• Days passed since that faithful night at Victoria's home when the gate was opened and she was engulfed into light then darkness. She had awoken days later on a lush grassy lawn, almost like a meadow. In waking she found herself clothed in a beautiful yet simple tan and white dress and simple slip on shoes on her bare feet. "What....happened?" she asked softly aloud to herself, gazing around the open area. The warm wind some reason sent a chill down her spine.

    A female's laughter caused her to jump and turn to look behind her, no one was there. This baffled her further to where she was and how she got there. The woman's laugh came again but this time Victoria looked up into a tree, squinting she gazed till her eyes landed on a slender woman's form sitting on a branch above. "Who....who are you?" Victoria asked, trying to re-find her confidence she once held so close and high.

    "Who am I you ask? Well that's a difficult question now isn't it?" The woman replied in a strange tone, brushing some thick dark purple hair from her golden yellow and blood red eyes. "I suppose you could call me you." She replied with a smirk on her glossy blood red lips that also showed hints of purple to match her hair color.

    Victoria stared at this odd woman who wore strange clothing in her opinion. The coloration was of mainly red and black yet held some purple to her low cut shirt, dark jacket, dark pants and heeled boots all seemed strange to Victoria as the wind blew the leaves allowing her the opportunity to see some of the woman's clothing. She gasped, taking steps back as the woman jumped out of the tree, landing in a kneeling position, still as could be before slowly standing up with a smirk on her lips. "Well that was fun now then, shall we get down to our discussion of how your life shall now be?" The woman said somewhat bluntly. Victoria blinked not able to believe how this woman was speaking to her and acting.

    "What? What are you talking about? Where am I? and you are not me." Victoria said firmly watching the odd woman. The woman simply laughed quieting down moments later shaking her head and clicking her tongue on her pallet.

    "Oh my dear, dear Victoria. You must have forgotten. You opened the gate. You allowed those that are not of your world to enter and gain access to what they desire." The woman said simply with a smile on her lips. "You had entered the gate and for you to gain access to return home I made a deal with you and you agreed to its terms for freedom."

    "What?!" Victoria asked in shock, having little memory of this, taking a couple steps towards the woman. "You can't be serious! That did not happen." Victoria commanded bringing laughter from the woman.

    "Oh but it did." she said after calming down and stepped close to Victoria, taking hold of her wrist, lifting it and showed her a tattoo like marking on her under arm below her wrist. Shock was clear on Victoria's face in seeing this. "Now then, in case you are not aware, that is a pact seal. It shows that a pact was created between a being of the living realm and a being of the sealed realm. When a pact is created neither party can break the deal unless the one of the living realm releases themselves willingly to the one of the sealed realm for destruction in which allows the one int he sealed realm to inhabit their body and claim it as their own, devouring the soul to be reborn once more."

    The calmness in the woman's voice as she said this shocked Victoria more, her body starting to tremble, her eyes locked on the pact seal on her under lower arm. Victoria's eyes switched to look at the woman, it sinking in but she still wanted to believe it just a bad dream. "This can't be true. It has to be a mistake. I'm still in bed sleeping."

    "Oh you are one of those aren't you?" the woman asked with a laugh. "Now then, as for the deal we agreed upon, you may live a normal life yet you mustn't tell anyone of our pact less they are to die. I don't want stray ends floating around." She said casually, examining her nails. "Also you may live as you wish as in nobility as it is no skin off my nose being your royal adviser."

    Victoria was unsure of this deal she had made now and stiffly nodded after some moments of silence, accepting these terms. The woman nodded smiling. "Also in case you forgot my name is Maria." She introduced herself with a pleasant smile. Victoria nodded watching Maria silently for some moments.

    "So....where am I now?" Victoria asked calmly.

    "You're in the meadow that is bordering the sealed realm and the living realm." Maria explained smirking. "Do you not find this place to your liking? We were heading to your home once you woke and accepted everything." Maria stated with a small smirk on her lips. "Now then, shall we be heading to your home?"

    "Yes, let us return to my home. Oh! How is everyone at my home? Are they safe?" Victoria asked with worry and concern in her voice.

    "Don't worry, they are all safe." Maria promised smiling to Victoria before taking her hand and both would vanish in a flash, appearing inside Victoria's bedroom which appeared untouched and no signs of the gate that had been there before. Victoria looked around her room before stepping lightly around to examine her bedroom. Maria walked over to a comfy chair sitting down, folding one leg over the other as she watched Victoria confirm it was her bedroom.

    "We're really back in my room." Victoria stated stunned by this. Maria snickered lightly in hearing her tone of voice with her words.

    "What? Did you think I lied and was simply going to kill you? No, I can't do that. It's against the laws of my race so I cannot do that. For you to become one with me I need you to agree to it willingly of your own free will which stinks but I don't mind waiting. Time makes things better as they say." Maria said giving a shrug. Victoria turned to look at Maria quietly, debating on asking her a question.

    "I had thought you lied. Can you tell me why I was able to open a gate that lead to the other world and to why it was in my bedroom?"Victoria asked Maria, her eyes on Maria.

    "You asking that already? Well shouldn't you show me your home? After all if I am to be your adviser I am to know my way around, right?" Maria asked, ignoring Victoria's questions some as she stood. "Show me what you can of the castle."

    "But you didn't answer my questions. Why was I able to open that gate and why was it in my bedroom?" Victoria asked firmly to Maria who simply stepped to the door opening it.

    "Come ans who me your home, my princess soon to be queen." Maria responded smirking sly as a fox. Victoria sighed shaking her head stepping over to the door as well.

    "I don't know why you avoid my questions but I will find the answers." Victoria promised as she stepped out, showing Maria who followed to her bedroom and to the other rooms: library, study, throne room, armory, training room, ballroom, banquet hall, and many others. Maria took all this in, not stunned by any of it, having expected this and was already imagining what it would be like to live in this kind of home all the time. They stopped at the throne room, Victoria walking to the records room with Maria following. "This is the records room. All the laws and history is in this room." Victoria pointed out and Maria nodded.

    "Wonderful. This is perfect." Maria complimented, bringing confusion to Victoria's face as she looked behind her then turned her head away from Maria, shaking her head and went over to a wall. Maria stayed put by the door, simply watching Victoria as she pulled out a fresh looking piece of rolled parchment.

    "What's this? I don't recall this here." Victoria muttered under her breath, unrolling the parchment and reading the words written in her father's handwriting. Slowly Victoria's eyes widened in what she had just read. Maria on the other hand stayed over by the door, smirking softly, having a good idea of what the parchment stated to bring such a shocked reaction to Victoria's face. "Why would father write this? Why would he do this?" Victoria asked softly under her breath, her eyes unable to leave the parchment held in her trembling hands.