Asha’s hands trembled. Not wanting them to see it, she dropped her fork and knife on the table and put her hands to her thighs—her silly attempt to hide them. She tried to control her breath and smiled. She couldn’t possibly be having a panic attack in front of the emperor and empress after all. But the pain in her head was so stubborn that she had to discretely press her temples hard to alleviate the agony.

Despite her attempts, everyone noticed it immediately.

“Are you alright, Asha?” Emperor Vasilias asked. “You’re looking a bit pale.”

Kerensa who sat beside Asha immediately turned to her and held her close. Because of that, she felt how her body was so cold and trembling. 

“Your Majesty, I think it’s best to let her rest right now. I have read reports before about how some of the survivors experience headaches when they try to recall what happened during the Great Calamity so I think we should let her rest and ask her when she is ready.”

“Of course! Forgive me for asking hastily. Go ahead and rest, Asha. I will have a healer brought to your quarters as soon as possible.”

“It’s alright, your majesty. I can accompany and heal her,” Kerensa suggested.

“I’ll go as well,” Alex seconded.

“Right. If you two don’t mind.”

“N-No, I cannot possibly—and I’m alright,” Asha tried to refuse them but Kerensa already helped her up her seat.

Not long after, they were in Asha’s assigned quarters and Kerensa laid her down in bed. She had Alex wait outside since Asha might feel uncomfortable while she healed her. Kerensa cast a relaxing spell on her body, making her heart calm down, and her breathing steady. Once done, she told Asha to rest well before leaving.

But then, as soon as Kerensa was gone, endless tears fell from Asha’s eyes. Even though Kerensa advised her not to think about it anymore, her own mind betrayed her. Like endless flashes of nightmarish memories, it flooded her thoughts uncontrollably. Along with it, was the pain that engulfed her whole being. Making it worse, was the unprecedented speculation she just concluded earlier after all the things the emperor said.

The whole kingdom of Voreios was suddenly in ruins…

The people who miraculously survived because of the king’s powers…

Their king missing—possibly dead…

And the fact that… on “that” day, she alone woke up inside the ruined kingdom. Not in the vast meadow, or anywhere near the kingdom of Voreios but “inside” it. And much worse, she was inside the castle where the king probably was—a king she didn’t even remember.

“W-What if…sniff…” 

Asha’s voice cracked as she tried to voice out her thoughts.

“What if… I’m the one who destroyed the whole kingdom?”

“What if… I’m the one who killed the king?”

“That’s why I’m the only one there, alive—in that ruins?!”

“Hu-hu-huh… No…”

Indeed, on that day seven months ago, Asha suddenly woke up in a ruined kingdom, inside what seemed to be a bedroom quarter where she lay amidst the dark chaos around her. There was nobody around—not a single life except her very own crumbling heart and soul, and the pain that so easily engulfed her. Hours turned to days and days to weeks as she succumbed to the unknown despair that took hold of her as soon as she woke up in that unfamiliar place. She couldn’t remember anything else except for the pain that robbed her of her breath and of her life.

When Asha finally had the strength to stand up and search for “that” thing she had been missing like a huge hole in her heart, she noticed how she was inside a huge castle. As to how she got there, she didn’t know. All she knew was that she felt that there was something missing inside her.

And so, like a puppet without a heart, she ignored the dead kingdom before her and got out to travel across the world, trying to find what she lost. Only the ring she held tightly in her hands when she woke up was her clue—a ring she now hid as a necklace on her chest.

As her mind recalled the past, Asha’s spirit became so disturbed that Aqua and Solum felt it from the Spirit’s Realm. They then quickly appeared from thin air even though Asha didn’t summon them.

“Asha, what’s wrong?!”

“Master, what’s happening?!”

“Your spiritual energy flow is messed up so we—what the! Why are you crying?!”

“Master, d-don’t cry.”

As they frantically tried to comfort her, Asha slowly got up from bed to face her familiars. She tried to explain everything to them but she couldn’t speak freely. Every word that came from her mouth pierced stabbing pain in her heart. Noticing she couldn’t speak any further and just cried, Aqua used her powers to try and peak into her memories—something she, as a high-ranking water spirit, could do.

A huge memory bubble accumulated in the air, presenting Asha’s thoughts to them. It was very much disturbed and random but Aqua and Solum soon got a hold of what was happening to her.

