. You feel alive so your mind doesn’t panic.” Ria walked around to Aislin, and placed two fingers on her neck. “I’m sure if you didn’t feel a false heartbeat or warmth from your skin…anything like that, you would panic.” Ria moved away and motioned to the door surrounded by shelves. “If you step out that door into the soul stream, your shell will disappear since your soul is safe from harm there.” She then turned and pointed to a door next to the room Aislin had been sleeping in. “That door leads wherever I direct it to…another world, the observatory, other habitable places here in the underworld…don’t you find that cool or anything?”

“It’s interesting, I guess.” Aislin hadn’t been looking at where Ria was pointing. She really thought the girl was talking a bit too much about very complicated things. She put her head down on the table.

“I-if you’re still tired, you can go back into your bedroom…well, it’s really a guest room, but you’re the first guest I’ve had here other than…” Ria laughed nervously. “That doesn’t matter. It’s yours now.”

Aislin stood up, facing away from Ria. “I’m surprised someone like you would even have guests.” She walked into the bedroom and shut the door, leaving a slightly dumbfounded Ria behind to clean up.

“…What have I gotten myself into?”

—
Aislin came out of her room a few hours later and sat down at the table. She had attempted to sleep, but couldn’t. Her mind kept going over the day’s events again and again, and was still filled with questions.

Ria came out of her room a short time later. She pulled a book from one of the many large shelves and placed it on the table before sitting down across from Aislin. The book had a red cover made out of something that appeared to look like leather. There was a blue jewel embedded in the front surrounded by six off-white colored wings.

“Do you like it?” Ria had suddenly spoke.

“It…?”

“The book cover. Do you like the design? The covers take on the image of whoever keeps watch over them…”

Aislin blinked. “That doesn’t remind me of you at all.”

Ria sighed, and tugged slightly at her dress. “Well, this is my favorite color, and…” She stood up and turned around. “I have wings too.”

Aislin hadn’t noticed the wings on the white-haired girl’s back before. There were six, like the book cover, though Ria’s were more white than the cream color the ones on the book had, matching her hair. Each pair was smaller than the pair above them, with the largest set slightly bigger than a parrot’s wing or so. When Ria turned back around, Aislin could just notice their tips sticking above her shoulders.

Ria spoke again. “This is the first world I want you to go into. I think you’ll find it interesting. The story you need to record…well, I’ll just say that you should run into a princess soon after you arrive. Just stay around her, okay? The book will be connected to your mind…so it will write down the experiences you share with this girl.”

Aislin nodded slightly. She was a bit happy that she wouldn’t have to actually write everything down.

“Oh, one more thing…” Ria pulled something out of her pocket, then moved next to Aislin. “Hmm…I apologize in advance…but this will sting a little.” In a swift movement, she pulled Aislin’s hair away from her right ear, and pushed an earring into the top.

Aislin flinched, holding back a cry. She pushed herself away from Ria, glaring at her. “What was that?”

“I know you only know one language, and it isn’t the one spoken in the country you’re going to. You have to wear that so you can communicate with and understand the people in the different worlds.”

“…You don’t wear one.” Aislin said a bit coldly.

Ria looked away. “I’ve…I’ve been doing this long enough that I don’t need one. Just remember to twist it a few times a day and keep it clean so it doesn’t get infected or stuck in there, okay? When you get back, you can replace it with something prettier. It’s just a silver ball right now…”

Aislin rubbed her new piercing. “I hate jewelry.”

“Sorry, but it’s necessary.” Ria picked up the book from the table, then motioned for Aislin to follow her as she crossed the room to the back door. She then placed the book on a pedestal set against the wall. “When you enter the world, you’ll have a book with you. Check every night to make sure that it’s writing everything down.” Ria pressed some of the buttons that were on the outside of the pedestal. Aislin stood in front of the door while Ria worked. The book glowed slightly, followed shortly by the same glow surrounding the door.

“Okay, it’s ready. Just open the door and after a short walk, you’ll be in this world. And…” Ria turned to face Aislin. “…please be careful. Your soul shell is a little weaker than your normal body would be, so don’t push yourself too hard and damage it.”

“…And what happens if it gets too damaged?” Aislin said, quietly.

“You would have to be sent into the soul stream for reincarnation.” Ria looked at the floor. “A soul can only project one shell. When it is destroyed, the soul itself can easily break apart…be scattered and lost…To be honest, I really don’t know what would happen if a reaper didn’t bring it to the soul stream. I’m sorry.” Ria moved next to Aislin, and placed her hand on the taller girl’s arm. “But I know you’ll protect yourself…I know how much you want to live.”

Aislin nodded, and stepped forward to the door. Without hesitation, she stepped through the portal to the unknown world.

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