Chương 303: Gentle Awakening

Rose awoke with a sudden motion, sitting up in bed, only to look around confusedly. She had thought herself still to be in the dark pool for a moment, but the memories quickly found their rightful spots inside her mind. She remembered how she had fallen asleep in Mara's arms after the pool had emptied itself. The woman, who didn't know why she trusted so much, was nowhere to be seen right now, but it was clear that it was she who had brought Rose here.

This was the room that the otherworlder had been told was available when she was staying inside the Gravescape. The grey walls of this place were always a bit grim, but Mara had done her best to make this room a warm place in which Rose could feel safe, and being that the Nebulo was the kind of monster with an affinity for hiding inside people's rooms at night, her idea of a safe bedroom was one with no closet, and where the bed possessed no empty space underneath.

It was a nice intention, but it was a bit hard to be scared of such stuff for Rose now. Even if it could very much be a reality in this world, she was no longer a child, and these fears had passed… Not to mention that Mara was the most dangerous of such monsters in her mind, so if anything, any other monsters should be the ones afraid to be anywhere near her. … In any case, Rose had expected to wake up with a splitting headache or anything like that, but she had never felt more refreshed.

She was wearing a comfortable nightgown that Mara had probably put on her, and as far as the Unwanted Presence could see, her body hadn't been changed by the mask or pool.

"Hold on…" She opened the drawer of her nightstand and retrieved a small mirror… Indeed, even the marks that the mask should have left after hooking itself into her face were nowhere to be seen. It was just her regular face. She was the same freckled redhead as she had always been, her bright hazel eyes still a perfect match for those of her late mother.

Being a bit familiar with stories of other worlds, as her farm wasn't cut off from the world or anything, she had almost expected to find her rugged, calloused hands all smooth, but thankfully, they were still the same. Rose stretched her body, finding herself a little bit stiff as her joints popped louder than ever before. Not a single spot that could crack didn't do so.

"Oh my… That's satisfying, but how long have I been lying in bed?" There was a clock, but it only told the time, not the day.

"I should try to find Miss… I mean… I should try to find Mara" The country girl frankly didn't understand why she was so trusting of the purple-eyed woman, even after being told by this very woman that she had been abducted. For some reason, Mara just seemed like someone Rose could put her belief in. It might be due to her reminding Rose of someone, or perhaps it was just a gut feeling, but the otherworlder did not feel inclined to question it at all.

Besides, she had run into Xlown a few times, who, albeit a bit odd, was a nice girl, and she claimed to be Mara's daughter. Which Rose could have guessed without being told, actually. Xlown did look like a younger, more petite version of Mara. The eye colour wasn't a perfect match, but Xlown had purple eyes nonetheless. Rose had long realised that Xlown was a monster herself, a different kind from Mara, it seemed, but the freckled girl was frankly not that worried about it.

She had learned a lot thanks to the many lessons she had received, and this world was a wide and wild one. There being monsters you could trust to turn your back on wasn't weird at all… it definitely was far less bizarre than the fact that you could walk somewhere, and see the sun disappear, only to be replaced by another. Something that made absolutely no sense for someone from Rose's world.

It implied that the sun–Or suns–Weren't in space at all, and yet, she had also been told that there was a largely empty void with other bodies, such as planets, in it… Though it was only accessible after getting through several layers of sky, which was something Rose hadn't yet fully grasped. She had only heard it in passing, but it seemed like there were more clouds above the clouds, but that you could somehow not see those extra layers from the ground, only when you went above the first layer of clouds.

"Oh… I might actually get a headache…" She slapped both palms against each side of her face to stop thinking about things that her brain from a much less convoluted world couldn't quite fathom yet. Only then did she notice a small metal box sitting on her nightstand. She recognised the steel as the kind that Mara usually manifested when she had the appearance of a graceful knightess. Smooth steel that seemed to glow with how greatly it reflected light… Inside was nothing groundbreaking.

There is a steel bottle made in the same manner as the box, and a sandwich wrapped in paper alongside a small note. My apologies if I am not here when you wake up, Sweetheart. Make sure to eat and hydrate yourself properly, though! Rose couldn't help but smile at the simple message, and she couldn't help but cry warm tears without understanding why.

"It… It's been so long…" This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it She ate the sandwich like it was a meal made by the gods themselves. She eventually managed to gather her bearings, and after an hour of being awake, the door to the room was pushed open, and Mara, in her 'Gynoid Form', stepped in.

