Rise of Autumn, Week 1, Day 8

‘This one is interesting.’

‘Should we take her?’

‘Same stakes as usual?’

‘Of course. Mera? Are you staking your usual claim?’

‘Very well, I say you will not break her —no matter the outcome. My terms are one lunar year of no interference. Deal?’

‘Deal.’

‘Deal.’

---

It was a normal day. Everything went as it should. I woke from a rather vivid dream, but I still felt refreshed. Unwrapping myself from the warmth of the man next to me, I gave him a kiss on his forehead as I slipped away to take a shower and get ready for the day. Today was, by and far, going to be boring. A few operational meetings to decide on our company's trajectory, a call with another Dome to discuss a new contract with the Highlands, lunch with my least favorite coworker to discuss if she will be transferred to my division—no, she will not— and several reports needed to be pulled before end of day.

I briefly caught myself in a mirror —all sharp angles and scowls— as I made a coffee, calling out to my fiancé, “I’m out. I’ll see you tonight, dinner with mom, yeah?”

A smile danced across my lips as I heard his garbled affirmative, and I took my time after locking the door to make my way downstairs. Once I was outside, I was unhurried as I walked through the Dome —watching the light reflect from the towering buildings of glass and steel, the red haze of dawn cast the world in an ethereal glow.

It was only a short walk to the office, and as I entered I felt my face harden, my voice chilled, even the steady clacking of my heels became more controlled. Every clack turned into a crack that drew attention. Coworkers who nodded heads and said good mornings, subordinates who stepped to the side as I passed, a Director who rushed to me to prep for our meetings. It was a normal day. Nothing had changed.

Yet, something had changed. As I settled into my office, I looked over the Dome I called home. In the short time between entering the building and sitting down, dark clouds had rolled in. Only this storm was within the Dome. I frowned. Such a thing was impossible. Then, lightning began raining down, and thunder boomed as torrential rain fell from above the city. My eyebrows rose in shock. The Dome was protected. This couldn’t be happening.

It was a normal day.

Until it wasn’t.

Until there was a sharp crack immediately outside the windows surrounding my office, and glass began raining down on me.

Until the roof followed afterward, bringing along metal pipes and wooden beams.

Until I stopped breathing.

Until darkness consumed me.

Until I opened my eyes in an unfamiliar room.

And I remembered.

I immediately shot up from where I was lying, swiveling my head around. I absorbed everything with a horrified look on my face. An oversized room, big enough to have a blue wooden chest, a large bed, and a mirror propped up against a wall with both a sitting and dining area. The walls were made of grey stone, decorated with stars and moons painted in pastel pinks and oranges. Gold edging embellished the empty spaces between the pictures. The high ceiling had several strands of lights crossing from one section to the other, giving off a pale light. My hands were still gripping the blanket that had been covering me before I had jumped out of the bed, the light blue cloth the only thing preventing my nails from digging into my hands. Something about the room was off. As if everything was slightly too tall.

Slowly, I brought my eyes down. I was wearing a white nightdress that fell to my knees, knees that weren't quite as far from the ground as I remembered. The ground, that must've only been a few feet from my head. My hands, with fingers shorter than I remember and nails wiped clean -a stark difference from the long, artfully painted nails I usually had. It was then that I remembered the mirror across the room from me. Snapping my head up, I locked eyes with a little girl in the mirror. Blue eyes met blue eyes, and I brought my hands up to my face. It was different.

My eyes... are brown. I thought to myself. Covering my eyes, I blocked out the room, taking a deep breath.

"I'm dreaming." A smile began creeping across my face, "Of course, this is a dream. I must be drea-"

[System Integrating... 2%]

"What is this? Ha..." Feeling pressure in my head, words appeared within a floating verdant green-colored box. Uncovering my face, I quickly looked around, the box remaining in the center of my field of vision no matter where I focused my eyes.

[System Integrating... 18%]

"System? What..." I paused, a sharp laugh escaping my mouth, "Like a game?"

[System Integrating... 36%]

"A dream. Yeah, a dream could have such a thing."

[System Integrating... 59%]

Pinching my arm, I felt the lingering sting, "I thought you weren't supposed to feel pain in a dream?"

[System Integrating... 70%]

“I thought letters weren’t legible in dreams?” Hysteria slowly leaked into my voice, and the wavering grin finally fell from my face as I looked around the room again. The room was clearly meant for a young girl.

[System Integrating... 83%]

A young girl. But I'm 28. Gripping my arms, I began shaking my head back and forth, "No, no -this isn't possible. It's not-!"

