Marisandra Naiadia’s POV
I had no idea what had happened or where I was. Everything was blank—no light, no sound, no warmth.
“You have finally arrived here, child.”
“Indeed.”
Two ethereal voices slipped into my ears, their tones smooth yet powerful, carrying a weight I couldn’t ignore.
I frowned, gripping my fist instinctively. “Who’s there?!” My voice echoed slightly, but instead of bouncing back, it was swallowed by the emptiness.
Just moments ago, I had been lying down—safe, comfortable, in my room. Then, in the blink of an eye, everything changed. Now I was standing in… something else. Somewhere else. But where?
There were no walls… No ceiling… No floor beneath my feet!
No scent… No air movement… No objects!
Nothing.
Something was very, very off.
What in the world is happening here?!–
“Hmm… I understand your concern, child, but there is no need for you to be so tense.”
That voice—soft yet commanding—wrapped around me, and before I could even process it, my body suddenly relaxed. My heart, which had been hammering in my chest, slowed to a steady beat. My fingers clenched tightly just seconds ago, loosened. It was as if an unseen force had reached inside me, overriding my fear and forcing me into a state of unnatural calm.
The sensation was both soothing and terrifying!!
Taking a deep breath, I steadied myself before speaking again. “Who are you? What do you want from me? And why am I here?” My voice was firm, but even I could hear the underlying confusion in my tone.
“Who are we?” The voice hummed, almost teasingly. “Hmm… now, that is a tricky question.”
“Tsk. Tricky? Are you an idiot?”
“What?! How dare you call me an idiot, you idiot?!”
“Obviously, you’re the idiot here, not me!”
“…Excuse me?”
… and They started bickering.
I stood there in pure disbelief.
What. The. Hell?
I was utterly lost, drowning in confusion.
I could hear their voices clearly, yet I couldn’t pinpoint where they were coming from.
It was as if they were here and yet… not here at the same time.
“Anyway,” one of them finally spoke up, as if remembering I was still here,
“They call me…. Mother, The Creation of Every Beginning.”
I froze.
My thoughts screeched to a halt.
‘What the fuck?’
Mother? Creation? Beginning?
Was this some kind of joke? Or a hallucination? Or worse—was I dead?! Had I somehow crossed into another existence?… so many thoughts entering my mind like a dam!
But before I could even begin to process that, the second voice followed.
“And I…. Arcane, The Creation of Every Ending.”
“…”
I had no words. My mouth opened, then closed, then opened again, but no sound escaped. I was certain my expression was ridiculous right now because—
“Haha! Look at her face! It’s so damn amusing… ahaha!” Arcane burst into laughter, their voice filled with unrestrained amusement.
I narrowed my eyes.
Great! Not only was I stuck in some bizarre void, but I was also dealing with a pair of cosmic beings who apparently found my confusion entertaining.
Still, the more they spoke, the more I started to distinguish their tones. Their voices were similar—smooth, powerful, and all-encompassing—but Mother’s voice carried an ancient warmth, like the breath of creation itself, while Arcane’s had a sharp edge, like the finality of a closing chapter.
“W-Why am I here?” I finally asked, my voice cautious as I tried to piece things together. Was this some elaborate trick? A dream? Or… was this terrifying reality?
“It is real, child,” Mother’s voice was gentle, yet it left no room for doubt.
“!!” I flinched in shock.
“No one is playing games here, child. We summoned you,” Arcane added.
I inhaled deeply, willing myself to think.
I wasn’t sure why… but something inside me believed them. Or maybe… they were making me believe them. Either way, I could feel it in my very bones—this was real.
“Why?” My voice was steadier now. “Why summon me?”
“Why, you ask?” Arcane mused, their earlier amusement fading into something far more serious.
Mother’s voice followed, just as firm. “Because, child, you have defied your fate.”
Arcane added, “You, who were born with a blank card—a symbol of nothingness… You have proven to the worlds that even nothing can become something.”
Mother’s words carried a weight I could feel pressing down on me, “And because you have broken free from the natural order, we have come here to offer you a gift…..” A pause.
“A wish.”
I froze.
A… w-wish?
My breath hitched. My fingers trembled slightly.
Wishes were only granted to those who had ascended to the top—to the ones who had claimed the title of Sovereign, standing at the absolute peak of existence.
Not to someone like me… Not to someone with a blank card—
“That is exactly why, child.” Arcane’s voice softened, carrying a strange warmth,
“You were given nothing… and yet, what you have done has shaken everything.”
Their words held such depth, such undeniable truth, that my heart pounded.
I…I… didn’t know why this was happening, why they had chosen me, but… it was real!!
Fucking real!
I sucked in a sharp breath, steadying myself as emotions surged through me. This was… beyond anything I had ever imagined.
It was impossible, and y-yet, it was happening!!
A miracle…. A chance… A h-hope!
My hands trembled slightly, my chest tightening with overwhelming anticipation. My heartbeat thundered in my ears, my breath turned uneven, and before I could stop myself, the words spilt from my lips.
“I-I want my m-mom back.”
“…”
“…”
A deep, crushing silence swallowed the space around me, making my pulse quicken with unease.
