CHAPTER 1: ANNA

So this was the end of my miserable life. After trying to be perfect for my family, trying to be perfect for the world, this was how I ended.

Anna, a perfect daughter, skilled in fencing. She was the only child of a rich family. She was raised to show perfection in everything she did. She had to smile even when she was crying inside. She hated her life. She promised herself that she would one day escape and go live in the countryside quietly and peacefully, alone and far away from her father and stepmother.

Anna had lost her mother when she was five. She was raised by a strict father who always punished and scolded her if she made a simple mistake. He even trained her in fencing so she could win in every championship. She couldn’t tarnish their mighty family name by losing. The man who was her father never really cared about her, about what she wanted. Anna just wanted a simple life and freedom. She loved nature, she loved reading beautiful novels, and she wanted to travel and see the world. But no, he had confined her to a miserable life and expected nothing from her but perfection.

« What an asshole. »

Anna was in her room reading about nature while her family  that was her father and stepmother  attended an award party. She was home alone. Well, she preferred that to being with those people she hated so much. While she drowned herself in her book, she didn’t realise that her stepmother had planned for her death.

Two masked men got into the house. They knew exactly where her room was and got in quickly to finish their job. Everything went quickly, but Anna just knew she wasn’t going to see tomorrow, and she felt that bullet hit her lonely and miserable heart.

« Well, that pained like crazy, » Anna thought to herself while she slowly left this world that had been nothing but a shithole. The only thing she prayed for now was that if she got to have another chance at life, then she would certainly accomplish her dream of living far away in the countryside.

The news was everywhere. The famous fencing queen was murdered at her home when her parents weren’t home. Her stepmother was behind this, but no one knew, and Anna, in her spirit form, couldn’t have cared less if they knew. She knew her father wouldn’t even miss her. She was sad that till the end she had lived a miserable life, but she was happy that miserable life was now over. What lay ahead she didn’t know.

………………

Anna woke up to find herself in a white place filled with corridors.

« Is this heaven? » she asked herself.

She saw people who were translucent.

« They must be spirits just like me, » she kept on answering herself.

She didn’t know what to do. She just roamed around like the others.

Moving around in the spirit realm, Anna came across a girl with red hair who was crying as she squatted down. Anna could have left, but she was just too curious to leave.

“Hey, are you okay? Why are you crying? Can spirits even cry?” Anna asked the girl, who didn’t respond but stopped crying.

The girl got up and stared at Anna. She was beautiful, and she looked tired and pale even though she was translucent like all the spirits. Anna didn’t know what to say. She just stared at her, and the girl stared back. It was getting uncomfortable. Anna was about to speak, but the girl beat her to it.

“I give you my life. It’s yours now. Love better,” the girl spoke with a smile. She was pretty — Anna had to agree — but what was that about giving her life to her? Well, she didn’t understand that.

Before she could understand anything, Anna fell unconscious, and the next time she felt her consciousness kicking in, she could hear voices, but she couldn’t open her eyes.

“If she dies, what will happen to the treaty we’re planning to have with Vampiria? I want her treated fast,” a cold voice shouted.

“Yes, my Lord,” came a reply from a scared man.

Anna couldn’t fathom what the hell was going on. Her stupid eyes wouldn’t open, and after a few minutes, she heard the sound of a woman.

“If it was up to me, I’d have let you die. You’re lucky you’re going to be used for the peace agreement of our kingdom and Vampiria.”

« It’s so hectic here. Why can’t I open my eyes? I want to know what’s happening, » Anna complained internally when she still couldn’t open her eyes.

Anna fell unconscious again, and when she felt her consciousness coming back, the first thing she tried was opening her eyes, but she closed them fast because she felt a sharp pain. She took five minutes and opened them again slowly this time. She first saw blurry visions and took minutes to adjust her vision.

When she could see clearly, she found herself in a room. The room was decorated in an ancient manner.

« What the hell? Is this my new life? Where’s this place? Does that mean I have a new face and everything is new? » Anna questioned herself while running to the mirror to check herself.

She gasped and threw her hand over her mouth after seeing her new reflection. She looked exactly like the red-haired girl with green eyes.

« What the hell!! So she gave me her life? This is my new life? »

Ugh, she was panicking. What would she do? She expected to be born as a newborn baby into her new life, not a teenager who looked  nineteen.

« What’s she supposed to do here? »

She looked around the room. It had an ancient vibe.

« What era is she in? What’s even her life supposed to be like? »

Truly, she was confused. She looked skinny.

« Did the girl live a horrible life like mine? What should I do? »

As she kept asking herself hundreds of questions, a sting of pain hit her head. She staggered a bit and wobbled to the bed. The pain intensified, and she shut her eyes when suddenly a flood of memories started rushing in.