Cursed Queen: Battle Against Gods

Flare's Dark Past

"Ha, is she seriously this generation's archmage?" Aiyana asked arrogantly.

"Why, you-"

I coughed blood, so they got worried. "I'm okay..."

"You're not!" Karis said in between gritted teeth.

Aiyana sighed and wiped my hands with a piece of cloth. "I apologize for the way I acted. I need to make preparations first. It has been centuries since I last used the domain. I might fail, and I can't risk that."

I couldn't answer. This situation is an important matter, and I didn't know what to do. Right now, I should be training to master the power that Bythos gave me, but here I am, on death's bed. How unsightly.

"Flare..." Karis called.

He was about to cry because it seems like he knew what I was thinking. I tried to smile at him, but he could only return a painful one. Ha, I probably look pitiful right now. Supposedly a queen, reduced to such state. It frustrates me so much!

"Can we go outside? I need some fresh air..." I said while looking down.

"Are you going to be okay?" Alwina asked worriedly.

Karis held my hand and squeezed it. "She'll be fine as long as I'm with her."

Aiyana nodded. "I need at least a day or two. Please do not disturb me in the meantime."

"I'll go back to the camp to get my equipment and gather resources. Is it okay if I appoint Aranel to be in charge?" Alwina asked.

"Yes. It's fine."

After discussing things, we agreed and went on separate ways. I don't know where Aiyana went, but she told us to keep out of her sight. That's why we went in the opposite direction of the path she took.

"Please take care of Her Majesty," Alwina told Karis.

Karis nodded and carried me on his back. "Where do you want to go?" he asked.

"Somewhere windy..." I answered weakly and buried my face on his neck.

He brought me to the place near the hot springs. We sat by the edge of the cliff and stared at the stars. It was pretty, but it didn't make me smile. Usually, I would feel better after looking at something that looks beautiful. But now, I only feel anxious.

Aiyana can stop time, but does it work against the curse within me? It was my biggest concern. If I don't get better before it manifests within me, things might get messy. But maybe I should trust Aiyana. She knows about this curse since she has seen the future after all. There's no reason not to believe in her.

"You can cry now..." Karis whispered as he caressed my hair. I looked at him, but he was only looking at the stars. "Stop trying to act tough, Flare. I'm the only one here. No one will see you crying."

I chuckled a little and hugged my knees. "Why am I so unlucky...?" I sobbed.

Karis pulled me in for a hug, so I fell on his chest. I held onto his clothes and cried loudly. He kissed the top of my head and continued to caress my back. "That's right. Let it all out..." he drawled.

I'm so upset right now. Misfortunes seem to befall me whenever I start to feel happy or when I start to trust those who are around me. Maybe the world doesn't want me to experience happiness. After everything I have done, I don't think I still deserve it. How could I forget who I was?

"I'm sorry for what I did..." I whispered.

"You didn't do anything wrong," he said.

I shook my head. "I did."

"If you say so. But that doesn't mean you can't be happy."

I was taken aback by what he said. Honestly, I have wanted to hear those words long ago. I know that I've hurt tons of people, but I still hoped that they would forgive me. Of course, I know that that's asking for too much.

"How can you say so?"

He didn't answer my question. Instead, he started humming on my ear, which I calmed down. Ah, how comforting. Even if the world has forsaken me, I know that Karis won't leave my side. As long as he's here with me, I can continue to live. Strange as it may seem, Karis has become my lifeline. And I'm surprisingly okay with it.

I smiled to myself when I figured it out. Perhaps this is the emotion called love. When was the last time I felt such a thing? Maybe I was a child back then? Oh, wait. Did I even get to experience it? I feel like I haven't. Hm, my mother might have given it to me, but I couldn't remember.

Does that even matter? I should focus on the present. I know that I have to, but letting go of my painful past turned out to be a lot harder than I think. If I tell Karis, will I be able to let it go? How would he react? What if he leaves me after finding out that I was that kind of person? I don't want that to happen.

