Three days later, the morning of my birthday arrives, and I start the day with a pillow to my face, bringing with it a sense of warm excitement.
As I scuttle downstairs, my mother greets me with a broad smile, her eyes shining with love.
"Happy birthday, Komachi," she says, handing me a tiny pendant.
The pendant has an intricate design of the twin demons from our favourite stories etched onto it. It's a little bizarre, but Mum gave it to me, so I'll treasure it.
We share a moment of warm silence before Mum helps me put on the pendant.
The rest of the morning is full of delicious breakfast, laughter, and shared stories. We clean the dishes together, our movements synchronised in the comforting rhythm of our daily life.
The afternoon winds down as the sun dips lower, casting long shadows that dance on our walls. The anticipation in the air is almost tangible as if the whole village is holding its breath.
"Komachi, it's almost time," Mum calls, pulling me out of my reverie.
"Are you ready?" Mum's voice carries a note of excitement that makes me smile despite the nervous butterflies in my stomach.
Dusk falls, and the village looks like something straight out of a dream. Lanterns are floating in the sky, their soft glow bathing the entire place in a warm, ethereal light.
It's breathtaking, and for a moment, I forget all about my nervousness.
There's a purple, monumental monolith nestled in the centre of the village, I can feel power emanating from it. The villagers seem to be praying to it.
The whole area is surrounded by multicoloured lanterns and crates.
Underneath the emerging stars, the festival finally begins. I find myself in a whirl of colours and sounds, exhilarated. The sights are straight out of my wildest dreams—or, more accurately, the pages of my favourite book.
Music fills the air as villagers dance around the towering monolith, their laughter echoing in the cool night.
I find myself swept away in the frenzy, joining in the dance with uncoordinated yet gleeful steps.
The night air is full of joyous shouts and the enticing smell of festival food. Yet amidst this, I can't help but glance towards the monolith, anticipation gnawing at me.
Suddenly, A searing pain tears through me out of nowhere, like my very veins are ablaze. I glance down in horror as my body starts glowing with numerous colours—especially purple.
"What's happening to me?" Panic begins to take hold.
"Mum, something's... wrong," I gasp out, clutching my chest. It feels as if something inside me is fighting to burst out.
I don't understand, but the looks of shock on the faces of the villagers tell me it isn't normal.
Her eyes meet mine as she asks, "What do you mean?"
"I... I can't..." I stutter, trying to communicate what I'm feeling but the words won't come. The world tilts and spins, the sounds of music and laughter becoming distorted and distant.
A white-hot pain sears through my veins, so intense it blots out everything else. It feels as if a million suns have burst into life within me.
I struggle to breathe, my thoughts scattering like leaves in a hurricane.
Out of the corner of my eye, I see her—Mum. Her face is a mask of horror as she battles her way through the crowd, her shouts drowned out by the clamour.
I can see her mouth moving, her hands reaching for me; her eyes are wide with a fear I've never seen before.
A sense of dread engulfs me as I fall into a sea of darkness. I can't see, I can't speak, I can't...
The world around me blurs and then fades completely.
When I regain consciousness, I find myself in a makeshift infirmary. My mother's voice pierces the silence, her frantic argument with some villagers unsettling me. With each moment, the confrontation escalates, and a sense of foreboding claws at me.
My entire body hurts, but I want to see Mum again. So I muster up the strength to crawl out of bed.
I want to call out to Mum, but my voice is a mere croak, lost in the commotion.
Despite the throbbing pain. I move to get up, but my strength fails me, and I collapse back onto the cold floor, my vision blurring at the edges. This isn't the peaceful village life we've known. This isn't the world I've become a part of.
I strain to understand what is happening. Cold dread churns in my stomach, a horrible sense that life as I know it is shattering before my eyes.
I manage to crawl near the entrance and. My heart lurches in my chest. A villager looms over my fallen mother, a cruel glint in his eyes that I can see even from this distance. My mind reels, too terrified to process what's unfolding.
Then, like a bolt of lightning slicing through the tumultuous night, a realisation strikes me: Mum is in danger because of me. The pain, the chaos—all of it began with me.
I try to move, to scream, but my body betrays me. I am reduced to a silent, helpless observer of the ensuing nightmare.
I can faintly hear what the villager is saying, something about sacrificing and protecting me.
I think the villagers want to sacrifice me... But why? What did I do?
That was when a villager walked in. I'm floating... In the air... Wait, no. I'm being dragged!
"Let me go!" I scream, trying to fight back but my body wouldn't respond.
I'm dragged outside and there it is...
