The Mysterious Woman

A stoned ceiling greeted Seira as soon as she opened her eyes. She sits up, expecting some pain to shoot up in her body but to her surprise, there was none.

She tilted her head quizzically, baffled at what happened when she passed out. Her feet touch the cold floor. Just as she was about to walk, she finally took notice of her surroundings. She backed away as her heart lurched. The light from a lamp offers a bright light in the area in her bed and the mellow and radiant moonlight creeping to the opened windows lets her catch on to her surroundings.

White single beds in almost 20 sets were set up in the room. The walls were made of small and medium stones with a lamp on each corner. Other than the cabinet near each bed, there was no other furniture in the eerie room.

"It's good that you're finally awake"

Seira turned around abruptly to the door. A middle-aged woman wearing a violet cloak, completely hiding her dress, was standing at the door. Her black hair beautifully cascaded in her shoulders. The woman looks younger and holds exceptional beauty. Her unusual pale skin matched her red lips. The woman walks to her gracefully with an impassive expression.

Seira immediately bowed "Go-good evening……." She didn't know what to call the woman. There was no way that the royal family would visit her, so she settled for "Milady".

The clattering sound of the heels the woman was wearing echoed in the room. She clasped her hand together.

"I-I didn't know why I ended up here but I will make sure to clean it" she rambled as her heart pounds against her chest.

"The head of the maids brings you here cause you fainted before you can step inside the fortress. There was no available healers earlier that's why I handle the task myself"

Seira's eyes widened upon hearing the woman "Thank you so much Milady" she said; still facing the floor.

"You can relax. I am no royalty or any noble at that"

She reluctantly followed the woman but she fixed her eyes on the floor.

"You have a lot of injuries that will take almost a month to heal. I tried to use a second-rate healing magic to make your healing faster as the palace needs servants especially this time but your body didn't respond. And that was odd"

Seira raised her eyes to the woman; swallowed the lump in her throat "W-what—"

The woman cut her off "I used a substantial magic

to increase the healing process of your injuries which I don't normally use in servants and people with less magic in their system, but your body rejects it. Instead of getting better, your arm became swollen even more" the woman paused "My healing magic supposed to be more than effective to a megen like you—a person who had no magic at all"

Seira bit her lower lip that seems to be fine already without the cut and swelling before. "What…. are you trying to imply?"

She didn't know where her courage came from. It is so unlikely for her to talk or even confront a high-class person which was obviously the class the woman belongs in.

An amused laugh of the woman renting the eerie room that became even more chilly than before "I like you. You are somewhat plain-spoken which was a bit unexpected to your weak and innocent features" the woman clasped her hands together "Nothing, I don't have anything to imply. What I'm thinking is not important and not to be said out loud. The fun of staying here all your life will be useless and uneventful if I reveal what my rational judgment is"

Alvear looked at the strange woman. Surprised was an understatement when she realized that the woman's body didn't respond to her magic. She didn't mean to use a high level of magic, but the woman was in a critical condition earlier. But when her body rejected it, she was forced to use a draining magic spell to heal the woman. No Megens or mage in history had rejected her magic in her almost a hundred years of living and continuously wandering around the world to practice medicine aside from the woman. It was odd, something was unusual about the woman that piques her interest of what her fate would be in the palace. Not to mention the uncommon white hair of the woman that was enchantedly scattered in her face.

Seira stares at the woman in confusion. "What do you mean by that?"

"You should discover it by yourself. For now, you should use the hours to get as much rest as possible because tomorrow until the day fate decides to take your life, you will scrape your back in serving this castle until your last breath. And just a warning, only a few survive in this place"

Alvear tucked the hood of her cloak to her head and ambled to the doorway. What she uttered was a half-truth and a lie. She didn't mean to but she had seen a glimpse of the woman's fate —an ability of her having half the blood of a Seer, when she used a high level of magic earlier.

A shiver shoots on Seira's body as she watches the woman elegantly walk in a relaxed manner to the doorway. Before closing the door, the woman faced her "The head of the maidservant will get you in the morning"

Seira released the pent-up breath she didn't know she was holding; putting her hand to the table near the bed. The woman deliberately threw information at her that made her mind into a mess. Why does her body didn't accept it when Megens normally does? 'Cause, you're not a pure human or Megen at all' a small voice rings in her head. Right, she was not a human.

Seira lied down again to the soft and small bed. She turned to her side; gazing at the mellow and radiant moon outside the glass window. It was like a beautiful giant light bulb illuminating the world with its down silvery light together with the millions of stars cast in the vast sky. She brings her hand upward like she is holding the moon in her hands.

"Be safe…… Laila and Mary"

The white light she put on Laila's body, Ms. Olga said that the light might be a thread of life force. She didn't know how or why she has that kind of ability but she can bring back a dead person to life. But everything has its drawbacks. The more she brings a dead person into life, she can feel that her lifeline dwindles. She made a promise to herself that she will never use it again but she couldn't watch Laila helplessly lying on the ground when she knew she could do something. She couldn't stand knowing that it was because of her that someone would die. She was not worthy of any life.

"Everything will be back to normal" she mumbled, encouraging herself.

She didn't know what the woman found out or meant but if there is, she was certain about it, she had no intention to find it. Getting out of the palace is her sole priority and obtaining the one privilege from the king is her ultimate goal in the palace if and only if her plan A will be flipped over. As long as the woman has no idea what she is, she is safe, maybe for not long but before the mysterious woman confronts her, she will make sure that she is already far from the kingdom, starting a new life with Mary and Laila, if possible. She will work and plan her actions silently without gathering unwanted attention on herself.

With that thought, she sleeps; knowing that tomorrow, her newfangled journey will start.