The Unquenchable Flame

The Ghost of Daphne

Avery gave a slight nod. "Give me your terms."

"Your soul will inhabit my body and you will do your job as an assassin inside my body." the redhead replied.

"Who's the target?"

"Kill the king for me." she declared, "It is a job I wanted so dearly to finish but I failed, miserably. You are experienced and I'm sure this job would suit you well. But I warn you, the king is not a weak person. He is vigilant and sly, making him a very formidable enemy."

"King?" Avery puzzled, "You mean the president?"

The red-headed girl laughed. "No, Avery. I am not from your world. In my world, women are weak and men are strong, war is common and killing is not wrong. Your cast matters if your cast is low, your life doesn't matter and can be taken away anytime. Nobles and royals rule over the world where I live. The king is a royal so he would be a hard target."

The girl spoke with such resentment in her voice that Avery can't help but feel sorry for her.

Avery broke the silence. "How am I going to kill him?"

"Figure that out yourself."

"Wait, what?!"

"You're an assassin aren't you? You should be able to figure that out yourself."

"But-" Avery was about to protest but she stopped and sighed. There seemed to be no point arguing with her. Suddenly, Avery realized something important.

"Your name," she began, "what's your name."

"Daphne," the girl replied, "Daphne Charmillet."

And with that, the redhead was gone.

-

Avery woke up in a dark forest, laying down on the moist earth.

This is the red head's body, isn't it?
She sat up and ran her hand through her hair.

How soft, she thought.

Avery winced. Hahh.. how inconvenient. My head hurts. As if that weren't enough, she felt her stomach grumble.

My head aches, I'm hungry, and I'm in the middle of nowhere. What a nice combo! Avery thought sarcastically.

She looked at her. Now, which way should I go...

She spotted a trail on the ground. A trail, she thought triumphantly. Avery stood up and followed it.

She drank in the view as she walked in the forest. The forest looked magical. Plants that Avery has never seen before thrived in the forest. She spotted a tree whose leaves glowed bright red as if it has a heart of its own. Not only the trees but also the flowers glowed brightly too. Avery felt like she was in a lucid dream.

There she realized that this wasn't her world anymore.

(Avery will be called Daphne from now on)

Daphne finally spotted the exit of the forest and strode towards it. As she stepped out of the forest, she spotted some huts in the distance. A village, she thought.

She walked towards the village, trying to be as inconspicuous as possible.

Satisfied with the distance between her and the village, Daphne watched the proceedings in the village from afar.

There's quite a bit of activity going on in the village, Daphne noted. Looking at the flashy carriage and the soldiers lined behind and in front of it, she realized what the excitement was all about. The people of the village knelt in front of the carriage, their heads on the ground.