THIS IS THE SEQUEL TO THE POWER OF FATE! IF YOU DIDN'T READ IT, DO SO NOW!
Author's Note: This first chapter is more like a short prologue than a true first chapter so don't expect too much from it. If you have some time to spare, please vote in the poll on my profile page. It would be a great help to me. Thanks. Now, without further ado, I hereby present you the first chapter of The Power of Love.
Escape from Darkness
Darkness. The eternal darkness. Engulfing, overwhelming, consuming, blinding, crushing, devastating. And yet, the darkness offered a comfort. It was soothing. Calming, relieving, relaxing, reassuring; that was the world of Rika, the girl who suffered more than any other human before.
However, Rika didn't know about any of this. She didn't know anything. The girl once known as Rika was no more; her existence was trapped in a dark space where not even a tiny speck of light could seep through. It was a miracle that she still hadn't vanished. Rika's existence refused to give up and disappear. Her body and mind, along with everything else that made her human, has already ceased to exist long ago.
Still, Rika's existence remained, trapped in the vast space of darkness. There was still something Rika could not abandon. There was something very important that she left behind. Holding on this tiny thread, Rika started to form again.
She knew that she must never give up. Not yet.
Slowly, bit by bit Rika's mind developed again. However, the mind alone is not enough. Displaying huge willpower, Rika's body materialized. She was now whole.
Only one problem remained.
As the things were, Rika was nothing more than a lifeless doll. Rika's existence was not connected with the body and the mind. Finding her way through the darkness, Rika struggled on and on, trying to connect with her existence and making herself human once again. But as she wandered around, the connection between her body and mind grew weaker and weaker until it dissolved completely. With nothing to hold them together, Rika's mind and body ceased to exist one after another and everything was consumed by darkness again.
It was then, before her mind disappeared, that Rika realized that this was not the first time that she tried to recover herself from the darkness. She didn't remember how many times has she tried, but she was sure that the number is too high for her to count. And with this one last painful realization, Rika's mind vanished into the darkness. Only her existence remained, holding tightly onto the thread of regret, refusing to ever let go.
Once again, Rika tried to form herself. She focused everything she had on the thread. After what seemed like an eternity, Rika found herself drifting through the darkness; her mind, body and existence connected in a being called Rika Furude.
She finally succeeded. She has been reborn.
However, just as Rika felt relief at living again, the darkness started to assault her existence relentlessly. In a place that is devoid of everything, something like life cannot continue to be. Rika grew weaker and weaker with each second. She resisted, but in the end it was futile, as the attack of the darkness was ruthless.
Rika slowly started to accept her defeat when a flash of light cut through the darkness.
Suddenly, Rika found herself standing on something solid. Everything around her was white. The darkness was not there. Instead, she saw something that looked like a white human silhouette before her. It took her a while to realize that it is not a silhouette but something with a shape of human that was made from pure white. The only way the being could be recognized was thin outline of its body that seemed to be slightly darker shade of white.
Rika slowly approached the being but jumped back in surprise when the thing turned its head 180 degrees and grinned at her. Rika stood speechless before this spectacle. Before her mind could comprehend what is going on, the being spoke in a voice that sounded like a mixture of tens of thousands of various voices.
"You impress me, human. I have never before met anybody who was able to return from oblivion all by themselves, through sheer power of existence. I commend you.
"However, just regaining your body and mind is not going to be enough to get you back to the human world. The only way to get to the human world is through the gate. It is I who decides if a human is deemed worthy to pass through. You proved that there is no stopping of your desire. The regret you left in the human world must be very strong to help you recover. That alone makes you worthy.
"But…" The being made a pause and two big white eyes with tiny black dots in the center appeared on the thing's head, "there is one condition; in order to be allowed to pass, you must pay the ultimate price." The being's grin grew even wider, that it now covered more than half of its face. Then, slowly and quietly, the being stated the price.
Rika fell on the ground in awe as her mind tried to process all the things that happened. The being waited patiently until Rika made her mind up. When she looked at the thing, there was not a single hint of hesitation in her eyes. She raised herself from the ground and silently agreed to the condition with a slight but resolute nod. The being was clearly taken aback by her reaction, but soon regained its composure and its grin stretched on its face once again.
Without warning, the being jumped at Rika and there was a flash of light. Rika closed her eyes and expected the impact of the being but nothing came. Suddenly, she felt something like a light punch and her mind went blank. She could feel herself falling before losing her consciousness completely.
Rika opened her eyes with a surprised gasp. She was lying on the ground, feeling cold drops of rain on her back. Rika realized that she must have been lying on the ground for quite some time as she was completely drenched. She carefully stood up, still slightly dizzy and looked around.
She was in what seemed like a rose garden. There was a glorious mansion behind it and there was no doubt that it all belonged to somebody very wealthy. Rika's mind started to swirl with many questions. What is this place? Where am I? What am I doing here? What happened?
However, no matter what questions she pondered about, there was one single question, repeatedly appearing inside her head that made her sink into deep despair.
Who am I?
