Darkness...
A faint medicinal scent...
Soft footsteps… and black fabrics shifting in the edge of her vision.
Where… am I?
Her eyelids trembled as she slowly opened her eyes. A strange ceiling.
Not her room… not the palace… not anywhere she knew.
She sat up slowly, her fingers trembling as they touched the unfamiliar bed beneath her.
A heavy silence. Her breath slowed.
"Commander… she's awake."
A calm male voice, filled with respect… and fear.
She turned. A group of people in black clothing. They looked anxious, as if they'd been waiting an eternity for her to wake.
They stood in silence… as if awaiting an order or a reaction.
"Commander?"
The word slipped from her lips in a disbelieving whisper.
Then she said, her voice barely audible:
"How… did it end up like this?"
Silence.
Then one of them said casually:
"Do you mean kidnapping Duke Rayne? Or toppling both kingdoms?"
Another followed, his tone slightly sarcastic:
"I think the commander… is having a delayed moment of realization."
"That's enough."
A tall man entered, exuding an unmistakable presence. His steps were quiet, but his voice carried all the weight.
Rick.
"Everything happened fast, I'll admit that… I mean…"
He stopped in front of her, studying her closely.
"We built an outlawed organization… stole, kidnapped, killed… but we knew the path wouldn't be pure."
Organization…? Killing?
Mirai stared at the ground, a storm of emotion bubbling without clear form.
Everything was hazy, like she'd entered a nightmare no one had bothered to wake her from.
"But we trusted you."
Rick spoke with steady confidence.
"Every step… every order… every plan was yours."
Me? No… that's not me… That wasn't my life…
But no one cared about her confusion.
"Even if we hated the whole world… everyone in this organization and everyone living on these islands owes you."
He stepped closer and knelt on one knee.
"At first, we doubted… but you were always right."
Mirai turned her gaze away, as if needing time to think… to rearrange the chaos inside her.
An exhale… Rick looked at her as if saying: I knew that strength wouldn't last forever.
"You might feel like you're breaking down now… that's normal."
His voice softened, but carried a sharper edge—like a father speaking to a daughter.
"The power you bore alone… wasn't easy. Maybe only now, its toll is starting to show."
He locked eyes with her and said, slowly:
"It's alright… You can trust us."
Then, with a faint smile:
"We'll take care of the rest. Just like we agreed… the plan is nearly complete."
---
Mirai sat at the edge of the bed, staring at her trembling hands, then at her reflection in the mirror before her.
Same face… same body… but—
"Have I finally lost my mind?"
She murmured to herself, the words barely escaping her lips.
It's impossible that this… is me.
She closed her eyes, inhaled shakily…
"It's like someone else… lived in my body… and turned my life upside down."
A sharp inhale, then she let herself fall back, lying down in surrender.
She raised her arm and covered her eyes.
A heavy exhale… as if a mountain weighed on her chest.
I didn't need answers from anyone.
Just…
"All I want is to disappear… again.
No, I don't even want that…
All I ask for… is rest."