Agatha was shocked because Emma had never yelled at her before. Nonetheless, she gave her a scornful look before walking out of the library. Once she walked out the door Emma heaved a sigh of relief and turned to look at Ayano.
“So what did you want to talk abou…”
A blade appeared out of nowhere and struck just inches from her face. Surprised, Emma quickly looked back at Ayano who took out the blade and slashed it towards her but it missed. Emma dodged the attack with a hair's edge and ran out.
Ayano followed her until Emma reached a dead end. Hearing the sound of a sharp metallic scrape, she turned to face Ayano whose eyes glistened with hatred.
‘Okay,’ Emma took out two hunting knives from underneath her skirt and steeled herself to defend her life. ‘Let’s do this,’
Ayano lunged at her while slashing the air with her weapon but Emma reacted quickly, deflected the oncoming strike with a parry, and darting at her with lightning speed. The furry strikes aimed at Ayano shocked her for she wasn’t expecting the girl to be this adept, but she continued with her relentless attacks. Every strike and every movement she made showed her hatred for this girl. She knew that as long as she was alive, Taro would keep thinking about her.
Emma’s blades danced as she blocked, parried, and redirected the katana’s strikes. Then a sudden heartbeat stopped her in her tracks. Shocked, Emma staggered backward as her heartbeat slowed and her breathing became heavy. This was followed by an unimaginable pain in her lower back which caused her to break out in a cold sweat.
Ayano saw this as her opportunity and swung her katana in a wide arc at her but that gave Emma an opening. Gathering what was left of her strength, she avoided the blade and lunged towards her. One knife slashed her forearm while another struck her thigh causing Ayano to stagger back in pain. Then with a powerful roundhouse kick, she knocked the katana out of her hand. Before Ayano could grab it, Emma kicked her violently to her chest sending her flying a few feet away from her.
The pain in her back was unbearable and Emma's heart thumped again. Despite this, she steeled herself to break the katana in half after pulling it out. Exhausted, she collapsed on the floor trying to catch her breath.
"What's happening to me?" she muttered as she fell to the floor.
Her heartbeat slowly picked up the pace but it did little to her vision and sweating. The pain continued to linger but she endured it.
In an instant, something silver flashed before Emma's eyes, and she quickly backed away. Ayano swung the knife at her but Emma grabbed her hand and wrestled the blade from her.
Noticing Emma’s condition Ayano added pressure to her movements but Emma used her other hand and brought it down on her collarbone. A sickening crack filled the room and before Ayano knew it, she was lying face down on the floor with Emma on top of her grasping her hand behind her. All it took was one twist and everything became dark.
Panting heavily, Emma sighed and fell to the ground. Her vision slowly cleared and her heartbeat returned to normal but she sweated still. That is until footsteps snapped her back to normal.
“Hurry up!”
“The play is about to start!”
“You don’t want to stand during the play do you?”
“Hey! Grab me a seat will you?”
“A play?” Emma muttered recalling Kizana's conversation with the unknown man. “That must be the play she was talking about.”
Staggering to her feet, she took out a zip tie from her bag and tied Ayano’s hands together. Stuffed her in one of the lockers, she slammed the door shut and walked out of the corridor.
It was sunset and the school auditorium was decorated with red plants and green hedges. Red carpets were lined up by the sides of the hall while a huge black carpet was in the middle where the chairs were located. On the stage was a huge purple curtain with Kizana’s portrait on it.
Backstage, Regina walked through the crowd of actors and musicians twinkling with their instruments. She also saw Kizana sitting in front of a mirror and cleaning her face with a face cleaner.
“You look beautiful as always Kizana,” she said.
“Shut up and get started,” Kizana barked grabbing the white powder. “We have an audience out there and we can’t keep them waiting.”
Regina grinned sadistically. “You mean waiting to watch you die?"
Her words cast a shadow of sadness over Kizana and she sighed. Taking the powder from her, Regina dabbed her face with it until it was completely smooth and added the white foundation.
“You shouldn’t be too sad Kizana,” she said while drawing her eyes with black pigment. “Things are different this time.”
“They say that every year but I end up dying on stage,” she sighed. “Don’t give me hope. It’s always the same thing.”
Nothing was said and once Regina completed her make, she asked if Kizana had taken the potion before applying it and was shocked to learn that she didn’t.
“Why? The pain will be unbearable."
Kizana looked at her with sorrow in her eyes and looked away. “This is my last play before an audience for eternity. It has to be perfect.”
“We are ready to go your majesty,” one of the actors announced.
“Good,”
Emma along with the rest of the students waited for the play to commence. Soon the lights were turned off and a soft dimming light filled the room along with the sound of distant flutes. This set a serene and contemplative mood.
The curtains slowly parted revealing and the crowd gasped at the meticulously crafted set adorned with lush greenery, a small pond with a delicate wooden bridge, and a vibrant cherry blossom tree in full bloom. Actors dressed in vibrant and elaborate kimonos to embody the characters of the historical tale and faces painted with traditional makeup to signify the expression on their characters' faces made their way to the stage. Despite the makeup signifying despair, the crowd cheered when they saw their queen among them dressed in a purple kimono.
