Amure's eyelids fluttered as consciousness slowly returned to her. A soft, sterile light filled the space around her, stark and unyielding. She squinted against the brightness, her mind groggy and disoriented. The last thing she remembered was the vase, the strand of hair, and the overwhelming sense of powerlessness as it drained the very essence of her being. But now, as she slowly regained her senses, the reality of her situation began to take shape.
She found herself lying on a cold, white-tiled floor. The tiles were so pristine they reflected the light like polished glass. The walls surrounding her were a pale gray, devoid of any decoration or warmth, and the ceiling above her was an endless expanse of sky blue—oddly soothing, yet unnervingly out of place. There were no windows, no doors, no visible source of the light that filled the room. It was as if she had been placed inside a surreal, dreamlike box where time and space held no meaning.
Amure sat up slowly, her head spinning slightly from the sudden movement. Instinctively, she reached up to run her fingers through her hair, a gesture of reassurance that had become second nature to her over the years. But instead of the long, silky strands she had come to expect, her fingers encountered only the ends of a short bob. Panic surged through her as she realized her hair—her source of power—had been drastically shortened. The memory of the strand of hair from the vase flooded back to her, and with it, the realization of what had happened.
"This can't be real," she whispered to herself, her voice trembling with a mixture of fear and disbelief. She pulled at her hair, desperate to feel the comforting weight of the long strands that had once signified her strength, her invincibility. But no matter how hard she tugged, the short bob remained. It was as if the gods had severed not just her hair, but her very connection to the power that had defined her.
As she struggled to make sense of her situation, a strange sound filled the room—a low hum that seemed to come from everywhere and nowhere at once. The walls themselves seemed to vibrate with it, a deep, resonant frequency that made her skin crawl. She looked around frantically, searching for the source of the noise, but the room remained as still and featureless as before.
Then, out of the empty air in front of her, a figure began to materialize. It was a man, tall and imposing, dressed in flowing robes that shimmered with an ethereal light. His eyes, cold and unforgiving, bore into her with a gaze that felt like it could strip her soul bare. Amure instinctively recoiled, her body tensing as if ready to fight, but the lack of her usual power left her feeling exposed and vulnerable.
"Amure," the man's voice echoed through the room, deep and commanding. "You have been judged."
She opened her mouth to speak, to demand answers, but no sound came out. The words stuck in her throat, choked by the overwhelming presence of the figure before her.
"You have committed countless atrocities," the man continued, his voice carrying the weight of a thousand accusations. "You have taken lives without remorse, spread destruction wherever you went. The gods have watched your actions, and now, they have decided your fate."
Amure felt a cold dread settle in her chest. This was it—the gods had finally decided to punish her for everything she had done. She had always known this day would come, but she had never imagined it would be like this. In her mind, she had always envisioned herself defying the gods, standing tall in the face of their wrath. But now, with her power stripped away and her hair reduced to a mere shadow of its former glory, she felt small, insignificant.
"The gods have decreed," the man said, his tone growing more severe, "that you shall be banished to live among the humans, the very creatures you once despised. You will walk among them, powerless, and you will protect them with what little strength the gods allow you. Your hair, which once grew long and strong with each evil deed, will now remain short—a constant reminder of your fall from grace. Only in moments of true selflessness will it grow, granting you the power to protect those who cannot protect themselves."
Amure's heart sank as the man's words washed over her. Protect humans? The idea was repugnant to her, a cruel twist of fate that made her stomach churn with disgust. She had spent her life above them, beyond them, and now she was expected to lower herself to their level? It was the ultimate humiliation.
"And remember this," the man added, his eyes narrowing. "Humans must never see you with your hair long. If they do, your punishment will be far worse than anything you can imagine."
Before Amure could react, the room began to spin, the walls blurring into a dizzying whirl of light and color. She felt herself being pulled away, as if the very fabric of reality was unraveling around her. The man's voice echoed in her ears as she was flung through the void: "This is your penance, Amure. This is your chance for redemption."
The next thing she knew, she was no longer in the strange room. She was standing in the middle of a crowded street, surrounded by humans. The noise, the smells, the press of bodies—it was overwhelming, an assault on her senses that made her feel nauseous. She looked down at herself and realized she was dressed in ordinary human clothing, her once regal attire replaced by simple, unremarkable garments.
A sneeze erupted from her suddenly, startling her out of her thoughts. She realized with a start that she had just sneezed on a nearby stranger, who was now glaring at her with irritation. "Miss, if you're sick, you should stay home," the person snapped. "Don't go spreading your germs around."
Amure blinked in confusion, still reeling from the sudden change of environment. The gods hadn't even given her a moment to adjust before thrusting her into this new, alien world. She wanted to lash out, to punish the human who had spoken to her so rudely, but without her powers, she was as helpless as the very creatures she now had to protect.
"This is going to be hell," she muttered to herself, trying to process the enormity of what had just happened. But deep down, she knew there was no escaping it. The gods had made their decree, and now she had to live with the consequences.
As the bus rolled along, carrying her deeper into the heart of the human world, Amure couldn't shake the feeling that this was only the beginning of her suffering. She closed her eyes, trying to block out the noise and the smells, and soon, despite herself, she drifted back into a troubled sleep.