Chapter Text
Prologue
"Commencing experiment 127."
A robotic voice rang through the lab as the computer beeped. The room's only occupant busied herself with reading the several outputs shown on the screen as the device connected to the setup started reacting. The woman named Samantha stayed calm, as this had occurred during many of the previous experiments (particularly iterations 45 and 112, during which the device had exploded). Instead, her focus was diverted to the computer as it started beeping again.
The screen flickered briefly, then stabilized, revealing lines of code cascading down like digital rain. Samantha adjusted her glasses, her dull eyes scanning for any irregularities. "Come on, just a little longer..." she whispered, conscious of the hours of painstaking work that led her to this moment.
Suddenly, the pressure in the room seemed to shift, a low hum reverberating through the lab. A warning light blinked on her console as she sighed. "Not again," she muttered under her breath, recalling the previous failures with a sense of dread.
The device began to glow a vibrant silver. Veins of energy snaked through its structure, revealing several patterns that had been etched onto the surface (Sam wasn't a believer of the occult, but if something as insignificant as a symbol had even the slightest chance of helping her fulfil her dream, it would be worth the effort spent carving each and every single line).
Her breath quickened as she noticed the distortion in the air, a shimmering mirage that seemed less like a physical barrier and more like a thin membrane separating her from another reality.
"Stabilization at 87%," the robotic voice continued, cool and detached.
With adrenaline coursing through her, Samantha approached the device, her breath stuttering at the prospect of finally achieving her goal. She had spent years working to prove that different dimensions could exist parallel to their own, and her experiments had tested the very fabric of reality. This particular one seemed the most successful so far.
"Initiating temporal alignment," she stated, adjusting the final parameters.
And then it happened.
There was a flash, a violent surge of energy, and then… nothing. Thus, Samantha Finnley met her end. …Or did she?
***
???? POV
“Oh gods, please save the young lady.”
“How is she?”
“This is terrifying!”
It was noisy.
Seriously? Can’t I even have a good quiet death?
From the sound of it, they were panicking. Strange…
Wait, there was no one else in my lab.
The lab where I had presumably met my end was a quiet and secluded place, and I vividly remembered that it was empty except for me. No, I think that wasn’t the issue here. The main issue was…
Why am I laying down?
I tried to gather my fragmented thoughts, aware that I was on something soft, unmistakably not the cold, sterile floor I had been standing on just now.
Every breath sent a jolt of agony through my body, and there was an unbearable itch crawling under my skin. Pain tightened around my chest, clogging my lungs. I tried to scream, to let someone know what agony I was in, but all I could manage was a futile twitch.
“The young lady moved!”
I heard a woman’s loud and relieved voice.
I wonder what lady they’re talking about.
Was there even something like noble ladies during this generation? Oh wait, there were. Well, not where I was.
Maybe someone had the name Lady? A certain manga uses that word as a literal name.
“Priest Alfonso, her eyes are still closed. Please make sure there’s nothing wrong with my dear daughter.”
Hm? Wait, why is someone touching the side of my face? Go treat your lady.
“The healing spell reached her in time, so it should be alright.”
An adult man’s voice reached my delicate ears.
Hm? What did this guy just say? Healing spell? Hey hey, what in the world is going on?
I was totally confused. Was something weird happening? This guy’s voice was definitely that of an adult, not some kid playing around and saying things like spells and magic.
“Amy, can you open your eyes?”
Now I was even more lost. That voice, so gentle, was calling to me.
I don't get it, why me? Who's Amy? My name’s Samantha. No Amys here, no sir.
Was this some kind of joke? Wasn't I supposed to be dead?
Still confused, I opened my eyes. Oh boy, what greeted my eyes only made me think I had lost my mind.
What is this? Where on earth am I?
I saw people who were wearing strange clothes, clothes that were definitely not of my time. A woman somewhere in her mid-thirties with blonde hair and purple eyes stared at me. She was wearing a white gown embroidered with intricate patterns, with her hair neatly tied up into a bun.
But that wasn’t exactly the main issue, the clothes were. They weren’t modern designs. No one would ever wear something like that under normal circumstances, or in a hospital (which is where I assumed I was). In any case, her outfit just didn’t sit well with me, and confused me even further.
On the other hand, there was a man with silver hair and blue eyes also staring down at me. He also seemed like he was in his 30s. He wore a white and gold long coat and clothing like an aristocrat in the 1800s, as expensive-looking as the aforementioned woman. Again, weird.
They both looked like they had stepped out from a movie about medieval times.
Two maids were also present at the back. How did I know they were maids, you might ask? Well, they were wearing black and white uniforms, which would unquestionably be worn by maids.
And beside me was a plain looking middle-aged man, although his clothes still looked a little expensive. Could this person be the priest(?) they were talking about?
Whoa, wait.
If that’s the case, didn’t that make me the “Young Lady”?
Who are these people? What in the world?
Only then did I notice the room around me. The ceiling was high, adorned with a delicate chandelier. The walls were white, beautifully decorated, with extravagant lamps embedded in them. It was a nice room— yet it screamed ‘nobility’.
“Amaryllis!”
The woman from before leaned closer to me.
What did she just call me?
“... Amaryllis?” A puzzled look formed on my face.
“Amy? Are you okay?” The man, seemingly sensing my confusion, gently called out to me.
I ignored him, my thoughts racing. My mind felt jumbled.
Aah! What the hell is going on? Did my experiment’s catastrophic failure somehow transport me through time?
I looked at my hands (tiny, tiny, so TINY). They were white as snow. I looked like I’d never once left the house, and never felt the warm touch of sunlight. I shifted my eyes towards my hair. It was white. No, “platinum” would be the best word to describe it.
I’m not me while I am me at the same time?
That was the only thing I could conclude at the moment. I was in a different body. And this was a totally different place and time.
Suddenly, a wave of pain crashed into my skull, a force that felt like it could splinter my very essence. I clutched my head. The world blurred around me, people screaming in panic, but all I could focus on was the agony spiralling in what felt like my very soul, merging past and present like a storm.
It hurts! It hurts so bad!! I clutched my head.
“Something’s wrong…”
“What are you doing, heal my child this instant!!”
“My power isn’t working… it seems that this is not a physical illness….”
Then came a rush. A surge. Memories—riotous, sharp, unstoppable—splintered into me like shrapnel. Fractured images flickered across my mind—a life as Amaryllis pierced my heart, blending with my life as Samantha.
Waves of despair washed over me. The pull of two lives, both clashing and converging, left me teetering on the precipice of existence, of identity, of every emotion both sides of me had ever felt.
I’m Amy!
No, I’m Sam. Two different individuals fought for my body, my thoughts, my soul—before seemingly reaching an agreement and… folding into one another?
I am... Amaryllis von Charlemont.
“Hurts….”
The words slipped out as I slumped back onto the bed, the chaos of the surroundings swirling into a blur, lost in the glint of silver that danced across my vision.