Yet everything changed in a single night. My mother disappeared, and the faint, metallic scent of blood filled the air, suffocating the room. In the chaos, my nanny scooped me up, clutching me tightly as she hurried to the hidden passageway within the palace. She ran and ran, the dark corridor seeming endless as she raced toward the exit, desperation etched on her face.
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But just as we neared the exit, a figure awaited us—a strange woman whose form began to shift before our eyes. Her charred, cracked skin softened to a pale, almost porcelain texture; her four eyes faded into two, and her twisted horns transformed into long, silky hair. In moments, she looked almost human, yet something sinister lingered in her gaze.
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"Hand over the child," she demanded, her voice as cold as ice.
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"This child does not belong to you!" my nanny said firmly, holding me protectively.
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The woman sneered, her expression darkening. "Foolish human. Do you truly believe this child is either human or demon?"
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My nanny’s grip tightened as she glared back. "This is the child of light, blessed by the goddess herself!" she proclaimed, her voice unwavering.
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The woman laughed, a sound sharp and mocking that echoed through the cold stone passageway. Her smile was unsettling, filled with a dark promise.
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"A blessing?" she scoffed. "Or perhaps a curse. Light and dark are two sides of the same coin, after all."
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My nanny’s breath hitched, but she kept her stance firm, shielding me with her body. "The goddess’s light is beyond your grasp, creature," she declared, though I could feel her heart racing.
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The woman stepped forward, each movement as graceful as it was dangerous. "Brave words, but you’re wasting them. That child is meant for greater things than you can imagine."
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My nanny took a step back, eyes darting around, perhaps looking for a way to escape. But the woman raised her hand, and shadows danced at her fingertips, curling and twisting like living smoke.
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"Enough of this. Give her to me, and I may spare you," she said, her tone laced with menace.
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But my nanny stood her ground. "Never," she whispered fiercely. With a sudden, determined movement, she pulled a small charm from her pocket, a delicate, glowing pendant that shimmered in the dim light.
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At the sight of it, the woman hesitated, her smile faltering.
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"By the light of the goddess, I banish you from this place!" my nanny cried, thrusting the charm toward her.
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The pendant flared with blinding light, and the woman hissed, recoiling as shadows wavered around her, disrupted by the radiance. She snarled, her eyes flashing with fury.
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The woman pretended to be affected by the light as she then laughs. "Pathetic human!" She said as her shadows devour the nanny leaving only the princess on the demons hands.
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"Now it's between you and me, daughter of moon" the creature said. As her eyes glow together with moon.
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My body felt so heavy as I didn't realize I shut my eyes and I don't know what happened after that.
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---
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"Hey, wake up!" I heard a man's voice, and suddenly, when I woke up, I found myself in a strange place... Not entirely strange, but rather familiar.
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I then realized, based on some gossip I overheard from a maid who comes here to "take care" of me, that since the mother of demons suddenly appeared, they had found me at the back of Ashengil Castle, completely clueless—no emotions, like I was alive but my soul wasn't there.
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My father didn’t visit me after my mother’s disappearance. They said that while the emperor was busy dealing with the creature, someone saw my mom leaving with another man.
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I thought that man must have been my father, not the emperor. Afterward, I learned the emperor made Saraphina the queen, but not the empress.
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I saw them in the garden, where my parents and I usually stayed. That's when I realized that I... had been reincarnated in the book titled "Roses of Thorns", as Sienna, the female lead, and Aeron, the male lead. This world would soon be invaded by dark creatures.
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The mother of demons is superior among all creatures. Once a beloved goddess, she later turned into a demon because of her betrayal.
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Sienna holds the light, and Aeron is the knight of the light, which is Sienna. Together, they fight side by side against the dark forces of nature.
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Yet... this book... has many twists. One is the real Goddess of Light... and how I, Lethyxia, became an extra character who never even appeared or was born. How Caelum became the Young Headmaster of the Magical Tower. How Valen became a greater swordsman. And some hidden characters, such as the son of shadows.
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But... still, this feeling... Why? Why did my father and mother... just easily break their promises? Am I not worthy of love?
