I've always struck myself as invincible.

It was natural—a magic practitioner with infinite growth potential, several inborn abilities, and royal blood. I was handed everything on a silver platter. My life was perfect. I had a loving family, enough wealth to buy anything I wanted, and a high social status where everyone revered me. It didn't need to be anything else. It didn't deserve to be anything else.

It. Was. Perfect.

But invincibility can be a dangerous illusion. I felt it shatter in that single moment.

I opened my eyes to a dining table. Fine porcelain plates and silver cutlery sat atop the intricately embroidered scarlet table runners. Magical flames and orbs served as candles and chandeliers, their grand presence graced the room with cheerful brightness.

Even the food was sumptuous. The scent of roasted chicken wafted to our side of the table from Father's, the warmth of broth, pork, and lobsters populated us siblings, and as usual, Mother stayed silent eating her salad.

Servants and sapphire-clad guards surround the premises. Behind each of them was a set of golden pillars whose carvings tell the story of our kingdom's accomplishments, its towering magnificence led up to the glass ceiling that featured the bright cosmos.

There were five spots; Our parents sat across from each other on the narrow sides of the table. Brother Valor and I sat on the right of the king, with our sister staring at my fruitcake from across.

If I were to guess, I'd say she's eyeing the strawberry on top.

I looked over to Valor with pleading eyes. He avoided my gaze, having already eaten his fruitcake.... He liked strawberry as well.

Cheeky fucker.

With a bubbly pout, my sister leaned over and asserted, "I'll trade it for soup!"

"W-Why would I? It's mine!"

"It's not fair! How are you allowed to eat dessert and I'm not!"

"Because you haven't eaten your food yet!"

Father laid down his wine. "It's fine Valen, it's just strawberry."

Valeria's eyes glittered, "See!"

Sigh~ We spoiled her too much. Not like I had any choice to begin with. The moment she took notice of my fruitcake, it was already over. Farewell, my sweet Fragaria.

"Look, I'll even feed you!" She scooped up a piece of meat from her bowl and offered it to my mouth. "Say ahhhh!"

"How foolish... You ought to learn how to negotiate before you trade, young lady," I groaned before leaning toward the spoon.

Just when it was about to meet my lips, a strange red liquid leaked from the meat, replacing the broth. In a blink, the brown beef I had been looking at turned into a smooth white sphere. A sinister chill ran up my spine.

I looked over to my family to see their sockets devoid of their eyes. Dark blood ran down their cheeks as they grinned from ear to ear. They stared at me, unmoving.

"What's wrong, Veevee?" asked Valeria. "You don't like soup?"

The orb in the spoon turned around, revealing a beautiful blue bloodshot eye.

A cold damp caress kneaded each fiber in my body. Its invisible fingers found solace on my chest... and snatched me with overwhelming strength.

.

.

.

And just like that, I awoke with an airless grasp.

Streams of bubbles shot out of my throat as an aggressive thumping invaded my lungs. The suffocating abyss loomed over, each particle of water pressing down with an almost sentient weight. Panic struck, I kicked the murky darkness below me and flailed my arms.

The dense water set chains to my ankles. I looked up, flailing about until I felt the water's ceiling up above.

In a burst of adrenaline-fueled effort, I broke through the surface and gasped for air as soon as I felt the breeze.

Hahhh~~ Haahhh~~~ Air...

"What the hell was that?" I asked.

I never get nightmares. Nor any vivid dreams for that matter. It felt so real, I could've sworn I was there. It's sickening...

A harsh cough brought out the perilous fluid that tightened my lungs. A surge of bitterness brushed through my entire mouth, causing me to gag more than I expected.

The dense water started to pull my leg once more. I had to get out of there before I drowned.

Looking around, I found myself in a middle of a murky verdant lake, surrounded by dark looming trees that towered above. Its canopy of thorns blocked the sky, not even letting in a glimpse of the clouds or the sun above. Though, the glowing fruits and vibrant fungi brought dim radiance just enough for the cavern-like woods to be visible.

I searched for the nearest land and flailed my arms toward it.

