Dreaming for stars

Chapter VII

It made her choke and her mouth foam up, she gripped her neck dropping the bottle letting it shatter, this alerted the guards, and she was sent into the dungeons.

"Well this is great news, Guard, tell the messenger. The youngest daughter of the Ayame family, died by a strange illness. Say it's incurable, but not a disease. Since the rest of us is fine", said the step-mother, deciding to use Akane as... a test subject.

The woman walked towards her, cupping her cheek before slapping her harshly. "Wake up you good for nothing, I just gave you a purpouse"

And it was true. She did give her a purpose.

A very, very cruel one.

Days of shouting and screaming.

Nails taken off.

Nails stabbed in.

Dissected to a point near death.

Limbs broken over and over.

And sometimes, held up to a spinning wheel, with the daughters throwing daggers at her, just for their amusement.

Her brilliant red hair had faded to a white from stress and trauma, and once she was finally broken.

They threw her in a boat in her torn up clothes, letting the waves take her away.

Hoping she'd die of starvation, or, if she was lucky, she'd fall out and drown.

Though under the glistening sun, she mustered the strength to move her hand over her eyes, as to offer a little bit of salvation. "So this is how I die", the girl said, depressed, "Well I guess I never deserved any better."

The wind started getting quicker- normal for the sea. The waves started raising and the boat started rocking. "Oh, how nice, it'll be thing I crave the most-", she couldn't finish her sentence as her boat turned and she fell, sinking.

She had no strength, no energy. She just sunk, losing her breath.

"No, she can't die", said the bystander, the watcher.

Suddenly, mermaids started surrounding the girl. One of them came up to her, and grabbed her ankle.

A surge of green energy pulsed through the sea, turning Akane's short white hairs long and algae green.

Her consciousness awoke just to fade again, and the last thing she remembered, was a sea angel, saving her.

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"Lady Miyoko, please, please just wake up and at least eat something", Tsubaki begged, hopeless.

She knew it was hard to get the lord to do anything. Ever since she came back from the Underworld, her ever-so cheerful lord lost the spark in her eyes, which made the world dull.

Miyoko groaned grabbing her aching head- a migraine, common for those suffering from anemia.

"Morning Tsubaki", she said slowly standing up to rub her eyes.

"Did you have nightmares again?", Tsubaki asked frowning in concern.

Miyoko's eyes focused on the clock reading the time. It was eleven am, she overslept.

"Yes... I did", she sighed looking down in her lap.

"My lady this is becoming quite a problem. Maybe you should look for a sleeping remedy"