Have you ever doubted the world around you? Doubted your own life, wondering if everything you're living is actually real?
Seraphine used to be like that. She'd lie awake at night thinking: Why is everything so perfect for me? Why did she get handed everything on a silver platter while other people struggled their whole lives just to survive? Did she save the world in some past life? Was she just born lucky?
For the longest time, she felt grateful. Blessed, even. She never envied or hated anyone. She figured the universe had picked her as its favorite—until she stepped into a world that had no place for her.
Nineteen years. Not a single friend. Just her and Mom in that massive castle, with Mom doing absolutely everything for her. No school, no classmates, just private tutors who came and went like ghosts, all women.
Actually, maybe she did have a friend once. Seraphine couldn't remember clearly anymore, because that story was too far away. She only remembered that the girl was the daughter of a servant. They'd built sandcastles together, painted pictures under the big tree,... the girl had even given her homemade cookies.
Until Mom found out…
From then on, Seraphine had no friends.
Looking back at those nineteen years, all she could remember were Mom's hugs, endless hours in the research lab, and knowledge being crammed into her head every single day.
Want a pet? Not even a goldfish. Curious about men? She'd seen the gardeners and security guards from her window. That was it.
Everyone else was living in the digital age, connected to everything instantly. Meanwhile, Seraphine was stuck playing Rapunzel in the 21st century.
The world kept spinning without her. Wars raged somewhere. Rich people partied on yachts. People died alone in dark corners. None of it touched her little bubble.
But honestly? Seraphine was happy. Servants, fancy food, designer clothes—what more could she want? And she had Mom. That was enough.
"This is your last glass of milk, my dear. You're all grown up now." Mom winked, gently running the comb through the girl's long black hair.
"Adults don't drink milk anymore," she added with a smile.
"Really?"
"Of course. You can do whatever you want now. Hey! Careful, you'll break your hair..."
Seraphine spun around so fast her hair whipped across her face. She stared at her mother, wide-eyed.
Mom met her gaze, sighed, and set the comb down. Then she pulled her daughter into a warm hug.
"I know I've been strict. No friends. No going out. No men. But remember this, my dear… everything I did was to keep you safe." She pressed a kiss to Seraphine's forehead.
"You're nineteen now. You're ready."
"Ready for what?" Seraphine asked, blinking in surprise.
"It's time for you to take responsibility for your own life. From now on, you can do whatever you want."
Seraphine frowned. Was this really her mother? Her pale blue eyes filled with confusion. She wondered if her mother had meant to kick her out.
Wasn't that what parents always did when their kids grew up... at least on TV?
"I don't want to change anything. Can't I just stay here with you fore..."
"You silly girl! I could kick you out right now if I wanted to. Better start job hunting, princess." Before the girl could finish, Mom cut her off with a firm but gentle voice.
So the TV shows were right after all. Seraphine smiled, not the least bit worried or excited. Of course, Mom was only joking.
"Drink up, then off to bed." Mom tapped her nose playfully, then grabbed the glass of milk.
"I love you, my perfect, beautiful daughter."
Feeling the warmth of a gentle hand stroking her head, Seraphine finished the milk in one go, then leaned in to kiss her mother's cheek. "I love you too, Mom," she whispered.
The last glass of milk? She didn't believe it. Mom would never let her step outside this castle or stop drinking this bitter liquid. One strange talk couldn't undo nineteen years of the same old rules.
Habits become reality when you repeat them long enough. And she had gotten used to a world that was merely 50,000 square feet.
Seraphine smiled at Mom, said goodnight, then collapsed onto her bed.
So tired. Why was she so exhausted? She'd planned to keep studying the Voynich Manuscript tonight…
Forget it. Maybe tomorrow…
And just like that, Seraphine let sleep take her.
In her dream, she saw an extremely beautiful child in a yellow floral dress. Everything looked familiar—the dress, the massive banyan tree overhead, the garden, the castle looming behind that child…
Even another girl running toward her with a box of crayons felt like a memory.
Oh, it was her and her childhood friend.
Seraphine smiled contentedly. She drew castles, drew flowers, drew Mom.
Drawing was so much fun. Especially with someone else.
Seraphine drew many things. Messy scribbles at first, then clearer and more detailed. Machines, molecules, bacteria,... she even started writing mathematical and physics formulas.
Wait, no! Where were the flowers? Where was the castle? She didn't want this! Stop it! Seraphine frowned, trying to control her right hand.
But disobedience came at a price. Her palm suddenly prickled as if tiny needles were crawling across it. The harder she fought, the worse it got. In the end, she gave up, letting her hand scribble out those familiar strings of lab data.
"From now on, you can do whatever you want."
Seraphine looked over at her friend. The little girl had stopped drawing and was staring at her.
"From now on, you can do whatever you want, Seraphine Saint Vault." The little girl repeated.
Nonsense.
Her life had been perfect—peaceful, happy, everything she could ask for. So this whole "do whatever you want" thing? Complete nonsense. She didn't want anything else.
But that didn't matter… Seraphine lowered her gaze, staring intently at her right hand. That prickling sensation in her palm—it was still there.
Why? She'd stopped resisting, hadn't she? Why was her hand still being punished?
Maybe bugs? Ants or mosquitoes? The fresh mint plants had just been planted on the balcony last week.
Or was it the new nightgown? Had it been washed? Was it the butler's mistake? Seraphine thought she shouldn't trouble herself with such things—after all, she was only dreaming.
"From now on, you can do whatever you want." Her friend kept repeating the same nonsense lie.
Seraphine didn't respond, continuing to focus on drawing. After a while, she frowned again.
Itchy. That prickling sensation… it was so itchy! Seraphine reached up to scratch her right palm.
Drip.
Water?
Cold liquid hit her skin, followed by a thick, metallic smell.
What was happening? Seraphine looked up at the banyan leaves. Was it raining?
Drip, drip—More drops fell from the empty sky, landing on her forehead. She held out her hand to catch them.
Red. Fishy.
It was blood.
What in the world! She squeezed her eyes shut. This dream was getting way too weird. Must be because of Mom's strange talk tonight. She should wake up…
She had to wake up!
Wake up, wake up, WAKE UP...
Seraphine slowly opened her eyes.
And froze.
For one horrible moment, she thought she'd completely lost her mind!
The sky was blood red. Her back was soaked. All around her, ruins piled up, like a massive junkyard.
No! Not like a junkyard. It actually was one! The girl shot up, one trembling hand clutching her soaked nightgown, the other covering her mouth and nose.
The stench. Rotting corpses. Piles of human waste. And endless mountains of garbage stretched as far as the eye could see. She was lying beneath a dead tree, its withered branches holding something... no, some dead thing…
Some dead thing strung up there, blood dripping steadily onto the back of her hand.
She immediately held her breath, but it was too late. The foul air had already filled her lungs, making her stomach twist in disgust.
"Khff… Khff..." Seraphine coughed, wobbling to her feet. The slimy ground squished between her bare toes.
She glanced around in panic.
There was nothing. No escape. No people. No life at all. Only giant towers of garbage and the harsh red glow from the sky, reflecting off the heavy, bone-chilling mist.
Was this a dream? An illusion?
"Where... where am I?" she whispered, her throat dry as sandpaper.
A rustling sound suddenly came from behind her. Seraphine spun around, startled. Her pale blue eyes went wide.
A massive pile of garbage sat not far from her.
It was swaying. Moving.
No—wait! The girl backed away, trembling hands still covering her nose and mouth. It wasn't the garbage pile moving... it was something else…
Something was slowly crawling out from that rotting mess.