It was as if the fairy tale shattered into pieces.
In the fraction of a second, the glass broke into shards, the world fell apart, and I was falling.
Falling, as if someone had suddenly pulled the ground from beneath me, as if I had awakened from a dream I could no longer return to.
I was somewhere else.
In another state of mind.
I gasped for air—even though I shouldn't have needed to. Yet my soul was panting, my whole being trembling.
Something had broken inside me.
And I didn't know if that fracture had always been there… or if it had just now formed.
Gasping for air – even though I shouldn't have needed to.
Yet my soul panted, my entire being trembled.
Something had broken inside me.
And I didn't know whether that fracture had been there all along or if it had just formed.
The ground shook with explosions. The air was thick with ash and smoke, distant burning bushes tore into the night. Airplanes screeched across the sky, and the crackling of gunfire echoed from every direction. People ran—some fought, others fled—across an unfamiliar borderland, where there were no towering mountains, only hills and windswept wastelands. Trees stretched toward the sky, their canopies slowly devoured by fire. The earth was soaked in blood.
I turned my head frantically, trying to understand where I had ended up. I was no mere observer here—not at all. My body moved instinctively—I ran, leaped, dodged—but my mind was overwhelmed by the abrupt shift. Death was everywhere. The battle cries of soldiers mixed with the groans of the wounded.
In the distance, I spotted a village—or rather, what remained of it. This was no longer a battlefield but ruins, conquered districts, looted houses, burning rooftops, and charred walls.
Heavy boots thundered behind me. My heart pounded wildly. My body knew this feeling—I had stood in war before.
I looked down at myself. My clothing was not what I was used to. My hair was tied up in a bun, my military cap casting a shadow over my face. The protective uniform was thick, unfamiliar—yet somehow, I knew it. I didn't know which nation I belonged to, which war I was fighting. All I saw was a group of filthy, terrified children being herded into a trench.
They were the targets.
Rifles were aimed at them. The enemy soldiers had decided their fate in an instant.
My fingers moved on their own. I didn't think—I just fired.
One, two, three… ten.
Every single one of them hit the ground before they could pull the trigger. Their bodies fell limp to the earth, and I stepped toward the children, gasping for breath.
Somehow, I found water. Scooping the muddy liquid from a bucket, I splashed it onto their small faces, trying to wipe the dirt from their eyes—but my fingers were just as filthy.
Before I could fully grasp the situation, I was inside a tent.
My cap had fallen to the ground, my hair had come undone, and the cold water trickled down my face. Thoughts scattered in my mind, but there was no time to dwell on them.
I heard voices.
My fingers tightened around my weapon. In a single motion, I raised it to aim.
But when I saw him—I froze.
The General.
He glowed white in the dim tent, but it was not a physical presence—it was an energy, a force that filled the space. His deep, cold voice shattered the silence.
"You can't shoot me anymore."
The blood pounded in my ears.
"Why are you here?" I hissed angrily. It wasn't just me speaking—yet it was. I was there.
"Why did you do it?"
The man regarded me in grim silence.
"You know well that if you continue down this path, you will never be a full saint again. You will never be an archangel again."
I laughed. A bitter, hoarse sound.
"An archangel? Now? While thousands die? While cities burn? You expect me to sit idly by and watch as innocent children are slaughtered?"
Gabriel did not answer immediately.
"If you choose this… you will never be what you once were. Only inclined toward darkness."
"I am living a life!" I snapped. "In a world with rules. If this world demands that I fight, I fight. If justice demands that I kill, I kill. If you call that evil, then so be it! Call me a devil if you want! But I'd rather be a devil who saves lives than an angel who lets them perish."
The man sighed deeply.
"Try to stay still," he said at last. "Do not harm, and do not save through harm. Those children… that was their fate. Their souls will live on."
Rage flared through me.
"Their fate? To die? If that's what you believe, then the flaw isn't in me—it's in you! You're the one who always interferes. You meddle in every life I live. You try to remind me of who I was, of how happy we were. Sometimes I believe you, sometimes I don't. But I've had enough!"
My face burned with fury.