The heart-wrenching scene unfolds before my eyes, and I can feel my own heart shattering into a million pieces. My mother, the one who cared for me, loved me and made this world feel like home, now lies bruised and lifeless before me.
The grief that grips my heart is overwhelming, and I want to scream and wail, but I can't find my voice. I am paralysed, both physically and emotionally, by the weight of this tragedy.
The villagers stand around her lifeless form, their faces filled with a mixture of fear and guilt. I can hear them whispering amongst themselves, trying to justify their actions, trying to explain why they had to do this terrible deed.
But all I can think of is my mother's warm smile, her gentle touch, and her laughter that filled our home with joy. She was the only family I had in this strange world, the only one who truly cared for me.
"Why...?" I finally manage to choke out, my voice raw with pain.
A grizzled old villager stepped forward, his eyes filled with regret.
"The Mark of Chaos…" He began hesitantly, his voice thick.
"Said there'd be a child, different from the rest. Said this child would bring a great change, good or ill." He looked away, unable to meet my gaze.
"We...we thought, if it came to pass, a sacrifice might...might save us all."
His words hit me like a punch to the gut. I am not a harbinger of destruction; I am just a girl trying to find her place in this world.
The thought that my existence had brought about such tragedy fills me with guilt and anguish.
According to the villagers, my mother was meant to carry out the sacrifice, as was dictated by the prophecy.
But she resisted. She fought for me, her love overriding the fear of the unknown.
"But... she was my mother…" I whisper, my voice breaking, "She loved you all, she cared for you all. You had no reason to kill her!"
The villagers remain silent, unable to meet my gaze.
At that moment, I feel a deep sense of betrayal. These people, whom I had come to know and love, had turned on me and taken away the one person who meant everything to me.
Anger begins to well up inside me, an indomitable force that shatters my paralysis.
With a surge of strength, I break free from the grip of the villagers and rush to my mother's side. I hold her lifeless form in my arms, my tears falling onto her still face.
Purple, shadowy tendrils, burst out from my back, tearing through everything in their path. Destruction reigns, and the village is in ruins. They are out of control.
Turning to the villagers, I feel a cold, bitter rage settle over me. These were people I knew, people my mother loved and cared for, and they took her away from me.
In my despair, the purple tendrils grow stronger, wreaking more havoc. The villagers try to defend themselves, but their attacks are fruitless.
I clench my fists at my sides, my nails digging into my palms.
Turning to the villagers, my heart filled with a cold, bitter rage.
"Is this what you were afraid of?" I said, my voice hollow, "You took her away from me, and for what? Fear? Prophecies?"
Suddenly, my body moves on its own through the destruction, tendrils lashing out. Each scream of terror, each cry for mercy fuels the cold, furious fire in my heart. It was them or me, and I choose me.
When the dust settles, I stand alone amidst the ruins, gasping. Around me, the remnants of the village smoulder and the night sky is devoid of any stars. The silence is deafening.
Amid the silence, I feel a hollow emptiness settle within me. As I look at the destruction I've caused, I can't help but wonder, is this my destiny? Is this the path I was meant to follow?
I let out a bitter laugh, the sound echoing through the ruins. The girl in the mirror, the girl with the bright green eyes and fiery spirit, was she really capable of all this?
In the end, it seems, I did bring destruction. Just not in the way the villagers had feared.
The entire village is in ruins, and the air feels cold. The dust clears, and most of the villagers lie lifeless, as if their souls were sucked out of their bodies.
How did things turn out like this? I never asked for any of this...
I watch the tendrils continue to wreak havoc.
"How can I make it stop?" I think desperately, "How can I control this... this... thing inside me?"
My heart pounds, a chaotic symphony to match the destruction around me. I close my eyes, forcing myself to breathe steadily.
Slowly, I can feel the tendrils receding, a cold, tingling sensation spreading across my back.
I look at my mum's lifeless body once again.
"I'm sorry, Mum," I whisper, "I never wanted any of this. I never wanted any of them to get hurt."
For a long time, I remain there, clinging to the only family I've ever known. The tendrils have stopped their rampage, leaving behind a desolate landscape. The villagers' fearful whispers, their desperate attempts to protect themselves, are now just echoes in the stillness.
I slowly crawl towards her, my body is still in pain; I collapse on top of her. Exhaustion takes over, and I find myself slipping into a deep, dreamless sleep.
But as I drift into the soothing darkness, whispers begin to fill my mind once more, distant and eerie. A faint voice emerges from the depths of my mind, chilling me to my core.
"The second endowment awaits..."
The voice is unfamiliar, yet it carries a note of unmistakable authority that sends shivers down my spine. As the final word resonates in my ears, I am left with a horrifying thought. What more could there be than what has already happened?