[System Integrating... 98%]

I began gripping the sides of my hair in my hands, curly black hair coming again into my sight, "No! I have blonde hair. Blonde."

[System Integrated]

[Congratulations! You have Awakened! System unlocked.]

[Congratulations! You've experienced an otherworldly phenomenon! Experience accumulated.]

"Otherworldly... phenomenon?" Forcing myself to release my grip, I lowered my hands to my sides, focusing everything on the box in front of me.

[Congratulations! You have experienced intense trauma threatening your mental stability and remained sane! You've learned the skill: Mental Fortitude.]

"Wha-" Before I even finished, more and more boxes started to appear below the one in my vision. As soon as I read one, the next one flipped up.

[Congratulations! You have memories of another world! You've learned the skill: Otherworldly.]

[Congratulations! You have shown arithmetic skills any Scholar would be proud of! You've learned the skill: Quick Calculations.]

[Congratulations! You have discovered knowledge forbidden by the Gods! You've learned the skill: Tight Lips.]

[Congratulations! You have been noticed by the God of Chaos, Grel! You've learned the skill: Steal Nerves.]

[Congratulations! You have been noticed by the God of Order, Brel! You've learned the skill: Sophism.]

[Congratulations! Due to being directly influenced by several Gods you have unlocked the Divinity stat! You currently have 32 Divinity.]

[Congratulations! Due to the God of Chaos, Grel, you have received an additional 25 Divinity! You currently have 57 Divinity.]

[Congratulations! Due to the God of Order, Brel, you have received an additional 25 Divinity! You currently have 82 Divinity.]

More and more, confusion settled into my mind.

"Grel? Brel? Gods? Divinity?" I paused, re-reading the boxes again, the meaning lost in translation.

That was when a knock brought me out of my thoughts, and the door across the room began opening. With as much speed as my small body could muster, I ran back into the bed and covered myself in the blanket. Forcing my eyes shut, I waited for whoever it was to leave.

"..."

The person took a few steps into the room, making their way to the bedside.

"..."

They were just standing there. I tried to keep my breathing slow, which was easier than when I'd been breaking down reading the boxes earlier.

"What are you doing?" The person, whose voice was distinctly young and male, sounded not quite annoyed but less than thrilled, "Eunora."

The boy paused for another moment. I could feel him crouching close to me. I could hear his breath close to my face, just on the other side of the blanket. My heart started pounding in my chest.

"Eunora!" With a start, my eyes popped open as the boy whacked me on the forehead, "You're such a faker. Hurry up, Lina has breakfast ready."

I pulled down the blanket from my eyes and took in the face of the boy in front of me, he couldn't be older than 8 or 9, but the resemblance was striking. His bright blue eyes matched mine, and his hair was cropped short, the front just long enough for a single curl to form. He was quite a cute kid.

Theo. The name popped into my head as the boy took a step back and twirled on his heel, heading out of the room.

Who is Theo?

[System Error: Memory damage suffered during integration!]

Memory damage?

[System Error: Memories attached to soul not found!]

"Wha-?"

[System Error: Solved! Memories attached to soul located!]

[System Notice: Beginning stage 1 out of [8] of memory integration! All memories from age 7 to present importing.]

As I read the notice, I felt something in my mind unlock. It felt as if I was waking up in this room all over again. Images flooded my mind —of young boys and girls playing in a garden —a sixth child left sitting on a bench alone, of horse riding lessons with a vicious woman, of tripping over a rug that suddenly moved. Memories of a life I didn't remember. No, memories I did remember. As they ran through my head, the memories fell into place in my mind. Yet they were incomplete. I could tell the memories were recent and tinged with bitterness. They were not everything. But I was lost as to how I could know that even with the cryptic messages being sent by the ‘system’ —no, the [System].

There is no other way to describe the sensation but to say that suddenly I became two people at once.

I am —— ——, 28 years old, a successful businesswoman. An only child. I am Eunora Dawn, seven —no, eight years old, one of six children. I became both an adult passionately in love and a young girl dreaming of a prince to save her. I am both an educated woman and a child who has just learned to read. I am both a human of Earth and a citizen of Maeve.

And then I became one, forced together like a broken vase soldered with molten gold. I hadn’t realized it before, but my old name disappeared. At that moment, the loss of my name wracked my body, and I began to shake.

Everything began falling into place around me. I knew where I was. I knew Theo was my brother, barely more than a year older than me. Hateful. Disliked. I could remember. I knew why Lina made breakfast. Memories of the governess teaching a young Eunora how to daintily drink tea, how to sing, how to read. It was a jumbled mess of memories. They hurt to focus on.

So instead, I took a breath. It was all I could do.