Latching into the squishy mud, I crawled away from the waters. Dirt and pebbles entered my nails. The unwelcoming cold from my damp clothes and the climbing insects greeted me.

The deer in the distance that were peacefully drinking lifted their heads in alert and looked in my direction.

Their appearance were different from what I remembered. Their hide donned a dark gray tint, and their antlers were gigantic, razor-sharp, and curved inwards, almost meeting in the middle.

A different world? A parallel dimension? Another universe? There are a lot of differences, both subtle and obvious.

One question lingered, "What do I do now?"

I clenched my fist in silence.

.

.

.

It's ridiculous. Everything is ridiculous! None of these makes sense!

A sick joke, that was. So nightmarishly sick that I couldn't help but wonder if fate had gone mad with dark humor.

Seriously? Sending me to a lake in the middle of a foul forest? How original.

That snake-eye has no imagination. I'll track him down and wring his neck just enough to keep him barely alive while he suffers in pain! Same with that traitorous little squire.

I crushed the line of ants with my fist. My knuckles bled...

The nightmarish image of the bloodshot eye on the spoon flashed before my eyes.

Heat welled up my neck as acid gathered in my throat. I turned to the lake and gagged.

But an unfamiliar reflection emerged as I looked upon the water. It was still the same me, bright blue eyes, smooth soft warm ivory skin, a perfectly symmetrical lean face sitting on a large head... And a fuzzy set of bangs— that used to be brown. But no matter how many times I blinked, it always came out white. A pale, shineless white.

My right eye whirred, detecting a trace of magic on my hair— it was the same type that I discovered on the rats back in the tower.

Looks like my magic-seeing eye isn't related to my mana. Well, at least, I still have something.

There is, however, a lukewarm sensation at the tip of my fingers, the place where I focused my energy to capture my sister's soul— or part of It, at least.

The warmth in my fingertips spread to the back of my hand as if it were holding it to comfort me.

I could still feel her soul. The fact that it's still here means I still have the ability to manipulate energy, otherwise, I would be completely hopeless.

Maybe this was her way of telling me to keep moving.

I searched my damp cloak for any stones and crystals, though the closest thing besides sand and pebbles was the circular sapphire that held together the fabric. I channeled her soul into the gem. A teal mist left my palm and seeped into the opaque blue jewel. The warmth left my hands as it transferred to my chest.

"Is this comfortable enough for you, little sis?" I stroked the gem.

It's a temporary solution, but it should be enough to preserve her spirit.

"I'll bring you back, I promise..."

If there's one thing I shouldn't give up on, it's her. I'll move heaven and earth just to get us both home... alive.

Finally, the upsurge of acid in my stomach burst, interrupting my oh-so-wholesome revelation. The vile amalgamation of venison and chocolate splashed into the reflection in the lake, its noxious fragrance wafting into the air, immediately attracting a fly. It's not even recognizable, it's just a brown sludge that bubbled in a suspiciously similar way to feces.

I can feel the wildlife fleeing behind me.

Is it strange to feel embarrassed puking in front of a deer?

Heh...

hehehe...

I clawed my mouth, suppressing a laugh.

Hahahah~ "How mad. Everything is so incomprehensible that it's hilarious. How insane, how deranged..."

My brain trembled...

"I get the goddamn joke, alright!"

The wording of the curse echoed in my mind, "Each world you travel to will be doomed to fall."

Heh, my perfect world has already fallen. There's nothing you can do to bring me down any further. Try me then, snake eye. See if I care.

I can't let trivial matters get to my head... Yes, this was trivial. I had to think like it was, otherwise, I'd go mad with hate. As long as my sister is still here, it's not over.

Now, it's either I mope around and procrastinate, or I take one step ahead.

First, Search for information, preferably signs of civilization. If there's none, then observe the state of the biosphere, the wildlife can tell lots about the nature of the planet.

It would be smart to look around for peculiar landmarks to follow but every path showcased the exact same features so I just pointed to a random direction and jogged.

Having no magic, and the forest being so dim, the best thing I could rely on was my ears. If there's a river, I can follow it to a village, if there's none then I'm screwed. I just need to follow the noise of a gushing body of water.

