1 Burning despair

"Quick she is sheltering in the Akoshi hall, my brothers you will do whatever it takes to crush down this door and imprison her for treason!" Deafening pounding on the door followed the hateful tone of a man's voice behind Phaedra's chamber doors. Phaedra knew she had no means of escaping her imprisonment because of how narrow and small her chambers were. The men behind her fate pounded on the door demanding to the let in, but Phaedra knew she couldn't just let them in. They would charge her with treason and have her be publicly beheaded for crimes her father created. It had merely been a few hours since her father was ruthlessly assassinated on his way to his marriage ritual with his tenth concubine, and already the civilians were going insane. Deep down inside Phaedra knew her father deserved to punished for his heinous savage crimes against his own people but to have the image of him being slaughtered in front of her haunted her. Not long after his death soon a group of recalcitrant villagers took claim of his murder by stating that they had aid from a rival empire that her father was in spite with. "We urge you to let us in your royal highness Phaedra! We have knowledge that you are in there and you cannot hid inside there forever." Furious voices chanted for her to let them in, but she didn't move a muscle nor replied.

Phaedra wondered if this was how she was going to perish, all alone and afraid. How could her people who cared for her so much turn their back on her so rapidly? Heartbroken and defeated, the formerly loved empress in line crumbled to the ground holding her knees to her chest as tears streamed down her face. All the concubines were seized and awaiting trial as well as the current empress. The housemaids and guards were taken away but not found liable enough to be apprehended. Pounding on the doors grew stronger along with the sounds of wood cracking apart. The crying girl picked up an amulet that was gifted to her by her late mother and held it against her chest. "Mother, what shall I do? I'll be executed just like father if I linger here and allow them to capture me. I don't know what to do, I'm petrified," she cried rocking herself back and forth. As if she was being watched and overheard, Phaedra felt a cool breeze brush upon her shoulder. "Mother? Father? Is that you? She cried looking beside her where she felt the touch." Suddenly a radiant light stood in front of her. The light was so intense that Phaedra shut her eyes, concerned that it could blind her. "My gentle child," a voice she recognized spoke, instantly leading the mourning girl to lift her head up.

Phaedra looked in awe at the woman in front of her. It was her mother who had been deceased for over a decade, nevertheless as beautiful and loving as ever. "M-mother?" Phaedra shockingly stood up and stepped over to the bright light in which her mother stood in. "M-mother it's really you!" She cried jumping into her arms. Phaedra didn't pay attention to how she could hold her mother in her hands, but at the moment she didn't care. What she cared about was finally being able to see the face of the sole human in the world who she sincerely cherished. "Oh, honey I'm so sorry that you have to go through all of this," said the late empress. The chamber doors pounded again resulting in debris from the ceiling to collapse around the mother and daughter. "Mom, oh how I missed you and your voice dearly," Phaedra's mother held her daughter's face in her arms and planted a kiss on her forehead. "My heart and soul, I prayed to the gods above to allow me to one day see you again," empress Nora hesitatingly looked at her daughter, then her smile twisted into a frown. "But not like this, you cannot die yet, do you understand me? You are to live your life to the fullest, get married, and be the greatest empress in history. Those are my last wishes to you." Her mother's gaze grew serious as she peered at the door being pounded in behind her daughter. "It is no use mother, they will get past the door and have me killed, there is no escape. I'll finally be with you again, it is what I have always wanted."

Her mother shook her head hugging her tightly. "I know darling, I miss you so very much but as your mother it is my duty to look after you and take care of you as you live peacefully, even if it means I must sacrifice my feeling of craving you by my side." A tear glided down her mother's cheek, but Phaedra could tell it wasn't an unhappy tear but instead a content cry. "But how will I survive? My chamber bears no means of escape other than the very chamber doors being hammered down." Questioned Phaedra as another pounding interrupted their loving moment.

The spirit of empress Nora grabbed her daughters arm and led her to the rear of her chamber. The Akoshi hall wasn't as narrow and small as Phaedra described it, although it was in fact massively smaller than any other Chamber hall occupied by her father. There was ten bedrooms and four bath houses to be specific but her father's Chamber had thirty bedrooms which made her feel significantly more inferior. They eventually arrived at a black wall and paused in front of it. "It's a dead-end mother, face it my destiny has already been sealed." Nora tilted her head sympathizing with her daughter. She took her face in her palms pecked her daughters cheek.

"The sole reason why I am here today in front of you right now is because I pleaded to the gods to help me save you. I exchanged my status with them to have the strength to come here. I will never allow you to die in such a ghastly and gruesome manner. Behind this wall in a tunnel connected to all the Chamber halls that leads to the forest outside the empire. Generations ago your ancestors had it established so that in case something ever happened where we needed to evacuate the empire in an emergency we could. Your father had no awareness on these tunnels because my parents had little to no trust in him when he married into the throne. Only my family knew about these tunnels not even the housemaids who've worked for us for decades." Phaedra looked at her mother in shock, of course she had recognized her mother was a brave and intelligent woman but she hadn't realized how intelligent her ancestors certainly were. "The amulet I gave you before I passed away will help you open the tunnel, all you have to do is repeat the exact movements I do and the wall will open for you." Nodding as if she understood everything her mother was informing her, Phaedra took out her amulet from under her gown and held it in her grip. Her mother's ghostly form stood in front of her and began running her hand across her chest. Phaedra copied everything her mother made and a shimmering blue light surrounded her, blue flames followed and the wall slowly started to deteriorate. Phaedra gasped at the scene, she had no clue how powerful her mother's family were, she didn't even know they could practice magic. Was she part mortal and part something else? she pondered to herself as she stepped into the tunnel in front of her. "Mother what are you?" She asked facing her mom.

A grin spread across Nora's face, "We are the descendants of true gods and goddesses. Although we are not as powerful as a complete god we are still far from a human." Loud roars came from what sounded like the front of the Chambers, indicating that the door had burst down and the recalcitrant villagers finally got inside. "Move now! And never look back until you know for sure it is safe." Nora stood on the other side of the tunnel with tears pouring down her cheeks. Phaedra looked perplexed at her mother and asked, "Aren't you coming with me? Why are you just standing there?" Nora stared at her daughter and reached out for her daughters hand. She held it and grazed a kiss on her forehead repeatedly. "Part of the arrangement I made with the gods was that I would simply be able to meet you once, my baby I won't be able to leave with you." Desperation and denial flooded Phaedra, she stepped out from the tunnel and pulled her mother into a hug. By now she was gushing tears from her eyes pleading for her mother to come with. "My dear sweet daughter, I am bound here, the gods will not let me walk inside that tunnel. You are to leave me behind and don't ever look back until you're safe. I'll forever be with you, loving you and watching over you." Nora gave her daughter one last kiss on the cheek and shoved Phaedra inside the tunnel. The walls immediately shut close before Phaedra could get up from the ground. She could hear the faint echo of a woman's voice and could see a small light telling her everything was going to be alright until everything went pitch black. She was all alone again, but now in an unrecognizable place fighting for survival.