A/N: Photo of King Spero Ludivic

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Cold.

It was the only feeling she had while holding the woman's hand. She had enough hand shakes before, but those were with the nobles. Compared to them, her palm was so rough and full of callouses. She had read the same descriptions in books a lot of times, which made her wonder if the woman used to be a warrior.

But why was she imprisoned?

A pang of uneasiness spread inside her as the woman squeezed her hand, making her body shiver. The wind began to stir and her raising heartbeat drummed in her ears as if competing with the violent flutter of her white dress.

Black flames suddenly ignited their hands and Zoe tried to withdraw in alarm, but the woman's grip was like iron.

"No!" she shouted with inaudible voice, a ghastly expression plastered on her face. "What are you doing?!"

She screamed, whimpered, and froze as the flames crawled towards her, engulfing her body with a stinging chill.

"This is only the beginning, Zoe," the silhouette said, retrieving her arm into darkness.

Her knees buckled as the air was sucked out from her lungs, leaving her hammering her chest. Fear and panic devoured her, but when she blinked, her world returned to the present.

A sharp gasp echoed from her as she fought for her breath, staring at the last traces of black flames on the smoldering grass. However, that didn't render her to stare open-mouthed, but the fact that her hair grew twice its length and turned as bright as the moonlight. She took a few strands of her white hair and noticed the dark color of her nails.

"You, monster!" a deep voice bellowed.

Zoe looked up and their gazes met - gold against gold. His frown instantly deepened, yet his face became ashen with glinting sweat. The former King hesitantly backed away, lowering his weapon as he studied her sudden change.

"This is impossible," he said, searching her equally confused expression. "Who are you?!"

For the first time, she had no idea how to answer that question. It should have been simple. She had done it a thousand times, written it countless times, yet she couldn't say her name.

Could she still call herself Zoe?

Or perhaps this was the real Zoe?

No, she thought. I am the real Zoe and this simply a borrowed power . . . nothing more.

But her heart was telling her otherwise.

Before she could contemplate any further, the man charged.

"Die, you filthy monster!"

She watched him approach with her sharpened senses, blinking a few times before squinting her eyes, unsure if she was hallucinating. For some reasons, there was a bright aura around him as though he was covered with invisible light bulbs.

The man swung his weapon and her body moved, rolling towards Darcy's sword and seized it in one clean motion. All the soreness that she felt was gone, replaced by an energy she couldn't even fathom. It was humming inside her, ready to explode in action.

He struck and hit the grass where she stood, catching a glimpse of her shadow when she jumped.

Zoe landed on his broad sword and ran on its blade.

CLANG!

Her weapon made contact with his armor, creating a shower of sparks.

She quickly leaped backward.

And he was pushed back by the force, leaving a deep crease on the ground. However, he managed to remain standing. He gritted his teeth and glared at her direction.

She simply returned it with a smirk.

"Having fun yet?" she asked, trusting the confidence of her guts. She was overflowing with energy that she might have won a triathlon.

The man spat on the soil and gave her a fierce look. "You are not only a trash but an entity of pure evil!" He brandished his weapon, reflecting the rays of the sun. "As a descendant of the light, I will not allow a monster like you to taint this land!"

He rushed again for another assault.

Zoe took her position. She placed one foot forward and slightly bent her knees, adjusting her grip on the sword. At this moment, she had no one else to rely on. She must win this in order to move forward. Her knuckles turned white as she readied for the impact.

CLANG!

Her arm buzzed with every clash of their weapons, but she was able to sustain his every blow. He slashed once more and she deflected it, countering with a thrust which made another contact.

As time stretched, no one dared to back down, each one returning an attack.

His face became drenched with perspiration accompanied by labored breathing, yet Zoe could see the determination in his eyes - the willpower to serve his purpose in this life.

His weapon came rushing down and she raised her sword.

CLANG!

Her muscles shook from the impact and her sword began to tremble as the man pressed down his weapon. She could feel her borrowed power began to fade, and every second, exhaust slowly caught up with her. She held her breath and forced her way in defending her ground. Zoe glanced to his blade and found a figure staring down at her.

Was that really her?

She still hadn't accepted the fact that her hair turned white, and now, she was faced by the same girl she sees in the mirror, yet she seemed like a ghost she never met while wearing those golden eyes.

Golden eyes, she thought.

And her memory of Darcy flashed like a lightning bolt. She mustered her breath and screamed her battle cry, pushing the former King's sword.

Their weapons broke contact.

She sprinted and instantly stopped in front of him, a strong gust of wind bent the grass around them. Then she struck, shattering the side of his armor. The force sent him flying and crashed into the nearest tree.

Out of shock, Zoe whistled.

Adrenaline consumed her, not giving the man a chance to attack. Although she was panting, a smile played on her lips as she gained the upper hand, seeing him struggle to defend himself from all her strikes.

BA BOOM!

She stopped in mid-action, clenching her chest as her heart beat in pain.

"Your time is almost up," said the woman's voice.

Before Zoe could register what was happening, the man swung his weapon.

CLANG!

She barely evaded it when their swords collided, sending hers sliding on the ground.

"This is your last chance," the voice continued.

Then her world paced in slow motion. She spun to face the man and saw something glinted from her peripheral view. Zoe bent backward and her vision followed the humongous sword sailed above her. The moment it was gone, she pounced for her last assault.

She placed her hand on his armor's chest and black flames erupted. It dispersed into a circular flame as it bounced from his armor.

BA BOOM!

She clenched her teeth and heard a loud thud when the man dropped his weapon. He grabbed her wrist with both hands, summoning a white flame that clashed force with hers.

A cry left her throat as the flames made contact with her skin, almost losing consciousness from the searing pain she had never experienced. Her tears quickly dried from the mixture of flames - hot and cold - each one fighting for dominance.

Forcing her last energy, she let out another scream and watched her flames engulf the former King, breaking his armor into pieces.

He bellowed with rage when the energy threw him a few meters away, his body emitting smoke. Her knees instantly gave in and her vision began to blur. She saw him moved and tried to rise, only to fall back on the ground.

Not yet, she thought. I must take us to Krista.

Zoe looked at the motionless young Prince and began to crawl towards him. Her throat became parched with her every drew for breath, filling her lungs with the scent of earth, grass, and the stench of burnt flesh.

When she managed to reach him, her eyes traced the blood dripping from his face. Somehow, he looked like an innocent guy when he was asleep, far from the pretentious and self-confident bodyguard that she knew.

Maybe that's the face beneath his facade, she thought.

She reached and stroked the hair away from his face, faintly laughing as she pondered.

"You dared sleep while I fight?" she whispered almost to herself. "You just missed half of your life not seeing my awesome moves."

She waited, but he didn't respond.

"How am I gonna carry us both, you slug?!"

Then darkness consumed her.

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Dedicated to LunaStarlight26

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