The Nine Bishops

Mika was standing in an empty space. At least, it seemed empty. All she could see was white. Endless white. There were no boundaries. She wasn’t even sure she was standing on solid ground; she had no perception of depth. Though it all felt empty, Mika took a tentative step forward; it was the only thing to be done other than stand there.

Her foot landed on an even plane, and the sound of her step resonated far into the nothingness, fading in the distance. So there is ground. Mika began to walk with more confidence. Not towards anything in particular, because there was nowhere to walk to. She tested this reality further by giving out a wordless holler. Like her footsteps, her voice echoed into the distance until only silence remained. There was no answer to her shout.

Mika felt oddly relaxed. There was a peace in the emptiness. She wasn’t hungry or thirsty, hot or cold, or even tired. She just was. Her feet moved beneath her with ease. After what seemed like an eternity in the emptiness, Mika noticed something—a speck—in the distance.

Had it always been there? Feeling nothing, Mika walked towards the speck, and gradually it grew larger. Then she began to hear another set of footsteps echoing in her direction. The speck was another person! And as that person grew nearer, she saw it was a man.

He looked exactly as she had expected. She had often seen him in her dreams but wondered if time had distorted her dim memories. This time, though, it didn’t feel like a dream. This was her reality.

Mika had no idea what to say to him. Her father was standing right in front of her, but she couldn’t find the words. His eyes were the same color as hers today, an icy pale blue. She opened her mouth to say something, but no sound came out. They stared at each other in silence, until Mika noticed something forming in his hand.

It was faint at first, but gradually a long, clear object started to take shape in his hand. Before Mika could react, her father took a step forward and threw the object he had formed towards Mika.

Suddenly, Mika felt cold, terribly cold. She looked down at the place on her body where the object had impacted. It was exactly where her father had aimed it. All Mika could do was fall to her knees as the white, empty space faded to black. Mika gazed at her father standing silently over her, watching, as she died. Soon all she saw was black. An ice javelin had pierced her heart.