Aria's eyes fluttered open, and she was met with an unfamiliar ceiling. She sat up, rubbing her temples, trying to recall how she got there. Memories flooded her mind – not just recent ones, but ones from a lifetime ago. She remembered being a businesswoman, building an empire from scratch, and climbing to the top of her industry. She recalled the thrill of closing deals, the rush of adrenaline when she outmaneuvered her competitors, and the satisfaction of building a legacy.
But she also remembered the pain. The pain of losing loved ones, the pain of betrayal, and the pain of her own mortality. She remembered the diagnosis – cancer, terminal, and the slow decline into darkness. As she lay in her hospital bed, Aria had felt her life slipping away. And then, she heard a voice. A gentle, soothing voice that seemed to come from everywhere and nowhere at the same time. "Welcome, my child," it said.
Aria's spirit had stirred, responding to the voice. She felt a sense of peace wash over her, and her pain began to fade. The voice seemed to be drawing her towards it, and Aria felt herself being pulled apart and put back together again.
When she opened her eyes again, she was no longer in her hospital bed. She was a newborn baby, tiny and fragile, surrounded by the beeping of machines and the soft murmur of voices. Aria's memories had been jumbled and unclear at first, but as she grew, they began to resurface.
Now, as a toddler, Aria lay in her crib, looking up at her mother. Her mother was a woman with silver hair that cascaded down her back like a river of moonlight. Her eyes glowed with an otherworldly red light, and Aria felt a shiver run down her spine. Her mother was wearing a crown made of ashes and silver, with obsidian gemstones that seemed to absorb the light around her.
Aria's mother looked at her with a mix of love and intensity, her eyes piercing through the darkness. Aria cooed and reached out to her mother, feeling a sense of confusion and mixed emotions. She had been cold-hearted in her past life, driven by ambition and a desire for power. But now, she felt a warmth and love that she couldn't quite understand.
As Aria's mother gazed at her, Aria felt a sense of uncertainty. She didn't know what to make of her feelings, or what her mother's intentions were. All she knew was that she was drawn to her mother's love, even as she felt a sense of trepidation.