Jia was sure that she should be dead or in Nether World or Afterlife. Anything but her current situation. When Fiona stabbed her with the dagger, she felt it. The pain was unbearable and she wasn`t sure if she screamed or not because she did hear a scream. The only thing she was grateful for was that Zong had been stabbed as well.
They had both disappeared, just like her mama and now they were both floating through a void of white, blue and pink clouds. She was still in her mama`s armour and bleeding but she didn`t feel the pain. She knew that she had been stabbed the same time as the Emperor but here she was, still conscious and yet he looked completely out of it. The Emperor was floating in front of her, moving further and further away. Not that she minded, there nothing and no one she could see from where she was floating.
She spun around to take note of her surroundings when her eyes widened and her heart began to rush with anticipation. There was someone else in there with her and the Emperor. She moved her arms and legs as if she was swimming towards the single floating body. It looked familiar. Too familiar.
When was close enough make out the face and limbs, Jia burst into tears of joy. Tears ran down her face and she laughed as she finally reached the floating body of her mama. It was like dream.
An amazing dream.
She scanned her mama's face and saw that it looked exactly the same. As if time hadn`t aged her in the last eleven years and all her bruises and cuts hadn`t been healed. The stab wound on her stomach was still there except that she wasn't bleeding and she looked peaceful. As if the she didn't feel any pain or disturbance. She put her ear against her chest and smiled when she heard the steady beat of her mama`s heart. She was alive but asleep. Jia leaned back and offered thanks to the Goddess.
"Mama?" Jia said softly as she put her hands on her mother`s face," Mama?!"
She moved her hands down to grasp her shoulders and shake them in an effort to wake her, "Please! Wake up! Mama, please wake up!"
Still no response from her. Jia sniffed and tried to see if there anywhere in the void of space where she could set down her mother and examine her.
After some time had passed, she realized that there was nothing around them and no one for eternity. She was going to be here forever. With her mama`s body and the Emperor. She remembered that this was a one-way trip. How foolish was she? She had saved everyone but doomed herself to an eternity floating around in oblivion with her mama and the Emperor.
Just as she was about to slap herself, a loud explosion shook the world she was in. She turned around to see a ball of light before it expanded out to towards her. Suddenly, she felt like she was being pulled towards it and she scrambled to grab her mama`s hands before pulling her with her. The Emperor was pulled towards the vortex as well. Jia held her mama`s hand tightly and closed her eyes.
The wind picked up around her as she struggled to hold onto her until it finally died out. Suddenly, it felt like she was falling before she landed on the ground with a grunt. Pain instantly hit her.
Something was wrong. She was in pain and trying to breath. She opened her eyes and saw that she was lying on top of someone. A woman. She was bleeding and looked really bruised, like someone had beaten her up. She looked up and was confused as she had appeared in the middle of a huge building where several girls were running towards her or away from her. She could hear water flowing behind her but she didn`t dare to turn and look.
"Who is that?!" A girl asked as she stopped in front of her. The white haired girl pulled the body closer to her and hovered over her protectively. She didn`t know who she was but something was telling her to protect her.
"Someone call the Headmistress!" Several girls yelled from the entrance of the building.
"Oh my Goddess! That`s Jia!" One of the girls exclaimed and the girl`s head spun. Who were they talking about?
"Impossible!"
Jia lifted her head up and tried to make out the name of the person standing in front of her but she couldn`t. Everyone looked like a stranger to her. Suddenly another group of girls came pushing out of the crowd. A girl with titian coloured hair and green eyes gasped and moved towards her.
"Stay back!" The white haired girl yelled, holding up a hand to stop her," Stay back or I will hurt you!"
The red head hesitated," Jia? Jia, it`s me, Rose."
"I don`t know you! So stay back!"
By then the other girls behind her moved to stand beside her.
For Rose and the others, they honestly could not believe that their friend was back! Jia was back! But she wasn`t alone. She was with hovering over a woman protectively and she was bleeding. Really, really badly.
Zoey stepped forward with her hands raised up, "Jia, it`s Zoey, do you recognize me? Your roommate?"
Kyra quickly pulled the gravity manipulating sorceress back when she heard Jia growl," I said, get back!"
Zoey gasped. Fiona was the only other friend to have not approached her friend yet so Clary hit her in the shoulder," You did this so you fix it."
"H-how?" Fiona asked with a frown as she turned to her friend.
"Get her to calm down enough for us to at least get her to the Infirmary," Clary instructed her as if it was obvious. Fiona turned back to Jia and pursed her lips.
Fiona gulped before she took a step towards Jia, her friend looked exactly the same from that day and now she was back. What do you say to someone whom you helped sentence to a life time prison with a maniac?
"Jia?" Fiona asked softly.
Her friend furrowed her brows, "Why do you keep calling me that?!"
Fiona hesitated, "Because that is your name? Don`t you remember?"
"I… I don`t know, "The sorceress admitted with as she stared down at the ground before glancing back up," I can`t remember anything."
"Okay, listen, I`m your friend- "
"That`s debatable!" Rose snapped.
"Shut up, I`m trying to help her!" Fiona bit out.
Rose pursed her lips, "Like you helped her before?"
Fiona held her words back and instead ignored her roommate, whatever problem they had with each other could be solved later, not now. Now, she needed to help Jia, "Jia, you don`t have to trust me or any of us but, you and that woman beneath you need medical attention. If our Nurse doesn't patch you up now, you`ll die."
"You…," Jia licked her lips nervously," You want to help…me?"
"Yes, yes I do. Please," Rose pleaded. By then the Headmistress and the other school staff had come out to see the commotion. Aline was especially shocked to see the girl who was declared dead about a three months ago alive and lying in front of the school`s fountain.
The girl watched them like how a wounded creature would watch a Forest Ranger. Carefully weighting her options and thinking before finally, she nodded," Okay."
"Thank goodness," Fiona whispered as she approached her and slowly reached out to her, "My friend and I will help you up. And Nurse Irma, the woman behind me, will tend to you and the woman with you."
When Jia nodded, Fiona turned back to Clary and jerked her chin. Both girls easily helped Jia to her feet and the lightning sorceress groaned in pain. Her wound was still bleeding and she was in immense pain.
She watched as a Nurse levitate the woman she came with and quickly lead her to the building in front of her.
Aline turned to nod at Maze," Inform her father."
Maze bowed, "Yes, Head mistress!"
He then vanished in a cloud of green smoke.
Zoey quickly took out her phone and began to dial," I need to call the boys. Roy needs to know."
"How is she alive?" Kyra asked out loud.
"And how did she get back?" Rose added.
When Zoey finally got through, she yelled into the phone, "Cole? Get to Viola! Now! It`s an emergency and bring everyone even if they can`t stand to be in the same room with one another."