So this was death?
Felt like cheap sheets, cracked walls, and the smell of damp?
What a joke. But somehow it felt familiar.
Verona gasped before she sat up so fast her head spun. With trembling breath, her hand slowly reached her neck.
Her fingers traced her skin, almost as if she was expecting to feel the lingering burn of rope.
But… nothing.
"What…?" Her voice cracked as she stumbled out of bed. Her legs felt weak as she turned toward the vanity before freezing upon seeing her reflection on the half-shattered mirror.
No marks or bruises on her neck. Just that smooth, warm skin.
Her stomach twisted. "Ok, what the hell is going on?"
She spun around to see the small, cramped room that was all silent, but familiar at the same time.
The uneven floorboards, that tiny bed that creaked every time she moved, and the chipped wall where she once drew little birds to cheer her up.
This was her cage in Vernhardt Estate.
"Did they bring me back here?"
Yeah, that must be it. She didn't die after the hanging and they dragged her back here to finish it properly, or worse… to torture her all over again just like how it used to until nothing was left.
"No, no," she whispered, shaking her head so hard. "Never. I'd rather die."
She opened the tiny window that was barely big enough to fit her hand through.
The first light of day slipped in where she could hear birds chirping happily from somewhere outside.
Her hand gripped the window frame as the most rational idea hit her.
Run. Before they noticed she was awake.
So she turned toward the door, opened it, but immediately stopped.
Someone was standing right there.
A young woman, her hand raised as if she'd been about to knock but Verona beat her to it. Her face caught in surprise.
"Oh! Good morning to you," she said with a little smile. "You look unusually in a hurry today."
Verona felt like someone had taken all her breath away. Her entire body went still. That soft voice with a slight tease and familiar in the kindest way.
No way.
But she wasn't supposed to be there.
"Liera?" she whispered the name like it was the most taboo thing she could ever say.
The woman laughed, brushing back a lock of her chestnut hair. "You like you've seen a ghost, Ver."
Verona's throat closed up as she felt the world tilt. She stumbled forward, closing the distance between them in frantic steps before throwing her arms around Liera. "Oh, God! Liera! You're here! Alive! You're breathing and warm!"
She then pulled away and stared at Liera closely, like she was some rare painting or treasury in a museum before a shaky laugh slipped out. "Am I… am I in heaven? No, wait. Heaven wouldn't look this shabby." Her eyes darted around her dingy room. "So maybe hell? But there's no way you'd be in hell."
Liera blinked in surprise before smiling and gently touching Verona's hand. "What kind of strange dream did you have this time?" She then led Verona back toward the bed, sitting her down like a child waking from a fever. "You look nervous. Did something happen?"
Verona just stared back at her. She couldn't look away from Liera's face.
She was literally there. Alive, breathing, talking to her!
But how?
Liera was her adoptive sister who had died a year ago. She was on her way back to treat the sick villagers in Phios. They said it was a bandit's attack, but Verona never once believed it. Gheo and Rheo were with her on that trip and they were skilled with swords. It wasn't their first encounter with a bandit's attack. And yet, the carriage was burned, the knights dead. But the weirdest part was that she wasn't allowed to see Liera's body even for the last time.
Not only that, there was no further investigation. All they had was Gheo and Rheo's testimony, and that was it. Liera Vernhardt was declared dead because of a bandit attack.
Her death brought sadness to many as she was a gifted healer who had been helping people from all over the empire. But no one took it harder than Verona.
Even though they weren't related by blood, they had a strong bond as close as any real sisters' out there. Liera was the one and only who cared about her in this hell of a house.
"Ver? Verona?" Liera's brow furrowed. "Are you okay? Did you not get enough sleep?"
"I…" Verona swallowed hard. "I don't… I just…" She glanced around, forcing herself to take a deep breath. "Liera, what day is it?"
Liera gave her a strange look. "It's the 17th."
No, not this day.
"The 17th?"
"Yes, I told you I'm going to Phios later to help some villagers with the twins, remember?
Verona's hand went cold as everything lined up perfectly with that memory.
"Don't go, Liera."
Liera blinked. "What?"
"Don't go!" Her voice was louder and cracked now. "Please, you can't go to Phios today."
"Ver…"
"No!" she said again, grabbing Liera's wrist. Her heart pounded so hard it started to hurt. "You said yesterday you felt weak, remember? That your powers were draining you too fast? You're not well, you shouldn't go anywhere!"
Liera's eyes softened. "Oh, Verona." She sighed, brushing a stray strand from Verona's face. "You're worrying too much. I feel fine today, I promise. Better than ever, actually."
"You said that last time too," Verona muttered under her breath.
"What?"
"Nothing. Just please." Verona squeezed her hand tightly. "Trust me on this, Liera. If you go today, something terrible will happen. I don't know how to explain it, but you can't go."
Liera frowned. "Ver, what are you talking about?"
"I just know, ok?" Verona's voice dropped to a whisper. "Please, stay here. If not for yourself, then for me."
The room went silent. Verona stared at Liera, who looked hesitant, and she knew that Liera hated ignoring those in need but there was no way in hell Verona wouldn't stop Liera from going.
"They will get better in a few days after a good rest. Trust me on this." She had read in the news about it that the people who were sick initially got better even without Liera's help and Verona couldn't help but feel bitter at that time, feeling that Liera's death was in vain.
Finally, she sighed. "Fine," she said softly. "I'll stay. Just for today."
Verona's eyes widened. "Really?"
Liera smiled, nodding. "But only because you look like you'll burst into tears otherwise."
Verona didn't even try to stop the small, shaky laugh that escaped her. Relief flooded her chest as she threw her arms around Liera again. "Thank you. Gods, thank you."
Liera hugged her back with a chuckle. "You're strange today, Ver. I'm really not used to seeing you so clingy."
They laughed softly. For a brief, fleeting moment, everything felt right again, the way it should've been if fate hadn't torn them apart.
When Liera stood to leave, she turned back with that familiar playful smile. "Well, I'd better go 'run away' before Father finds me skipping duties. Don't tell him, all right?"
Verona smirked faintly. "Your secret's safe."
As soon as the door closed, her smile fell.
She sat there in silence. Her hands slightly trembled, still feeling the warmth from Liera's fingers.
"I really went back in time…"
A second chance.
Her gaze drifted toward the tiny crack in the window where a thread of sunlight seeped through it. The voice she'd heard before her death played again in her mind. She said something about power, her awakening.
She hesitated, then slowly raised her palm.
"Let's see if it was real."
For a moment, nothing happened. Then, a tiny golden flicker danced above her skin. Fire. Warm and alive.
"Fire like Father, huh?"
She closed her hand, extinguishing it, and tried again. This time, she accidentally swayed her hand and a breeze stirred through her room. Faint at first, then sharp enough to ruffle the curtains.
Wind.
Her pulse quickened. She looked toward the window again and spotted a small plant outside, its leaves glistening with dew. Her fingers trembled as she pointed at it. The droplet rose, floating gently toward her before swirling in the air like a ribbon made of glass.
Verona stared at her hand, unable to believe what she had just done.
Fire. Wind. Water.
"Just how many can I control?"