There wasn't much that went on for the first 30 minutes. I simply observed my surroundings, listening to the "caring" ambience of skitters and chirps. It provided a small relief in place of the sense of hate and dread that I bottled up.

Judging from the mostly moist biodiversity and the bendy rubber-like texture of the tree trunks, the plantlife must've evolved to survive harsh storms and abundant water. Their roots ran so deep that the soil became stable enough to withstand erosion from atmospheric pressure. If there were mountains, it would be covered in tall trees.

At the root's base were thornful plants and mushrooms that latched on at their large roots, leeching off their nutrients.

That fact that life here is so large must mean there's enough energy to counteract the heavier gravity that would've stunted their growth.

But other than the abundance of thorns, vines, and comically large venus traps, it was nothing more than your typical oversized dark forest.

The humidity contrasted harshly with the dampness of my clothes. I could've undressed and dried it before moving on, but my cloak is my only form of protection. Without magic, I'm going to need all the enchanted gear I can get. This one offered simple damage mitigation and disease protection, so I shouldn't catch a cold.

*Sigh~

Bollocks... I wish I had worn one of my more powerful underwear earlier this morning.

I guess I'll take what I can get.

I paid closer attention to the deer themselves. Their sharp antlers had signs of damage on the tips. It must've been used to defend themselves.

Initially, I thought of a predator roaming about, until I noticed a peculiar set of wounds on one of their legs. It looked like it had been tied and smashed— perhaps it escaped a trap.

A village must be close.

Maybe this would lead to a grand adventure. Gaining back my power, reviving my sister, fighting dragons, and conquering kingdoms... But there wasn't really anything to be done.

My crave for action was quickly met by the harsh reality.

Even if I do find something, or gain a bit of power... It still won't change anything.

My sister's dead, my squire took over my tower, and who knows what happened to the royal family. Even if the curse was broken and I could go back, how am I supposed to fight them?

It's hopeless.

.

.

.

Ugh, this pessimistic dread and silence are killing me!

Even the chirps of nature sounded like they were mocking me... The mystical dark forest started to look duller than a poor noble's backyard!

The density and the oppressive heat of the air reached uncomfortable levels. Of course, this also means that insectoids are bigger, geological features erode faster, and fires are more intense.

There's nothing more discomforting than to sweat so much that it drips from your chin.

But it wasn't so bad.

Perhaps I was being too dramatic with the situation. After all, it's still not confirmed that this isn't just a dream, a horrible prank, or perhaps even an incredibly impressive illusion.

Look, I'll even check for illusion magic, right now!

I thought of that jokingly, obviously using humor to ease my nerves. But to my surprise, my right eye whirred in response. Someone... is watching.

A blue hue highlighted several rocks, plants, and even animals in my vision. My eyes are telling me they're not real. Still, I couldn't tell what their intentions were.

I tried dispelling the illusion with a soft snap of my finger, but nothing happened. Of course not, I have no mana.

All I could do was freeze in place and observe.

I placed my hands in my pockets to show I was not willing to fight and stared at the illusions. Maybe acting passively would discourage them from attacking. Just. Dont. Move. A. Muscle.

"I mean you no harm. All I want is a shelter and I'll move along with my business," I announced.

My ability should automatically translate my words to whoever is listening.

The flow of their mana intensified. Looks like they didn't intend to be friendly.

Shit, I should've stayed put and pretended like I couldn't see them.

Some of the illusions inched closer.

Now, now. Calm down. I don't want them to think I'm actually scared. I just need to show that I can establish a mutually beneficial relationship for us emotionally mature individuals–

A stone arrow scraped my right cheek from out of nowhere.

My mind went blank, frozen solid with all kinds of brain chemicals. But it wasn't fear, no, obviously not, I would never! I can justify not calling it "fear" since it technically didn't trigger my fight or flight response. In my case, it was more like a "freeze and shut the fuck up" response–

Another arrow wooshed past... and another... and another, and another, another, another, until a line of sharp hazards encircled me in place.

Hmm...

"This is bad, isn't it?"