"Karis, don't leave me..." I said as I slowly fell asleep in his arms.

"I won't..."

 My older brother handed an envelope to me. I opened it and saw a profile of six people who seem to be related. They were members of an organization that has been the cause of the sudden halt of our operations. 

My father's organization is involved with illegal deeds, such as smuggling drugs and weapons. Not only that but there is also human trafficking. On the outside, he's a good politician. But on the inside, he's rotten as f**k.

And I, the only daughter of the head of the Silvenia clan, serves as their puppet.

My older brother handed a revolver to me. "Kill them. You can make it look like an accident or better yet..." he trailed off and smirked. "Make it seem like Mr. Alison killed his whole family off."

I nodded. "And the old man committed suicide after. Okay. I got it," I answered emotionlessly.

He smiled and ruffled my hair. "That's a good puppet."

I did not react. The man in front of me is my oldest brother, the heir of the clan. And he likes toying with me. All three of them do, but he's the worst. I find myself in trouble whenever I cross paths with them, but I couldn't feel anything. I should have felt humiliated, but there was nothing.

He scoffed. "Ha, why can't you react? Try to smile at the very least. You can act, right? You do it when you need to seduce someone so you can kill them off."

"Okay," I said as I tried to smile.

He chuckled. "How obedient. You'd make a fun toy."

I did not answer. It was disgusting, but my face remained passive. It became a permanent expression that can only change if someone tells me to.

"Now, go. You do it alone."

I bowed my head and took my things with me. I wore my usual outfit whenever I do this. The mask I used to wear got ripped last time, so I wore one that only covers my mouth. 

My brother allowed me to use one of the cars, so I parked it somewhere they can't see. He also gave me a copy of the blueprint of the mansion, so I memorized it first. After that, I quickly looked for all six people and thought of ways to kill them one by one. And then, I went back to the car to open my laptop and disable their CCTV by hacking through their system.

"I still have thirty minutes before Mr. Alison leaves," I whispered to myself and climbed up the house.

Mr. Alison was sleeping, so I took his shoes to make it look like it's his footsteps. I destroyed the computers on the security system first. Maybe there's a copy, so I looked for those and broke them too. The teenagers were in the first room. I went through the window, but they didn't see me because they were busy playing games. Since they didn't notice me, I slammed the door open. I c****d my head to the side when they didn't react.

I stood behind them and shot them with the pistol I brought. The two boys didn't have time to react and immediately dropped dead. The gun had a silencer, so it didn't make much noise. I headed for the veranda next, where the oldest son was seated.

He noticed me, and his eyes widened. "Who are you-"

I shot him twice before he could finish speaking. The second oldest came in, so I shot him, too. He was still alive and tried to reach for my leg, so I stepped on his hands and fired two more shots.

I heaved a heavy sigh and went to where Mr. Alison was. To my surprise, he was awake. The old man saw me, so I pointed a gun at his head and a knife on his back. He stiffened and didn't move. A few moments later, we heard his wife screaming and calling his name.

I sat on his lap and removed his shirt as I kissed him torridly. There were drugs in my mouth that I passed onto him. I wasn't surprised when he kissed back because the drug immediately took effect. I made him hold the gun when his wife stood beside us.

"You f*****g cheater!"

I gave her a side glance before making Mr. Alison shoot her once. The man was surprised to see his wife on the floor after I stopped kissing him.

"Rianne..." he mumbled.

I gave him a knife. "Why don't you kill yourself?"

He screamed and took the knife as he stabbed himself. That was easy. I can go home fast. I gave his shoes back and escaped through the window after making sure that no one saw me.

"Oh, you're back early," my brother said when he saw me walking around the house.

I looked at him and bowed my head. "I killed them all," I said.

He burst out laughing. "You killed every single one of them?"

I nodded. "Yes. I made it look like the man murdered his whole family. I also left drugs to prove it."

He chuckled and wiped my face. Oh. There seems to be blood in there. He smirked and tapped my cheek before leaving. Meanwhile, I went to my room to get changed. We'll visit the warehouse where they hid the women, and I need to guard him.

