The scene shifted like a dream. The clearing was swallowed by a sudden swirling black fog that enveloped the serpent and Meribella in its inky embrace. In an instant, they were gone, leaving the tension of the fight.
A dim torchlight flickered on the rough cavern walls, creating shadows that moved like restless spirits. In the centre of the large cave, Meribella lay unconscious on a bed made of hay. Her body was limp and fragile, like a broken doll in her torn wedding gown. Blood and dirt marred the once-immaculate white fabric. Her chest rose and fell faintly, her breathing shallow, her face looked pale and streaked with dried tears.
Kneeling beside her was a man with long, blue hair, most of it left loose down his back, while a few strands near his temples were neatly braided. He wore a flowing blue tunic of delicate fabric embroidered with gold at the cuffs and hem, paired with loose-fitting white silk trousers.
Reaching out, he gently lifted Meribella's chin, examining her features with a calm, detached curiosity. After a moment, he sighed and let her chin drop softly back onto the hay.
"She looks… ordinary," he murmured to himself, his voice tinged with disappointment. "Nothing special. In our kingdom, we have far more beautiful women. Women who could take anyone's breath away with a single glance. And she?"
His dispassionate tone carried across the cave just as several serpent warriors entered—the very ones who had clashed with the Ravencrest Lords. They had assumed their human forms, and each knelt before the blue-haired man.
"King Mayan Iksha," one of them spoke, his voice steady but filled with respect. "We have all successfully returned."
A broad smile broke across Mayan's face as he rose, sliding his hands behind his back in a posture of supreme confidence. "Well done," he said, his tone warm but commanding. "Go and inform Oracle Siyana to come here. We should celebrate once she gives her foreseen."
The warriors nodded, and eight of them departed, leaving only one behind—Athaan, the King's advisor. He stood silently with a passive expression as he observed Meribella's unconscious form.
Mayan turned to Athaan, "What do you think of her, Athaan?" he asked, his voice low. "To think we had to battle just to salvage this. Are we certain she bears any significance?" He couldn't grasp how this ordinary-looking woman could possibly help him rise to power to gain control over other kingdoms.
Athaan stepped closer; he maintained a neutral demeanour as he regarded Meribella, lying unconscious and battered.
"Pardon me, my King," he began, his tone cautious, "but I am not sure if she is truly the one. Look at her body—so slim, so fragile. Can such a body carry anything of importance? I doubt she could even carry a feather from one corner of a room to another."
Mayan hummed thoughtfully, his gaze lingering on Meribella. He knelt beside her once more, his eyes tracing the lines of her body, the torn dress from her above her bosoms to the entire left arm, the bloodstains, the exposed skin that seemed almost too perfect, too delicate. He clicked his tongue in disapproval.
"Her body has taken a lot of beatings," he murmured, his voice softening. "Those foolish lords of Ravencrest—always eager for violence. I can't believe taking this woman from them would be easy. For all their centuries of life, they remain animals, ignorant of basic decency." His tone dripped with disdain, his contempt for the Lords clear.
He stood again, eyes never leaving Meribella. "If I had not taken her away at the right time," he said, there was the faintest trace of pity in his expression. "she would have been dead by now."
He shook his head, clicking his tongue repeatedly as if admonishing the Lords for their recklessness—and this fragile female for being caught in it all.
Suddenly, soft footsteps and the rustle of fabric announced Sayan's arrival. Sayan stepped into the cavern dressed in a loose, white gown. A long, thinly embroidered veil draped over her head, framing her large, light-grey eyes. She stopped short, placing a hand over her heart in a graceful bow.
"Greetings to the sun of our kingdom, King Mayan Iksha."
Mayan turned to face her, a pleased smile briefly gracing his features. "Sayan! Look what we brought here." He shifted aside, offering Sayan an unobstructed view of the pale figure who collapsed on the hay.
Sayan's gaze locked onto Meribella, and she moved closer, eyes brimming with curiosity. But as she neared Meribella's still body, horror flared in her eyes. She stumbled backwards, nearly losing her balance.
"T-this is… wrong." She glanced at Mayan and Athaan in dread.
"My King, we have made a grave mistake. This woman—she's not the one. She doesn't possess the aura I sensed in my vision."
The cave seemed to grow colder as the weight of Sayan's words settled over everyone present. Mayan's expression twisted, shock rippling through him and Athaan alike.
"How can that be? You explicitly told us she would be at the waterfall in a white gown—and there she was. No other woman wore such a dress." Mayan spoke with a low, dangerous edge in his voice. "Are you suggesting your foresight failed us? Or did you misunderstand your own prophecy?" The hue of his eyes shifted, and blue irises slit appeared like serpents' in his anger.
Sayan immediately dropped to her knees, pressing her palms together in supplication. Her light grey eyes, usually so calm and knowing, were now wide with dread. She had delivered news that no one wanted to hear.
"Please, forgive me, My King. I meant no disrespect. My vision—granted by our Goddess Eshmaya—foretold a woman in white at that waterfall, but…" She cast a troubled glance at Meribella. "Something has gone terribly wrong. This girl's presence should not have been there instead of the true one. The aura I sensed—her spirit is filled with darkness, screams, and pain." She rose shakily, gathering her veil in trembling hands. "I must ask the goddess again. Perhaps something happened that I was not aware of."
