Darkness...
Strange silence...
No sound, no pain, no body feeling.
I was sure... I was dead.
I saw the dagger, felt the pain, and saw Tia fall in front of me, blood soaking her clothes.
Why...?
Why do I hear the curtains rustling?
A sharp gasp escaped my mouth, and I suddenly sat upright.
I was in my room.
The same bed.
The same walls.
The same torn green curtain in the corner.
My hands... not bloody.
Tia...
Is this... a dream?
"Young Master?"
I slowly turn toward the voice.
It's Uldrick.
The old servant with the long wound on his left cheek, staring at me with concern.
I stare at him, my eyes widening.
I looked at my hand again.
The servant sighed and said, "Young master, asking a knight to wear a maid's uniform was indeed too much to ask...
"Did you have a nightmare, young master?" the butler interrupted, looking at Dan with confusion.
"Your face is pale as if you've seen death?"
"Oldrick, tell me quickly how many days until the meeting of the elders."
The old servant looked puzzled, but soon regained his usual expression and answere immediately.
"Two days until the meeting of the elders, sir.
Two days, did I go back two days? How could this happen? What's really going on? Wait, what about Tia?
"Tia, how is Tia? Is she okay? "
Uldrick looked at him with a strange expression and said.
"Sir, I understand your anger, but calling for her execution might be going too far, you were the reason you got beaten up, she's in prison, waiting to receive the appropriate punishment.
That's good. That means she's okay and not dead, at least not yet.
"Well, I'm fine for now, can you ask my older sister to wait for a while then I'll go say hello?
The old servant gave Dan a strange look and then said.
"Young Master, how could you possibly know Lady Elena awaits you?"
He looked at him, then tried to smile and
said
"I've been unconscious for a whole week, how come she didn't come to check on me?
"Sir?"
"Yes."
"How do you know you've been out for a week?"
Dan looked at him, trying to think of an excuse.
"Just a hunch."
"Just a hunch?"
"Yes."
The old servant looked at Dan quizzically, then bowed and walked out the door.
Well, now I have to think about what to do.
He sat on the edge of the bed, staring blankly at the floor.
My thoughts are jumbled... going back in time? That's impossible... isn't it?
But... everything proves otherwise.
The dagger... Tia... the blood... it was all real. The pain, the horror, the death... they couldn't be a dream.
Dan slowly got up and walked over to the mirror. looked at his reflection... nothing had changed.
"Dan Noctine… or rather, me, once again in his body."
But this time... I have to be quiet.
There was a soft knock on the door, and then it opened quietly.
Another servant entered the room, looking nervous as he looked at me and a little frightened, but I had no time to care
"Is... is there anything you need, sir?"
"I'm going out for a bit."
"Do you intend to meet the young lady?"
"No... I just need some air."
Uma quietly withdrew.
I stepped out onto the balcony, the cold wind blowing on my face.
Same place, same sky...
But everything felt different
I have to think about the next step for... survival
I closed the balcony door behind me and went back inside. The room seemed quieter than it should be, or maybe it was me who was hearing the noise in my head.
I sat at the desk, my gaze staring into nothingness.
"Who?"
One question kept repeating inside me...
Which of the elders wanted me dead?
There are five of them.
Each of them is influential, has followers... and their hatred for me is no secret.
But which one was willing to kill?
Which one would try again?
I looked at the calendar on the wall... only two days until their meeting.
The one where they would demand my removal from the caliphate.
I started recalling what I had read in the diary, one by one.
Elder Marcus: Quiet... but he has shady foreign relations. He opposed my appointment from the beginning.
Elder Mirsa: Strict, close to my sister... but if her loyalty is only for the good of the family, she may consider me a burden.
Elder Garim: The oldest, the most influential... his eyes never leave me whenever he speaks of "weakness".
Elder Fallon: Always smiling... and that alone makes me suspicious of him.
And the last one... Earl: The youngest of the lot, doesn't talk much, but that's about it.
Five... and they all have a reason to get rid of me.
But first things... I'm going to need help.
And the first person I would start with... my sister
In the great hall of the palace, where the walls are decorated with old paintings and red carpets cover the floor, my sister stood waiting for me.
She stood there, arms crossed and a serious look in her eyes. The same look I saw two days ago... or maybe before I died.
"You're finally awake." She said in a quiet voice, but with a hint of reproach.
"Yes..." I replied, approaching her with hesitant steps.
She looked me up and down, as if trying to make sure I was still in one piece.
"Is everything okay?"
I hesitated. Should I tell her?
Should I say that I... died?
That I saw my own death... that I saw Tia die in front of me?
That one of the elders... wanted to assassinate me?
Or would I sound crazy?
"Dan?" She called me by my name, a little less sharply, a little more worried this time.
I looked at her... for a moment, it seemed like she was still my ally, my sister... my only support in this swamp.
"I saw... something." I finally said.
She raised an eyebrow, as if she didn't understand.
"Something?"
"I saw..." Suddenly I felt a strange sensation as if my tongue couldn't move, no matter how hard I tried I couldn't say anything, there was something stopping me from telling them about my death and going back in time.
Alina looked at me with a look that suggested some concern, but she kept looking at me, waiting for me to say something.
"I had... a nightmare. Or maybe it was more than a nightmare."
I paused for a second, thinking about what to say, apparently I can't say anything about going back in time, and then continued:
"I saw me...go and..." It's no use, nothing comes out of my mouth
She looked at me silently, her expression unchanged.
"I guess I can't go to the Elders' meeting, I'm afraid they're planning to do something."
There was a long moment of silence. Then she said:
"This is just a dream, Dan."
I looked at her... in her eyes I didn't see cynicism, but she also didn't believe me.
"You're stressed... the elders... the pressure... all of this can cultivate delusions."
I lowered my gaze.
"Maybe..."
But inside, I knew...
What I saw wasn't an illusion.
I had died... for real.
"Listen to me," she said, stepping closer to me and putting her hand on my shoulder, "whatever happens, I'm on your side. Don't get weak now."
I gave her a slight smile and said:
"Thanks... I need some time to think."
She nodded and left the room, leaving behind an even heavier silence than before.
I stood there, contemplating her empty space, then whispered to myself:
"Not yet... I can't give up now, I have to think of a solution, let's see, remember what I read about the elders in the diary.
Elder Mirsa and Elder Galon are both supporters of Alina, Elder Marcus and Elder Deron are against me being the head of the family, while Elder Garim is on the fence.
I'm not sure what I'm going to do, and I don't think anything I say is going to convince my older sister, and what's worse, I can't trust anyone here. Probably more than half the palace would be happy to see me die, but at least one person I'm sure would give his life for me, I need to see her.