Memories

In a small town, a young girl could be seen playing with her friends. The child freely ran around the place, trying to catch her friends who were also running all around, being chased by the girl. The children all seemed to be having fun, as the echoes of their laughter filled the air and the joy in their hearts softened the air around them.

"Careful, Thia, you will fall if you keep running like that," a young man said to the girl chasing her friends.

"Don't worry, Uncle Zinesh, I'm going to be..." Suddenly, a thud was heard as Thia tripped on a stone and fell.

"Thia!" Zinesh cried out as he ran to his niece.

"Are you alright?" Zinesh asked.

"I'm fine," Thia replied with a smile and stood to her feet.

"Are you sure?" Zinesh asked.

"Yes," Thia replied immediately. She was more concerned with playing with her friends than any pain she was feeling.

"But you're bleeding!" a girl suddenly said and pointed to Thia's toe, which was bleeding due to a cut that formed when she tripped.

Thia looked down and immediately upon seeing the blood, the young child fainted.

A few minutes later, she woke up and found herself back at home.

"Are you alright, Thia?" a young woman asked the child.

"Yes, Mom," Thia replied.

She tried to stand up, but she felt a sharp pain in her left toe.

"Don't stand up, Thia, you're injured," her Mom said.

"Haven't I told you to be careful when playing with your friends?" Mara, Thia's mom, said.

Thia looked down, not able to face her mom.

"And where was Zinesh when you got hurt?" Mara said in outrage.

"Well, Uncle Zinesh can't always watch over her," Talia said as she entered. "She has to learn to be careful when she's on her own."

"If he wasn't there, that would be a different case," Mara argued. "But he was there, and she still got hurt. What was he doing?"

"Uncle Zinesh didn't do anything wrong," Thia said, defending her uncle. "I wanted to play with Amy and the others."

"Ah, you both defend him too much," Mara said.

"So, Thia," Talia said, turning to her sister. "Did you faint after seeing your blood?"

"No..." Thia replied.

"Oh, so it's true? I can't believe you are scared of blood," Talia said.

"I said I didn't faint."

"Oh, really? Then look at this," Talia said and raised the bandage their mom used to clean her bleeding leg moments ago. Immediately upon setting her eyes on the bandage, Thia fainted again.

"What did you do to my baby?" Mara said, scolding Talia who could not stop laughing. "Your baby is afraid of blood. She's a nurse's daughter, but she's afraid of blood, how's that even possible?"

"Cut your sister some slack, she's just five," Mara said.

Zinesh came into the room and saw Talia laughing despite Mara scolding her. He looked towards a small bed in the corner and saw Thia was still sleeping.

"She's still not awake?"

"Well, she was, but Talia made her faint again."

"What? Why Talia?" Zinesh asked.

"She's afraid of blood. How can someone see blood and just faint? It doesn't make sense," Talia said.

"She's just a child," Zinesh said.

"I know, but it's still funny."

A few minutes later, Thia woke up again with a grumbling stomach.

"You must be hungry," Mara said as she served the dinner she prepared, and they all ate. Her mom suddenly faced her and said, "You must be happy now, Lady Thia."

Thia looked at her in confusion, trying to understand why her mom referred to her in such a manner. But as she was thinking about this, she suddenly opened her eyes wide, it was just a dream.

Thia stood up from her bed and looked around her. Her room looked more stylish than the one she used to live in at Labak, and was even larger. The beautiful red curtains were a bit to her taste, and the shimmering crystals were something Thia had never seen before. It was as if she was living the life of a Princess. As she was admiring her bedroom, she heard a knock on the door.

"Come in," Thia said,

Two maids, their movements practiced and silent, entered the room. They curtseyed in unison.

"Good morning, Lady Thia," they greeted in perfect harmony.

Thia, still surprised by her luxurious surroundings, managed a small smile. "Good morning, Kori, she greeted the younger maid Good morning, Dadan, she said to the older. Hope you had a lovely rest."

"Yes, my Lady," Dadan replied. "We've come to get you prepared. Your friends will be coming to the palace today, but before that, the Queen has requested you and Lady Thena join an important meeting."

"The Queen, huh?" Thia muttered. "I wonder what she wants this time."

Memories flooded back. Her arrival at the opulent capital of Eru, Feniqs, seeking answers about the near-death experience she and her friends had shared. The Queen, not the bloodthirsty monster she envisioned, but a woman brimming with an unsettling power hidden beneath a human facade. 

She had followed Mystos, thinking she would find an answer to her question. Why did Rex Try to kill them and who sent the mercenaries to attack them after the mission had failed? 

She had decided to burn the whole Capital to the ground if the queen didn't give her a satisfying response.

When she finally had her audience with the queen, what she met, wasn't what she was expecting.

Their conversation a few days ago echoed in her head– "What do you want?" A simple question that held immense weight.

"What do I want?" 

She knew her life as an innocent girl at Labak was over, she knew she couldn't go back to being that sweet innocent girl anymore.

She knew all those beautiful memories of her past were the direct opposite of the things that awaited her in the future.

"But, is that what I really want?"

"Do I want to be death?"

Thia came out of the shower, her maids had opted to help her but she had refused.. 

"I can do that much on my own" she replied the first time they tried to help her.

Thia looked at herself in the mirror and she could barely recognize what she was becoming.

She looked over her shoulder and could see a tattoo hanging over her shoulder. The tattoo of the hideous harbinger of death beautifully wrapped itself on her back. At least now she has iku, she won't let anyone be taken from her again. Speaking of Iku, 

"Can't you go back to my shadow like you did before?" Thia asked with a mind Link.

"I'm sorry my lady, the mark of your curse is not something I can get rid of".

"I guess I'll just have to live with it," Thia replied, a tinge of resignation in her voice.

The maids helped her dress in regal attire – a crimson shirt and sleek black pants. As they finished, Thia left her magnificent chamber, the silence of the palace hallways amplifying the hammering of her heart. Dadan led the way and Thia followed quitely.

After a tense walk, they arrived at a large, ornately carved door, flanked by two stoic guards. The guards bowed, their expressions unreadable, and opened the door for Thia.

Stepping inside, she felt a hundred eyes turn towards her. The air crackled with a tension that sent shivers down her spine. At the head of the table sat the Queen, her regal bearing unmistakable.

"Nice of you to join us, Lady Thia," the Queen's voice, though soft, echoed with authority.

A woman with an air of quiet power rose from a nearby chair and approached Thia. "Good morning, Your Majesty," Thia offered, forcing a smile.

The Queen's lips curved into a faint, knowing smile. "Good morning, child. Hope you are well rested."

"Yes, Your Majesty," Thia replied, her gaze lingering on the Queen's eyes. They were a mesmerizing shade of gold, flecked with an inner fire that hinted at the power she held.

"Please, take a seat," the Queen gestured to a vacant chair at the table and Thia immediately took her sit opposite the queen.

"She looked quite normal, - Thia thought - at least in human standards, apart from the color of her eyes, it was difficult to tell' but Thia knew. She didn't believe it at first until she saw it with her two eyes. The Queen of Eru, even though was currently in human form, was in fact not human 

The Queen's gaze met Thia's. "We have much to discuss, Thia. Things that concern your you, your purpose, and the fate of Eru."