"Echoes linger… but they don't stay…"
"…Where is that voice coming from?"
I looked around, trying to locate it.
"They scatter quick… like clouds of gray…"
And then—
I saw it.
A hooded figure.
Draped in pure white.
Standing atop the palace—
looking down at me.
"You reach for me… but I turn away…"
I couldn't see the face beneath the hood—
but the eyes…
Golden—
slowly shifting into crimson red.
A chill ran down my spine.
"This heart's a stranger… it won't obey…"
Who is that?
What is he doing here?
Is he… dangerous?
My thoughts spiraled—
"Are we lost… or did I fall…"
Suddenly—
"—Ahh!!"
The prince screamed.
Clutching his head in pain.
"You swear you know me… I can't recall…"
"…What?!"
I turned toward him.
"What's happening?!"
"That person didn't even—"
"Your Highness! Your Highness!"
I rushed to him, panic rising in my chest.
"Tell me better… what's the truth…"
I glanced back at the figure—
my eyes narrowing with suspicion—
"I have no answer… but this lost youth…"
—and then—
He jumped.
"…!!"
I shut my eyes tightly.
Seconds passed.
Slowly—
I opened them again.
…Nothing.
No body.
No blood.
No trace of the hooded figure.
"…What…?"
My attention snapped back to the prince.
"Your Highness—!"
I shook him gently.
"Your Highness!"
He was still breathing.
Then—
his eyes slowly opened.
He stared at me.
Silently.
For a few long seconds.
"You suddenly collapsed," I said quickly.
"What happened? Are you okay?"
He looked down at himself—
as if something felt… wrong.
"…What is this…?"
he muttered faintly.
—and then—
his body went limp.
He fainted.