Emma, however, studied the stage carefully.
What followed was a typical Romeo and Juliet scene of the female lead caught in a love triangle between the two male leads and the female lead with dialogue spoken in poetic verses accompanied by the delicate melodies of traditional Japanese instruments like the shamisen and koto. The scene reaches its climax as a battle unfolds with the lead male actors who engage in stylized movements combining martial arts with dance techniques. However, the scene ends with the female lead’s true love dying.
The crowd gasped and mourned the female lead who refused to leave his body until she was taken away by his rival. It was followed by a scene representing the day of the wedding. People sang and danced making the audience forget about the tragedy that just happened until the rival shows up decked out in a traditional wedding outfit fit for a prince. However, tension is created when the bride is nowhere to be found, and a search is made for her. Within a short time, they found her slumped on the floor with a bottle in her hand. The rival drops to his knees and mourns the death of the female lead until the lights dim.
Immediately after the actors appear, everyone cheers and the play comes to an end. Emma watched as the actors appeared one by one to bow to the applauding audience.
But where is the queen?
The question was on everyone's mind.
Looking up, she suddenly remembered something and ran out of the auditorium.
Kizana on the other hand waited until everyone was done taking a bow before stepping out. Despite the makeup showing she was mourning, she closed her eyes and raised her hands in the air.
The crowd gasped and Kizana landed on her side on the wooden stage. A huge crash forced her eyes open and the first thing she saw was Emma.
“Are you alright?” she asked.
Astonished, she sat up and noticed the hole a few feet away. “Did you?”
Emma nodded and sat up.
Everyone fell silent as Emma helped her get up. Then someone shouted, “Everyone! The Queen lives!”
Everyone in the audience stood up and applauded. With tears in her eyes, Kizana looked at Emma, then back at the crowd and waved.
The full moon illuminated the night as all the students surrounded the bonfire watching the fire dance. Most of the students were talking about how beautiful the play was, while others were still gushing over Kizana who was getting tired of the attention and girls asking Regina for makeup tips.
Emma watched them and looked at the picture of Jake and her on the phone.
‘I have been trying to call him but he isn’t answering the phone,’ putting the phone back in the bag she looked at the dancing flames. ‘I hope he is alright.’
She decided to take her mind off him by looking at the recipe book she took from the library. However, as she tried to take it out a piece of mirror fell out of her bag.
‘I didn’t know this was still here,’ she replied. ‘I am surprised he didn’t tamper with them.’
Digging into her bag, she pulled out more mirror shards and the frame. Confused, she tried fixing the mirror and discovered there was only one piece left.
‘There is only one piece left,’ she whispered in thought. ‘Where is it?’
Then she remembered what happened before being trapped in the labyrinth. Osana’s words echoed in her ears; ‘Whatever you do, don’t let him break you!’
Emma looked at her hands and clenched them into a fist. ‘Don’t worry Osana. I am not broken.’
‘Not yet,’
Then it turned dark. Emma squealed in shock, pried away the hands covering her eyes, and looked behind her. “Honey!”
Jake planted a kiss on her forehead and dropped the basket of bread next to her. “I got the bread, Beloved.”
She smiled and then noticed his scars. “Wha…what happened?”
He sat next to her and took out a loaf of bread. “It wasn’t so bad. But I don’t think you want to hear it.”
Emma nudged him. “Try me.”
A few hours earlier…
As Jake walked towards the school’s pool the atmosphere around him slowly turned dark. Feeling the gush of wind on his neck, he looked back and saw an empty long corridor.
‘This is an illusion,’ he replied, turning around to continue his journey until he heard a splash and looked down to see the floor was filled with water. ‘It’s still an illusion.’
Despite the water and the tense atmosphere, he continued to walk down the corridor until he came to a door with a seal on it. Grinning, he took out his sword, and with a single slash, shattered the seal and opened the door to discover it was sunset.
‘So you manipulate time by trapping your victims in the corridor right?’ Jake chuckled. ‘Clever girl. It’s a shame I know this technique.’
“Leave this place! Your presence isn’t welcome here!” an eerie voice said.
Rumors circulated about the creature living in the school’s pool. Some say it was the ghost of a dead student who drowned in the pool long ago. Others say it’s an evil spirit who was angry at the pool being built on its territory.
Nonetheless, students were warned not to venture there at any time of the day for fear of getting killed by this mysterious creature. However, one thing was certain, the creature did not like Jake’s presence. Especially when she lured her prize away from her perpetrator.
Why didn't it like him?
Only time will tell.
A gust of cold wind swept through the air as Jake climbed the steps to the pool. He grinned when sinister shadows danced along the walls casting sinister shapes across the surface of the water and through the faint glow of the rising moon, he noticed a person encased in a crystal at the bottom of the pool and smiled.
Then with a huge splash, a ghostly monster emerged from the water. It looked like a mermaid but its long arms, scaly skin, sharp teeth, long claws, and bluish-grey body said otherwise. What was interesting about the mermaid was it had short hair.