“Asha, don’t even think that! There’s no way you’re the one who destroyed that kingdom!” Aqua tried to comfort her. “Besides, if you did, you would have had to use our powers. In that case, it will be us who did the destruction, not you! Do you understand what I mean? And I don’t remember destroying a kingdom so—”

“A-And I don’t believe master can do such a thing. There’s no way… sniff… our kind master will destroy the kingdom where she once lived out of nowhere, right?”

“I… don’t know. I don’t remember,” Asha shook her head. “Sometimes, I do have evil thoughts when I want to kill something or someone. Like earlier in the match, I almost killed my opponent who turned out to be innocent! When I feel threatened by something, I unconsciously aim for the kill—not to talk or reason with them but to kill them! How can I trust myself that I really didn’t destroy that kingdom?!”

“Master, no… There’s no way—“

“Yes, there is! What if something happened and I felt threatened, and I suddenly lashed out?! O-Or those dark strings tried to control me before and I just couldn’t remember it? With this much spiritual energy, I must have… Yes, I really can destroy a kingdom! And the fact that nobody knows about me in that place! Even the parents I know from my memories don’t remember me! What if some of my memories were lies and I’m actually… the villain? The one who killed their kind king who they can’t find anymore? Because I… I killed him! And this ring… I must have gotten it from someone I killed, too. Hu-hu-hu. ”

“Asha…”

“Master…”

Aqua and Solum tried their best but they failed to comfort her. Once again, she succumbed to the darkness. Nothing they said could convince her otherwise and assure her. Until suddenly… the Small Whispers spoke to her, making Aqua and Solum jolt in surprise. Turned out, spirits could hear each other.

“I do not think someone who would cry that much over the destruction of a kingdom would actually have the guts to destroy it,” one of the Small Whispers said—a voice sounding like a strict woman well of her age, but full of wisdom.

“I quite agree with that,” another, more cheerful and young-sounding voice followed. “There is no need for you to worry about things you are unsure of. And if you really think you did it, then there’s only one thing you can do to set things right—fix it! Rebuild what has been broken, and protect those that have been hurt.”

“Asha,” another, gentle voice added, “there is no need for you to wallow in despair. Do not let the darkness cloud your mind and feed it with lies.”

“But I… I… sniff…”

“No more buts. All buts are excuses. And stop crying. Crying would not solve anything. Seriously, why are you condemning yourself when no one is condemning you?”

“Nothing of what you are saying has happened. You are making it up in your head.”

“What if, what ifs—they are all but what ifs. And what if they’re not? Then you have just stressed yourself over nothing.”

“Y-Yes, that’s right, Asha!” Aqua agreed. “Don’t blame yourself.”

“They are right, master!” Solum added. “There’s no way you could have done it, so don’t stress yourself!”

Listening to their uplifting words, the darkness of lies that clouded Asha’s mind soon left her, and what seemed to be an endless stream of tears stopped falling from her eyes. A warm light sprung forth from her chest, caressing her heart gently.

“Yes… that’s right,” Asha mumbled. “Innocent until proven guilty. And if I am indeed guilty, then I just need to fix it. Yes… But what if I can’t fix it? N-No! Stop it… no negative thoughts. No what-ifs. No buts. Nothing, think of nothing.”

Asha clenched tightly on the ring on her chest as she chanted those words to herself, over and over, until finally, she managed to fall asleep. The Small Whispers soon vanished, but Aqua and Solum were left to guard her since they were worried about her.

***

While everyone in the Kingdom of Eirini slept peacefully that night, a powerful presence soon awoke from its long slumber, shaking Terra to its core. 

Deep within the most secret of places, a certain man with long and silky silvery-white hair finally opened his eyes, revealing the most dangerously alluring vermillion irises there ever was.   Those perfect eyes were paired with a visage of incomparable perfection so divine and majestic that mere words themselves would fall short of describing his otherworldly beauty. From head to toe, the man’s physical appearance was perfect in every way. Clothed in the darkness of night, his rosy-white complexion shone like a hidden moon behind thin layers of clouds. But beware… For beneath his bewitching beauty hid unfathomable darkness and indecipherable malice.

“Ahh…” he moaned with his deep and captivating sultry voice. “It seems that I have slept for too long.”

The man slowly got up from where he lay—a bed made of the most beautiful flowers.

“Now that I’m awake… it’s time to destroy the world.”