Schala Zeal - Prologue; The Blank Dream
Zeal was once a great marvel... A timeless symbol, of the great power its residents had been bestowed, regarded almost like gods by those below. However, such power rarely came without a price, and the ones the Kingdom of Zeal had once reveled in, certainly was no different.
For many years, its residents lived a high life, both figuratively and literally... With access to incredible technologies, and boundless amounts of power, but even this wasn't enough to satisfy Queen Zeal herself.
Using her very own daughter, Schala, she sought to summon the very source of this power and awakened the great destroyer... Lavos, from its ancient slumber.
Despite a short-lived intervention from a group of unlikely heroes, and even a false prophet of sorts, Lavos was much too powerful to contain, let alone destroy... And with an immense display of power, he struck down the Kingdom of Zeal and sent its residents hurtling to the ground, save for Queen Zeal herself, who ascended to a new level of power... And a few others, including Schala herself, who were scattered through time and space.
The last thing Schala could remember was using the last of the power she had in her amulet to send those that she could away from their impending doom... Before Lavos's thunderous roar rung out through the heavens, and the Kingdom of Zeal was torn apart.
Just as she felt the ground beginning to give away beneath her, she was suddenly enveloped in blackness.
It was hard to tell if she was dead, or alive, but all sense of depth perception seemed to leave her, as she could not see anything but darkness around her... However, she could feel the presence of something else that was drawing her closer and closer.
Whatever it was, it sent shivers down her spine, leaving her rather... Unsettled to say the least. She had no intention of moving closer to whatever it was, in here with her... But it seemed she had no choice... Almost like it was physically pulling her towards it.
Just then, a bright, all-encompassing light surrounded her, but instead of giving her a feeling of warmth, she felt more like she was being tossed into a pool of water... And soon, all her feelings, and senses faded away, for seemingly no reason at all.
For the first time in a while, she was truly... At peace.
No dreams, no nightmares, no worries, no thoughts... Nothing but an eternal, blankness.
A blank dream, or so it seemed.
Eventually, she awoke, stirring lightly as she realized her senses were returning to her... And she could hear others beginning to stir around her too.
Cracking open her eyes, she found herself in an unfamiliar place, a lab... Unlike anything that she's ever seen before in her life...
When she finally got herself up, taking a better look at her surroundings, she noticed that she, along with many others, were contained in a box made up of either glass or plastic; it was hard to tell just by looking at it, being observed by countless individuals, who were dressed in uniforms she had never seen the likes of in the Kingdom of Zeal.
It was pretty apparent that wherever she was, it clearly wasn't home... Nor was it any fathomable timeline she could remember, so... Where was she? When was she?
She and the others were soon told to wait patiently, that they would feel the effects of their transition for a few minutes, whatever that meant.
Well, perhaps these effects of whatever transition had happened, was this sudden stiffness in her body... Like she was suddenly burdened with a heavy load that was never there, and a dull ache in her head... As if something was missing.
Fortunately, she had no weapons to lose, unless her amulet counted as one, which she
searched her own body for, just to make sure it's there.
Though, regardless of if it was... Schala, unlike some others, who were more restless, and wanted answers as soon as possible... Decided to
sit down, crossing her legs as she closed her eyes, trying to bring back that tranquil feeling she had during that transition between that darkness, where she ended up after the Ocean Palace incident and her arrival here.
That moment of uninterrupted peace, that she hoped would bring her comfort once more... At least, until a further explanation was given, in due time.
However, if anyone wanted to interact with her, she probably wouldn't be too bothered.
On the other hand, she was a bit absorbed with trying to reach a sort of... Meditative state, so much so that someone would probably have to tap her on the shoulder, or get her attention in some other, reasonably noticeable way.
