'I choose… none of them!' I hissed.

'My, you are one of a kind. Most humans would choose survival upon this. But you…' She walked past me, coming from behind, wrapping her arms around me. I twitched a little, feeling nothing but hate for everyone.

Getting angry seemed like the only option for me. What could I possible do more? Did I have anyone who would comfort me even in the hardest of times? And now, when my life spun backwards, throwing me into this hell hole with this woman whom I met not long ago… what was even happening?

Confusedness overflowed within my mind as I spoke nothing. She did not move from her position. I shivered, feeling it was too much to bear now… and now that I’m nothing but dead. Wait, was that the place I was in called the no-man’s land? It did seem right to call it that way… that I was yet again stuck between the cross-roads? Funny thing, it only did happen to me. And the decision I made, leaded me nowhere but to ask myself, where was I? Shivering from the inside, I finally broke down…

'I… hate everyone…' I sniffed, letting out all the dark feelings within those small drops of tears that collected before my pupils, blurring my vision. Those were the drops of hate I had buried deep down while thoughtlessly serving my so-called ‘friends’. Friends, you ask? To be honest, my whole life, I… can I call them even friends? Most of the people I met, used me and then threw me away just like a tin can. I think you can mostly guess, that I never had friends. Right after my mom’s death, I walked a path, filled with fallen, withered leaves. I took my steps, looking at no one, talking to no one, tagging along no one. I thought of my life afterwards like an empty street, with me walking along the dull grey pavement with all the withered leaves that once belonged in the branches of those red maple trees on a January morning. Seemingly, the dried maple leaves I crushed under my feet were some passing souls of humans, drifted along the street in the slightest of breezes blowing. I was like one of them, being able to talk to nobody, seen by nobody, called by nobody. And the red leaves on those trees? They indeed made the street ahead look beautiful, red. I saw them as the normal people, chatting among themselves, giggling on any trivial matters like those red leaves on the trees that I watched, frilling with the touch of the wind. Both were from the same tree, but went on different paths. I chose the harsh one. I guess you can picture the society and me, blended along forcefully even though we were never meant to be mixed. How bitterly unruly.

I realised that she had released me from her grip and was standing in front of my face, gazing me with those astray eyes that hypnotised a person. Tapping her feet, she walked backwards, hands behind her back and leaned against the table. My tears were long gone. I felt empty, hollow, like nothing was inside me. I sat there expressionless, staring at the terrifying beauty who stretched her one hand forwards, gesturing me to grab on. Don’t fool me, I was tied in my chair.

I let out a short gasp as I noticed my free hands and body, able to move again. My eyes fell on her again. She almost seemed inhuman. Her walk, her gracefulness, her beauty, those striking eyes, definitely were not ordinary. Indeed.

'Tell me young man, will you come with me to my world?' she asked me out of the blue, retracting her hand back to the table top. There was a slight curve in the corner of her lips. She started walking around me circles, and her voice seemed to ring in my ears in an unusual way.

'Be my servant, live your life once more, with courage, confidence and braveness. Be my wings that guide me through the clouds of mayhem! Be my weapon that crushes my enemy’s heart, binding it with the chain of fear forever so that they may never rise again!' she raised her hands, her left eye shining. Her hair lifted up on their own, throwing me into a surprising twitch. I stared in shock, seeing that her bodice was glowing along the lines as she began floating into the air.

'Now, come with me…' she held her hands towards me, leaning in mid-air, her other hand on her left thigh.

Another service, huh? I always end up being used. I stared at her face again, her smile seemed angelic while her form seemed devilish. Am I making the right choice? Or am I falling into a trap this time? I just… don’t know.

'You seem to be quite in a bind. Feeling difficult to trust? Well, I think it’s normal…' she stroked her chin with her index finger, staring at me from the corner of her eyes, smiling gently. 'Then why not…' she held my chin and then my both cheeks, lifting my head up to face right at her. She pulled me closer as her lips landed on mine, pushing softly against, with a passion I had never felt before. I didn’t fight back. I was drained out of my energy.

She kept our lips locked for few moments. Then, withdrew her face, feeling her lips with her fingers, staring at me.

'Now, we have a contract!' she giggled, seeming kind to me. What was I feeling? I was somewhat lost… I had never even dreamed to kiss a girl, and that too, a beautiful woman before me. 'Well then, shall we go?' she finally stretched her hands out again towards me. I hesitated once, but now I seemed to trust her. I let myself along. What good would it do if I stayed any longer? I stood up, stepped my foot towards her and held her hand. “Finally… you came, you dummy!” she giggled under her voice, covering her mouth with her other hand, so low that only I could hear, given the fact that I was the only person present. Now what?

She waved her other hand to our opposite and a white space appeared out of nowhere, sucking us in. I could feel my arms and limbs being pulled into like some strings, but there wasn’t any pain. Light sparkles lit up around the distorted corners. She turned around and put her arms around my neck, embracing me wholly. I could do nothing but to hug her back in that spinning pathway of plain whiteness that pulled us in. she spoke nothing, only tightened her grip around me.

The feel of her smooth hair, her breaths on my bare back of the neck, tingling. The touch of her skin, everything felt surreal yet so beautiful. Her hair began to float along with her white one piece outfit, exposing her bare thighs. I closed my eyes.