"Ah! Our sleeping beauty is awake, I see""I am not that pretty…" Rose didn't even think to ask if Mara actually knew the story that she seemed to have referenced. Not that she had much time, as the purple-eyed woman stepped close and pinched Rose's cheeks.

"Not that pretty, you say? Are mirrors broken here? You are genuinely gorgeous, Girly Pop. I'll have you know that tomboys are in very high demand by men–You do like men, right?"

"Yes…?"

"Just asking. In case I run into someone who might seem like a good match… It will be easier for you compared to Xlown and my little sisters. You know, with them being a unique monster and ghosts? But just because of this, it doesn't mean that they can't get into matters of the heart like other girls" Mara sat in the chair situated just near the bed, where Rose assumed she had been sitting whilst waiting for her to wake up.

"How… How long have I been sleeping?"

"Just a few days. Don't worry, nothing much happened. More importantly, are your limbs not too tired?" Rose raised her arms just fine.

"I was a bit stiff earlier, but now I'm better""Ah, so it would seem like it really worked out! To be honest, I felt like it wasn't my place to stop you after I explained everything, but I was worried the mask and pool would have an adverse effect, but it seems like it went as well as it possibly could have!" Mara reached for Rose's face again, as if looking for something.

"Looks good here as well…" She retracted her hands.

"Could you try to focus on the mask? It broke apart and went into you, so it should normally be present in some way. The previous guys before you got rather weird masks, but unlike you, they were pretty much failures""Alright…" The farmer girl tried to focus like how she would focus on her inner mana, and before she realised it, a mask appeared on her face, but she only noticed when Mara pointed it out, as Rose couldn't feel it, nor did it impair her vision in any capacity. It was like it wasn't there.

It was the same blank white mask as before.

"Mmh… Could you try to modify it, perhaps?" With just a thought, the blank mask turned wooden.

"Oh, that's pretty nice. You can customise it as much as you want. You should definitely see how much you can push this. It could be useful! Anyway, do you feel any different with the mask on?"

"Not really…?"

"Mmh, I suppose it is like a part of you, so you don't notice, but I can tell that you're way stronger when it is manifested, and as I noticed before I came into the room, it seems like you are way stealthier when the mask is off""Do you think you are up for a little training session, Rosie?"

"Of course!"

"Great, get a change of clothes, I'll be waiting for you outside" Rose nodded and soon stood up after the door shut. The nightgown didn't really suit her style.

It would seem more appropriate on a girl with softer skin, but she would be lying if she said that she didn't like being cute every now and then–She remembered that there was a boy she liked when she was little, and Rose was certain that he was handsome nowadays, but he unfortunately moved away before she could see it for herself, and also before she could ever understand her own feelings and communicate them. She was definitely going to keep the nightgown. It was way too comfortable not to wear it again.

Mara had actually provided all sorts of clothes to the otherworlder, claiming that she had made them all, which was impressive, as they were all very well made, and now that Rose seemed to be more in tune with negative energy, she could feel that the clothes were imbued with this kind of energy. This certainly explained why they were so durable and flexible despite their appearance.

Although there was a variety of styles, Mara had caught on that Rose was a big fan of her typical farm attire, and provided a bunch of checkered shirts, overalls, and suspenders alongside some big shoes and boots. There were even hats, much to Rose's pleasure. When she emerged, the country girl was simply wearing a red shirt tucked into grey pants, the whole thing held together by a belt. Her sleeves were rolled up just past the elbows.

It was certainly quite something to be able to wear all of this and feel as though her motions could not be restricted in any way. The mask was so unnoticeable that she hadn't even thought about removing it this whole time.

"If I may…" Mara tried to nudge and gently remove the mask herself.

"Do you feel anything when I do this?"

"Mmh… A little bit? It doesn't hurt, I am just… I can just feel that something is moving""I see, can you make the mask disappear like you can make it appear?" The reply came after a few seconds.

"No""Then, try to remove it like a regular mask" Rose did as she was told, and the currently wooden mask with eye holes that definitely should have limited her sight came off with ease, soon popping out of existence completely. Mara rubbed her chin in thought. Especially as there was a cooldown of some sort before Rose was able to summon the mask again, which cemented the idea that she was granted different boosts, and perhaps abilities, depending on whether the mask was on her face or not.

With a smile, Mara softly grabbed Rose's shoulder. For some reason, despite the redhead not being that much shorter than her at the moment, Rose felt like her instructor was way bigger than she was, but not in a frightening way–In a reassuring manner, instead.

"You have a lot of potential. You'll go far in life, Girly… But first, we need to make sure we know the full extent of your newfound abilities"