Chapter 8: The Legacy She Left Behind
By Joy Daud
Oki's scream echoed through the heart of the forest.
Light exploded from her body—blinding, wild, and ancient.
Her eyes glowed bright green, her once-simple hair now streaming down her back like forest vines kissed by starlight. A green aura enveloped her like armor, pulsing with a rhythm older than flame.
The spirit before her bowed its head.
> "It begins."
The queen's shadow-creature recoiled, shrieking in pain as Oki stepped forward, her hands raised—not in fear, but in command. The roots obeyed her. The earth trembled for her.
And deep within the spirit's gaze, something awakened—a recognition.
---
Back at the palace, thunder rolled across the gathering hall.
King Ryon's face burned with fury. The weight of his crown now felt like iron.
"You defy me, son," he growled. "You've always walked with cold pride, but now you walk alone."
Kimo said nothing.
The king slammed his staff into the ground. "Disobey me again—and I will strip you of your title. Your lands, your inheritance, your name. You will be nothing. Not a prince. Not a son. Just a forgotten boy with borrowed power."
The court watched in stunned silence.
Kimo's voice came at last—quiet, cold, and distant.
"Oh yes... I would be something better than this."
He lifted his gaze slowly. "Because this—this cage wrapped in silk—is nothing but punishment."
Gasps echoed again.
The king's eyes narrowed. "Ungrateful wretch."
Behind them, no one noticed the queen smiling—faintly, cruelly, lips curling at the corners.
And when the court turned to discuss the scandal, to whisper about disgrace and disgraceful sons—
She stood up, trembling... then burst into tears.
"I can't bear this…" she choked out, pressing a hand to her heart. "I only wanted to help..."
With the grace of a shattered dove, she ran from the gathering, sobbing.
But as she passed Kimo, her veil of grief slipped for just a moment.
She leaned close, her whisper a dagger.
"Not even your magic can save you from me."
Kimo froze.
"You know why no one needs your life?" she breathed. "Because your mother left you."
His breath caught. Her next words chilled him to the core.
"Ohhh… do you think she's dead?"
She laughed—quiet, rich, twisted.
"No, no… she's very much alive. She left because she doesn't belong here. Because not even your father's power could protect her."
Kimo's hands curled into fists.
The queen leaned in again, voice silk and venom.
"This throne is mine. I earned it with blood and flame. And soon… you'll understand why she ran. But by then?" Her smile widened.
"There'll be nothing left to save."
She laughed as she slipped through the doors—crying again for the watching crowd.
Kimo stood frozen, rage boiling behind his icy gaze. But beneath the fury was hurt—and something else.
Suspicion.
---
Far away in the woods, Oki's power faded, and she fell to her knees.
The spirit knelt with her.
> "You carry her light," it said gently.
Oki looked up. "Elira?"
> "Your heart remembers. And soon, the boy's heart must too. Or this kingdom will fall."
Behind them, a ripple in the trees—someone was watching.
A masked figure in red robes vanished into the shadows, and where they stood, the trees withered black.
---
To be continued…
In Chapter 9: Her Name Was Elira
Where secrets unravel, masked strangers arrive, and Kimo must choose whether to seek the mother who left—or the truth that could destroy her.