"Flare!" he called after some time.

I immediately went out. What was my brother's name again? France? Right. He drove towards the warehouse using a different car.

"Father needs you the day after tomorrow, so I'm bringing you back tomorrow night," he said as he examined the women.

I nodded and stared at them. The women looked at me as if they were asking for help, but I only tilted my head. These people want me to come to their aid? I can't even free myself. There's no way I'm helping them.

"Hey, get me one of these girls," France told one of the guards.

I put my hand up to stop him. Then, I looked at my brother. "They're not yours. You can't touch them."

His veins popped as he looked at me. "Shut up. This is none of your business."

"It is Father's business-"

He grabbed my neck. "You are not his daughter. Remember, you were only taken in from the slave market."

I tilted my head to the side. "He legally adopted me."

He let go of my neck and told the guards to lock the warehouse. "Make sure that none of them escapes."

"Yes, sir."

He grabbed me by the pulse and threw me against the car. That should have been painful, but I didn't feel any pain. Instead, I looked at him blankly. He sighed and ran his fingers through his hair. What did I do now?

"You think you were legally adopted? You don't even have a surname, you w***e. You didn't even tell me that my brothers played with you already," he said, acting hurt.

"The papers-"

"Fake. To make you believe that you're our sister and make you go through all of that. Your mother? She's only a made-up story to give you a delusion that you had a mother."

But that's the only thing that kept me human, so I believed in it. I didn't answer. Instead, I kept staring at the face of my brother like a mere doll. He groaned and got inside the car. I followed like a puppet.

When we got home, he brought me to his room. I already knew what he wants to do. My other brothers have done this to me already. They said they were teaching me how to seduce men so I can use it on my missions. I knew the truth, but I kept quiet and did whatever I was told to do. A gun was pointed at me, after all.

"I want you to wear this," he said and pointed at the rope and tail.

No...

I don't want to...

Please don't do this...

I heard my own voice in my head. Who was it referring to? Me? My brother?

"I told you to wear it! Flare!"

"Flare!"

"No!" I shouted.

"Hey, are you okay? Flare, look at me..."

I opened my eyes and saw Karis's face. He looked worried as she held my cheeks. My mouth went agape, and tears started streaming down my face. He hugged me tightly as he caressed my back.

Karis cupped my face. "It's okay. I'm here..." he whispered softly.

I continued to cry. Why did I have to dream about that? I kept calling his name while crying as if asking for help. I don't want to remember anything anymore. I want to get rid of those memories. If there's a way, please...

He sighed. "Ruby can manipulate memories. I'm sure you've met her when you traveled in time."

I stiffened. "How did you know what I was thinking...?"

He kissed my forehead. "You were subconsciously relaying your thoughts to me," he said.

"Since when?"

"When you almost passed out."

"Then, did you see..." I trailed off.

He nodded. "It wasn't your fault, okay?"

I stared into his eyes, knowing that he can't hide his emotions well. His eyes would give him away. They were full of anger and hatred. My mouth went agape. "Do you hate me now?"

"No," he replied, shaking his head. He kissed the back of my hand. "I'm mad at your former family for doing that to you."

"Former...family?"

He smiled. "We're your family now. The Zodiacs, the faction, Aiyana, and Bythos."

Tears pooled in the sides of my eyes, so I hugged him and cried on his chest. He still accepted me. He didn't get mad at me, and he didn't think I was filthy. "Why...?" I managed to ask why sobbing like a child.

"I'm sure that the same goes for the other members of The Zodiacs, but you are everything to me. We will accept and serve you no matter what."

Oh, what would I do without him? I sobbed on his chest. "Can I cry some more...?"

He smiled and wrinkled his nose. "Of course you can."

My lips trembled as I buried my face on his chest. All this time, I have only been running away from those memories. I tried to forget, but they kept coming back. So I ran away, as I was too scared to face them. I couldn't confront my fears because I was afraid that I'd accumulate more pain than I already have. That's why I buried them at the back of my mind in order to save myself. All this time, I've been doing that without knowing that they would resurface again.

