'Who's that...?' Clara asked herself, it's because of her glowing body that Clara can't figure out who the woman is.
This glowing figure walked towards Clara and the black lady. As she gets closer to the both of them, her appearance is starting to become clear to Clara's eyes. A silver hair, with eyes same as Alina's and her brothers. She wears a white elegant dress, with lots of different golden ornaments hanging on it, and a head accessory with its pendant centered on her forehead. She looks so beautiful, and what caught Clara's attention was the striking resemblance of this person to Alina.
"Go away..." The black lady glared at the woman in front of them. Clara's eyes are fixated to her. Suddenly, she had the urge to throw herself towards the beautiful woman in front of her, yet her body won't move at all.
"Give me my child," Clara felt like her heart is being crushed by some unknown force, hearing the woman in front of her called her 'my child' despite seeing her real appearance.
"This is not your child," The black lady with the appearance of Clara's mother, wrapped her arm around Clara's waist as she floats away from the woman. When she landed on the ground, she immediately throw an attack, creating small black holes on her palm and aggressively tossing it to the direction of the woman.
She created more of it and throw it to the woman.
The woman sighed and glared at her. Her golden eyes glows, as she raise both her hands and aimed it to the black lady.
"Your existence is abominable. You are not permitted to touch my daughter," The woman spoke. Right after she said those, light came rushing towards the black holes that are heading towards her, and in just one hit, all of the small black holes created by the black lady disappeared as if it was dissolved by the light.
"Let us go, Mom!" The woman was surprised to hear a small voice coming from the direction where the black lady and Clara are.
Her brows furrowed as she glared at the person she saw.
A silver haired kid, with red eyes that has the Odilia's eye design. Her hair is smooth and silky, reaching her thighs. She looks at the woman with fear written all over her face. The woman grits her teeth, clenching her fists as she glare intently to the kid not far away from her.
"You dared to even use my first daughter's face...?" The tip of the woman's hair suddenly turns gold, and Clara was surprised to see it. It was the same thing that happened to her when she went to the maze of Albireo Palace's garden.
"Mom...it's me!" The woman produces energy that is so strong, it even made her hair almost floating, and her clothes swaying even without the breeze of the wind.
"You kidnap my youngest child and dared to pretend as my first daughter? Such insolence won't be forgiven. I, Iliana Lena de Ciera will completely eradicate you," Clara's eyes slowly turns wide as she hear the beautiful woman introducing herself. She had ideas on who this woman could be, but she didn't want to believe it after all her hopes had died.
"Hah! Eradicate me? Your ancestors can't even do it!" All of the sudden, the black lady turns back to its original form and wraps her arm around Alina's shoulder, headlocking her.
"I am not my ancestor. And you are not the real black magician either. You are only here as 'his' arms to help him take over my daughter's body. And I cannot lose against someone like that," Iliana spoke. She started walking towards the two again, and the black lady begins to take steps backwards. Clara looks at Iliana, and can't help but tear up.
'This is Alina's mother...? She's gorgeous, no wonder why Alina looks beautiful as well...' Clara thought, staring at the Empress. She lets herself get dragged by the black lady while still having a small shimmer of hope within her that Iliana will be able to get her away from the black lady.
"If you come closer to us, I will not hesitate to slit this kid's throat," The black lady materialized a dark knife on her right hand and put it onto Clara's neck.
Iliana stopped walking as she took a deep breath.
"You already stole my first daughter, and you're still planning to get my second? Aren't you a greedy demon?" Iliana questioned, smirking at the black lady. Clara was surprised too see how Iliana's expression changed. Her face looks like she's trying to provoke the black lady.
"Your first daughter was useless! I couldn't even use her body properly!" Iliana's face darkens. A shadow covered the upper part of her face, that's how Clara sees her.
"My first daughter is what? Hah. Could it be that you're the useless one? Your power was stripped off and you were sealed by an Astra. Despite the defeat, you still think you can win against them?"
Right after Iliana said those. The gold string that's attached to Clara's finger slowly moved. It transforms to a thick rope and quickly wrapped itself around the black lady. Causing the lady to let go of Clara and the knife. The rope moves faster than it's glow that the lady couldn't see it coming at all.
Once Clara was freed from her grasp, Iliana used her power to teleport her child within her arms. Iliana gently embrace the teenager in front of her and caress her back.
Clara stared to the darkness as she feel her body slowly regaining its strength. When she realized that Iliana is hugging her, she was surprised. And feeling the warm embrace of a mother, she felt a huge lump in her heart, she started crying.
Her sobs gets louder, and tears continue to fall from her eyes. Iliana looked at the black lady and used her allure vision to attack her. Her eyes were enough to create a ball of light and disperse the black lady's impurity.
Iliana pulled away from Clara and wiped the kid's tears away. She smiled softly and chuckled.
"Why is my daughter crying?" Iliana asked. Clara became even more relaxed that her cries starts to get louder. Iliana chuckled and once again wiped her tears away.
