I woke up. Am I dead? I stared at the ocean-like wall, I looked around. It was all clear and transparent like water, I certainly did not expect the "afterlife" to look like this at all. I heard some piano keys being played from seemingly nowhere. Was this the tune of my death or what?
I sat there for a few seconds gazing at the ocean-like room, it was honestly beautiful. I would love to say that it was the most beautiful thing I've ever seen in my life but I was.. dead? So I guess it's the most beautiful thing I've seen in my afterlife. Lights started appearing in those walls at some point when the piano beat started to pick up more, they were like stars and each one of them was brighter than the other and more colorful. By that point I stood up and started walking towards the stairs they were also like the sea, strangely enough I didn't feel wet for some reason but that was beside the point; I walked up a stair and went through a hallway with a red carpet leading to a door, I ran forward and pushed the door open.
There I saw a woman playing the piano, she looked beautiful. I wonder if she's an angel or something. She kept on playing the piano, I couldn't tell what the color of her hair, eyes, skin was like it was like she was monochrome. Come to think of it, I was also monochrome. At a certain point in the play, each time she hit the keys I could see her turn full of color and eventually I also became full of color. I could see her long silky grey hair, her eyelashes were long; and her eye color was pink. On her head, she wore a headband with a flower that looked monochromatic like it lacked any color. The black dress she was wearing was like a royal dress. I honestly cannot tell whether she's an angel, human, or whatever the hell she is; all that matters is that she's beautiful
While listening to her play I couldn't help but look around and notice two chairs and a table that looked classy, they weren't transparent or anything like water other than the fact that they were black and had blue accents– pink accents?– purpl– Oh it's the same color as those stars beyond the ocean wall they keep on changing. With each beat that hit harder, the ocean seemed to shake and the firework-like lights seemed to change constantly up until she was done.
She looked at me and uttered: "Such an emotional tune isn't it? It's called 'Fantasia in C Minor, K.396 385f' composed by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart."
I've no clue who that is but he sounds cool. She came up from the piano "Sit down Zenith Alciel, we have a lot to talk about–" She gasped and covered her mouth "It seems I haven't introduced myself yet. Let's sit down first." I nodded along.
We sat on the classy-looking chair, was it really fine for filth like me to sit on such a fancy-looking chair? I'm kind of nervous.
The woman cleared her throat and introduced herself: "I am Rella vi Flâneur. Ask me whatever you'd like." She said with a slight smile.
I asked: "Where am I?"
She answered: "A place you know very well; a place between fantasy and reality. You could say it's a dream but it's also not a dream. Here try to phase your fingers through your opposite palm, it won't work."
She tapped her fingers against her palm.
.
.
.
"HUUUUUUUUHHHHHHHH?! Wasn't this the afterlife?!" I exclaimed. I asked nervously: "A-Aren't I dead?! And what's with the reality, fantasy between dreams thing?!" I tapped my fingers against my opposite palm, but it didn't work. She's right.
Rella remarked: "You look on edge. Afufu. But to keep the answer short; No you're not dead, but more so like you were dead."
I blurted: "So how come I am alive and here?"
Rella chuckled: "You're quite zany, rules don't apply to this world. You should know that well; As you've been in a similar place before. And you came here of your own accord."
.
.
"Huuuuuuuuuuuuuuh? I came here by myself but that's not true at all! I died and woke up here the next second."
Rella uttered: "The 'Huh' was shorter and more abrupt this time. As I said, you came here of your own accord."
I don't really get it at all, I asked: "But how? I know this world isn't 'real' but it doesn't make sense on how it even came to be."
Rella answered: "Look around, this place perfectly represents you, doesn't it? After all, it is the sea of your own soul."
I blurted: "Wow, my soul doesn't make sense."
Rella uttered, "It perfectly represents you from the way I see it."
Suddenly a black & white kitten entered the room, it came running to Rella's lap. Rella said, "Ah forgive my company's intrusion, he's quite ignorant." I asked: "What's his name?" Rella answered: "Morgana. Mona for short." Wow, it even has a nickname.
I asked: "How does it exactly represent my soul?"
Rella, stroking her cat Morgana, uttered: "Isn't it your own soul? Shouldn't you be the one to figure it out?"
I scratched my head. Could my own soul really be this convoluted?
Rella chuckled "How can you not understand yourself? Shouldn't a soul know itself best? , Or are you denying the truth of your persona?"
I uttered: "I don't know."
Rella uttered "You know. Only you know yourself best; denying yourself is denying the truth. Isn't it?"
I hate to admit it but she's right, I can't argue with that, so I said: "That's right, I can't argue with it much."
Rella asked: "Say, Zenith, what did you expect your soul to look like?"
I felt like I was in a dilemma and couldn't answer, why was it so hard to answer?
Rella, rubbing the chin of her cat, uttered: " 'I don't know' Is that your answer?" I said nothing, that is what I exactly wanted to say.
Rella asked: "Say, Zenith, do you even know yourself? Do you know who Zenith Alciel is? Is he accepting of a harsh truth, or accepting of beautiful lies? Is he powerful or weak, or perhaps a coward? — Just what are you? The answer is within this ocean of yours."
I really don't know how to answer her, if the answer is so clear why can I not grasp it? If it's that simple, why don't I know it? I looked around left and right to see those things that resemble bright stars in the ocean. I seriously don't get it.
Rella asked: "Have you found the answer?"
I mumbled: "I don't know." But I did, I hid the answer within myself, to Rella it was clear and bright; yet to me it was dim, it was like I sunk it deep within my soul–
Rella, holding a glass shard, smiled
"I see, so you've found the answer."