“It's okay ——. No. ——. My name is ——-.” As I tried to pull my name out of whatever recess it was forced into, I felt my voice grow frantic as a steadily growing ache formed in the back of my head. With every attempt to say my name, the pain grew. Suddenly, it was so intense my vision was tinged in darkness.

That was when I focused and saw the [System] again. Bright even in the darkness. It took everything in me to focus and process what I was seeing.

[System Notice: The skill [Tight Lips] has been forcefully activated for the first time. Strike Cause: User attempt to utter Otherworldly name. Data currently purged. Strike Null. Grace Period in effect for: 71 Hours 02 Minutes.]

[Warning: After Grace Period expires, every third strike begins a Purge of Otherworldly Knowledge that the user attempted to or successfully shared.]

Dread settled into my stomach, and I closed my mouth. Within seconds the pain faded, and my vision was back to normal, but my hands still shook, and my legs were heavy as I sat back down on the bed.

I can’t tell anyone. Not now, not ever. How am I supposed to go home? My face contorted at the thought. I covered my mouth to muffle the dawning scream. My eyesight was blurry once again, this time with thick tears that fell with abandon.

I screamed into my hands until my throat grew sore, my sobs caused my chest to ache, and my tears were unable to fall anymore. Whether it was ten minutes or an hour, I couldn’t say how long I broke down for.

“If I can’t tell anyone, I can’t go home,” I croaked in a small voice as I finally settled down. Laying back into the mattress, I stared up at the small lights strung across the ceiling. They sparkled like stars in front of a background reminiscent of the morning sky. Rich pinks, pale purples, deep blues. The room was fit for a Dawn, and the thought struck me violently.

“Eunora Dawn, who are you?” I whispered, “And why have I become you?”

Why was I brought here? Why was I taken from—. I swallowed thickly, the tears threatening to return. I forced the thoughts back. I couldn’t risk his name being taken from me. I wouldn’t be able to handle it.

I took a haggard breath and held it for a count of five before slowly releasing it.

Then I did it again.

And again.

And again.

Until finally, I could breathe without shaking.

I want to be alone. I don’t want anyone to disturb me. Not until I’m ready.

So, I rose from the bed and made my way to the ornate stone doors that, based on a flicker of a memory, would lead to an opulent hallway filled with paintings of this world. Of the family I’ve been forced to join. Of the land I now stand on. As I clicked the lock in place, I felt my stomach turn.

More flashes of memory filled my mind.

The Count and Countess Dawn. Eunora's mother and father. A distant couple, continually away from the manor. Never present when Eunora needed or wanted them.

Raphael Dawn, 15. Eunora’s eldest brother. The first son and heir apparent to the family. In her memories, he is a liar. He pretends in front of staff and family alike, but never once has he sought out his younger sister. Currently attends a swordsmanship academy in the capital, only returning once a season for their break.

Evelyn Dawn, 13. Eunora’s eldest sister. The first daughter and a mage in training. She is brilliant with a spell —just as Raphael is skilled with his sword. She is calculating and cruel. Currently studying at one of the local Mage Towers. Resides at the manor.

Theo Dawn, 10. The second son. A scholar. He never forgets something he’s read. Though he has not yet been allowed to choose a permanent path, he currently has several high-level tutors come to the manor. He believes Eunora is useless. Dumb and weak and without magic.

Eunora was the fourth child, freshly turned 8. She was not a swordsman or a mage or a scholar. She could read and write and learn, but a prodigy she has never been. She was quiet and withdrawn, polite but never outgoing. She was lonely.

Leonard and Leah Dawn, twins, 6 years old. The third son and daughter. Sweet children that have had the love of the eldest three Dawns for as long as Eunora can remember. The ease with which they received love causes a pang to resound in my chest.

A remnant of a feeling not my own. A Eunora feeling.

As the day passes and I refuse to acknowledge the [System] notifications that have appeared in the back of my mind, I continue to simply stare —out the window overlooking the labyrinthine garden below, up at the ceiling’s twinkling lights, even at the dawn themed wall decorations. I simply stare and ignore. And briefly, I wonder if anyone will fetch me for a meal or a party or even a simple congratulations.

Today is, after all, Eunora’s eighth lunar birthday. The day she Awakens. The day the Sun Gods allow her to choose her birthright boon. Four solar years. A Divine day.

Of the Dawns, not one came by to see her —me, I was forced to remind myself.

There was only a light knock from a maid asking me to open the door. When I refused to respond, she simply walked away.

As the second Sun hung low over the horizon, I tucked myself into bed and ignored the growl of hunger. I was not yet ready to face the eyes of the manor. Not even for food.