The Palace Beneath the Violet Sky
"Whoosh—"
A cool breeze slipped across his skin, brushing his hair as gently as a curious hand. Victor's eyelashes trembled, the world leaking back into focus like someone slowly turning up the brightness on existence itself. His body jerked in the faintest flinch, a natural reaction to knowing — instinctively — that he was no longer where he'd last been.
He blinked again.
And the moment his vision sharpened, his breath hitched.
"…the hell…?"
The world in front of him was too beautiful, too surreal, too impossible for his brain to process in the first few heartbeats.
A violet sky stretched above him — not painted violet, but alive with slow-moving strokes of color, swirling like clouds made of sunset silk. Across that sky, a massive moon hung bloated and glowing, brighter than any moon he had ever seen, silver light bleeding down like liquid metal onto the earth below.
The wind carried distant echoes —
a low howl threading through unseen canyons,
the gentle rush of waves,
and beneath it all…
soft music.
Something like a lullaby played on ancient strings.
Victor's pulse jumped.
"Where… am I?"
He turned slowly — and that's when his eyes widened fully, pupils tightening.
To his right, an endless sea stretched far beyond the horizon. Not blue. Not black. Something between moonlight and mercury, shimmering with a pale glow that made the surface look alive. Every wave was slow and deliberate, like the ocean itself was breathing.
To his left, cliffs rose tall and proud, their stone glistening as if polished by centuries of celestial rain. Mist curled around their base like lazy spirits taking their time drifting through the world.
But none of that compared to what stood directly in front of him.
Victor swallowed hard.
A palace — if one could even call something so grand by such a simple word — loomed above the edge of the cliff.
It wasn't white.
It was pure white, almost painfully bright, carved from something that didn't feel like stone or marble or anything mortal. The material glowed faintly, like starlight trapped inside polished bone.
Huge pillars rose toward the heavens, each etched with swirling runes that moved under the surface like molten silver veins. And from somewhere inside that palace, the soft music echoed — graceful, slow, hauntingly beautiful.
Victor felt his chest tighten.
"…holy—"
His voice caught.
"Master."
Sana's soft whisper flowed into his mind like warm honey.
"You are awake."
He froze at the familiar voice, eyes flicking around even though he knew she wasn't physically present.
"S-Sana…?" His voice cracked. "Where the hell am I? What is this place?"
"Master, you are in one of the billions of dimensions."
Her tone was gentle, almost playful.
"And the location before you is the Palace of the Forge Goddess."
Victor almost choked on air.
"What!?"
He stared again at the colossal structure, the glowing runes, the endless sea.
"The Forge Goddess? I'm— I'm in front of her palace!?"
"Yes, Master."
He pressed a hand to his forehead.
"But— I don't remember using that request ticket. I didn't do anything. I just went to sleep on my apartment bed!"
Sana's laugh was warm enough to make him want to glare and blush at the same time.
"You did not consciously use it, Master. But while you slept… your subconscious will decided to activate the ticket. So it activated automatically."
Victor stared upward at the violet sky like it personally offended him.
"My unconscious betrayed me…?"
He dragged his hand down his face.
"Seriously? I still wanted time to think!"
He sighed — long, deep, frustrated.
His mind scrambled for logic, for stability, for anything grounded. But the palace's presence crushed every rational thought.
He turned toward it again, eyes trailing the soft gleam of the walls, how the moonlight spilled over the steps like a goddess had painted everything herself.
"Sana… can I go back? You know — return later? Collect my mental health? Maybe breathe?"
"Yes, Master. You can leave."
Then a faint pause.
"But if you do… you will never be able to return. The ticket has already been used. There will be no second chance."
"…huh?"
His expression deflated instantly.
Victor stared at the palace again — the shifting runes, the glow, the quiet music drifting through the air like a hand inviting him.
"You're telling me…" He pointed at the palace like it was a misbehaving child.
"If I walk away now, I'm done? No goddess meeting? No blessings? No nothing?"
"Yes, Master."
"Fantastic," he muttered. "Truly amazing. I love my life. What a show."
Sana giggled.
"Master… why not let things flow naturally? Go inside. Meet the goddess. It may not be as overwhelming as you fear. Or perhaps it will be quick."
He pinched the bridge of his nose.
She wasn't wrong.
He knew she wasn't wrong.
But still—
He sighed again, softer this time.
"…you're right. Let's go inside."
His heart thumped.
Louder than before.
Even he could feel the tremble behind his ribs.
He wasn't someone who got nervous easily — hell, he barely got nervous at all — but this?
Meeting a goddess?
Standing before a palace that felt like it existed before time had meaning?
Yeah. Even he could admit his hands felt a little unsteady.
He started walking forward.
Each step echoed, soft against the smooth stone ground. The closer he moved, the more the palace seemed to breathe — faint pulses of light rippling along the runes like the building itself had a heartbeat.
Victor swallowed again.
His throat had gone dry.
The music grew clearer the closer he came.
It wasn't human.
It wasn't earthly.
It felt… ancient.
Like something the universe itself might hum when no one is listening.
His silver hair caught the moonlight, glowing like starlit silk as he approached the massive doors — towering white slabs engraved with swirling celestial symbols.
"This is insane…" he whispered.
He lifted his hand — slowly, hesitantly — to knock.
But the moment his fingers brushed the door—
Clack.
The doors slid open by themselves, a rush of colder air brushing his face.
The music inside swelled for a moment — louder, brighter —
—then cut off completely.
Silence crashed into the palace like a wave.
Victor froze mid-breath.
"Uh…"
Before he could pull back, the massive doors slammed shut behind him.
BANG.
He spun around instantly, hand half-raised in reflex.
"…that's not ominous at all."
His heartbeat stuttered.
But then—
tic…
tok…
A soft, rhythmic sound echoed from deep inside the palace halls.
He turned slowly toward the sound, breath tight in his chest.
tic…
tok…
The footsteps — or whatever the sound was — grew clearer.
Someone… something… was approaching.
Victor exhaled once, shaky but steadying himself.
"…great. Perfect timing."
tic…
tok…