Reincarnation of Akari Orien

As Rhea handed a glass of water to Anezka and made her comfortable on the bed, Anezka took a few moments to breathe. In the chamber, everyone was astonished as they witnessed Anezka undergoing a physical transformation in many ways.

What surprised them the most was that Anezka could now see without her glasses. Everyone in the chamber stood silently, observing Anezka's movements. After a few minutes, Anezka raised her head and said, "I can't believe you all hid so many things from me."

Selmor jolted visibly and asked, "What are you talking about?" Anezka shook her head in disappointment and replied, "I don't know how many days I was unconscious, but I was trapped in a nightmare where I saw myself as a blind woman. I can't believe that blind girl was dumb and naive." Hearing Anezka's words, Serena moved closer and sat beside her on the bed. Coldly, she said, "The girl you saw in your nightmare was your great-grandmother, Akari Orien." 

Anezka laughed mockingly and said, "And I'm the reincarnation of Akari Orien." Hearing Anezka's words, everyone in the chamber gasped loudly, except for Selmor. Serena whispered, bewildered, "How is this possible?" Upon hearing Serena, Anezka shot her a sharp glare and replied, "You didn't realize it after giving me birth when you saw my face? Of course, you wouldn't; you threw me away from this immortal world just after I was born. Your excuse was what? Saving me from danger? Serena Orien, the queen of the Kingdom of Gaelen—my mother—don't you know you can't run away from danger when you're born to be a cure for it?"

Serena started to silently cry as she said, "But that danger will consume you whole." Anezka shook her head, looking into her mother's eyes, and said, "As if it didn't consume me in my past life? As if it's not happening right now? Mother, I don't know what is happening to me—my brain, my body. I'm feeling too warm. I can see a few strands of my hair changing color, fading. I've noticed I don't need my glasses anymore. I don't know if what is happening to me is a cure or a curse, but I can definitely say that if I run away again, I'll be cursed forever."

Serena shook her head, as if she couldn't believe what Anezka had just said. Selmor approached Anezka and asked, "How much do you know about Akari? Tell me everything. I want to understand your perspective so we can clarify things now. Miscommunication is something we can't afford right now." Saying this, he pulled a chair from in front of the dressing table, sat down facing Anezka, while Mikael settled beside Serena on the bed. Rhea decided to leave the chamber, feeling that the matter was too personal for her to be present.

Anezka nodded as she began to explain everything briefly. "When I was unconscious, I felt trapped in an endless dark nightmare where I saw every member of the royal family. I don't know many names, but I remember their faces. I recall Akari—a blind, naive woman—who always had her royal pet with her. It was a white wolf that guided her, almost as if it were her eyes." As she said this, she glanced towards the white wolf sitting in the corner of the chamber, looking at her warmly.

Staring at the white wolf, Anezka continued, "One day, Akari was in Sherwood playing with her pet, and they both didn't realize how, while playing, they ended up crossing the border of the Kingdom of Gaelen and entered Wisterferia, part of the Kingdom of Corbin. There, she met Azara, and shortly after, they became best friends. Despite knowing how much their kingdoms hated each other, Akari always found a way to meet Azara. As the years passed, Akari and Azara's friendship grew even stronger. However, how long could they hide the truth and live happily in a delusional life? One day, while they were playing, Azara took Akari into her personal yard. While they were spending time together, Akari's attention was drawn to a servant who worked in Azara's palace, and she ended up falling in love with him."

Anezka started playing with the end of the blankets to distract herself as she continued narrating, "Once Azara learned about the love between her best friend and servant, she didn't like it, but she was unable to express her dislike. As the years passed, Azara was approaching her 18th birthday. However, it was foretold that on her 18th birthday, the Kingdom of Corbin would fall, and everyone would die. The only way to break the curse was to find someone from the Kingdom of Gaelen because Gaelen's ancestors had cursed Corbin. This curse stemmed from an event in ancient times when the Queen of Corbin brutally killed the King of Gaelen, which led to the Gaelen Queen cursing the Kingdom of Corbin."

"Akari believed she could find a cure for Azara's curse. Desperate to save her best friend and her lover, she sought advice from her grandmother. However, her grandmother manipulated her, feeding her misleading information which lead to destroy the Kingdom of Corbin. Under her grandmother's influence, Akari unintentionally ended up demolishing the kingdom, and in the process, she tragically took the life of your brother, Silvan's life." Anezka said, looking straight into Selmor's eyes as she noticed they were getting misty.

Selmor cried silently as he asked, "Let's not talk about Silvan. Just tell me how you're so sure that you are the reincarnation of Akari." He wiped his tears as Anezka continued, "I had a dream where Akari was taking her own life. Her last words were, 'I want to be reborn as a cure, and I love…' Before she could complete her sentence, she died. But I don't understand one thing." Anezka frowned and said, Selmor straightened his posture and asked "What is it?"

"I don't know," Anezka replied, rubbing her hands together. "Before my nightmare ended, I felt a dark shadow behind me whispering, 'Cure is what you want to be; Jinx is what I'll make you.' It felt so real that even now, I'm getting goosebumps."

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"Memories are dangerous things. You turn them over and over, until you know every touch and corner, but still you'll find an edge to cut you."

- By Mark Lawrence