Take me into your world

Sitting on the seamlessly integrated brownish-black wooden carriage, Anastasia occasionally glanced at Prince Antonio of Martenesia who was seated beside her.

'I won't let him know I'm no longer a virgin, at least before leaving, I'm not embarrassing my father,' she thought, surveying the forest surroundings and a road facility, with a horse carriage ahead, possibly carrying her father, King Christopher Del Piere, and a parade of guards on horseback.

"Anastasia," Antonio called, glancing at her.

"Prince Antonio." Anastasia smiled thinly.

"You look so beautiful. I've sought your father's permission to have you stay in my chamber tonight." He gently grabbed her hand and kissed it. "I hope it'll be our best night, and then we'll marry."

Anastasia smiled wryly, turning her gaze away. 'How could my father allow this? It's like he's selling me.'

"Soon, I'll be crowned as the king of Martenesia, and, of course, you'll be the queen, the only queen there," Antonio stated with sincerity and charm.

"I'll accept it gladly," Anastasia replied falsely. "But..."

"But what, my love?"

"I think we should stop near the river. I need to... Pee," Anastasia said with a smirk.

Antonio chuckled. "You suddenly need to go pee when I'm discussing our plans for tonight. Now I'm sure you desire me."

Anastasia just grinned inwardly, thinking, 'Oh, you're so confident. I want to kick you right now!'

"Okay, I'll take you," Antonio said, looking ahead. "Jacob, stop..."

The horse carriage slowly halted.

"Princess Anastasia needs a moment by the river. I'll escort her," Antonio said, standing up, bowing slightly, and descending from the carriage.

Anastasia also got off with the help of a guard, glancing at Antonio approaching.

"I'll accompany you," Antonio said.

"Um, alright, but... Don't get too close," she replied nervously.

"Don't worry."

Antonio stopped, letting Anastasia walk towards large rocks. He turned his attention elsewhere, observing the somewhat gloomy scenery as the sun was setting.

Anastasia continued walking, occasionally looking back, realizing Antonio wasn't watching her anymore. She swiftly ran away from the riverbank, stopping in the bushes until someone suddenly grabbed her from behind.

"Emhh... Emhh!"

She struggled, but the man pushed her to lie down until she was beneath him.

"Hey, it's me, it's me!" the man exclaimed.

Anastasia stopped squirming and focused, slowly smiling and hugging him as she realized it was Dominic.

"I was so scared!"

"Yes, darling. I know!" Dominic quickly released Anastasia from the hug. "Now we need to plunge into the river, swim to the waterfall... Not far from here, we can go straight to the cave to meet Viviane!" He explained enthusiastically.

Anastasia nodded, sitting down and looking around, as did Dominic.

"We have to go now. Antonio is not far from here," she said.

"Okay, let's go!"

Dominic stood up, pulling Anastasia through the grass, far from the rock location. Then, he led her to plunge into the river.

They swam away, approaching the waterfall.

"Dom... Dominic!" Anastasia struggled to swim due to her large dress.

Dominic turned back, pulling Anastasia while occasionally looking towards the rocks.

"Come on, hold onto my clothes!" he urged.

Anastasia gripped Dominic's black clothes, swimming as best she could to speed up their journey. Her breath was heavy, occasionally looking back, slowly hearing voices calling her.

"Dominic, we need to hurry!" she exclaimed in fear.

Dominic kept swimming towards a short cliff near the waterfall, then crawled up and pulled Anastasia.

"Anastasia!"

The voices of people still calling her continued, Anastasia became more anxious, cold, and soaked, walking with Dominic who kept pulling her.

They entered the cave, the scent of damp moss and rock permeating, and the sound of the rushing waterfall outside added to the tense atmosphere.

"Where is she?" Anastasia asked.

"We will meet her," Dominic replied.

They kept walking further into the cave, the sound of the waterfall slowly fading until they could hear only the rustle of their breath.

"It's cold..." Anastasia whispered with trembling lips, her body shivering.

"Be patient, we'll arrive," Dominic replied.

Anastasia looked back into the darkness, haunted by the images of her father and Antonio.

'Father, forgive me. I can't be what you want,' she thought sadly, continuing to follow Dominic until they met an old woman in a dark brown robe with a head covering, holding a small pole with a snake-like tip.

