Hendrick was away that day, and the palace corridors seemed colder without his presence.
In Josephine's room, she sat quietly on the floor, sketching on parchment with charcoal. Drawing had always been her escape — lines and shapes that carried her away from the harshness of her reality.
But her peace shattered when the door burst open. Sophina stormed in, her eyes sharp with rage.
Without a word, she grabbed Josephine violently by the hair. The girl gasped, tears streaming down her face, her silent pleas written in her eyes. She tried to beg, but no words came out. Her hands trembled as she signed desperately: Please, Mama…
"Stay out of this!" Sophina snapped when Oliver rushed forward.
"MOM!" Oliver shouted.
Sophina shoved him aside. Her voice was venom.
"Guards! Seventy lashes on her legs!"
The guards froze, stunned at the order.
"No!" Tess screamed, but soldiers held her back. Pierre and Callum fought against the maids who restrained them, but it was no use.
Josephine's cries were silent but piercing. They held her down, and the whip cracked against her skin. Once. Twice. Over and over. Seventy lashes burned into her legs, crimson welts blooming as her tears fell onto the cold stone floor.
Tess, Callum, and Pierre were dragged out, locked in the town square, their screams echoing through the palace:
"STOP! Please, let her go!"
Josephine cried until her body trembled from pain and exhaustion. She was on the brink of collapse when the great doors opened.
The Kings' Return
King Hendrick entered with several other kings. His voice thundered through the chamber:
"SOPHINA!!!"
All heads turned. At the same instant, the masked man appeared, his eyes glowing a dangerous red. With impossible speed, he moved forward and caught Josephine just as her body gave way. She passed out in his arms.
Hendrick's fury was like a storm.
"WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU?!" he roared at Sophina.
The masked man laid Josephine gently on a chair. Blood stained her feet. "Call a healer," he commanded coldly. Guards rushed out immediately.
"Jojo! Jojo!" Tess cried, running to her side. She tapped Josephine's face, desperate to wake her. No response.
Callum knelt at her feet, whispering an incantation:
"Vita Repara!"
Her legs glowed faintly green as the healing spell mended her flesh, but Josephine still didn't stir.
The masked man's gaze never left her trembling form. His voice cut into the silence:
"King Hendrick, is she your child?"
Hendrick nodded gravely. "My last born."
The masked man turned to Sophina. "Then why, Queen, do you hate your own daughter?"
"Because she is a disgrace!" Sophina snapped. "She is nothing. Not a creature at all."
The man's tone was ice. "So? She is your blood. You gave birth to her. Don't be stupid, hm?"
Everyone gasped at his bluntness.
At that moment, Josephine stirred in her unconsciousness. Her body began to tremble violently, her mind spiraling into visions.
The Vision
In her dream, Josephine found herself floating above a dark kingdom. She screamed silently as tormenting souls reached for her, their cries echoing in her head. Her family's voices called her name, but they were distant, drowned out by the shadows.
She opened her eyes, shot upright, and gasped for air. Sweat dripped down her face as she curled her legs tightly against her chest, rocking back and forth.
"Jojo?" Hendrick's voice was soft now, worried. He sat beside her, patting her back. "It's okay, love. You're safe."
Noah stood tall, glaring at his mother. "Mother, you are very wrong."
Sophina's face twisted in anger, but she said nothing. She stormed out of the room, her heels echoing down the corridor.
The Aftermath
"Come on, let's go to the waterfalls, hm?" Oliver tried to cheer her.
Josephine shook her head. Limping, she pulled herself up, clutching the wall for support. Without a word, she disappeared into her room.
She pulled the sheets and duvet from her bed, arranging them on the floor. Curling up, she hugged a picture of Ceillie tightly to her chest and closed her eyes.
Far away, Ceillie stared at that very same family picture, tears running down her cheeks. "I really miss you, my Jojo…" she whispered, collapsing to her knees.
In the palace halls, the masked man walked with heavy steps. He paused at Josephine's door, then stepped backward. Quietly, he looked inside. She was fast asleep on the floor, hugging the picture, her tiny body wrapped in the sheets. His gaze softened for a fleeting moment. Then he turned and vanished into Hendrick's meeting room.
The Council of Kings
"The second tallest mountain has collapsed," an Elf King reported.
