CHAPTER TWO: THE DREAM SHE COULD NOT ESCAPE
The sun rose reluctantly over the kingdom of the Maisais, but there was no warmth in its light. The once golden skies had turned a strange shade of grey, and the air itself felt heavy, as if carrying the burden of a secret too terrible to speak aloud.
Zulai had not slept.
How could she?
The prince's words still echoed in her heart.
"Meet me at the magic forest tonight."
She had replayed the moment countless times. The way Illail had looked at her. The way his eyes held no disgust, no fear, no hatred. For the first time in her life, someone had looked at her as though she were worthy of being seen.
Yet beneath that happiness was a fear so deep it made her chest ache.
He did not love Zulai.
He loved the golden lie she had painted onto herself.
A loud crash outside her hut pulled her from her thoughts.
She rushed to the entrance.
People were running.
Screaming.
Mothers clutched their children while men shouted prayers to the ancient spirits. The earth trembled beneath her feet, sending small stones dancing across the ground.
It was happening.
Just as she had seen.
Just as she had dreamed.
The dream had visited her every night since she was ten years old.
A sky swallowed by darkness.
A creature made of smoke and fire.
The kingdom burning.
And standing before it all...
Her.
Everyone had laughed whenever she tried to explain.
"Another curse."
"Another sign of her evil."
"Stay away from that girl."
Eventually, Zulai had stopped speaking about the dreams.
But now, watching the world shake exactly as she had seen it countless times before, she felt a coldness spread through her body.
The dream was no longer a dream.
It was a warning.
Suddenly, a deafening sound echoed through the kingdom.
BOOM.
The mountains surrounding the valleys cracked.
People fell to their knees.
Children cried.
Even the birds abandoned the sky.
Then, for the first time in centuries, the great bell of the royal palace rang.
Once.
Twice.
Three times.
The Bell of Catastrophe.
A bell that had only one meaning.
The kingdom was in danger.
Zulai stood frozen.
"No..." she whispered.
But deep inside, she already knew.
The strange voice spoke again.
Not around her.
Not above her.
Inside her.
"The time has come."
Zulai stumbled backwards.
"Who are you?" she whispered.
There was silence.
Then—
"The one who has been protecting you."
A chill ran through her entire body.
"Protecting me?" she asked.
The voice laughed softly, though there was sadness hidden within it.
"Every seventh night. The food. The water. The dreams."
Zulai's breath caught.
It was impossible.
The mysterious person who had cared for her all these years...
The voice.
Before she could ask another question, another violent tremor shook the earth.
In the distance, black smoke rose beyond the mountains.
People screamed louder.
The kingdom guards blew their horns.
The royal soldiers rushed through the streets.
"The Shadow Beast!" one of them shouted.
"The Shadow Beast has returned!"
Returned?
Zulai's blood ran cold.
Returned meant this had happened before.
But nobody had ever spoken of such a thing.
The kingdom had hidden the truth.
As quickly as the fear arrived, another emotion replaced it.
Anger.
They had called her cursed.
They had isolated her.
They had tried to kill her.
Yet somehow they knew about the darkness coming and had never told anyone.
"Go to the palace," the voice said.
"What?" Zulai whispered.
"Go now."
"They will kill me."
"Not today."
Zulai looked at the golden paint covering her skin.
The disguise.
The lie.
The only reason she had been accepted.
She hated it.
But for now, she needed it.
She wrapped herself in a cloak and began running.
The closer she got to the palace, the worse the destruction became.
Buildings had cracked.
Trees had fallen.
People knelt in the streets praying.
For the first time in her life, nobody looked at Zulai with hatred.
Because for the first time in their lives, they were too afraid to hate.
When she finally reached the palace gates, chaos reigned.
Royal guards shouted orders.
Servants ran carrying supplies.
The king stood on the palace balcony, his face pale with terror.
And beside him stood Prince Illail.
Even from a distance, she could see it.
He wasn't looking at the kingdom.
He was looking for someone.
Her.
Their eyes met.
For a brief second, the chaos disappeared.
The screams.
The shaking.
The fear.
None of it existed.
Only him.
And her.
Then the sky split open.
A crack of darkness tore through the clouds.
The entire kingdom froze.
Something was coming through.
Something enormous.
Something alive.
People began to scream.
Some fainted.
Others ran.
But Zulai did not move.
Because she had seen this moment before.
Hundreds of times.
In every dream.
The shadow emerged.
And as it opened its glowing silver eyes and looked directly at her, Zulai realized the most terrifying truth of all.
It wasn't here to destroy the kingdom.
It was here for her.
To be continued...