- MC's POV -
The priests seized the Isyrians and forced them to their knees before the dais. Knives gleamed under the candlelight.
The old ruler, half-dead on his bed, cracked open one cloudy eye and whispered hoarsely, "This… is the way… only one… golden light… must shine…"
Did this senile raisin actually invent such a ritual murder? Are you kidding me?!
I wanted to scream, to laugh, to puke, to run, all at once. My eyes were filled with tears. I was scared. But the crowd's eyes were on me, waiting. Expecting me to step forward, make an announcement to proceed and accept the throne like a proper radiant psychopath.
I wanted to do what a sane person would do in such situation. Stop this at once!
But my body won't move an inch. The piercing gaze of the people around me had me on a chokehold. Thousands of eyes burning holes into me, expecting me to accept this as ritual.
My heart thudded. My hands trembled. My throat locked up.
Say something, Sera. Do something. Don't just stand here like a statue.
But before my brain could catch up–
SLASH!
A wet, heavy thud. The first head rolled across the marble floor, leaving a trail of gold.
SLASH!
Second. Golden blood splattered across the pristine white altar, glowing under the candlelight like molten sunlight.
SLASH! SLASH!
Third. Fourth. Each sound like a crack of thunder inside my skull.
The old man let out his last words before finally leaving the world. "May the.. MAY THE GLORY SHINE UPON HELIOVAR...!"
What the hell is this cult?
My mind went blank.
Blood. It was everywhere.
It wasn't red.
It was golden.
It splashed across the tiles, pooled at my feet, streaked up my robe. A color that should've been beautiful looked monstrous, obscene.
The crowd roared, a tidal wave of sound bursting my eardrums. Yet, beneath the noise, I heard something else. A voice, chilling and numb. A voice that wasn't a voice at all.
It whispered like a dying echo:
"…Help"
Or maybe it was just my imagination.
The smell of the blood was strong, metallic and sweet at the same time. It was in the air, on my skin, seeping into the fabric of my ceremonial robes.
My stomach turned. My throat felt heavy.
I bent forward and puked.
Tears streamed down my face. Hot. Unstoppable. My body heaved again and again, but the smell wouldn't leave, the image wouldn't fade.
This is wrong. This is all wrong. The book never said anything. It never mentioned anything like this.
I gagged. Puked again. My knees hit the marble floor with a crack.
My vision blurred. My head spun.
And then, everything blacked out.
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I woke up gasping, clutching at my hair like I was about to rip it out. "No, no, no, no… that can't be real! That wasn't real!"
But the images wouldn't stop. Golden blood flooding the floor, heads rolling like coconuts at a fruit market, the smell of iron clogging my nose.
I wanted to scream. Or maybe just crawl under the bed and stay there until the sun exploded.
BAM! BAM! BAM!
I flinched so hard I almost bit my tongue off.
And then came the voice. The exact. Same. Words.
"Your Highness! It's time! The current ruler shall be breathing his last breath today! It's time for your coronation!"
I froze.
...Excuse me?
Didn't we already do this episode? Where's my skip intro button?
"What's happening?" I whispered to myself, pacing in a tiny circle. "Didn't the coronation already happen? Didn't Raisin Grandpa already kick the bucket? I saw him die! I literally fainted in a puddle of golden blood..."
My heart hammered against my ribs like it was trying to file for divorce.
I tiptoed toward the door and pressed my ear against it. Yep. Same maiden priestess. Same voice. Same sugar-high squirrel energy.
"This can't be real… It's like some sick rerun…"
I slapped my cheeks. "Okay, Sera. Either you dreamed the entire thing, or the universe is trolling you harder than an internet forum."
The priestess banged again. "Your Highness, please! The nation awaits you!"
I groaned, dragging a hand down my face. "Great. Déjà vu with a side of public murder. Just what I needed today."
I dragged myself out of bed, still clutching my hair like it might hold the answers to life. My legs wobbled. Was this a hangover? Or just the universe laughing at me?
The priestess shoved the door open. She was way too strong for someone who lived on tea and prayers. She gave me the brightest smile I'd ever seen.
"Your Highness, the council awaits. And, um..." her eyes darted to my wrinkled sleeping gown, "perhaps a change of attire first?"
I looked down at myself. Right. Regal, I was not. Unless the kingdom wanted a pyjama monarch.
I sighed. "Didn't we… do this already? The old ruler died. I cried. We ate pies. I got crowned. People cheered. Ring any bells?"
The priestess blinked, tilting her head like a confused cat. "Ah… no? Unless you dreamt it, Your Highness."
Dreamt it.
Yeah, sure. Dreamt watching a man choke on his final breath while people were getting butchered. Totally a dream.
Ugh, just thinking about it makes me sick.
Honestly, I hope it was just a dream. Because I'm really feeling like I might puke the moment I step out of this room.
I rubbed my temples. "Fine. Let's get this over with…"
She beamed like this was all normal. "Splendid! But please hurry. The court gets… restless when there's blood in the air."
"…What?"
She didn't answer. She just turned on her heel and floated away like she hadn't just dropped that sentence.
I stared after her, my stomach sinking.
- A few minutes later -
I stepped into the coronation hall, and instantly regretted having eyes. The chandeliers sparkled too bright, the floor was polished enough to show me how miserable I looked, and the peoples' stares felt like knives.
Uncomfortable? Check. Dizzy? Double check. Crying urge? Off the charts.
Bruh, obviously. I mean, a seventeen-year-old shoved into this horror show? Okay, maybe not seventeen in the head, but still, that didn't make me any less of a disaster.
Everything was the same.
The faces. The whispers. The damn golden drapes. Even the scent of spiced wine in the air. It was like déjà vu on steroids.
And then His Holiness, Mr. Shiny Robes himself, lifted his hands.
"Now, let us begin with the Rite of Blood Bathing!"
Oh. Oh, fantastic. My favorite part. (Not.)
- To be continued -