1 Chapter 01: The Novelist

Under the light of the moon, a young maiden stood in front of a full-length mirror and studied her reflection. She has long, platinum blonde hair that flows past her waist, with a small portion of it styled into curtain bangs that framed her face. She had piercing green eyes that seemed to glow in the darkness like emeralds, and her full lips were set in a fine line. She wore a simple night dress made up of silk with intricate laces, emphasizing her noble and slender figure.

"Ah," she inhaled sharply and coughed, her hand swiftly moved in motion to cover her mouth with a napkin. Her chest tightened upon seeing the red stain imprinted on the white fabric. "My sickness brought nothing but disgrace to the imperial family. I wonder how long it will take for them to dispose of me?"

Her name is Regina Victoria De Beaufort, the crown princess of Kingdom Celestia. Deemed cursed from the moment she was born, she was frail and weak because of her incurable blood disease. Everyone believed that her birth caused the loss of her mother, the late Queen Charlotte. Her resemblance to the former queen was the sole factor that kept her alive, yet it failed to prevent her family from their growing resentment towards her at the same time.

"How long do you plan to reject me, Regina?"

Her thoughts were quickly interrupted when she suddenly heard a sudden, icy whisper that grazed across her ear, sending shivers down her spine. She turned her heels towards the direction of the source. "Who's there?!"

Terror crawled across her skin and her lips quivered as her voice echoed through the empty chamber.

She was alone.

She faced the mirror again, convincing herself that it must be her eyes playing tricks on her, but stopped midway, her face growing pale at the sight of her reflection.

Someone.

Someone was standing behind her; its features hidden by pure darkness.

Regina's heart raced as she reached out to touch the mirror, hoping to find some kind of explanation, but to her dismay, her fingers met only cold glass. The figure did not have any intention to leave and Regina knew this. Her lips parted open when the figure started to disintegrate into shadows and seemingly to shift and and change before her eyes.

Regina didn't know what to make of the sight unfolding in front of her. She knew she must run and save her dear life, but her feet won't listen to her calls. It seemed like she was frozen in place, helpless and waiting to be devoured.

"Why do you appear to be so scared of me, darling?" The figure slowly emerged from the mirror, its outline becoming more defined. Regina gasped as she saw the person that came out of her mirror - it was wearing her own face, with sharp, crimson eyes and proud fangs ready to bite her neck.

Regina screamed and backed away from the mirror, her heart pounding and mind racing with questions and fear. "Don't come any closer!"

But before she could even step back to create distance from the intruder, someone from behind dragged her back into the darkness and her screams were muffled in silence.

"Okay! I'm going to stop here," exclaimed Marceline as she paused typing the novel she was working on. Marceline sighed, rubbing her tired eyes. She then looked at her side and the white neon lights of her digital clock stared back at her. Her mouth parted when she finally saw what the time was.

"Three fucking am?!I've been stuck on this chapter for three hours? How can that be?"

She looked away from the clock, feeling disappointed with herself. She stared at her writing application, which displayed the current blank page of her novel that she had planned to finish within that wee hour, and felt worse. She leaned back on her chair and stared at the white ceiling, trying to clear her mind to come up with a solution.

"Come on, brain. Think..." she muttered to herself, trying to coax her creativity. But when nothing still came to mind, she reached out for her coffee and took a large sip, stinging her tongue with its hot temperature.

"I'm awake, I'm awake!" she squeaked, setting down her cup and waving her hands across her mouth, as if it would help soothe the pain. She sighed again and returned her eyes to her monitor screen. She hovered her fingers over the keyboard, ready to begin typing again, but was immediately distracted by the red, flowing curtains by her window. 

She clicked her tongue, ready to be annoyed, but the color remained in her mind as if she was in a short trance. Her eyes widened.

"Red is for blood...." Marceline whispered to herself and glanced at her screen. Smirking, her fingers flew across the keyboard as she began to type the scenes that flooded her mind. 

"Regina's roots had something to do with ancient blood magic!" she exclaimed, her excitement growing as she continued to write. "Well, I don't really like vampire tropes that much, so I will come up with a new being that kinda has the same characteristics.

"Regina opened her eyes with no recollection of what happened the previous night. She shifted her position and sat up in bed, stretching her body. She softly moaned as she felt a sharp pain on the side of her neck. She reached up to touch the spot, but felt nothing but her smooth, fair skin. She frowned, sensing that something was strange about herself that day. She tried to remember what happened before she went to bed, but was unable to recall anything."

Marceline stopped for a while and took another sip of her coffee. "I haven't thought about who that person was but it's not a problem though, since my future self will be in charge of writing that. It's the plot twist of the story or something! This is so cool!"

Marceline spent hours finishing the scene from one of the chapters of her book and was satisfied with the outcome. "Man, I still have a long way to go," she mumbled. "I haven't slept for three days just to write the initial chapters of this book." 

She reached for her coffee and sipped its last contents with a dead expression.

"But still! Starting is always the hardest. I've written novels before and finished them. I just need to give myself time."

Marceline had always loved writing. With her hectic work and academimcs, she could only turn to her writing to ease her exhaustion. During her darkest moments, writing became not just a pastime but a lifeline. She wanted to write so she could breathe. 

However, despite this connection, Marceline isn't exempted from the dreadful experience of writer's block.

