Desperation
"Heaven turned back the stars for you. Don't waste it."
The Report
Gilliforth's report contained more than just names.
It included their last known location—a slum on the eastern outskirts, a place where hope went to die.
"Your Highness, shall I fetch this man named Theo?"
Neril asked, expectant.
Medea shook her head slowly.
"No."
Even in her previous life, Theo had harbored deep resentment toward Valdina.
If he discovered Neril belonged to the royal family, he would vanish like smoke—or worse, strike first.
And Medea had not yet decided Theo's fate.
He was the nucleus of the rebellion. Logic dictated she eliminate him now, before he could become a threat.
But personally?
For Theo, dying because of her would be just another injustice in a life already filled with them.
How do I weigh a life saved against a life taken?
I must see him with my own eyes before I decide.
"I will go myself."
Only then could she render judgment.
Save him—or end him.
Asilum Street
Asilum Street was the capital's most notorious slum.
Its very name had become synonymous with despair.
"This way, Your Highness..."
Neril's voice wavered.
Though born to a fallen noble house, Neril had never sunk to these depths. This was her first time in the slums.
The moment she stepped from the carriage, her hand flew instinctively to her nose.
The stench was overwhelming—human waste, rotting garbage, and the acrid tang of unwashed bodies baking under the sun.
The streets themselves were cracked and uneven, threatening to buckle beneath each step.
Somewhere in the tangled alleys, a scream of pain pierced the air.
Elsewhere, shouts erupted over scraps of food.
"It's... miserable, Your Highness."
Neril whispered, horror etched across her face.
Medea's eyes were sad but unsurprised.
"Yes. Riots could erupt here at any moment. And when they do, all the blame will fall on my returning brother, Peleus."
They walked streets where collapse—both physical and spiritual—seemed imminent.
Despite their disguises, the two women stood out. Their skin was too clean, their posture too refined, their clothes too intact.
Eyes tracked them from shadowed doorways.
Neril's hand never left the hilt of her sword. Every muscle in her body was coiled, ready to strike.
"Miss. Would you care to have your fortune read?"
The voice was hoarse, crackling like dry leaves.
Neril's sword was halfway out of its sheath before she registered the source—a tiny old woman wrapped in a tattered robe, crouched on a threadbare mat.
Cracked crystal beads surrounded her. A battered bowl sat beside her knees.
She looked every bit the beggar.
"Come, see your future. I may look humble, but I am the oldest seer in this kingdom. You won't regret it."
The gnarled hand stretched toward Medea.
"Thank you, but no. I already know my future."
There was no mystery left when you'd lived your life twice.
Medea turned, gesturing for Neril to toss the woman a coin.
"Ah, but that's precisely why you must look. Since you're living again, things will surely be different... won't they?"
Wrinkled fingers rolled several small crystal orbs beneath the frayed hem of her robe.
Medea froze mid-step.
Slowly, she turned back.
"...What did you just say?"
"Come. Sit."
Against every instinct, Medea lowered herself onto the filthy mat.
C L I C K . . . C L I C K
The old woman's hands moved, and the beads began to roll.
"Oh my... this life won't be easy either."
The beads scattered across the mat in an uneven pattern.
"Chaos blocks your path. They still seek to obscure the saint and steal the light from you, young lady."
The old woman cackled, low and knowing.
"But do not despair. A great star is falling. A very black one. That star will cleave through the chaos standing in your way."
Medea cut her off sharply.
"I don't need it. Whatever this 'star' is, I don't need it."
Who else could she rely on but herself?
Trusting others with her life was what she rejected most in this new existence.
"The writhing things will grasp at your ankles again. They wish to feed on you, young lady."
"If I'm devoured a second time, then I deserve it. But I am confident in myself."
The old woman clicked her tongue.
"Ah, stubborn child. Why not take things easier this time around?"
Medea only smiled—silent and unyielding.
"Have you ever heard of the Dawn's Droplet?"
