The faint sound of water dropping on stone reminded Venus that she was still alive, or at least, her mind was. For the moment, though, she could not remember where she was, or how she had gotten there. It was like she was standing in a vast empty void that somehow lay within the essence of reality itself, with all the sensations and stimuli of the real world trying to break through the dark void and reach her. And it seemed that, in any case, sound had, for she could very faintly hear the drops as they hit the hard floor, but she could sense nothing else. Were those voices she heard? It was impossible to say. She tried moving, but as she was, Venus couldn’t even tell whether she had a physical body.
How had she gotten here? After reaching a bit with her mind, she began to remember. She had been planning to partake of another mission, with the thoughts of saving enough to open a mechanic shop in the Ace of Spades, to serve three major reasons. Firstly, it would give her an extra stream of income when she wasn’t off wandering Fiore on the lookout for missions and the likes. Secondly, it would keep her near her guild, in case the guild needed her services. Thirdly, she could practice and refine her engineering skills. She’d initially thought about opening a restaurant, but machines were so much more fun than cooking. So she’d traveled down to Motor City, one of her favorite cities in Fiore, to see if she could find something interesting. Her first time in that place had been fun, and she hoped this time would be even better.
She had come to Motor City, and found a lodging place, wherein she would spend the night. The next day, Venus would set her sights on getting a mission. However, at her hotel, she had seen someone bearing a tattoo that looked incredibly identical to the mark of the cult known as the Ascension, the cult from which she had been running of late. Sensing trouble, she had evaded the person’s notice, and had hurried to her room, only to feel a stinging pain at the back of her neck as soon as she had closed the door. A poison dart! She had found herself on the floor, the world spinning. Just as Venus’ vision darkened, the same woman with the Ascension tattoo stood over her, gloating as she had passed out.
It all came back to Venus now, and with the knowledge that she had most likely been captured, her panic seemed to bring her closer to the waking world. Yet something seemed to be shielding her from waking up.
”Welcome to the abyss, child,” suddenly whispered a very strange, otherworldly voice, which seemed to echo in the void darkness around the Demon Slayer. Slowly, what seemed to be a glow formed in front of her, and a shape appeared, cloaked and veiled in darkness, with glowing eyes.
”I must confess this is rather a boring existence if this is death,” Venus quipped.
”No, you are not dead,” came the reply. ”Your mind simply wanders in the space between worlds.”
”And how did I get here?” she asked.
”By the workings of a meddling fool whose work has been rather… unsatisfactory,” the strange being answered. ”I am here to offer you a partnership of sorts, and I know you will most likely be inclined to refuse my offer, so I will allow you to see why you should not.”
As the being spoke, it began to fade, and whatever had been holding Venus away from coming to consciousness began to slip away. She tried shaking her head, and she was able to, albeit sluggishly. The sound of voices was becoming more distinct. Then a sharp slap across her cheek brought the world into painful clarity, and Venus saw herself staring into the smiling face of the one she hated and feared.
WC: 667 words
How had she gotten here? After reaching a bit with her mind, she began to remember. She had been planning to partake of another mission, with the thoughts of saving enough to open a mechanic shop in the Ace of Spades, to serve three major reasons. Firstly, it would give her an extra stream of income when she wasn’t off wandering Fiore on the lookout for missions and the likes. Secondly, it would keep her near her guild, in case the guild needed her services. Thirdly, she could practice and refine her engineering skills. She’d initially thought about opening a restaurant, but machines were so much more fun than cooking. So she’d traveled down to Motor City, one of her favorite cities in Fiore, to see if she could find something interesting. Her first time in that place had been fun, and she hoped this time would be even better.
She had come to Motor City, and found a lodging place, wherein she would spend the night. The next day, Venus would set her sights on getting a mission. However, at her hotel, she had seen someone bearing a tattoo that looked incredibly identical to the mark of the cult known as the Ascension, the cult from which she had been running of late. Sensing trouble, she had evaded the person’s notice, and had hurried to her room, only to feel a stinging pain at the back of her neck as soon as she had closed the door. A poison dart! She had found herself on the floor, the world spinning. Just as Venus’ vision darkened, the same woman with the Ascension tattoo stood over her, gloating as she had passed out.
It all came back to Venus now, and with the knowledge that she had most likely been captured, her panic seemed to bring her closer to the waking world. Yet something seemed to be shielding her from waking up.
”Welcome to the abyss, child,” suddenly whispered a very strange, otherworldly voice, which seemed to echo in the void darkness around the Demon Slayer. Slowly, what seemed to be a glow formed in front of her, and a shape appeared, cloaked and veiled in darkness, with glowing eyes.
”I must confess this is rather a boring existence if this is death,” Venus quipped.
”No, you are not dead,” came the reply. ”Your mind simply wanders in the space between worlds.”
”And how did I get here?” she asked.
”By the workings of a meddling fool whose work has been rather… unsatisfactory,” the strange being answered. ”I am here to offer you a partnership of sorts, and I know you will most likely be inclined to refuse my offer, so I will allow you to see why you should not.”
As the being spoke, it began to fade, and whatever had been holding Venus away from coming to consciousness began to slip away. She tried shaking her head, and she was able to, albeit sluggishly. The sound of voices was becoming more distinct. Then a sharp slap across her cheek brought the world into painful clarity, and Venus saw herself staring into the smiling face of the one she hated and feared.
WC: 667 words