Betrayed. Again.

But this time, it came from the one who sworn to loyally love me. The one whose eyes once brimmed with devotion, who made me believe he would face death itself to keep me safe. Why?

A searing wave of hatred surged through me — raw and untamed. My vision blurred, tears of dark blood pouring from my eyes. They burned like fire, painting crimson across my skin. I felt my veins pulsing all over my body, as if my very blood had turned to molten metal.

Then the ground beneath me pulsed.

The dormant array that Alphonso had carved into the ground lit up with a ghostly glow. Symbols shimmered to life, etched in interwoven circles and jagged lines that pulsed like a heartbeat. Wisps of light seeped from the edges, twisting through the air like serpents. He had somehow known that such feelings were bottled up inside me.

Somehow, he had predicted that my true nature would awaken.

I was surrounded by a familiar embrace of dark smoke, curling around me like warm shadows. Breathing grew harder with every second and pain clawed through me mercilessly.

Screams echoed in my head—were they mine? Or someone else’s?  I couldn’t tell. The excruciating pain was too much to bear, blurring the lines between thought and reality.

“Mia! Do you hear me?” Ansel’s voice pierced through the haze. “What is this power around you? Answer me —please!”

His desperate words faded through my fingers. The sound dissolved into the air, swallowed by the smoke.

Then, without a warning, the gem pulsed once…then shattered.

A burst of blinding light and shards of crystal exploded outward, vanishing into the dark.

“Mia? Who is Mia?” muttered a distorted voice. “Agh! This body is incredibly weak. If I overuse my powers, I might blow up—hahaha!”

The laughter echoed, but it wasn’t mine anymore. Not Mia’s.

My body was not mine alone. Someone else was taking full control of it.

Suddenly, the door slammed open, and Alphonso barged in, his sword drawn and pointed directly at me.

“So, you’ve awakened, Alba!” he sneered, his voice sharp. “My array worked, it seems!”

I tilted my head, amused by his reckless bravado. “Well, hello, Alphonso, dear. A little puppy raising his blade at a mighty creature like me—what’s not to see… hahaha.”

What am I even saying?

Wait…Did he just say Alba? Oh my god! Am I dead for good now?

As if having Asher in my body wasn’t enough— now we’re three!

Without hesitation, Alphonso leapt toward me, his blade aimed straight for my heart, as swift as a predator.

Wait, wait, wait. There is a misunderstanding! Don’t do it, Alphonso!

 Who am I even talking to?

My voice remained unheard.

Surprisingly, my body dodged his attack effortlessly. The blade sliced through the air, missing me by inches.

His attack—so sure, so deadly—was nothing more than a fleeting moment to me.

“Now, now, Alphonso, I didn’t know you had no pity for this human. The original owner of this body might die with this attack, you know?”

Yes, Alphonso. At least think about this poor human, can you?

He paused for a split second, his eyes narrowing. “I wouldn’t worry about her if I were you.” He activated the array beneath me —beneath us.

In a blink of an eye, my body was surrounded by dark smoke, that seemed to shield me from Alphonso’s spell.

“It’s no use.” Alba said. “Even with this shackle around my neck, you still can’t defeat me.” A cruel smile curled on her lips: “Well, enough of that. Let’s meet another time! Velythar!”

The smoke thickened, twisting into a vortex as it teleported us elsewhere.

“Velkarra, huh?” Alba muttered, glancing around. “Of all places, you decided on this one.”

“I need you to help me save someone —Philamina,” I said firmly. “She is in grave danger, and if we don’t interfere—”

“We?” Alba smirked. “I never said that I will help you, dear. What makes you think that I’ll comply? After all, I am the one who controls your body now, yes?”

“Well, we still teleported where I wanted, correct?” I replied with confidence. “Plus, if you were in complete control of my body, the all-mighty Lady Alba wouldn’t be discussing with me now… would she?”

“Hahahahaha! Hilarious! Truly! Choosing this body was not totally a failure after all, Ansel, Hahahaha!”

“Wait, what? Did you just say Ansel?” I asked, stunned.

“Hmm,” Alba mused with a surprisingly gentle tone, “I believe that futile chitchat will only waste time for your precious friend, yes? So, tell me —who am I going to face?”

“WE are going to face Lucius Virell, the Narcis’s mage.”

“Oh dear, that bastard has a long life I see.” She said.

“You know him?”

“Yes, he once begged to become my disciple, but I threw him out. Hahahaha!” She laughed again. “Damn that was funny!”

Funny, huh. He must despise her to the core.

“Your goal is to free your friend,” she said, “so I guess that we can avoid facing him. This wrecked body will get us killed in no time, hehehe,” she said.

I never imagined that Alba — the all-mighty — had a unique sense of humor.

A sarcastic one, at that.

As we started moving towards the dense forest, the air grew oppressively heavy. An unbearable dizziness clung to me, unable to keep track of my body’s movements.

Alba, however, didn’t seem the least bit affected.

“Hang in there, human,” she said, “That bastard has created a well-secured area, so we’ll have to push through to reach him…Uhm, hello?”

“I am sorry, I can’t really hear you properly. I am so dizzy — I can barely keep my eyes open. I mean…my soul awake.”

“Okay, since you humans only understand stuff through threats and danger, let me put it this way: If you pass out, your body will collapse too. As you said, I still don’t have full control of this body, and its main essence is you. If you collapse in the middle of nowhere, starving Vyraths will gladly feed on you! Got it?” Alba snapped.

Funny how she uses you and I however she pleases.

“Yes, I am fully aware of that, thank you. But it is beyond my power to —"

Suddenly, I felt someone reaching from behind, strangling my neck.

“Asher? What the hell are you doing?” I shouted. “You’re killing me here!”

No answer. Just his grip tightening

Between the suffocating air and the pressure of his hands around my throat, I couldn’t tell which is worse.

My body collapsed to the ground, trembling, barely responding to my will.

“Idiots! I can’t believe that I am stuck not only with one idiot but two!” Alba screamed furiously. “Just what are you trying to prove again, Narcis?”

Asher’s hands remained steady, but there definitely was a shift in the air.

“I am doing this for you, my Lady… for us. For the love we once had… I am still madly in love with you, Alba.”

What in the world is going on here? Am I caught in some tragic love triangle… in my own body?