Memories and Desires

THE hallway is swathed with almost eternal darkness, void of any form of light or sound. It feels like her senses are muted except for her sense of touch. It's because Selene can still feel a warm sticky liquid as she moves around in her bare feet, but since it's dark, she couldn't see what it is. And despite not knowing where she is or where she is going, it feels like her feet know where she should go.

It almost felt like an hour since she starts walking, and she thought that the end is nowhere in sight when Selene suddenly sees a small crevice from the end of the corridor where a faint light is coming from. When she reached it, the door slams open, and she had to shield her eyes from the blinding glow emanating from the unusually bright moon that can be seen from the bedroom window. And then Selene stares at a wrecked room where splatters of blood are scattered everywhere. And just beside her feet is a pool of blood coming from a woman's mangled body while a young girl kneels next to her, holding a bloodied knife. Selene couldn't hear any sounds coming from the girl, but she thought she was crying because of how her body visibly trembles uncontrollably.

However, the young girl suddenly raises her hand while still holding the knife and aims it towards the unconscious woman's chest. Selene gasps in horror at the sight and immediately runs towards to stop her from her plan. Though, when the young girl turns towards Selene's direction with a sinister smile on her lips, her knees instantly gave away, and she fell on her butt. She immediately recognized the familiar face she'd seen almost every day while staring through the mirror. There's no mistaking it; it's her. It's her other self that seems utterly unfamiliar right now. Her heart bangs loudly against her chest, and she feels a loud ringing in her ears. Feeling a sense of Deja Vu, Selene's gaze swiftly shift to the direction of the dead woman, and an earth-shattering scream erupts from her lips when she sees her mother's face swimming with her own blood.

The young girl rose from crouching and slowly walks towards her. Selene grew numb with shock, and she couldn't do anything but watch as she grabs her right hand and shoves the bloodied knife on her palm. With a last menacing grin, she disappears from her sight, and the scene instantly changes. Now, Selene looms over her mother's unconscious body, and as if her body is being taken over by some unknown force, Selene hoists the sudden pristine knife on her hand and thrust it to her mother's chest. And she watches as bubbles of blood comes out of her mother's mouth, and she took her one last painful breath

SELENE screams as she shot up from the bed, streaked with sweat. She had a weird dream again. And although it's just a dream, it felt too real that she can still feel the weight of the knife on her palm and smell the tangy and slimy scent of the blood coming from it. And even though the dream strays from the usual, it didn't feel good to see herself as a murderer. Selene knows that it's not true, but it still felt like she got slapped in the face and punched in the gut because of it. It's scary to think that she's even capable of killing someone, especially someone she loves.

"But you just did. Remember what happened," a voice whispers in Selene's ear. Her body stiffened, and she automatically covers her ears in an attempt to keep the voice away.

Ever since she's a kid, her parents have been boasting about how sharp her memory is. Selene was diagnosed with Hyperthymesia. It is a condition that allows her to remember every moment in her life in near-perfect detail. However, if what the Shaman said were true, she really forgot a significant someone in her life, is she remembers even true? When at the back of her mind, a nagging feeling that something is not right slowly consumes her. She's not even sure if she can still trust her memory.

When the voice inside her head finally disappears, with blurry eyes, Selene scans her surroundings. And she finds herself resting in a large canopy bed with a familiar rustic and medieval theme style decorating the room. Selene stands up from the bed and walks towards the balcony. The place must have gone into a complete transformation, but the familiar pristine white temple she can see from just a short distance away only confirms where she is. After healing Khalil, Selene doesn't remember much of anything aside from recalling the feeling of peace that she can sense her consciousness slowly fading. She can only assume that High Priestess Lucia took her and brought her here while she's unconscious. Though, she's not sure how she managed to find her. It's uncomfortable to think that she's actually monitoring her every move.

Selene looks down at the long white gown she's wearing and stops short when she sees a bloodstain on her dress. She took a sharp intake of breath and clasps together her trembling hands. She squeezes her eyes shut, and when she opens it again, the blood disappeared.

"Now, I'm having hallucinations, just great!" Selene crossly mutters while clamping down the disturbingly white dress she's wearing. It is just like one of those days when she has her attack. First, she hears voices, and now she's having hallucinations.