"How do you feel, my daughter?" Clara sniffles as she gasped for air. Unlike the feeling of suffocation earlier, this is now because of her loud cries that she's breathing heavily.
"S-sorry...but I am not your daughter..." Clara answered. Iliana smiled and gently gave her a peck on her forehead.
"What are you saying? You are my daughter. Alina Devi de Ciera, my fifth child with Rave and my second princess. You are my ray of hope, together with your brothers," Clara's chest tightens after hearing Iliana's words. It confirms something that Clara never knew about. She just believed some novels and thought that she entered its world. However, she realized as she lives in her new world how different her life is from the Alina she knew.
And now that she heard it from Iliana's mouth. Her doubts starts to slowly fade away. As if a void in her heart that doesn't accept any affections is started to absorb those loves she received from everyone, that are waiting on its door.
Alina is Orpheus' child. Not other man's. She's of Ciera and Odilia's blood, not an illegitimate child.
Her tears continue to fall down as her head hang low while wiping her tears away. She can't believe everything that happened, it felt like a nightmare to her. But seeing Iliana relieved all the fear and distress she was feeling.
"But I am not from this world...I just stole your daughter's body *sniffles* I am not the real Alina...boohoo..." Clara's voice cracks everytime she speaks. Her heart longs for the love of a real family, and when she got it, she still doubts everything due to a certain book that mislead her thoughts.
However, seeing this woman in front of her, makes her want to go back right away and tell her new family how much she loves them. But, there are lingering questions within her.
'Can I live as Alina? Am I allowed to steal other person's life?'
Those are the questions that keeps repeating inside her mind.
"The doubts within you, it shall perish. Alina...no, Clara," Clara slowly look at Iliana after she heard her call her by the name she uses in her previous world.
"You are not in this world because of coincidence. You are brought here by fate. No matter how many times you are reincarnated, you will always end up here. Lumia is your home world," Iliana explained. Clara stared at her, there are still traces of tears on her cheeks but it already stopped dropping.
'Lumia...so that's the name of this world?' Clara thought.
"You may be Clara in your previous world. Or had any other names before that. But everytime you come back here, you will always be Alina," Iliana's words confused the young lady in front of her.
'No matter how many times...?' Clara asked herself. But she can't get an answer at all, until she remembers Asher's words.
"What if you're the real Alina? You simply remembered your past life?"
Clara's eyes lightens up.
'Is that what this means? Am I really Alina...?'
Iliana, upon seeing the sparks comes back to her daughter's eyes, felt a rush of relief. She's a mother who couldn't even raise her first and second daughter because or certain circumstances. That's why she won't let her daughter be in the hands of a black magician, again.
"You are Alina Devi de Ciera. My fifth child with Orpheus, our second princess. Heli, Aeli, and Zain's youngest sister. I apologize for leaving you so early, my daughter. That's why I used my magic to create a small fragment of myself and ask Asher to give it to you. I'm glad he did,"
Clara couldn't understand what Iliana was talking about. But when Iliana touched something above her chest, Clara saw the necklace that Asher gave her.
'This...is the fragment of my mom?' Clara thought and looks at the necklace.
"I might be gone after this encounter. But with this necklace with you, please know that Mommy is always thinking of you," Iliana smiled. Tears are starting to build up from the edges of her eyes, and Clara's starting to get nervous because of what she said.
'W-will she disappear...?' Clara felt her throat hurting, and her chest tightening.
"I'm happy to meet you, my daughter," Iliana once again hugged her. And right after she did that, her tears decided to escape from her eyes. She avoided to sob, to hide it from Clara that she's crying.
Clara teared up when she felt the warmth of a mother's embrace. She wrap her arms around Iliana's waist and buried her face on her shoulder.
"W-won't you stay with me...M-Mom?" Iliana bit her lips, hearing her daughter calls her Mom despite not being able to take care of her at all. She grits her teeth and prevemts herself from making noises.
"I would like to, but...that will be against the rules, my child," Iliana lowered her head and quickly held Alina's shoulder as she gently force her to turn around.
Iliana kissed the back of Alina's head before she spoke.
"Stay strong, Ali. Don't get caught by the memories of the past. Don't look back. Your goal is the end of this long darkness, the golden string of love will lead you," Alina grits her teeth and let out few sobs. Iliana smiled as she let the tears fall down to her cheeks without pause.
"Mom--"
"I know you can do it," Iliana prevented Alina from looking back at her by kissing her cheek.
"Remember your name. Alina Devi de Ciera. You are a princess of Ciera Empire. The child of Orpheus and Iliana," Iliana pushed her gently, and Alina felt a huge feeling of calmness and relaxation when Iliana did that. A light behind her glows blindingly as it slowly disappear.
She sniffles and was about to look back, but she remembers Iliana's words.
She knew that her mother had already disappeared and that this is going to be the first and last time that she sees her. Her chest hurts so much that she feels so weak. However, the very thought that there are people waiting for her outside this dark place encourages her even more.
'Watch me, Mom. I will escape this place, and I will work hard to remove this curse placed onto us. Just, watch me,'
***