"We sent men to investigate, but they found nothing. Not even a giant," the Spider King added.
"That mountain has stood for thousands of years. How does it just fall?" the Vampire King questioned.
The masked king narrowed his eyes, silent in thought.
Searching for Answers
Meanwhile, Noah, Anastasia, Oliver, Tess, Callum, Pierre, and Theodore gathered in the library. Stacks of books surrounded them as they searched desperately for answers.
"Maybe she's a demon?" Theodore suggested.
"No. That's not demon magic," Tess shook her head.
They flipped through every volume until the shelves were bare, but nothing revealed Josephine's nature.
"Useless!" Oliver slammed a book shut.
"I agree," Callum muttered.
"The school library?" Theron suddenly said.
"Yes!" the group exclaimed together, hope reigniting.
From the shadows, the masked king listened. So she is something unknown… but what? he thought. Nobody must know that Jojo destroyed the mountain until we uncover her true species. Understood?
"Yes," Noah declared firmly. The others nodded.
The masked king's mind raced. Impossible. For a powerless little girl to destroy an ancient mountain… I will research this myself. I must know what she is.
With a gust of wind, he vanished.
"What was that?" Oliver blinked.
"Wind, I guess," Callum shrugged uneasily.
The Hair of Fire
Later, Tess and the others entered Josephine's room. Gently, they unbraided her hair.
Suddenly, her hair began to glow and rise upward, charged with strange energy.
"Hold it!" Tess cried. Anastasia grabbed it, but hissed in pain.
"Ahh! Her hair is burning me!" Anastasia released it, her palms blistered.
Tess quickly rebraided it, and the glow faded.
"No fucking way…" Noah whispered, stunned.
Josephine's Dream – The Lost Kingdom of Zephyria
In her sleep, Josephine wandered into a vast, empty kingdom. The skies were dark green, heavy with shadows. At the center stood a throne, carved from bones, at the top of a staircase of skulls.
A woman sat there, her laughter echoing through the desolation. She rose with supernatural speed, appearing directly before Josephine. Her face was identical to Jojo's.
Josephine pointed at her own face, trembling.
"Yes," the woman grinned. "We do look alike. I am your best friend now."
Her voice dripped with power.
"I am Queen Hetragon. And this… is the lost kingdom of Zephyria. Which is now yours."
She cupped Josephine's face with icy hands.
"You are the Queen of Zephyria."
Her laughter was cruel, echoing in the void.
Visions flooded Josephine's mind — kingdoms bowing before her, fire consuming cities, her hands drenched in destruction.
"You can't run from destiny, Jojo," Hetragon whispered. "You will be the strongest queen… stronger than me. The ruler of all kingdoms. Your mother doesn't love you. Nana abandoned you. Even your family's smiles are lies."
She strode back to the throne, kicking skulls beneath her feet. Dressed in ancient robes and crowned with jagged bone, she sat, smirking.
"I don't wear shoes… and neither do you. See? We are the same, love."
Her laughter rang loud and merciless across the kingdom of death.
Oliver's Nightmare
Meanwhile, Oliver tossed in his bed. A flashback of his past life burned through his mind.
He was once a poor servant who had fallen in love with a princess. They were happy together, but her family disapproved. They wanted her married to a king. On her wedding day, Oliver was killed, ripped away from the love of his life.
He woke with a start, breath ragged.
"What's wrong?" Noah asked.
"I… I don't know. It's the same dream again," Oliver admitted.
"Come on, time for school," Noah said, patting his back.
Oliver groaned and flopped back down. "Ugh!"
Noah dragged him out of bed by the leg.
Breakfast
At breakfast, Josephine wore a big hoodie dress. She ate while standing, gazing out the window.
Sophina walked past. Josephine did not bow.
"Hey!" Sophina snapped.
Josephine ignored her, placing her plate down and grabbing her water bottle before leaving.
"Did she just ignore me?" Sophina fumed.
"You're this close to divorce," Hendrick warned coldly.
"Oh, so you can marry your mistress?" she spat.
"No," Hendrick said, standing tall. "But you are not the woman I married twenty-five years ago. She never treated her own last child this way. Jojo may not have powers yet… but maybe we just don't know them. Soon, we will."
He wiped his hands and left, leaving Sophina alone with her bitterness.