And then, without warning, Selene's vivid dream and the perfectly detailed memory of slashing the intruders from last time resurface in her mind. No matter how much she tries to wipe the memory away from her mind, it just keeps on popping in unannounced. A wave of nausea assaults her, and Selene has to grasps the stone railing, leaning for support while clutching her throbbing chest. It felt like something is clawing at it as she gasps for air. Selene's head also pounds painfully. It's like her head is going to explode any minute.

A broken laugh escapes her lips. "And the most pain--ful of it all, I keep vividly remem--bering things that I badly want to forget," Selene mutters weakly in between labored breaths. "And I don't have to feel bad thinking of myself as a murderer because I almost killed someone."

If Khalil didn't call out to her, she's absolutely sure that she would go through with slashing the neck of her enemy. Just because something snapped inside of her, she's already raring to kill someone. It feels horrible, and she felt like she's an awful person for the hundredth time. It's suffocating just by thinking about it.

Selene looks over the direction of the dense green forest, and every cell in her body screams to escape. The next thing she knows, she's already running. Selene wanted to run away from this place and head towards the woods to clear her mind. Selene runs as fast as she can while barefoot along the wide and long hallways without caring how she looked. Still, when she suddenly caught sight of a familiar figure from a distance, it's as if her feet naturally gravitate towards him. Selene finds herself jumping on his arms while tears start streaming down her face. It's the third time already that she finds herself crying while in Kaden's arms.

When she feels Kaden's arms wrap around her waist, just as she suspected, the painful sensation on her body slowly dissipates. It's just like he is her personal tranquilizer. Feeling grateful that he didn't push her away, Selene buried her face on his chest and tightened her grip on his clothes as he carries her like a child. It's just that she feels a sharp, heavy gaze drilling a hole in her that made her raise her head. While her eyes were still splashed with tears, Selene sees Prince Nicolai standing just a few paces from her. And Selene couldn't quite understand the conflicted emotions reflected on his eyes as he stares at her. However, a stranger standing behind Prince Nicolai looks at Selene with a scowl on his face. It seems like he is raring to kill her. Although from both of them, Prince Nicolai's gaze is much more unnerving that her eyes zeroed in on him.

"What are you doing here?" she asked while glowering at Prince Nicolai. At the corner of her eye, she can see the other person who's with him tense and poised to strike.

As if regaining his usual composure, Prince Nicolai's mouth curves up in a half-smirk. "I was told to come here."

Selene turns toward Kaden, who remained quiet all this time. "Is he telling the truth?"

Using his free hand, Kaden wipes the tears on her face before answering in a soft and gentle voice that is so unlike him. For a moment, she thought she was clinging to someone else. "Yes, the High Priestess told them to come."

When Kaden confirmed it, Prince Nicolai looks at him proudly, and she can't help but feel annoyed that she wants to mess with him. Selene raised her hand and pointed her finger at Prince Nicolai before looking back at Kaden with an accusatory look on her face.

"Did you know what he did to me? He raised his sword against a defenseless young girl without hesitation."

Upon hearing what she said, Kaden turns sharply and looks at Prince Nicolai in anger. Selene had to tighten her hand on his shoulder because of the sudden waves of dizziness that overwhelms her. "Is she telling the truth?"

Kaden didn't have to hear his reply because his silence and the heated gaze as she looks at Selene verifies her accusation. And instead of replying to her question, Prince Nicolai's focus is solely on Selene as he taunts her. "What are you, a kid?"

Selene mirrors the half-smirk that he did earlier. "I'm a kid."

Prince Nicolai folded his arms against his chest and looked at her questioningly. "I thought you're already an adult?"

Selene's smile fell off, and she looks at Kaden suspiciously. Though, he immediately refused to make eye contact. Selene jumps off from Kaden's arms and takes a step towards Prince Nicolai when the guy with the permanent scowl on his face step forward and shield his body to protect her master. He's utterly hostile with her. He must be pissed because he kicked his master last time that sent him flying across the window.

"Step back, Augustus," Prince Nicolai ordered curtly. Augustus steps back with gritted teeth as he ordered but without taking away his threatening gaze from her.

She ignored Augustus' hostile gaze and looked at Prince Nicolai questioningly. "How did you know that?"