"Oh well, I cannot do something with this so let me just put up some music and finish my character sheets. Maybe that will give me ideas to continue my story," said Marceline, settling her cup to the side and pulling out a different working sheet on her laptop. She smiled widely when she saw the short list of characters she previously started writing a while ago. She hovered her fingers over the keyboard and she continued typing the remaining details left for her characters.

"This one has a dark past, while this one..hmm, wait she doesn't have a hair color yet. Let me see, let's give you black hair...Oh! I'll name you Marceline!" she grinned. "I feel so giddy. Giving my name to a villainess character is so much fun."

Marceline sighed and finally closed her laptop, her body screaming for rest. She threw her quilt over her body and stood up, making her way to the bed and lying down, embracing the comfort of her soft bed that she had long forgotten because of her creative pursuits.

"And with that," Marceline released a sigh of relief. "I shall take my rest–"

But before Marceline could even finish her sentence, she felt a sudden sharp shot in her brain and it coursed through her veins. Gasping, she sat upright in bed, her hand instinctively reaching the right side of her head where the pain seemed to come from. She opened her mouth and attempted to speak, but her words were slurred and gibberish, all while the numbness spreaded further down the side of her body.

"Something is wrong."

She tried to get out of bed and call for help, but her legs wouldn't cooperate. She collapsed onto the floor, her vision blurring and her head spinning. She could hear her own panicked breathing and the sound of her heart racing in her ears.

As she lay there, struggling to stay conscious, Marceline finally realized what was happening. Her body grew cold and horror was plastered on her face. She struggled to move her body and ask for help, her entire being screaming with reluctance. She cried silently, feeling as though she was standing across death's door.

"No..." Marceline despaired, thinking only of one thing. "I haven't finished my book yet. I wanted to know how I would conclude it. No, this can't be my end!"

Suddenly, a gentle voice resonated in Marceline's head. "Marceline Santos, do you confirm the wishes of your heart?"

"I must be crazy, hearing these things," Marceline thought to herself, her consciousness starting to slip. "Is death talking to me? Is that it?" But before she could close her eyes, one thought lingered in her mind and responded to the strange voice.

"I badly want to complete my novel and write more stories. If I'm just given one more chance, then I'll..."

As Marceline's eyes shut, a dialogue box appeared across her face.

[Wish confirmed. Traversing worlds in 1...2...3...]

***

"Lady Marceline, it's time to wake up!"

Marceline's eyes shot open, pulling herself up with ragged breaths and quivering lips; the remnants of her nightmare clinging to her like a haunted memory. She hastily checked her hands and moved them, sighing with relief when she finally felt control returning to her limbs, the pain already gone.

"I'm alive," she mumbled, gasping. "I'm alive! I can continue writing my novel now."

"Lady Marceline, what is wrong?"

Marceline jolted at the sound of the unfamiliar voice, speaking softly and politely, as if calling someone of importance. Marceline gulped and feared for her safety. Surely she was nothing but a nobody to society, so why would someone try to address her formally like that?

She turned her head towards the person and then tilted her head slightly upon seeing a young lady dressed in a maid's uniform.

"Who are you?" asked Marceline as she finally surveyed her surroundings. The walls of the room were heavy red velvet, adorned with exquisite pieces of furniture. Chairs and sofas boasted intricate golden carvings, ornate tables displayed shiny, polished surfaces that gleamed under the light, and a grand chandelier hung from the ceiling, casting a warm silver glow across the room.

"Where am I?" Marceline looked down and noticed her enormous bed designed with flowing fabrics, designed with hundreds of sparkling diamonds and golden leaves. The bedding consisted of layers of silk and satin, as did her pillows, which felt cold to the touch.

Marceline was enticed by the luxury and quickly sunk into her soft bed. "Wow, it doesn't matter where I am. I wish I could just live like this forever!"

"LADY MARCELINE!"

Marceline snapped out of her reverie when the person called her once again with a hurried tone. She pulled the quilt closer to her body and her cheeks slightly flushed. She felt embarrassed. "What the hell am I doing? This is obviously not my house! Of course, this maid will be angry at me because I'm acting cheeky!"

"Have you come to your senses, Lady Marceline?"

Marceline nodded. "I'm sorry. Can you please tell me where I am and how did I get here? Everything feels like it's out of a movie. I like the historical drama theme though." She sneered. "Taking notes for my stories. Thank you for the reference!"

"Lady..."

Marceline lifted her gaze, and her eyes widened when she noticed the tears lingering at the edges of the maid's eyes. "W-What...What's happening?! Did I do something wrong?"

"Lady, you must be sick because you've been saying a lot of weird things since earlier." The maid took a step back and wiped her tears. "Wait here, my lady. I must call for a doctor! You will be well, I promise!"

"Wait!"

But before Marceline could even do anything, the maid already stormed out of the room. Marceline furrowed her brow before releasing a heavy sigh. "What the hell is going on?"

Marceline climbed out of the bed and sprung up on her feet. She roamed around the room and stood across a mirror, her reflection only showing her the lower part of her body. Stepping closer, Marceline wiped the mirror with her arms and finally saw herself staring back at her. Her jaw almost dropped when she saw how she looked like.

"Black hair with wavy ends...aurora-colored eyes, and... wait a second, this face..." Marceline's expression darkened as realization dawned on her. "It's the villainess from my new story, Marceline!"