Who Am I?

  I sat up quickly, my chest heaving as if it were trying to escape my ribcage.

  Gasping for air, I clutched at my pounding heart and squeezed my eyes shut, desperately trying to calm down.

  As I began to calm down, I slowly opened my eyes and felt my heart skip a beat in disbelief at what I saw.

  The room around me seemed almost too surreal to be real. It was stark and small.

  The walls were drab, painted a pin gray, while the floor, made of luxurious marble, gleamed beneath me.

  Next to me was a small wooden nightstand, and the only source of light in the room came from a single white window.

  The scent of roses filled the air, their sweetness becoming acrid in my nose.

  "This isn’t my room?" I mumbled. I slowly swung my legs over the edge of the bed and decided to explore my surroundings.

  Suddenly, a sharp headache struck me, as if millions of needles were jabbing at my head.

  I staggered but managed to brace myself against the wall.

  Where are these headaches coming from?

  I squinted at a white door in front of me.

  I gnced around, searching for another exit, but there was none.

  Steadying myself against the wall, I shuffled toward the door.

  As my hand reached for the golden doorknob, I flinched at the sound of a sudden CLICK.

  My heart began to race.

  I quickly looked around the room and spotted a golden key on the floor.

  I snatched it up and ducked behind the door just as it began to creak open.

  “Lucy?” a voice called from the other side of the door. A man’s voice?

  The door creaked open, and I glimpsed the back of a man with very short, light brown, messy hair.

  I cautiously pushed the door open to reveal myself.

  “Where’s Luc—” I lunged at him, key in hand.

  But he managed to dodge the attack, as he spun around to face me.

  His hooded bronze eyes widened in surprise.

  “Woah! You scared me! Don’t just jump at me like that! You almost gave me a heart attack!” he said with a chuckle, pcing a hand on his chest.

  I furrowed my brow and quickly slipped the key into my sleeve.

  “Do... I know you?” I asked, my voice sounding unfamiliar.

  Why does my voice sound so different?

  I touched my throat, trying to figure out what was wrong.

  I stopped when I realized I was talking to someone.

  The man seemed momentarily frozen by my question, tilting his head and studying me with a look of confusion.

  “Lucy, are you...?” He paused.

  My heart pounded, wild and frantic like a hunted animal fleeing from its predator.

  I looked away from his gaze, feeling a wave of unease.

  I turned back to him and as I was about to speak, the man suddenly interrupted me.

  “Are you sick?!” He excimed, suddenly grabbing both my arms.

  “What?”

  “Here, I’ll help you!” He quickly said, as he released my arms.

  The brown-haired male held his hands out in front of me, palms open and about an inch apart.

  As he breathed heavily, he slowly closed his eyes. He spoke again, this time in a chant-like manner, simir to how witches might curse their enemies.

  “Restoration.” He chanted.

  My eyes widened as his thin hands suddenly began to emit a bright yellow light, reminiscent of the sun, which descended and touched my skin.

  It wasn’t hot or painful as the sun but instead, it was warm and comforting, inducing a sense of rexation.

  The headache I’d been suffering from vanished as if it had never existed.

  This warmth was unlike anything I’d ever felt before.

  Was that… Magic? I wondered.

  “Lucy!” He called, shaking me gently back to reality. Concern fshed his eyes.

  I gnced away, and an awkward silence fell between us.

  After a moment, he let out a deep breath and patted my shoulder.

  “You okay?” he asked softly, pulling his hand away from my shoulder.

  I flinched at the sound of footsteps behind me.

  Gncing over my shoulder, I saw a man standing there.

  Our eyes met, his amber eyes locked onto mine with a look of confusion.

  As I continued to observe him, he had quite a striking look. I quickly averted my gaze.

  “Is everything alright?” He asked.

  As I stared at the man in front of me, he shrugged.

  I could still sense the other man’s intense gaze on me.

  “Thed, let me ask you again, is Lucille alright?” he demanded, his voice now edged with irritation.

  “I think...?” Thed hesitated, gncing nervously at me.

  As I looked over at him again, the man turned his attention to me, his golden hair bounced gently as he inspected me from head to toe.

  His frown deepened before he turned to face Thed again.

  “Maybe your mana was too weak to heal him.” He said in sarcasm.

  Thed scoffed and folded his thin arms.

  “I performed Restoration, a second-gen spell, thank you very much!”

  I frowned in annoyance by their ongoing bickering.

  “Yeah, you seem quite skilled,” the man snickered. Thed pouted, his cheeks puffing out slightly in frustration.

  Their eyes locked in a fierce stare, like cats and dogs squabbling over territory.

  “Enough!” I intervened, my voice firm.

  “If you’re going to fight, you might as well do it in front of me,” I added, showing no hint of concern.

  They both gnced at me, exchanging puzzled looks.

  Ther slowly lowered his arms, while the other man started to rub the back of his neck and continued to stare at me.

  “When did Lucy ever lose his temper?” Thed snickered.

  The other man choked, trying to stifle his ughter by clearing his throat.

  I looked at them, baffled. I exhaled in frustration and shook my head.

  It doesn’t matter.

  “Oh right, my name is not Lucy. Please refrain from calling me that... Name,” I said.

  They both paused, clearly confused.

  “But you are Lucille though?” Thed questioned.

  “I have never encountered that man in my life. Are you truly unaware of who I am?” Thed and the other man exchanged another puzzled look, leaving a heavy silence.

  “You.. Don’t?”

  “Of course we do.” The other man responded, though his voice cked conviction.

  I exhaled in exasperation.

  “You’re our brother?” Thed said, I flinched at his answer.

  I pressed my forehead in frustration. This is going nowhere.

  Turning my back on them, I retreated into the room and smmed the door behind me, leaving both men in a state of confusion.

  I locked the door to ensure they would not disturb me further.

  I needed some peace.

  I walked up to the window.

  The light shone on my bare face, making me flinch.

  My eyes widened as I was astonished by what I saw. My mind was filled with questions.

  The nd that were once vast pins was now transferred into a cityscape of monstrous buildings, clean roads, and even advanced machinery.

  Leaning closer to the window, I touched the warm gss.

  “Is this real?” I pondered aloud. How did I end up here? Where am I?

  …Did I truly die?

  I stepped back from the window, trying to make sense of what I had just seen.

  Running my fingers through my hair, I gnced around the room until my eyes nded on a vanity.

  As I approached it, another realization struck me as I gazed intently into the gleaming mirror.

  A man I didn’t recognize stared back at me.

  “What in the name of Divinity is this?”