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Every morning, I feed myself because my caretaker is too lazy to do so. I didn’t even realize that I could see my brother, Caelum, face to face. But suddenly, I felt strange and ran away before he could notice, as he was talking to Aeron and Valen.
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Suddenly, a woman—a strange woman—grabbed me by the neck. I couldn’t see her face, but her mouth widened as if to scoop my soul.
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I couldn’t breathe. My body felt numb... It was so cold, suffocating... I couldn’t even scream for help. All I could do was let the woman take my life.
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---
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Meanwhile, at the holy temple, one of the relics of the Empire—a crystalline fragment said to be a remnant of a star that fell from the heavens—held the power to allow the wielder to see into the past, present, and future.
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By placing the shard under moonlight, it reflects visions of future events, sometimes showing multiple timelines and potential outcomes.
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It is rumored that the Shard of Eternity has a mind of its own, subtly guiding those it deems worthy to the path of prophecy.
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A flash from the crystal suddenly appeared.
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"When shadows dance under the blood moon, two souls within one body shall rise. The Empire’s fate will rest in the hands of she who commands darkness. Salvation or ruin—her choice alone. The right soul shall bring salvation; the other will deliver judgment."
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---
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That’s when I woke up and found myself back in my real world. “Was it all just a dream?” I said, a pinch in my heart.
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Huh? Where am I? This isn’t Ashengil Castle... I suddenly heard the sound of a kid in the back of the room. There, I saw a group of kids bullying another child.
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“Hey! What do you think you’re doing?” I shouted.
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“Ohh... Little missy ain’t afraid, huh?” one of the children said.
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“Continue bullying that poor child, and I’ll inform the adults,” I said proudly, not even realizing what I had just done.
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Luckily, the children got scared and ran away. And that’s when I met Ermis, my only friend.
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_____
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Ermis and I became close friends. At first, he was so cold, but later on, he warmed up. Maybe it's because I'm too cute, hehe. I accepted my fate of reincarnating into another body. This body’s name is Xia. Ermis and I are in an orphanage called Sere of Hope, where unfortunate children are given a chance at a better life. Here, they teach children etiquette to help them be adopted by noble families.
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Yet, there's a dark side to this orphanage, as beneath its sweet exterior lie dark secrets—the underground arena. In this arena, skilled children fight monsters, and nobles bet on them for money. It's all just entertainment for them, and Ermis is one of those skilled children.
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Although I kept telling him to escape with me, he just said, "In the right time." Fine, I'll just wait. After a few months, my nightmare began. The temple found me and used me as their vessel. That's when I learned that the temple's high priestess was a psychopath. She takes children’s blood for her rituals. Who knew that a priestess, a follower of God, was actually a devil?
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This happens every three months, the same as Ermis, who goes to the arena to fight every three months. We only have one week to be together and play. I didn’t tell Ermis about the temple, but I think he already knew and was just waiting for me to open up.
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"Ermis, if anything happens... don’t forget about me, okay?" I said.
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"I promise I won’t," he replied.
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"Instead of saying you promise, prove it, alright? Because if you forget about me, i promise I'll never talk to you ever or even be blind just so I can't see you," I said.
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We laughed and enjoyed our night together. And that was the only memory I have left with Ermis. Because, at that time, Ermis went to the arena, and the high priestess took my life.
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I have died again.
---
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The weight in my chest lingered as I sat up, breathing in the cool air around me. The familiar yet distant feeling of the real world seemed so out of place compared to the vivid, agonizing reality of what I had just experienced.
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It all felt so real—so alive—yet now, as the light of my room softly illuminated my surroundings, it seemed like a distant memory.
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"Was it all just a dream?" I whispered, the words tasting bitter on my tongue. But I could still feel the raw emotions from my past life—the confusion, the betrayal, and the haunting vision of the woman who nearly stole my life. The weight of her cold grip still lingered on my skin, like a shadow from another world.
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"Hey! You're not dead yet?" Jellay mockingly said.
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"Why not try it yourself so you know how it feels to die?" I sarcastically replied.
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