Chapter 2:
Lucina
The blinding brightness envelops me. Endless white nothingness stretches in every direction.
Am I dead?
The thought races through my mind is a jumble of confusion and disbelief. As an atheist, the idea of an afterlife feels surreal.
Unfamiliar.
A vaguely feminine figure materializes before me. The eerie silence breaks.
"Hello, Lucina." Her voice echoes softly.
"Uh, hi? Am I... dead?" I venture cautiously.
The figure shakes its head.
"I'm here to offer you a deal." Her voice carries a mysterious weight.
"A deal? What kind of deal?" I try to grasp the situation. "And who exactly are you?"
"I am a goddess. Here to answer my child's prayer."
Another figure materializes beside her—a perfect reflection of myself, except for her striking silvery-white hair.
"This is Lucina. Another version of you from a different world," the goddess explains.
I stare at the other me.
"...Okay. So why am I here? What deal are you proposing?"
I keep my suspicion aimed at the goddess. The other me looks uncomfortable, her gaze drifting to her feet.
"Every person has multiple versions of themselves," the goddess says.
"Similar lives in different timelines, worlds, and universes. I would like you to live as Lucina from my world. She will take your place in yours."
I glance between the goddess and the other me. The goddess's face is a glowing orb of light—no hint of her thoughts. The other me, however, looks visibly uncomfortable.
"Why me? There should be other Lucinas who can take her place, right?"
"You're the only Lucina who hasn't succumbed to despair or lost the will to live." The goddess's voice softens.
"You seem content with your life. You're also strong-willed. A bit of an anomaly. If anyone can successfully live her life, it's you."
"What you're saying is that I'm not a doormat."
I meet the gaze of the other me.
"I can't make a decision without knowing what her world is like," I add.
"That can be solved. Just hold each other's hands."
The other Lucina steps forward and extends her hands. Hesitantly, I intertwine my fingers with hers.
Instantly.
An extremely fast slideshow unfolds before me. I live through Lucina's life.
A life filled with hardship and suffering.
It's a pretty shitty life, to be honest.
Lucina is the third princess of the Solana Empire—the largest country on the continent.
Her mother, a traveling street dancer, caught the emperor's fancy. The greedy old man took her in as a concubine against her will.
At fifteen, her mother fell ill. A suspicious illness.
She passed away.
That's when it all went to hell.
Everyone wanted a piece of the girl's misery. Servants. Her half-siblings. The empress.
Like that wasn't enough, at eighteen, she got sold to an old man. A foreign king who saw her once and fancied her. Because of Lucina's youth and immense beauty, the old king became paranoid.
He sexually and physically abused her.
She endured it all.
But the final crack in the dam came when the old king's oldest son poisoned her. It caused her to lose her pregnancy.
The night she committed suicide, she desperately prayed to the goddess.
I suppose that's why we're here now.
I release her hands abruptly. My heart heavy with sorrow, I meet her gaze—now filled with awe and admiration.
Well, now I can't decline without seeming like a heartless person.
I turn to the goddess.
"You surely won't send me there without providing some sort of advantage, will you? Because if not, I'll have to refuse."
The other me's eyes light up with a glimmer of hope.
"Of course not." The goddess pauses.
"Every Lucina who takes this deal receives a gift. Something that makes her journey possible. Are you asking what yours will be?"
"I'm asking if I'll survive long enough to enjoy my harem."
A pause.
Then the goddess laughs. It sounds like wind chimes.
"Lucina Brown, you really are an anomaly. Very well. Your gift is this: any living being you acquire through legitimate purchase, rescue, or binding contract will find their loyalty to you absolute. Not mindless. But absolute."
I blink.
"So... if I buy a slave, they won't stab me in my sleep?"
"They won't want to stab you in your sleep."
"Huh." I file that away.
"And what about the harem part?"
The goddess tilts her glowing head. "That part is entirely up to you."
Fair enough.
"Do you agree?" the goddess asks.
I nod.
An extremely bright light envelops me once more.
*
"Princess. Princess Lucina, wake up."
I groan. A pounding headache throbs behind my eyes.
Slowly, I open them.
The scene that greets me: a group of presumably noble teenage ladies, all standing around me. Their faces mix faux concern with barely concealed smirks.
Ah. The classic mean-girls-opening.
"Oh dear, it was a mistake. I didn't mean to trip you."
The girl in front—Lady Starforge—fans herself dramatically. Clearly unremorseful. Her companions behind her struggle to stifle their laughter.
Right. Let's fix that.
"I understand, Lady Starforge." I hold out my hand to her. "Please, lend me a hand."
She hesitates. Then decides to help me up.
The moment I'm on my feet, I 'accidentally' stumble into Lady Starforge.
She loses her balance and tumbles backward into her peers.
Gasps fill the room. Thuds follow as the other ladies grab onto one another to steady themselves. They collapse into a tangled mess on the floor.
I adjust my sleeves.
"Are you okay, Lady Starforge?" I smile brightly. "I wasn't stable. I didn't mean to trip you."
Then I turn and walk away.
Confidently.
Behind me, the tangled heap of noble ladies struggles to untangle itself.
One day in, and I've already made enemies.
Perfect.