But now, all those thoughts had gone away. Karis accepted me even after finding out what I have done. He didn't judge me. No matter how filthy I was, he still comforted me. I thought he would distance himself and abandon me. Ha, how silly of me. I guess I didn't trust him enough.

"I'm sorry..." I murmured.

"It's okay. You've been through so much. That was your way of protecting yourself."

I chuckled. I'm still relaying my thoughts to him, I guess. "You'll still stay by my side, right?"

"Yes. I promise..."

We stayed that way for the whole night because I didn't want to leave yet. I wanted to be with him more...

"I'm guessing we feel the same way for each other...?" he said hesitantly.

I pursed my lips and looked away. Right, I've been relaying my thoughts to him since a while ago. I realized what I felt earlier, and he probably knew it.

"I don't know. Ask yourself," I mumbled.

I know what I'm feeling, but I don't know what he feels. He may love me as a friend or his master. As for me, I like him as Karis. I looked up at him and saw how serious he looked. His serious face slowly turned into an arrogant one. Why did I even catch feelings for this dumbass?

He scoffed. "Stop relaying your thoughts to me. I can hear the insults. I know that I'm crude and annoying, but at least I'm here with you."

I smiled. "Of course. You're my servant, after all. A servant should stay beside his master," I mocked.

I was taken aback when he kissed me. "I'm guessing I'm the first servant to ever kiss his master?" he teased.

"Why did you do that?" I asked, annoyed.

He held my hand and stared into my eyes lovingly. "I wish we could be more than just master and servant..." he drawled.

I looked away. Ha, I guess it's not allowed. It's fine, though. I don't mind as long as he's with me. That's enough for me.

"Should we go back to the house?" he asked after some time passed by.

I nodded, so he carried me on his back again. He was humming while walking towards the house. I fell asleep because of it. When I woke up, we were already at the house. Alwina was staring at me as if she was memorizing my features. I c****d my head to the side, confused.

She smiled. "I apologize, Your Majesty. I figured it would be better if I made a vessel that looks exactly the same as you."

"Oh, I see. Okay. Do you need measurements?"

This time, she was the one who tilted her head to the side. "Measurements?"

Oh. They don't do that here. But, how do they make clothes that would fit the person who'll wear them?

"If it's okay with you, may I examine your body?"

Karis groaned. "Can't you just try to use your imagination?"

Alwina's face reddened. "Oh, how sinful of you, Sir Karis."

Karis scoffed and stormed out of the room. Alwina helped me take my clothes off as she made a copy of my body using her magic. She can use the earth element, so it was easy for her to create a perfect copy. After that, she helped me put on my clothes again.

Aiyana is still out, so they cooked food while waiting. They made porridge for me again, so we ate together. After quite some time passed, Aiyana came back.

"Karis will be coming with Her Majesty," Alwina said and looked at her things.

Aiyana clapped her hands. "It's settled, then."

Karis carried me because I was too weak to walk on my own. He gave me a reassuring smile when he noticed that I was anxious. I smiled weakly and held onto him as if my life was on the line. Well, it actually is.

Alwina placed her hand on my cheek. "I'll make a fine vessel for you, Your Majesty. I promise..."

I smiled. "I'm in your debt..." I said weakly.

Aiyana created a magic circle on the ground and clasped her hands together. Her hair glowed as mana flowed within her. A shrine gate appeared from where she drew the magic circle. She signaled us to pass through it quickly. 

"I'll stop the time once you two have settled in the domain," she said.

Karis nodded and did what she said. My mouth went agape when we stepped into it. It looked like the thing we call galaxy in the other world. There was no end, and stars filled the place. There seems to be a foothold despite it being empty. Karis placed me down and sat beside me. 

I rested my head on his shoulder. "Thank you..." I mumbled.

He kissed my forehead. "Don't worry. I'm here. I will always stay by your side."

I smiled and closed my eyes as time stopped for the two of us.