Ethereal Fall [Undergoing Major Editing] | #Wattys2016

Chapter One [edited]

A/N: The pic above was my very first cover for this book (back when I still had the username AsamiTanaka O.O). From this chapter forwards, you'll be able to see my progression of covers and witness just how nitpicky I am in trying to make the perfect cover. Now, back to the story.

Who was I? What happened? Where am I? Why am I here?

Those questions evaporated into thin air the second my foot landed on the white tiles in that room. It was as if I was walking on a serene lake. With every step deeper and deeper into Ethereal, with every silver ring that emanated from the tips of my toes and disturbed the surface, the deeper my soul folded into itself, the farther away my mind fell from my flailing fingers. When I reached the heart of Ethereal, the Inner Village, with the Angel Xapham grasping my elbow and gently guiding me, those feelings of unease completely dissipated.

I was numb.

Xapham suddenly stopped walking and turned to face me. "This is your house, Asteria."

Except it sounded more like, "Lish wish oa arghss, Aghshtelia."

Not understanding, I collapsed to my feet, something wet bubbling from the back of my mouth and flowing down my chin, dripping onto the lacy bodice of the dress they fitted me into.

Face unchanging, Xapham produced something white and square and reached towards my face. Something thin and soft brushed against my chin, catching every last drop of the saliva that had dribbled down.

"Don't worry, Asteria. This happens to everybody. Our Stelli aren't perfect yet, so souls tend to arrive with speech interpretation malfunctions and uncontrollable instincts. All the signs will go away soon." But the words came in through one ear and flowed out the other. This information was completely useless to me. Instead, it was almost like he was talking to himself, reassuring himself in murmurs, like he was saying something he'd recited for decades.

He helped me up once more, draping one arm over his shoulder and walking towards a small white house on the side of the pavement. It was marked #1255 on the door in large white block numbering. He rapped sharply on the wood, and the sudden sound pounded against my eardrums, awakening the nerves that had laid dormant up until that moment. It was a sensation that I'd never forget.

"Hello, my lord Xapham."

I snapped my head up. A voice. A crystal-clear voice unlike Xapham's. It was lighter, but dropped dead the moment the words left her mouth. Ah. I see. She was like me: human.

"Hello, Cassiopeia. This is Asteria, your roommate, just like we promised." I felt fingers brush my back, slightly pushing me forward until I was face-to-face with Cassiopeia.

I couldn't see her. A blurry blob stood before my eyes, surrounded in light that wasn't as brilliant as Xapham's or Michael's, but enough for me to see the outline of this Cassiopeia thing.

"Hello, Asteria. Welcome to Ethereal." She looked me dead in the eyes.

The words flowed like a waterfall out of my mouth before I could stop them. "Hello, Cassiopeia. It's an honor to be your roommate."

She bobbed her head and turned her gaze towards Xapham, silent, almost as if she was waiting for a command.

"We'll be back soon. I'm going to show it to her."

Cassiopeia bobbed her head again and closed the door. I... I...

I turned my head abruptly to face Xapham and another slew of words tumbled out of my mouth. "What are you going to show me?"