The weight of their silence was suffocating. The moments stretched endlessly, stretching my patience thin. Then, after what felt like an eternity—
“Are you sure about that?” Mother’s voice was calm, but beneath it, there was something else. Something unreadable. “Your mother… she killed you, didn’t she? And yet, you still want her back?”
The question should have shaken me. It should have made me hesitate. But instead, I smiled—a weak, yet unshaken smile.
“She didn’t kill me…” My voice was soft but firm. “She… protected me. She… gave me life. And no matter what, she is my mom.”
I staggered slightly, my body trembling, but my heart held firm.
“Mortals,” Mother muttered, a slight frown lacing her tone. “I will never understand you.”
“Hah! Look who’s talking,” Arcane remarked with a cryptic tone before turning her attention to me,
“Bringing back the dead isn’t as simple as you think it is… Even we, despite our power, do not hold full authority over life and death. The Law of Nature governs such matters, and even if we wished to intervene, there are limitations and unbreakable restrictions that not even we can defy.”
Hearing that, my face turned pale. The hope that had ignited in my heart just moments ago was suddenly crushed, shattered into nothingness—
But then, just as despair threatened to consume me, Mother’s voice resonated through the void, “However… there is one way to achieve what you seek.”
My eyes widened instantly, flickering with a fragile yet desperate hope. My breath caught in my throat.
Arcane followed up with a solemn tone, “…A life for a life.”
…. I didn’t need them to explain further.
The meaning of those words struck me like a blade to the chest. My teeth sank into my lower lip, hard enough that I could taste the faint metallic tang of blood. My body trembled as a whirlwind of emotions surged through me—pain, happiness, longing, guilt, and, above all, determination!!
I had brought nothing but terror and suffering to the world. My hands were stained with blood, and my existence had been nothing short of a nightmare for others. I had done unspeakable things, things that could never be erased or forgiven.
If this was the price… then so be it.
Even if I…. wouldn’t be there to witness my mother’s return, if she could breathe again, if she could laugh and exist in this world once more, then…. I could finally repay the d-debt I owed her.
A deep, shuddering breath left my lips before I whispered, “…Fine. Take mine.”
Lifting my trembling hand, I offered myself without hesitation, my fingers slightly curled, as if bracing for the inevitable.
“…”
“…”
A heavy silence followed. Though I couldn’t see them, I could feel something shifting in the space around me—an unspoken conversation, a silent exchange of thoughts passing between them.
It was as if they were whispering secrets just beyond my reach, deliberating something important.
Then, after what felt like an eternity,
Arcane’s voice rang out, loud and absolute, echoing with ethereal authority, “I, Arcane, The Creation of Every Ending, shall grant the wish of Marisandra Naiadia, the woman who bears the blood of a mermaid.”
The atmosphere around me trembled. The power in her words seeped into my very being, sending a cold yet oddly calming sensation through my body. It was as if her voice alone had weight, vibrating through my very soul, coming from everywhere and nowhere all at once.
And then—
Ba-dump!
A heartbeat?
No… Not mine.
Something warm, something gentle, something unfamiliar yet strangely comforting pulsed inside me. My breath hitched as a foreign sensation spread through my body.
My hand instinctively pressed against my stomach, where I felt an odd fullness, a warmth, unlike anything I had ever known…
My eyes widened as realization began to dawn on me.
My lips trembled as I hesitantly whispered, “M-Mom…?”
Mother’s voice remained calm, steady, almost soothing. “We cannot bring back the dead… but we can grant them new life.”
My fingers clenched slightly against my abdomen, gripping the fabric of my clothes. “S-So… it’s not really my mother?” My voice wavered with uncertainty, with fear.
Mother’s tone remained gentle, yet firm. “She is your mother, in soul and flesh. Her essence, her being, everything that makes her who she is—that remains unchanged….. However, we cannot restore her to the way she once was…. because Time does not exist here”
I didn’t fully understand their words….. They were speaking in riddles.
But… if it was truly her, if she was alive inside me if this was a second chance…
A shaky smile spread across my lips.
I was bearing my own mother?… What kind of fate was this?!
Arcane added, “However, it will take time for her to remember who she was.”
“Oh?” I blinked, momentarily surprised, though I didn’t feel particularly worried. After all, I could have a child—no, I would have a child, my mother… That thought alone sent a strange warmth through my chest. My smile widened, my hands instinctively caressing my abdomen as if trying to feel the life growing within me.
But then—
Mother’s voice took on a darker edge, “By the time she remembers everything… you will have to pay the price for wishing a life into existence.”
I didn’t flinch… I didn’t hesitate.
What else could I possibly ask for? My life was meaningless compared to hers.
Arcane’s tone turned grave,
“Do not forget—what you have now is temporary… We gave it as temporary for your happiness… Spend your time with her as much as you like.
If you fail to uphold your end of the promise… when the time comes, your mother’s life will be taken back.
After all, A Death… should always stay dead!.” Her voice echoed ominously, surrounding me like an undeniable fate, an unbreakable contract.
I simply smiled before nodding. “I understand.”
Clasping my hands together, I lowered my head in gratitude. These beings, these gods, had given me something I had never thought possible—a reason to live, a purpose beyond myself.
Everything was over.
Or so I thought…
“Now, it’s time for the curse.” Arcane said with amused tone!
“…Huh?”