"...Dawn's Droplet?"
"A miraculous medicine imbued with the Goddess's power. It erases all things—sickness, memory, even destiny itself. When the tower falls, it will save the Black Star."
The old woman paused, her breath rattling.
"Miss, heaven cherishes you beyond measure. They watch over you with such care that they turned back all the starlight and shifted the heavens by twelve places."
Then, without warning, blood trickled from the corner of her mouth.
Her small, robed frame swayed.
"The blood of the Sages flows through you. The will of the Goddess rests in your veins. Under this sky, you alone can determine that fate."
She swallowed the blood pooling in her throat and smiled—a terrible, knowing smile.
"The heavens... they are warning this old woman now."
Medea caught the woman as she began to fall.
"You need a physician. Neril—"
"No."
The old robe reeked of filth and age, but Medea ignored it, wiping away the blood with her own sleeve.
"Your heart is as kind as ever, young lady. But this old woman has someone waiting. My story ends here. Go now. Continue on your path."
She refused all aid stubbornly.
Yet she clung to Medea's hand until the very end.
"Do not forget this old woman's words, lady."
After the encounter, Medea walked deeper into the alleys, troubled.
Something is wrong.
How did she know I'm living a second life?
"Neril, go back. Bring that woman to me."
There were too many questions left unanswered.
Neril obeyed immediately, retracing their steps.
But when she returned moments later, her face was ashen.
"She's... gone."
"What?"
"There was no one there. No mat. No beads. Not even footprints. The alley itself looked strangely... empty. Untouched."
As if she had never existed at all.
A Shabby Hut
"Saya! You're back!"
Angela, the neighbor, leaned over the broken fence, broom in hand.
"Yes. I found work hauling trash."
Saya replied quietly, clutching a loaf of black bread to her chest.
"Alone? Oh, child, that's dangerous. You should've gone with Junie."
Aunt Angela's eyebrows drooped with concern.
"They say human trafficking is rampant these days. People are so hungry they're selling each other."
Saya was well aware of the ugly rumors circulating through the alleys.
"I'm fine—I have my husband. But you're living alone, and that worries me. It would've been so much better if Theo were still here..."
Angela's gaze lingered on the shabby hut—no place for a young girl to live unprotected.
"I heard they've built a military village near the castle wall. Your father was a veteran, wasn't he? You should go there. It's much safer."
She went on at length about how clean and secure the village was.
"All you need to do is prove your identity and they'll accept you—your whole family. Rumor has it people are even trying to sneak in under false names. You should hurry before it's too late. It'll be far safer than this place."
When Saya hesitated, Angela pressed on as if doing her a favor.
"Are you worried Theo won't find you when he comes back? Don't fret—I'll tell him where you went."
"Thank you for your concern, but I'm fine here. I need to go in now. I have to head out again later."
Warm as the concern was, Saya noticed Angela's eyes flicking toward the bread in her arms.
She quickly excused herself and slipped inside.
Military village.
Clean water. Food. Safety.
It sounded like paradise.
Saya slid down against the door and sighed.
"Military village... I want to go too. But how can I?"
Theo assaulted a government soldier and fled. If his crime is discovered, they'll drag him straight to prison.
When Theo returned—if he returned—and his criminal record surfaced, it would all be over.
"What am I supposed to do?"
A tear rolled down the young girl's cheek.
Her mother had died giving birth to her and Theo.
Her father, a retired soldier, had succumbed to his war injuries and poverty.
Now, only two siblings remained in the world—and they had to survive, somehow.
Theo had gone out searching for food.
He'd gotten into a fight with someone who tried to steal it and was hauled to the security station.
There, he beat the corrupt captain who took bribes and tried to punish him unjustly.
That night, Theo vanished.
He left behind only a note.
End of Chapter A seer vanishes into mist.
A sister weeps in shadows.
And fate's threads grow taut.
Draws Near
[ To Be Continued ]
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