'Quite the gentleman, aren’t you?' she smiled, facing me while embracing. I had not noticed the flare in her eyes until I saw it from up close. Her dreamy eyes, her stare almost resembling to a white jewel to the left eye, and like a black pearl to the right eye.

'Who… are you?' I finally asked her out of my own conviction. She smiled at me, as if looking at a child.

'I am the Duchess of Black Feathers, the Count of Dyed Lantern, the Red Moon princess, the Demon Queen of the Underworld—Michelle L’decore Vein. You can just call me Michelle.' She looked at me, tilting her head. While facing her, I could only give her a black expression of confusedness. That was when I finally questioned myself the most unpredicted one. Am I really dead? Or alive?

'Oh, hold on tight! We are about to arrive...!' she looked towards a particular spot, blackening out. Winds started to whirl around us suddenly. It was surprisingly cool. It soothed me. I could see light, coming out of the plain void. I started feeling a little nauseous. My vision wasn’t still clear. She looked at me with worried eyes.

'I’m fine.' I reassured her. She gave me a relieved smile back.

I suddenly felt my feet hit something hard. Ground? It couldn’t be…! I looked down to really find wooden floorboards, rocking chairs and stools…and wind on my skin. I tapped them rapidly to make sure. Seriously?! For real? She carefully released herself from my grip, and landed with a tap on the ground.

'Welcome to the Underworld!' she spread her arms around, gesturing towards the wide landscape. I stood in awe, transfixed on my position. “Oh come on, you don’t have to stand there!” she pulled my right arm, tagging me along with her. I realised that we came from under a gazebo on a cliff, an enormous ocean down below, surrounding us. The sun was about to hit the edges of the horizon. The sound of the ocean currents hitting the rocky shore struck my ear drums. There was the sound of seagulls gawking above us, and flying into the distant rocks. Were we in the countryside?

'Hey! Look here!' she let out loudly. I turned towards her. “You have some guts to ignore your saviour!” she knitted her eyebrows, tensing her face, putting he hands around her hips, leaning forwards and looking at me.

'Sorry, milady.' I teased.

'Hmm, that’s the way you do it…' she spun around, feeling the wind on her skin. “Ah! It feels so good to be out in the open again!” she gleefully jumped around the stone path we walked on. My eyes fell on a giant mansion, and I soon realised we were heading towards that house. It seemed like we were in the middle ages. The flowery bushes increased around the path as it led us to a curve, facing straight towards the mansion. On the curve, the uphill was carved out with marble-stone stairs, leading to a, I think, a wide-view balcony. She ran up the fleet of stairs, tapping with her heels on each flight, lifting her dress up a little. She really looked like a princess, if I may add. While I stepped up slowly, glancing around the beautiful sight. At the end of the stairs, I came across a number of tables and chairs, preferable for an evening tea party.

The railings were made out of polished oak wood, not a dent in them. Perfectly aligned along the balcony’s borders, joined by the enormous mansion with large glass doors and decorated windows. Along each corner, carved out white marble stone pillars stood against the receding sunlight. The trees just outside the railings were perfectly cut into shape, not too shabby. They covered the balcony from the outside, only allowing it to face the seashore. When I looked at the tables set in a perfect manner, I couldn’t help but wonder it was an old house of nobles or some high class aristocrats. The flower vases added to their beauty. My mouth parted a little as I was struck by the awesomeness of the scene before me when I saw the view from the edge of the balcony.

'Hey, what are you at again? Come on in!' she called out to me from the behind, standing in the corridor hands around her chest. I turned my head to see the mansion. It was quite a majestic one among its kind. With slanting roofs, with heavy stone pillars supporting them. As I walked towards the back door of the mansion, the sunlight was gaining up on the brick walls, darkening it bit by bit, almost whispering to me that night was falling.

As I stepped in, I had a very strange feeling of something heavy on my skin, the air? The feel of going into a house this big just did not suit me. I had always lived in a small rented apartment, barely paying my loan. Who would have thought that someday, I will be entering a house like this which isn’t even my own? To be frank, I felt timid, comparing myself to this heavy atmosphere. My chest ached a little, seeing the walls, large paintings hanging around. The ceiling was artistic and decorated with emeralds. It was a massive hall, with another flight of wooden stairs heading up somewhere at the end of the hall.

I could tell that mansion stands against these hills holding enormous weight of royalty. It has stood so for centuries, bearing the weather and might stand some centuries more. Within, walls continued upright, the red stone bricks met neatly, floors were firm… and doors were tacked shut. Watching Michelle, it seemed there was no one home. Silence lay steadily against the wood and stone of the mansion. I could imagine her, walking along the wide halls, alone, stroking the walls with her fingers, dreaming of something in her night gown. Maybe… just maybe, she was like me?

'Hey, you coming? It’s already past dusk… also, can I ask your name?' she turned around, asking me all of a sudden like a child.

'Connor…' I trailed off, trying to forget that name from the other world.

'I see. Anyways, coming?' she pointed upstairs, calling me along.

'Yes.' I continued towards her, not knowing what would happen to me in this world, or if there existed such a term…