Standing outside Princess Sa Mi's palace, I was shocked to find myself there. Grasping for air after the long run, I sat at the gate steps and put my head down to recollect my thoughts.
"Disasters come from the mouth. Good words to the bad people bring disasters. Even good words to good people could bring disaster. Not saying anything makes you a threat. Saying everything makes you exploitable… Agh!" a sudden sting went through my head. The pain was unbearable. Everything around me went silent but my ears felt like it was about to explode. But despite how painful it got, I kept forcing myself. "Remember! Remember! Something, anything! Even just a flash! Why can't I recall anything? AGH!!!"
Even after forcing myself, I got nothing but pushing my head to the limit. When the pain reached its highest point, I lost control over my body. It wasn't like before that my consciousness slowly faded away. No, it was so sudden this time, like blowing off a candle. My mind shut in an instant.
…
In the middle of the darkness, the coldness of the void seeped into my body and thoughts. "So lonely, so cold," I murmured, my voice shaken. There was nothing around me. It was a complete void where there was no bound. There wasn't anything that I could rely on, not a place to stand, nor a wall to lean. "This place," I said out loud, but I knew I was only talking to myself. "So scary, so lonely, so cold. Where is this? Why am I here?" my voice shaking as I tried to navigate.
"Is this my punishment?"
…
How long has it been? Hours? Days? Months? Years? I couldn't track time anymore when all I got to see and touch was nothingness. I have walked in this void for a long, very long time. An endless walk even though there was nothing to put my feet on. Eventually, I just gave up and crawled tightly, using my own body to warm myself.
Feeling my heat, I started to remember the people I cherish. "That's right. Ly Giai and Si. How could I forget?" I felt happy seeing them in my mind, the cold felt somewhat bearable.
The hardships we've been through. I still recall vividly the bloody yard of Ly Giai's family, her soulless eyes when realizing only she survived the invasion.
I remember Ly Giai coming back to me when I thought Ly Giai would follow the people from South City and leave me alone in Si's village.
Speaking of Si's village, who would have thought the small and fragile boy we found under the basket would later sacrifice all of his food left for us during the long march to the capital?
"We've truly been through a lot," I whispered satisfyingly. "I am glad to be with you two, Ly Giai, Si."
Then, I don't know if my mind was losing itself as time went on or not, but I felt embraced by a strange, soft touch that shouldn't exist in this empty void. But it must have been real, because slowly, bit by bit, a spark of light came to life. At first very small, just pea size, but it grew and grew and expanded. In the end, the void had become a space of light, and my feet which were floating with nowhere to stand gently came down and touched the floor.
"What does this mean?" I wondered. Looking around for an answer. Unlike before where there was nothing but darkness. This time, I saw something.
Walking closer, no, it wasn't something, but someone. Someone was standing, with their back towards me. Coming even closer, their figure was familiar, a female, but didn't look like Ly Giai or Princess Sa Mi. I don't know any girl else besides the two of them. Yet… this figure… felt much more familiar to me than even Ly Giai.
"Hey! Do you know where this is?" I shouted to her, but she remained quiet and unmoved.
Eventually, I caught up to where she was standing. Standing this close, I realized that she wasn't very tall. At that height, she was probably somewhere around fifteen years old.
"Hey! Hello! Why are you not answering me? Can you hear me?" I kept asking as I moved myself to face her.
The moment I saw her face, I was completely stunned in place.
"You…" my jaws became stiff, couldn't say another word.
Standing in front of me was a girl around my age, in her mid-twenties. She was motionless with her body standing straight and her eyes closed. Her height was similar to Ly Giai, roughly to my ears. Her face was small and compact, delicate like an angel, with her nose high and thin lips. Her skin was as smooth as silk. She looked oddly similar to Ly Giai, but at the same time looked nothing like Princess Sa Mi.
"W… Who are you?" I asked, but my mind was completely blocked by what I was feeling right then. "Who is this? I haven't met her before, and she is not Ly Giai. So why is my heart-wrenching so tremendously right now?"
The more I looked at her, the more my heart pounded and the more anxious and flustered I became. I could not figure out why I felt like this.
"Are you… someone I knew before I lost my memories?" I asked once more.
And that was when her body got to life. There was a slight movement in her hair and hands. When she opened her eyes, like Ly Giai, her eyes were sky blue as well.
At first, when she looked at me, she was also confused as to who I was. But unlike me, after the quick second. She smiled realizing who I was. Her lips then started moving, gently whispered one word.
"Do."
That one word overloaded my mind. Images and conversations suddenly rushed into me so overwhelmingly, that I crumbled and lost my consciousness once again.
…
"You're awake now?" I heard a faint voice speaking to me. Struggling to open my eyes, I saw it was midnight, and that I was laying on a bed. Across me, Princess Sa Mi was watching me. "What happened? I don't think you would already miss me, don't you?"
"Your Highness?" I uttered, my head was still unclear. "Why am I here?" I scratched as I held my head from the afterpain.
"Why are you asking me?" she said back. "You are the one who fainted before my palace. I coincidently came back from a late meeting and found you blocking my entrance."
She pointed to a glass of water next to me. After drinking it and leaving some time for my head to clear, reality slowly came back to me.
"Ah… I remember now. Sorry for surprising you, Your Highness. I will leave now to not bother you anymore," I said and tried to stand up.
"Sit."
My body suddenly lost control and I fell back to the bed. I quickly turned, but the princess did not move from the chair. Her words alone made my body listen. No wonder she is called the Great General.
Remain sitting, Princess Sa Mi slightly leaned forward, but the immense pressure I felt was unbearable. "You can't just show up at my door, faint, wake up, and try to leave without an explanation," she smiled, but it felt more like a threat.
"There is nothing," I tried to explain myself. "It was just that… I needed some quiet time, so I went for a quick run. You have to believe me when I say I just unconsciously got here. There is no hidden intention."
"A quick run, this late?" she pushed.
"Ha ha… Experiencing something new doesn't hurt," I tried to joke.
The Princess remained quiet but kept staring at me like she was trying to dig out my soul. But after a moment, she leaned back in her chair and the atmosphere got more breathable. "And here I thought you have something important for me. Do you know how late it is right now that I have to wait for you to wake up?"
"Sorry…" I scratched my head, feeling guilty.
"At least having no news is still good news." She gave out a sigh and shook her head. "But you fainted. Are you sure you are fine? Do you have any illness?"
"I am fine. Thanks for worrying," I said. "It is just something I have to deal with for a long time. It's just getting a bit more intense lately."
"I can recommend you doctors that I know," the princess proposed.
When I heard doctors, my mind brightened. "Doctors!" I almost shouted. It caught the princess by surprise. "How could I forget? Your Highness, Si has caught an unknown illness on our journey to the capital. The doctor we had with us from South City couldn't figure out what it was."
"Rock head!" Princess Sa Mi jumped up and hit my head. "How could you forget something that important?"
"Ouch!" I touched my head, and there was a bulge there. "Too much stuff happened, even Ly Giai forgot about it too."
"I can't believe this." She shook her head. "I will call the royal doctors now. Come with me."