Prince Nicolai smiles at her, suddenly looking triumphant. "I can't say I know enough about you, unlike how you seem to know everything about me, but I know who you are."

"You didn't answer my question, how did—"

"Selene! You're awake!" a child-like voice shouts from a distance. When she looks at the sound's direction, she can see Khalil running towards her without difficulty. From the last time she saw his black and blue beaten body, it seems like he had grown incredibly fast and a lot healthier. He looks a bit taller, and his pale complexion regained some color. Although he is still a bit skinny for his age, he gained some weight. He's not like a stick like the first time she saw him.

When Khalil finally reached her, he jumps on her arms, and Selene's hands automatically wrapped around his body and affectionately caress his back. "Are you alright, now?"

Khalil nodded his head vigorously while his face is buried to her neck. Afterward, he looks at her with a goofy grin despite the tears running down his face. "Thanks to you, I'm in good health!"

Selene cocks her head in confusion. Well, she did heal him, but by looking at him, it seems like it's not only his physical injuries that got treated but also the sickness that's been eating away his life. There's no way Selene did that, right? Well, Lucia must have already done something while she's still sleeping. Selene did tell her that she would bring Khalil to the temple to ask for her help to heal him. It's the favor that she'd asked the High Priestess.

Selene is distracted by her thoughts that she didn't immediately notice what Khalil was about to do. One moment, Khalil is crying in happiness as he stares at her gratefully, and the next thing she knew, he gave her a quick peck on her lips. Selene's eyes grow wide with shock, and she can clearly hear everybody's gasps in surprise.

Khalil looks at her affectionately with a playful smile etched on his lip that perfectly fits his age. "I like you, Selene. I like you a whole lot that I want to protect you and make you happy."

He looks at her bashfully while his plump cheeks are red with embarrassment. "When I become an adult, will you become my wife?"

Selene's heart stilled, and her mouth hangs open in disbelief. She can't believe she's receiving a confession from someone nineteen years her junior. She may look like a kid right now, but she's still an adult in her heart and mind. Selene tries to brush it off, but she instantly stopped short when she sees his beautiful smile. She doesn't have the heart to reject him because of how positively beaming he looks right now. That's why Selene just stood there utterly speechless, not having a clue about what she should do.

And when Khalil bends his head to try to kiss her again, she felt a cold, rough hand clamp down on her lips. She suddenly sees Prince Nicolai and a newly arrived Zeno holding Khalil's arms on both sides, looking too annoyed as they tried to get him away from her.

For a moment, everything had become completely quiet, aside from everyone's heavy and ragged breathing while they stare down at each other. However, Kaden was the first one to break the silence after taking back his hand that covered her lips.

"Khalil, let's talk about this later. The High Priestess is here."

Selene looks at High Priestess Lucia, who's silently watching with an amused expression on her face. From her side is Priestess Mauricia, who is looking down on the ground. Zeno suddenly let go of Khalil, takes off his coat, and put it on her body to cover her.

"Why did you go out looking like that? The sun may have finally come out after a long time, but it's still a bit chilly. You will still catch a cold."

Zeno's nagging is sounding familiar by a second. Patrick's face flashed before her eyes, and she couldn't help but smile. Zeno caught sight of it and raised his eyebrow questioningly.

Selene clears her throat and looks outside. She didn't notice it right away, but the place has become brighter and a bit warmer as the warm rays of the sun shone down from the sky. "What's going on? How did the sun appear in the sky?"

Zeno looks at him in puzzlement. "It's because of you. Don't you remember? Your magic did that, and everyone has been going crazy because of it. They're looking all over for you, the child of the prophecy."

Selene has grown incredibly quiet, still not understanding one bit about what he said when High Priestess Lucia steps into the commotion and looks at her grimly.

"First, let's discuss how you can escape from the capital. I've already talked about it to His Imperial Highness Nicolai, and he agreed to take you to the Empire of Ebon for your safety."

Selene couldn't believe what she just heard. That must be the reason for the triumphant look on his face. Her gaze turns sharply to Prince Nicolai, who didn't bother to hide his smug expression as he returns her stare. If she's going with him, will Kaden even come with her? Then, what about the village? Selene's heart starts thumping loudly, and blood rushed to her ears. She's getting a bad feeling about this. There's no way she will let him have his way. She needs to think of a way to gain something from this deal.