A soft melody woke me up from dozing off on a soft cushion that feels new for my body. I rolled my eyes around and realized I'm in a small room. There's a small, rectangular window at my right side. The ceilings were made of stones and the walls were made of bricks.

Actually, it looks more like a cage rather than a room.

 

I sat up and in front of me is someone wearing white long sleeves. His fingers were making waves as he moved them accross the piano keys, creating gentle notes of music.

 

"Who are you?" I asked that he stopped playing the piano. He turned to me and gave me a vibrant smile.

"I'm Yixing. One of the sentinels in this castle of the temporarily dead."

"Why am I here?"

"Why?" He took a pause and let his fingers slide back and forth on the keys. "Your body's currently comatosed after being hit on the head. Because of that, your spirit was sent here, waiting for a possible chance to live once again. Or to just die. To b honest... unfortunately, I was told that you're in a very critical condition and they might just...kill you permanently.

 

My eyes widened of the sudden revelation. Tears fell. I couldn't stop my heart from breaking.

 

"No... they need me!" I bawled as my eyes shut in distress.

"I'm sorry." He mumbled. No, I don't need an apology. I need a way out.

"Tell me how I could get out from here! Please. Whatever it takes."

 

He looked at me without saying anything. And I can't see an answer through his eyes. They're empty and meaningless.

 

"I beg you. I still want to be with my family. And in a month, My boyfriend and I are going to celebrate our second anniversary." I bowed my head on the bed, hoping he'd spill out something.

"There is..." He paused. I abruptly lifted my head up and gawked at him, waiting for the words he's about to say. "I think it would be fine to tell you about this... The tree of life is the bridge between this world and the Earth. But you have to go through a lot of danger."

"What do you mean?"

"You have to fight against the guardians of life. They carry the power of water, earth, fire and wind. For instance, you're able to beat the water guardian, he'll give you the stone key he has. Once you collect all of the stone keys, you must bring those to the Tree of life and place them on their proper arrangement. And that would open the door to Earth." He took a pause and stared at my eyes.

 

"But if you're beaten instead, you'll be permanently dead."

 

"Where are they?"

"Why? Are you going to try beating them? Then I'm telling you. You'll just have the same fate as the others who recklessly went in an adventure yet unable to see even a glimpse of those guardians. It's dangerous outside. The evil forces are roaming around."

"I don't care!" I cried out then crawled to the edge of the bed.. "I'd rather risk my life than to stay here."

 

I walked to the door and was about to open it. But he suddenly hugged me from the back and whispered. "If anything happens to you, I'd feel guilty about it."

 

"Just" I held the both of his hands and shove it away. "Let me go."

 

Holding the door knob of the wooden door apparently made of marble, I heaved a sigh and tried opening the it. But it won't open and I was casually paralyzed.

 

"I-I can't move..."

"Sorry. You're so stubborn that I have to use my powers on you."

I felt myself being slowly lifted from the ground, flown and laid on the white bed. Unable to move even a little.

 

He opened the door and gave me a stare.

"Stay here and don't do anything foolish."

 

"L-let me go!"

 

Seemingly deafened, he slammed the door shut. And I was left there with dead silence. Yet I'm able to move again.

 

I hastened to the door and slammed it with my fist. I tried opening it but it's locked. However, when I moved my feet, I stepped onto a something which caused me to flinch and jerk. And when I hunched my back and I found out it's a gold ring with a shiny, violet gem in the center. I picked and stared at it as I rolled it over my thumb using my index finger and decided to try if ever this fits on me by placing it on my right middle finger and suddenly, it shone vibrantly. I felt my body being filled by an unknown and strong aura. It flowed from the ring, through my veins. I tried removing it from my fingers. But it seems like it was glued on my skin.

 

All of a sudden, a noise aroused, apparently from a commotion outside. It caused too much noise that I heard it from my room that is presumably on the tenth floor or more.

I hastened to the small window beside the bed I laid on. It’s the only window in this room so I have to bear with it.

Holding onto the metal bars purposely arranged horizontally, I looked down, trying to investigate what’s the ruckus about. Unfortunately, these metal bars prevent me from being able to clearly see what’s happening outside. All I can see are clouds of smoke and meteorite-like objects that kept shifting their directions.

 

“You can’t stay here!” Someone suddenly barged in, slamming the door open. It surprised me that I turned my head out of reflex, bug-eyed. “It’s dangerous. They’re attacking!” And it was that Sentinel guy who locked me in this room earlier.

“I don’t care. You told me to stay here, right?”

“Stop being stubborn! You still want to see your family and boyfriend, don’t you?” He shut the door and quickly approached me. “The underworld forces have come. I don’t know what their purpose is but one thing is for sure. They’ll harm everyone here!”

 

I glared at him, puckering my lips and finally decided to listen to this stranger. I raised my right hand into a 45 degree angle, waiting for him to grab it.

 

“What’s that for?” His brows bumped together into a scowl.

“Aren’t you going to drag me away? Or you’d make me fly instead? Like what you did before?”

 

His eyes rolled from my eyes, to my hand and so on. At last after numerous rolling of his eyes he finally held my hand. Well maybe not, if this building didn’t shake a bit. Guess something struck the wall outside.

 

“Let’s go.”

 

He pulled me as he dashed out of that room. We both ran under the falling debris from the stone ceiling and brick wall. On our way I saw everyone panicking; the likes of him and some people that seems to be humans from Earth.

 

I don’t know but I could feel that a great adventure of mine is about to start.