The night after Alice had spoken with Kiro and Lucas, she laid on her bed, staring at the ceiling, reflecting on everything she had heard that day. The world was bigger than she could have ever imagined and now, a huge responsibility was looming over her. Head of the fire faction? Leader of the rebellion? Things were a bit simpler when she was just the girl who could teleport. But who was she kidding? Such an incredible power could not have been without a catch. A lot was depending on her. And if it came to an all-out war between gods, she'd have to lead the human resistance. She'd have to protect everyone. To be fair though, it was a bit too much. But with great power comes great responsibility. And Heress was as powerful as they get. For some reason though, she had been quiet. Alice realized how strange that was.
"Heress? Why are you silent?" Alice asked, but was met with resounding silence. "I know you're there. I know how to feel your presence," Alice gloated.
"Oh, aren't you a fast learner? Learning from my memories, are you now?" Heress appeared on the mirror, exhilarated at her discovery. "I have to say, I'm impressed. I've been meaning to ask though, how did you know to draw a circle?"
"I just knew, I guess. Your memories, maybe? Tried it one day out of curiosity and found myself somewhere else. Totally freaked out. Tried it again and I was back home. Crazy incident. Auron completely freaked… Right, Auron, Liana. What was Liana like?" Alice asked.
"Lazy. Very lazy. She was a handmaiden and she was the laziest person I had ever met. But she was also the smartest too. And with that, she was always able to find easier alternatives. It was one of the things that attracted me to her. She was very sincere, very straight to the point. When I became queen, I made her my right hand, with Zora my left."
"I feel like a princess. Mirror, mirror on the wall, who is the fairest of them all?"
"I think we should start with who's the cleanest. Your hair is always a serious mess."
"Well you aren't any different. I remember that much."
"Well, at least I was royalty. So, I was always dressed up like I had an event. When I had to leave my room however."
"What about Heron?" Alice interjected.
"Heron. Heron was my---," Heress hesitated.
"No way!" Alice jumped off her bed, enthralled. "You two were lovers, weren't you? The prince I'm always dreaming about. It's him isn't it? I might not have all your memories now, but I'm sure you do, right?" Alice teased.
And for the first time, Heress chuckled. "He was my lover, alright. But he wasn't the prince. That was Roman, the hunter."
"What!!!" Alice exclaimed.
"Alice! Is everything okay?" Her dad called out.
"Yes dad!" She replied. "So, you're the reason he wanted to take over the world? As a sign of his love?" Alice goaded Heress.
"Funny. Roman proposed before I met Heron. We were already engaged. Then Liana discovered his plot. I was just another energy source to Roman. And not long after, I met Heron. And the rest, you'll find out from my memories, when you have them."
"Come on, tell me now," Alice cried.
"Why don't you ask Kiro then?"
"Right. Good night, Heress. I'm really glad I got to meet you," Alice said, before going back to sleep.
"I'm more than honored, Alice," Heress said, after she was sure Alice was asleep. From the corner of Alice's window, a strange figure appeared. Heress couldn't make out who it was. She moved herself around every reflective object in Alice's room, trying earnestly to get a view of who it was. Her instincts told her, that whoever it was, he was big trouble. As a last resort, she possessed Alice's body. In an instant, she jumped up to take a defensive stance, but was a second too late. The intruder, appeared in front of her and grabbed her face. "Goliath!" Heress was distraught.
Before her, stood Goliath, the leader of the earth faction. ���I'm sorry Heress, but we have to take you out before you fully awaken. You're too big a threat. Forgive my rudeness," he said and his grip tightened on her face.
"I'm sorry Alice, for leaving you like this. But that's the best I can do to save you."
Upon saying that, the mirror cracked and Goliath was worried. He stepped back from her as he perceived an ominous aura emanating from Alice. "Alice! Alice! They're all going to burn because of you!" Heress proclaimed.
"You're sacrificing yourself for a human? How noble of you and how foolish," Goliath responded.
"Alice! Alice! Open up!" Her dad beckoned, as he banged heavily on the door. He had heard Alice's screams and was trying hard to see what was wrong. By the time he got in, Goliath had disappeared.
All through the time they were trying to get her to wake up, Goliath watched from inside the wall. And after the water flushed them out, Goliath could no longer sense Heress's presence. "I guess the deed is done. Heress no longer exists." Not long after he left, Kiro and Lucas arrived, but stayed at a distance, completely unaware of what had transpired before.