There was something deep and mysterious in the ocean. I see it, but you cannot. I hear it, but you cannot. I touch it, I feel it. I dive into the depths, among the ghosts of the sea, to confront them. Yet there was also a truth. The truth was that they did not see or hear, yet they felt. They were aware of the ghosts. Throughout history, they had no place on these lands, nor in the places where they wounded their egos, nor in the lofty palaces they dreamed of. They only reached for metals, played chess, and hoped to win.
I was speaking of kingdoms, of those who ruled these lands.
There was something terrifying and real in mirrors. It would take you outside, where the flowers were trapped but the thorns pierced you from within, and it would emit a light. You could not escape it.
This was fate.
There was no escaping fate. We were mere players in their games.
This fate belonged to the City of Memories, this fate to every tear shed by every human, every soul.
In truth, these lands were ours. And the lands we moistened with our tears would always be ours.
As the Collector of Tears, I could swear to protect every single tear.
They would see.
---------
On the day of execution, Lethia's piercing scream and my awakening in the lights shook everyone. Yet the good part was that the execution had been postponed. They had decided to give me time to prove my power. After all, killing the creator of the City of Memories would have been a mistake. After remembering my power, memories flooded into my mind rapidly. The moment I created these lands, I had promised to protect them. But what followed was complicated. I had failed to keep my promise and had gone over the entire city. The souls enslaved by that magical sword were still in my mind. Every single one of them.
I had not only failed to keep that promise, but I had forgotten another. Something from my past life. Another promise. To an important beloved.
As these memories filled my mind, what I needed to focus on now was not them, but how I would prove my power. The tears could have been scattered across the world. I had to find them. To use my power, I would gather them in a vial. Each drop would strengthen that power. That was my creator's plan. It had been a long time since I had seen it.
I stood in my cell. Lethia had saved me. Without her powers, they had said no one would believe me. I owed something to Lethia, that cruel princess.
The echo of moving iron and footsteps rang in my mind. Someone had to be coming, stepping toward my solitary cell. Once again, my heart filled with that strange peace, and with it, an image of one person formed in my mind. Kieran.
When he appeared before me, behind the bars, his face was expressionless. Nothing could be read from it.
He spoke.
"When you see me, you must kneel before me."
I squinted my eyes. As the door unlocked, his voice continued.
"And maybe beg, Luna."
My heart stung. Just like nothing in my life had ever been normal, the behavior of the people I met was strange, yet this treatment I partially deserved, partially did not.
"I am speaking to you."
I looked into his eyes. There was something strange in them, a feeling like pain. His pity would have been amusing. Yet also natural.
I did not answer. Death row prisoner Luna had died on that stage; in her place, Collector of Tears Luna was born.
He smiled, continuing in a gentle tone. "Realize that you are standing before the future king of these lands, Collector of Tears. You protect, I rule." Now, the strange feeling in his eyes was simpler. This future king was a strange man.
He parted the iron bars of my cell and walked toward me, fixing his blue eyes on mine.
"Whenever I look into your eyes... I just feel strange. Pain." He smiled. "If you do not want your end to be painful..." He grabbed the necklace around my neck. "Collect the tears." His eyes held mine.
"Then bring them to me." He whispered. I could feel his breath for a moment.
He widened the distance between us. I exhaled in relief.
"And remember, there is no escape. Go."
I moved forward without once looking back.
Finally, I would escape from here, from this palace of frozen hearts.
I focused.
The first target was to find the tear necklace. I knew exactly where it was. Aaron. The place I needed to go was the Desert Kingdom. The necklace was there.
The plan was to pass through the Whisper Passage. From there, I would reach the City of Memories, and then the Desert Kingdom.
After setting my plan, I quickened my steps. Yet a voice echoed in my mind, a voice not my own. Come, it said, I am waiting for you by the frozen fountain.
It could be a sign, related to the tears. I had to hurry. If a tear was somewhere nearby, this would be an opportunity. I moved almost running. The dungeon was in a hidden part of the palace. As I arrived, I tried to recall the paths we had taken. The frozen fountain was where the portal lay. A tear could be hidden there. The soldiers and servants watching might think I was fleeing the palace out of fear. But I was on a mission-not for my life, but to save lives.
I passed through long corridors and in front of the palace's large windows. No one interfered with me; even they were giving way so I could pass. By the order of their kings, they were clearing the path for me one by one. I reached the garden. I ran toward the portal. It didn't matter if I stepped on the crystal flowers. I didn't care about their palace or the grandeur of the flowers. I would save the world.
When I arrived, something surprising happened. Someone was waiting for me. It was Lethia. I stopped in my tracks and stepped forward slowly.
"You arrived quickly." She said with a smile, as I struggled to catch my breath. My eyes searched for meaning.
"Fun, Luna, don't look at me like that. Shouldn't we talk a little?" She said, ironically.
"The owner of that voice..." I continued between breaths. "It was you."
She blinked with a slight smile. Though cute, it was easy to read the irony on her face.
"Well..." she looked to a corner as if trying to recall something. Her hands were marked.
"You know the ghosts." She was serious. Her eyebrows furrowed, her nails left marks on her own skin. I felt as if her nails brushed from my back to my neck.
"I know you have a voice, speak!" Suddenly, her commanding tone made me jump slightly.
"How do you know the ghosts?" I asked reflexively. I hadn't even had time to think. My eyebrows furrowed the same way, but I shivered slightly. Her power was chilling. Not just her manner, but simply being near her made me feel fear under my skin.
The one who had raged with anger moments ago now smiled calmly.
"This will be to your advantage. Lucky, isn't it?" Her words, taken together, made no single sense. It was as if multiple people were inside her, and each sentence introduced me to another shadow.
"I know where your tear is." She whispered, like a small child. I understood why they were siblings. They shared a similar madness.
"Enough games." She laughed. Finally, a normal expression. "Meet me at the mountain."
Then she slowly turned and walked away.
The Kali Mountains... that was the last piece. But...
The ancient sage inside me whispered for the first time.
You must go to Aaron, but is the knowledge in Lethia's hands a trap or the only way, Luna?