The Oracle? Of Valarium?
I don't believe her, The Oracle disappeared years ago. When the King turned, she hid away from the world. Then again, I don't know where this place is. Or.... I do?
Syrus...
That's what she said. I've never been here before, but it feels so familiar.
"You have your doubts." she smiled softly.
"Hard to believe that you're The Oracle."
"You're around 5'8, brown wavy hair, tanned skin-"
I scoffed. "Please, someone could've described the wanted poster to you."
I crossed my arms and rolled my eyes.
"-green eyes."
I shut up.
"You still don't know whether to trust me or not, Lira Crimson?"
Silence. I didn't say anything.
"You're an orphan, a rebel. You've been independent since you were young, no one to lean on and you believe it was better for you. But, wouldn't you like to know where you came from? Your origin? I know all about it."
And for some reason, I trust her.
She knew here way well, despite being blind.
"I wasn't blind once." She says, as if she's reading my mind. "The Hollow King, he made me blind trying to take my sight away, little did he know it enhanced it."
She took me to a brick house. When I entered it seemed more like a mansion and was even bigger on the inside. I swear it was the size of a cottage.
"The Princess, she used her magic to disguise the mansion for us to stay in, not to attract to much attention from the chained part of Valarium." Seraphine says.
"The chained part?" What did that mean?
"The ones who are under the command of The Hollow King. The ones who are submissive under his control. They are called the Chained Ones here."
What, does that mean-
"Everyone here aren't under the control of The Hollow King. You belong here, Lira." She continues.
She showed me to the room and it was extravagant, then again the house used to be under the Princesses care, so it would be fancy with her money.
"You can rest here. Meet me in the living room at 5. Don't be late." she walked out.
I plopped on the bed. It was comfy, and it definitely beats the old couch.
Wait.
Did she say 5?
It was past 5.
5 AM?
I groaned, why is she making me wake up so early in the morning?
It's fine.
Beggars can't choose....
Well, technically, I'm a thief.
What was so important that I had to wake up so early?
The next morning, I woke up at 04:30, which was torture for my eyes. Clothes were on the rack that was already my size.
But on the table was a black cloak. There was a note.
Wear this when you head down.
-Seraphine
Ok then....
Strange.
I headed down at 5 sharp. No one was there.
"Hello?" I called out, and turned looking for someone.
"Hello Lira." A shadow figure says behind me.
I jumped, startled. It was Seraphine.
"Follow me." and she headed off somewhere, putting the hood on her head.
I did the same and followed her.
She took me to a room where other people where there, wearing the same cloak as Seraphine and I and. There was a long rectangle table with them surrounding it. Dim candle lights surrounding the place.
It looked like a cult...
WAS I FUCKING GETTING SACRIFICED?
Seraphine made me stand on the end of the table in front of a 8 foot painting that was covered with a black cloth.
"Listen, Seraphine... I don't know what I did, but please don't sacrifice me." I leaned in and whispered to her, and she just laughed. Gods, forgive me for my sins.
"MY PEOPLE!" Seraphine's voice boomed. "WE ARE GATHERED HERE TODAY, FOR OUR LEADER IS BACK. A MEMBER OF THE UNCHAINED RETURNED ONCE AGAIN!"
What-?
The Unchained? Was this actually a cult?
I. Am. So screwed.
Everyone started cheering and banging the tables. They started removing their hoods and they actually looked friendly.
Except for this one guy across the table that gave me a look that pierced my soul and the hole never closed.
I removed my hood like the others have as well and everyone knelt.
What the fuck?
The one that was opposite to me hesitated before he knelt down. As if I was a poser.
Maybe I was? I had no idea what even was happening, and what did they mean by leader? I legit just came here.
Seraphine pulled the painting. It was the same painting that was in that abandoned place where I was staying, the same painting of the Princess.
Except...
It was my face.
That was... strange and terrifying. Why was it my face there. I wasn't a Princess.
Was that why they all thought of me as their leader? No wonder the guy across looked as if I was a poser.
There was some mistake, they're mistaken. I'm Lira Crimson. Not Princess... wait.
The Princess's name was also Lira. I liked the name so much, I named myself that.
Surely not...
I can't be the princess, reincarnated into a new time.
Where did I come from?
Seraphine said she knew.
I got no parents, no evidence of where I came from. I looked though all of Valarium, and no on looked like me. I never checked the royal palace, and I don't want to. I didn't want to submit to his mind control over me, but there also was a part of me that knew that they wouldn't be my parents.
There was a time when I was desperate to find them.
What if, The Hollow King was actually my parent? Would it be the reason why I could ignore his commands? But then again, everyone here can as well, and I doubt he had that many children. Plus how would that work? Me being born into a time ahead, with no parents?
"I'm not the Princess."
I say, and they all started looking at one another.
Seraphine just smiles. "You just don't remember."
She turned on the lights and everyone blew the candles out.
There was another painting. The Princess.. or me? Along with her parents.
But I couldn't see it clearly. My head hurts. Hurts as if someone was hammering a nail in my forehead. My vision was blurry and slowly, the world toppled over, the light slowly disappearing to the dark.