"Awakening in Fright"
Narrator's POV
She brought the knife to her neck, and then-
Tossing and turning in her sleep, Miyoko suddenly sat up startled. Her breathing was ragged and heavy, sweat trickling down her forehead.
She leaned to her bedside taking the glass of water and downing it all at once. Her breathing calmed and she put the glass down, rubbing her eyes.
She glanced at the clock. It was 3:30 AM, at least 4 more hours before she had to wake up. But nightmares had different plans.
She threw the lilac sheets off of herself and swung her legs so they hung off the bed. With a slight push, she stood up and walked to the window.
Gently grabbing the curtains with her cut up hands she moved them away to look through the window.
The cool breeze was more than welcome, as she leaned over the frame looking up at the stars.
She felt something poke her arm and she looked down. It was a single rose, she couldn't make it out in the darkness, but it was probably red.
With a sigh, she threw it out. "I don't have time for secret admirers", she mumbled closing her window, hissing as her hands stung. The cuts still hadn't healed even though it had been a week since her return.
A week of nightmare filled sleep and restless nights.
She dragged her feet to her bed, not even bothering to cover herself as she closed her eyes, and welcomed the eerie darkness one would call sleep.
~~~~~~~The author loves showing dreams~~~~~~~~~
The ticking of the clock echoed throught the aristocrats house.
"It's a girl. It really is", ran a cheerful boy through the halls, his voice making everyone aware: The master's lover gave birth.
His wife was jealous, his sons and daughters enraged. But he didn't care, he was overfilled with joy as one of his many lovers gave birth to his child- a product of her love and his lust.
The lover had died though, making it a tragedy.
"What's her name?", one of the nannies asked.
"It shall be Akane, after her mother's brilliant red hair and eyes which she inherited", the man smiled at the crying baby.
10 years later, Mister Shuu Ayame, died from natural causes.
Leaving his company to his 'beloved' wife until his oldest child was fit enough to rule the company they owned.
Ten year old Akane was left alone, hated by her family. Her only loving relative was her disabled aunt.
But it wasn't long before she died too, of 'natural' causes.
Akane Ayame developed into a fit and active young witch. She was a beauty with blood red eyes and crimson hair, unlike her half-sisters who were more plain.
At the age of 13 was the first harassment she experienced. But it wasn't much, the girl was strong willed.
Nothing could bring her down.
Not even when she was 15 and locked in her room, and was not to be fed for a week.
She still managed to sneak out. But unluckily, she had ended up into a laboratory, and thinking it was water, drank an unfinished eternity potion.
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"
"I can sleep Tsubaki that isn't the problem," she yawned, "It's the continuous horrors my mind plays. But I don't want to talk about it, what's for breakfast?"
Miyoko smiled at her and Tsubaki sighed managing a pained smile herself.
"As you wish..."
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After having breakfast and getting clothed, doing some paperwork, it was 3 in the afternoon.
Miyoko wandered outside the walls, finding sanctuary in the shade of a cherry tree. Letting the dried leaves fly around with the gentle breeze, Miyoko fell asleep.
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"Mommy mommy, where are we going?", the girl with pointed ears asked with a cheerful tone, smiling at her mother.
"Today Anna, we're going to see what your powers are", the woman returned the smile to her beloved daughter.
"Powers? You mean how strong I am", the girl clenched her fists and puffed out her small chest. "I'm plenty strong mom", she said proudly.
The woman gently chuckled picking up her 4 year old daughter. She hugged her tiny body holding her on her hip. "No, I know you're very strong. But today we're going to the elders to see your special magic, just like big brother's," she smiled as they continued to walk up.
They reached the temple smiling bright, but exited with heads hung low.
The child.... had no powers.
She was, defect.
The mother was devastated. How could she live knowing her child was defect?
What would the people say?
What would her husband say? He gave her responsibility to look over the kids while he was at war.
It was for sure he would blame her.
So, she did what anyone would do.
Locked up her daughter, hiding her existence.
In an underground dungeon the child grew up, not realizing what it did wrong.
Until one day, her mother came up and picked her up by the forearm.
"Come my child, I've found a solution my child", she kept repeating until she was somewhere far away from home.
She stood in front of a small cabin in the forest.
She opened the door, and-
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Miyoko woke up to someone calling her name.
Her green eyes met with a similiar pair of the same intensity.
"My lord, please come with me. You've had us all worried", Jei outstretches his hand to his lord, who was leaning onto tree bark.
She gladly took his hand, not breaking eye contact with his concerned green eyes.
Not daring to move her left arm, she stood up feeling the lingering sting on her right hand.
"Oh my lady, your wounds are bleeding", he said alert as he looked at her arms.
"Let's get them cleaned", he smiled and she nodded.
A hollow motion.
Who knew the loss of a friend could hurt a person that much?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
She ate, chatted with Tsubaki, over looked papers for tomorrow's meeting, and went to bed.
She looked at herself in the mirror.
Tired, dull green eyes accompanied by dark bags. Pale skin. White lips. And shoulder length red hair that contrasted it all.
"I really over did it that time", she said her gaze averting to her dagger that stood there, on her desk.
With a shaky hand, she picked it up, examining the blade.
It was interesting how the black turned to white, and the white didn't allow the blood to be washed off.
The blood of the guards she killed.
"I wonder...", she put the dagger to her neck, her eyes fixated at the person in the mirror.
As she was to add pressure, there was a knock on her window.
She gasped and her eyes widened in shock.
She dropped the dagger, her breaths were becoming short and shaky.
"What in the world?!?....", she turned to look through her window, but there was no one there.
What was more intriguing, was that her room was on the second floor.
She walked towards it, looking through, but there was no one there. She couldn't see anyone, save for the guard at the wall doing rounds.
She sighed her gaze falling, until she noticed something glimmer gold.
She opened her window and picked up the item.
It was a golden ring.
More so, a wedding ring.
She rolled her eyes and threw the ring as far as she could. "How about facing me first?", she mumbled closing the window and turning abruptly. Getting in bed under the covers and turning off the lights, a slight stinging in her palms.
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Me: *writes short depressing chapter bc I felt like it*
OKAY JUST YO CLARIFY
When the master of wishes "deleted" Miyoko's memories he added new ones ofc.
Miyoko doesn't remember WHO or WHAT she was
All the memories she possesses are 2 years old and they're with Mitsue
and the events of the first chapter (till she gets made lord) have all happened two years ago
and there's more events which had eventually led to Miyoko and Mitsue becoming really close (but none of these are true) and Miyoko considering Mitsue a brother
so
YEA
this chapter has like 1500 words btw