Growling, it cast its turquoise eyes at him and glared. “What are you doing here Yandere kun? You have no business here.”
Jake gritted his teeth at that name but smirked. “I came to pick up a friend. It’s almost his curfew.”
“You came to save him? What business do you have with him?” It dismissed him with a wave of its arm. “Be departed, Demon Lord. It has nothing to do with you!”
“Well I am making it my business,” he said.
“Then you have signed your death warrant!”
With that, it gave a maniac laugh and huge waves crashed down on him. By making this move, it thought it could quickly drown him and feast on his soul but it was shocked to see he was still standing, with his arms folded and covered in a purple glow.
Jake smirked and made his way to the crystal encasing the man but the creature was quicker. Using darkness as a cover, it lunged at him with its sharp claws. Jake, swung his blade creating a huge scar on his arm and while it screeched, he swam to the crystal and looked.
There was a man encased in it.
‘I wonder how you got in there,’ he thought before spotting the creature coming for him through its reflection. Turning around, he plunged his sword into the incorporeal form. The creature shrieked in pain and backed away. The wound quickly healed itself and bared its teeth at him.
‘This is going to be fun,’ he thought as his sword glistened.
The underwater battle continued and with each strike, Jake weakened the creature dispersing tendrils of dark energy into the water. Finally, he injured it enough to retreat into darkness.
“You will never know how much I suffered!" she shrieked. “And you have sealed his fate! You will never rescue him!”
Cracks suddenly appeared on the crystal and the man groaned. Knowing that his soul would be shattered along with the crystal, Jake quickly put his two fingers together, chanted a spell, and sent it straight to the crystal. This also caused the crystal to shatter into millions of pieces freeing the man from his imprisonment.
The creature shrieked and emerged from the darkness to grab her prey. However, Jake closed his eyes and teleported himself out of the pool and high into the air. Under the full moon, he gathered his spirit power and dived into the pool plunging his sword into the creature’s back.
Presently…
“Then the creature swam around in a vortex and disappeared into nothingness,” he said ending the story.
“What happened to the man you saved?” she asked.
“Oh. He woke up and ran away,” he replied nonchalantly.
Emma doubted this story but smiled and leaned her head on his shoulder. “At least you are alive.”
“I found this when I defeated the creature,” he put his hand into his pocket and took out a pink bow. “Do you know what it means?"
Emma stared at the object and took it from him. “Well, it seems like any ordinary hair accessory but there is nothing significant about it.” Then she looked at him. “You found this when you killed it.”
He nodded.
“Then this creature must have been a vengeful spirit that turned into a demon,” she put a hand on her chin. “But who does it belong to?"
Then a sweet melody filled the room, grabbing everyone’s attention. Soon everyone’s eyes fell on Kizana and one of the male actors stood up and danced by the bonfire.
“You know what? Screw this,” Jake snatched the bow from her and tossed it over his back. Standing up, he stretched out his hand toward her. “May I have this dance, Beloved?”
The light at the bonfire illuminated him from behind showing his physical features and Emma couldn’t help but admire him. Blushing madly, she took his hand and stood up to dance with him.
Meanwhile, Also sadly watched as the students danced near the bonfire for she never got to attend the school festival and looked at her hands.
“When will you decide your fate?”
Startled, she turned to her right and sighed in relief. “Is this going to be a regular thing with you?”
“We are lucky to be given a choice about our fates thanks to the fact that we were murdered. Not many souls have that but you are still sitting on the fence." Regina placed her hand on her shoulder. “It’s been a decade and six years. You are running out of time.”
Amai looked at her and then at the students who were dancing by the bonfire and bit her bottom lip in frustration.
“You know why," she replied.
Regina said nothing and stared at Emma and Jake dancing gracefully near the bonfire. “What do you think of them?”
“To be honest, I'm not sure."
“There is an aura of dark energy around her and he is the cause of it.”
“I know. I felt it as well." As she rubbed her shoulders as watched them dance. “Unlike someone, he really loves her but his method is…”
“Toxic?” Regina looked at her. “Yeah. In real life, they won’t last long but she isn’t broken yet and fate's wheels are still turning. Their future is uncertain but it is none of our business.”
Amai nodded. “Mmm hmm. Stopping the perpetrator is our only priority.”
On the other hand, Agatha narrowed her eyes in jealousy at the dancing couple especially when they looked into each other’s eyes and kissed. This reminded her of their Student Festival where Emma caught her cheating behind the school's ventilator.
‘She wasn’t supposed to remember that.’ She thought as they stopped dancing and walked back to where they were sitting. ‘Did she take the pills?’
Emma who was sitting next to him leaned her head on his shoulder and he wrapped his arms around her.
She looked away with scorn. ‘No. She didn’t.’
Then her phone rang with a message; ‘I bought some new toys. Are you up for tonight?’
‘SCREW YOU B!TCH! I AM NOT IN THE MOOD!” She turned off the phone and tsked. ‘The f*cking horny b!tch.’
ns 15.158.61.51da2