"If you want purity and goodness and sinlessness, you're looking in the wrong place. Life doesn't work that way. This life doesn't work that way. If someone wants to slaughter the innocent, I will shoot them first. Whether it's a sin or not. If I only lived up to your expectations in my perfect lives, then go back to reminiscing. Because perfection is overrated."
The man said nothing. The energy slowly dissolved from the tent.
As he left, I felt something snap inside me.
In the blink of an eye, everything went dark. The war's clamor, the images of destruction—all shattered in a single flash.
And then…
Light.
I stood in a clearing. No past, no war, no other people—only a stone, upon which someone sat.
A dark-clad figure loomed like a shadow, their energy almost tangible. Their form was faintly outlined, but not entirely human.
I walked closer.
Without looking at me, they sat down on the stone.
Silence.
A long silence.
Then a voice broke it.
"The box has two keys," the figure said. "One is with Clarissa. The other… lies where no one knows it exists. At the old border, a small tower guards it. Find it. And do what you must."
I did not ask questions.
The dream was neutral. Neither cold nor warm. It did not carry emotional weight, did not call to me, did not pull me in. But it gave me one thing: direction.
"Now go," the figure said. "I will release you from your own captivity. And do not return. Sometimes, sweet ignorance is better."
Then—darkness.
When I opened my eyes, I lay on a marble pedestal.
My heart pounded, my breath came in gasps.
I sat up.
The world felt different now.
I became more determined. It was as if a surge of electricity had jolted me out of my previous drift—I had left uncertainty behind, and for the first time, I felt like I not only understood what was happening but also controlled it. I was no longer a pawn or a tool in the hands of some greater power. My decisions, my path.
I accepted the water Elis handed me and took a deep breath. A flicker of surprise crossed her face—she wasn't frightened, but there was a trace of worry in her eyes.
"Well, that wasn't so hard after all," Michael rubbed his hands together. "I'll count this as another successful awakening."
"Not so fast." Elise put her hands on her hips. "Half an hour ago, she was practically choking, as if suffocating in smoke or gunpowder. Then she suddenly calms down and wakes up—without you even touching her. So don't go taking credit for this, Michael."
I didn't even have time to respond before Elise turned to me.
"Are you okay, dear? Is everything alright? Do you remember anything?"
"Everything," I answered.
I saw joy, relief, and the faintest trace of hidden anger flash across her face all at once. But I don't think it was directed at me. She immediately turned to Michael.
"See? I told you! Of course, you weren't the one who woke her up. If you had, she would only remember a few blurry images, just like you described before. But now she's completely clear, and she remembers everything."
"There's no need to make such a big deal out of this," Michael scoffed.
"Oh, but there is."
"Alright, alright, don't be so… dramatic."
"And you don't be a clown—or so arrogant!" Elis snapped.
"As far as I know, I am neither a clown nor arrogant," Michael shrugged. "But maybe you should stop being… an energy vampire."
"Me? An energy vampire?"
"Yes! You're bouncing around all over the place and draining all my energy!"
I almost laughed, but then I realized neither of them was actually paying attention to me. Chloe stepped closer and spoke quietly.
"Don't mind them. If you had seen the scene they caused while you were asleep… Elise was panicking, Michael was trying to salvage the situation, but honestly, neither of them knew what to do."
"The important thing is that I'm fine," I said, stepping off the marble pedestal.
"And… did you learn anything?" Chloe asked.
"Yes. Quite a lot." I nodded.
The room fell silent. Elis looked at me expectantly, waiting for me to continue.
"We need to go to the border. There's something there I need to find."
"And what would that be?" Chloe asked.
"The key to the box."
My words hung in the air. Alice and Michael exchanged significant glances, while a flicker of hope flashed across Chloe's face.
"If I break it," I continued, "maybe everything can be undone."
We gathered our things and checked the weapons—just in case. Dawn was breaking. Spirits rarely wandered near the border at this hour, but one could never be too sure. I wasn't afraid of them, though.
Michael brought the car around, we got in, and as the cool morning wind swept in, the massive gates of the manor creaked shut behind us.