Mayan nodded curtly, though displeasure lingered in his gaze. His eyes remained faintly slit. They had battled the Lords over a false woman. He is unafraid of facing war with them. However, due to inaccurate information, everything has become distorted, and that notion caused him to nearly lose his composure in anger. Still, he managed to reign in his emotions.
Sayan hurried from the cavern, her white robes sweeping across the rough floor.
In the cavern's gloomy depths, King Mayan Iksha and his advisor Athaan stood over Meribella, her form barely stirring on the rough hay. The air was rich with the earthy scent of damp stone and the lingering sharpness of magic.
"What do we do with her now, My King? Shall we make her a palace maid… a warrior's special servant?" He paused, eyeing the girl's fragile form with mild disdain. "She seems too frail to be of much use, though."
Mayan arched a brow, and his lips twisted in irritation. His piercing blue eyes narrowed as he considered the question, "Send her back. She serves no purpose here, and she would likely die serving our warriors."
Athaan nodded his head in agreement. "And to whom, My King? Back to the Ravencrest Lords?"
Mayan paced briefly, his hands clasped behind his back. He briefly pursed his lips, lost in thought. Finally, he drew in a slow breath.
"No. Wake her. Let her decide her own path. Abducting an already abducted woman was… unfortunate. We can at least show this much courtesy before discarding her."
Athaan moved swiftly, scooping a handful of water from the small pool that had formed at the base of the cave wall. Without hesitation, he splashed it across Meribella's face. The shock of the cold water jolted her from unconsciousness, her body twitching as she gasped for air.
A faint frown creased her brow. Her fingertips twitched, her feet shifted slightly, and she took a deep, shuddering breath. Her throat was dry, and her body ached as if weighed down. Her eyelids felt heavy and stubborn as she tried to open her eyes. Slowly, the cave's dim light came into focus—blurry at first but gradually becoming clearer.
Meribella tried to sit up, but her body refused to obey. Every muscle screamed in protest, leaving her paralyzed and helpless.
Her voice was weak, barely a whisper, as she pleaded, "Water… please, water…" She swallowed hard, her throat burning, and repeated, "Water…"
Mayan gestured to Athaan, who quickly went to fetch a cup of water. Meanwhile, Mayan snapped his fingers, and the fire in the cave roared to life, its flames leaping higher and casting a warm, golden glow across the cavern. The sudden brightness made Meribella blink, her eyes adjusting to the light.
Kneeling beside her, Mayan gently slid his arms around her waist, carefully pulling her gently toward him to support her upper body against him.
She flinched at the touch, her body stiff with pain and fear, but she lacked the strength to resist. As he helped her sit upright, their eyes met for the first time.
A thunderous shock struck Mayan's mind, his breath catching in his throat.
Meribella's gaze shimmered with an entrancing swirl of blue and green as if the colours of a tranquil sea and an emerald forest had merged into one. In the firelight, flecks of aqua caught and reflected the glow as though they carried their own source of light within, captivating him. They reminded him of calm waters and the secrets of deep places.
For that moment, Mayan was transfixed as he stared into her eyes. He had encountered countless beautiful women with striking gazes in his kingdom, but none had ever held such ecstasy and longing. It was as if her eyes held secrets, and stories and were brimming with deep emotion—an emotion that seemed ready to pull him in, drawing in into their depths.
Meribella, still weak and disoriented, looked up at him with a mixture of confusion and fear. Her voice was soft, trembling as she spoke. "Where… where am I? W-who are you?"
Back at Sayan's home, it was filled with the soft glow of candlelight and the faint scent of incense. Sayan knelt on a woven mat before a small altar carved from smooth, pale stone. Atop the altar rested a simple statue representing Goddess Eshmaya. Smoke rose from a shallow bowl of incense, wreathing the space in curling tendrils of fragrance.
Sayan closed her eyes and folded her hands, her white veil trailing on the floor. A soft chant slipped from her lips over and over, a fervent plea for guidance. She prayed until her breath trembled with effort, tears threatening behind her lids.
Suddenly, a quiet voice echoed in her mind, gentle yet resonant, as though drifting on a breeze from another realm.
"Why have you summoned me, Sayan?"
A jolt of relief coursed through her body, and she swallowed hard, inhaling deeply before she spoke.
"Goddess Eshmaya… Please, I beg you. The vision you granted me of a woman by the waterfall should have been the key to our kingdom's prosperity. But instead of the chosen one, we found… someone else. An ordinary woman. I am desperate for your guidance. Where is that woman? The true woman who can lead our Serphantaan kingdom to greatness?"
There was a pause, a silence that seemed to stretch on forever. Sayan's heart pounded in her chest, her hands clutching tighter together as she waited for the goddess's response. And then, the voice spoke again.
"Child, fate has changed. Someone tampered with the timeline—a portal was opened, disrupting crucial events. Five women have slipped through the threads of destiny, some into the future, others into the past. The one I showed you will not appear again. There was only one fleeting chance for the Serphantaan kingdom to claim her, but it is gone now. Do not seek her further; no good will come of it."
Sayan's eyes flew open wide with dismay.
"Heed my words, Sayan. The path you foresaw no longer exists. Now, do not look for her!"
With those final words, the goddess's presence faded, leaving Sayan alone. Her arms dropped to her sides, and she collapsed forward, brushing her forehead with the mat.
Grief and helplessness welled in her heart, burning like hot coals. The one chance—her kingdom's promise of prosperity—had vanished, lost to the twisting currents of time. And all because of that insignificant unconscious woman.