I woke up in the middle of the night, drenched in sweat.

I was struggling for breath, my hand tightened around my neck. It was so suffocating in the tiny room. I flailed off the white blanket off of me, my eyes bugging out of their sockets as I walked across the room, trying to pull at the door. It was no use as I hadn't any strength in me. Walking had been a task of its own.

I wanted to call out to Faustine. I opened my mouth to yell, but no sound came out. Only quick, heavy exhales managed to escape. I felt like I was on the brink of death.

I heard somewhere that when a person was about to die, their life's good memories flashed across their eyes in those last moments. Maybe it was a good sign that I didn't even see a single flash. All I cared about at the moment, as I laid on the wooden floor, was my life.

I desperately wanted to live.

A week or two ago, I was prepared to die in a world where Jieum and Juwon weren't by my side. But the thought had gradually started to settle in that maybe, just maybe, they were better off without me.

With my constantly blurring vision, I tried to seek out the window. There, I saw a glint of light. The moon. It was the moon.

As if hypnotized, my legs moved on their own accord towards the glimmer of light. I crawled over to the window, the escaping hair from my bonnet matted against my forehead and my neck. From the support of the window's ledge, I hauled myself up, parted the curtains and threw open the glass, taking in a gulp of air. But it was of no use as my throat was clenched.

I was going through pure pain. My muscles were aching and my mouth was dry. I yearned for water as I stood by the ledge with wobbly legs.

Then it hit me. Reynard. I needed Reynard. He'd know what to do.

Again, I crawled over to the door and started to hit it. My hands didn't wield much strength at the moment but by pure will, I smacked at the door again and again, hoping that someone would hear the weak sounds and come check up on me.

But after a few moments, it became clear that no one was coming.

With tears in my eyes, I dropped onto the cold, hard floor and closed my eyes while focusing on my oxygen intake. I tried to control my breathing with a steady hand on my throat but sadly, it wasn't working.

The fact that I was alone was making my condition worse. In the dark, only the crickets kept me company.

Ah, I just wanted to somehow open up my chest and let in some fresh air. I panted for breath as I clenched my chest, wishing that God would help me because this really (really) did feel like the end.

Suddenly, when I thought I was at my worst, things started to go even more downhill. I started to lose my vision. "N-no…!" I croaked, trying to keep holding onto my consciousness. It felt like there was a thread or a sharp hair stuck in my throat, hurting me more and more, and I desperately tried to gulp it down to keep the pain away.

Then I just… gave up. I let go of any hope I had been holding onto by the end of the red string. The red string of fate had started to drift away and just when I thought all was lost, I saw something.

It was a light.

Suddenly, I was surrounded by a calming, cold air. My throat started to open up and a gush of oxygen rushed through my lungs. It was as if I had suddenly been thrown into heaven. The aches in my muscles faded away and my mouth started to wet up. I wasn't hot anymore, there was no sweat on me at all. I finally felt at peace.

And before I knew it, I passed out.

✿

I heard muffled voices as my mind came to consciousness.

"Why was she on the floor?" someone whispered.

A woman replied, with a hint of worry in her voice, "My guess is as good as yours."

I twisted my head towards the direction of the sounds and upon fluttering open my eyelids, I was instantly met by two worried faces .

Reynard was standing by the bed, bearing over me as he observed my face. Behind him, Faustine was standing with her hands on her mouth and she cried out as she met my eyes.

"Ashli, my dear," she said as she came to hug me. She didn't need to crouch to do so as she was already very short.

"What happened…?" I squinted at Reynard, still not fully awake.

Reynard backed up and stood with his hands on his hips. "You were sprawled all over the floor when I came this morning. I should be the one asking what happened."

"Ah..." I mumbled as the memories of last night started coming back.

"I know, I'm so sorry," Faustine cried as she parted from me. "I'm certain it's all my fault. I should've prepared a better bed for her. I know how hard and uncomfortable it is, so much that she had to succumb to sleeping on the floor. I'm so, so sorry, love."

"No, not at all," I said, alarmed as my hands went up in surrender. "The bed was fine. I think I just must've fallen off it in the middle of the night. It's no fault of yours at all."

"You fell?" Reynard asked doubtfully.

I replied firmly, "Yeah."

He narrowed his eyes, still suspicious. "All the way near the door?"

"Mm-hmm..." I mumbled as I sat up, my hands instinctively going to my hair, thankful that none of it was exposed. If I remember last night, My hair had been all over the place.

"Your High- Ashli..." Reynard said, his tone softening. Then he turned to Faustine. "Aunty, could you please give us a moment alone?"

"Sure, you two lovebirds," Faustine replied as she simultaneously gave us both a suggestive look and hobbled out the door, closing it softly behind her.

When we were finally alone, Reynard turned to me.

"So what really happened?

I couldn't meet his eyes. "I don't know what you mean."

"Your Highness," he said as he crouched down in front of me, forcing me to match his gaze. "You can talk to me, you know."

I sighed, finally giving in. "I think something happened last night," I said slowly. "At first I thought I was dying, but then- I don't know how to explain it….it was quite out of the ordinary…."

"So, something unnatural happened to you last night," he said as he thought it over. "Something unnatural...related to your powers, perhaps?"

Something about my expression must have given it away because his eyes widened as he spoke.

"So something really did happen," he whispered. "What's your power then?"

I stuttered, "I-I don't know… I don't know what happened last night.... Everything was such a blur…"

"Explain everything to me in detail," he said as he inched closer. "Tell me everything that happened."

With an inhale of air, I started to tell him all about the ordeal last night. How I woke up, what went through my mind, how I was unable to breathe, how nobody heard me as I weakly hit the door and how I was about to give in to my fate when suddenly...everything was okay.

He listened to me very closely and with great interest and when I finally finished, he sat back on the floor, his thoughts elsewhere.

"Pain...healing..." he was muttering to himself. "It seems as if you've got some sort of healing power, if I'm not wrong."

"What…?" I said unbelievably. "That's not very cool."

"What were you expecting?" he laughed.

"I wanted to at least be able to fly," I said into my chest, "like superman or something."

He tilted his head, confused. "Superman? What's that?"

I looked at him as if he had gone crazy and then I realized that Superman hadn't been created yet. Bummer.

"So," I said, dismissing his question, "my power allows me to only heal myself? How was I supposed to help others, then? Because the prophecy said-"

"I am aware," he broke in. "But we haven't tested the boundaries of your newly-born divine powers yet, so we don't know how far they can go. But nonetheless, isn't it exciting?"

"Ah, I don't know for sure yet," I said, peering at my hands, who had just last night saved my life. "But I guess it is quite fortunate. Now I can't get hurt anymore!"

It was as if I just got the news that I was immortal. It was getting quite giddy.

"Hold your horses, princess," Reynard grunted as he stood up off the floor. "Don't go getting yourself into dangerous situations now. We have no idea if that really even was your power or just God's mercy. So we need to test it first."

I narrowed my eyes. "How?"

Just then, right before my eyes, Reynard scraped his fingernail on his forearm, leaving behind a long, bloody cut.

"Like this."