"Dominic," the old woman greeted.

"I want you to transmit her to my world before King Christopher's entourage arrives," Dominic said with a flat gaze.

Vivian immediately focused on Anastasia, who lowered her head, seemingly afraid of her.

"She must remove all her jewelry," Viviane stated curtly, walking towards a stone that resembled a bed, complete with a torch, a jug, and a cup made of copper.

Dominic approached Anastasia.

"Trust me, everything will be fine," he said.

Anastasia nodded with a sad glint in her eyes. "I'll do anything to be with you always."

"I know that, I know you're doing it out of love. Now let me remove all your jewelry; we'll give them to Viviane as payment."

"I have a few gold coins in my pocket."

"Let's give them to her."

Anastasia quickly removed all her jewelry—necklace, bracelet, earrings, ring—then reached into her dress pocket and found a small pouch of gold coins.

She handed them to Viviane and then received instructions to lie on the stone.

"When your soul leaves your body, it will never return. This body will die, and your soul will find a newly dead body in the future world. You can't choose who your new body will be, whether ugly or beautiful, rich or poor; that will be your new self," Viviane said, positioning her hands floating above Anastasia's body.

Anastasia swallowed hard, her body trembling, and her heart pounding.

"Can you make her soul stop in the city where I live, in New York?" Dominic asked.

"I'm not sure, that's beyond my abilities," Viviane replied curtly, then glanced at Anastasia. "You'll struggle to find her, but she can find you. Maybe you should tell her specifically where you live, and she'll remember and start looking for you using her new body," she continued.

Dominic nodded.

Anastasia, growing more fearful, gazed at Dominic and reached for his hand, pulling him closer.

"If my new body isn't as attractive, if the face isn't like mine, will you still love me? Will you still recognize me?" she wondered.

Dominic tightly held Anastasia's hand. "No matter how you look, I will accept you. Just explain to me what we've been through together, and I'll remember and believe it's you. I won't betray the girl who left her world for me," he said firmly, then bowed to kiss the back of her palm.

Anastasia nodded with unbearable tears.

"I live in New York... I'm quite famous there... The sophistication of advancements there will enable you to find me just by typing my name into a device called a phone... You'll find many pictures of me, very clear... Then you'll discover where I live. Meet me, and I'll accept you," Dominic explained again.

"New York," Anastasia whispered.

Dominic nodded, then bent down to kiss Anastasia's lips.

Viviane poured brownish-colored water from the jug into a copper cup and handed it to Anastasia.

"You have to drink it," she said.

Anastasia quickly sat down, grabbed the copper cup, and looked at it hesitantly.

"You won't be conscious after this; you'll wake up with your new body in the future," Viviane said.

Without further thought, Anastasia immediately drank it all. She sighed and looked at Dominic with melancholy.

"It will work!" Dominic reassured.

"I love you."

"I love you too."

Anastasia lay back, slowly her vision blurred until she focused on Dominic, observing his face until suddenly her chest tightened, yet she couldn't move or show any expression.

"Anastasia?" Dominic furrowed his brow, looking at Anastasia who stared without blinking.

Boom...

Suddenly thunder roared so loudly.

"She's gone," Viviane whispered.

Dominic looked at Viviane. "Does that mean she's gone to the future?"

"Her soul will wander; I must quickly perform the rite to guide her soul into the right body," Viviane explained seriously, looking at Anastasia who was lifeless. "I have to do it quickly, as the sun sets. And you have to go, divert the attention of the guards. I'm sure they'll come... Don't let them come before I complete the ritual. If I fail, Anastasia will die, and her soul cannot go to your world."

"Do it now!" Dominic exclaimed firmly, then turned to Anastasia and kissed her. "I'm waiting for you, my love."

He quickly left the cave, while Viviane sat beside Anastasia, starting to chant spells followed by hand movements like a dance.

"Anastasia Del Piere... Within yourself, find unlimited power; this spell guides you through obstacles and opens the path to hidden capabilities waiting to shine... Find your new self. and live with courage and sincerity, always remember who brought you there. Dominic.... Dominic.... always remember that name, his face, and everything about him..." As the words were spoken, mystical energy enveloped Anastasia's lifeless body. Viviane continued chanting the spell as if guiding Anastasia's soul's journey to a new body in the future.