BUTTERFLY

FLAME EYES AND DEAD KING

His bowed neck is a symbol of submission, but his eyes bear traces of hatred. Could there be two people in my head?

I must have lost my ability to think for a moment because I stopped and just looked up at the sky. But then I quickly realized the situation and looked quickly at the person who had just held me.

Snow had fallen on his black suit and he was frowning and looking in the direction I had come from. "Why were you running?" he said and his red eyes turned to me. My breath caught in my throat. Smoke was coming out of my mouth, because of the cold. I knew this man, I had seen him before. And even though I didn't like the man in front of me, I felt relieved inside. After all, Grandma had said that the men of God wouldn't harm a commoner.

But... This man was scary.

I swallowed and wet my parched throat. "There was something... Then the trees were scared, they told me to run... And I ran, but when I looked back, there was someone." I said, I was so scared I could hardly form a sentence. I was scared because I had seen what was following me.

I swallowed again and used the sleeve of my coat to wipe the water from my face as the snow melted in my hair. As I stood up with difficulty, the man frowned and looked back in the direction I had come from. "So the trees told you to run?" He said and raised one eyebrow and looked at me. I paused. Had I told him that? Had I really told him that!

I shook my head negatively from side to side, but I didn't know what to say, so I kept silent. What was I going to say? 'I was scared out of my wits, please forgive me. I don't know what you are talking about.' Would he believe me? Could it be that he could see through the lie like Kize?

I took a deep breath and even though I was thinking a lot of things, I just said 'no'. Since the day I came into this world, lying had been on my lips!

I shook off the snow that had stuck to my clothes so as not to show the lie I had just told. My whole body was shaking, both from exhaustion and fear. There was absolutely no energy or strength left in my body.

I held my breath as the man shook his head and looked me up and down. What could I do if he realized I was lying, that I was not of this world, if he tried to hurt me? "What are you doing here at this hour?" He said, squinting his eyes, his demeanor skeptical. Of course I was attracting attention! But shouldn't he be chasing the monster I just saw instead of standing here talking to me? I was saying that a monster was chasing me, but he was asking me why I was here? Was this guy any use?!

"I live nearby." I said, of course I wasn't going to tell him what was on my mind, but I definitely had to tell him about the monster. There was a good chance that it was the thing that had followed me twice and they had to do something. The image of that thing flashed before my eyes and I shuddered. "I saw the one chasing me, it looked human but..." As I said that, the man turned around and started walking.

"Go home." He said, interrupting me. I stared after him with my mouth open. Seriously, this guy was not good! I had to tell him what I had seen, even if this was not my world, that thing would not belong to this world. It wouldn't belong in any world.

"But..." I said, and he took a deep breath as if he was bored with me and turned his head towards me. He had a look on his face that told me he was not happy that I was with him. "You don't need to tell me, I can read your mind, now go home." He said gruffly, putting his hands in his pockets and looking at me like I was something dirty. But I didn't care about his looks at that moment, I was frozen by what he said.

What did it mean to read minds?

He looked at me briefly, like I was a stupid person, then turned his back on me and kept walking. As I watched him walk away, I was thinking about what he said, and by the time I realized what he said, he was already out of sight. I put my hand on my head, dumbfounded. Could that man hear what I was thinking! Or could he see what I saw? Did he also understand that I was not of this world?

Could I survive in this world? What could I do when the power difference between me and them was so great! The red eyed man had found out that I was not from this world, what could I do if he tried to kill me or told the women?

Although, come to think of it, if he could see what I was thinking, he could have seen it when I was having dinner with Kize, or even when I was asking them for directions. What did I think then? When Kize interrogated me, I must surely have thought that I was not of this world.

I shook my head from side to side, and since I was alone in the forest, I stopped thinking and quickly moved on. Standing here and thinking about this man meant that the monster would come and get me. So I ran down the mountain and didn't stop until I saw my house.

When I came out of the forest, I stopped and put my hands on my knees so I wouldn't fall down from exhaustion. As I bent down and took deep breaths, I kept my eyes on the house. Of course, Grandma was not around because she was still asleep. Ah, I could have sat and cried for her to come and get me.

There was a subtle pain in my stomach because my spleen was swollen. When I started to walk slowly after resting for a while, I put my hand on the pain in my stomach. I was sweating from the heat, even though it was the middle of winter. I hoped that this sweat would not make me sick.

When I got home, out of breath, I unlocked the door with the key in the bag and went inside. I immediately took off my shoes and threw myself on the couch. My whole body felt like it was on fire and all my muscles ached. I closed my eyes and waited for a while for the pain in my stomach to go away.

I felt like I was experiencing the beginning of something, that soon my future in this world would be decided. The problem was that I was very afraid of a future in which I would die and I would never be able to tell God about my world. Of course having Kize by my side gave me confidence, with his help I could return to my world, after all Kize was very strong.

For a long time I lay on the couch and thought and thought. I kept thinking about that red eyed man knowing the truth and it worried me a lot. I definitely had to talk to Kize about it.

When I was a bit tired I got up and took off my clothes and put on pajamas. I definitely had no plans to go out for a long time. I could live at home until things calmed down. Or I could just lie down and wait until I died.

I lit the stove and put on some tea water for breakfast and then I quickly went to Kamer's place, chatted with her for a while and went to see what she needed, but I was scared of what I had seen in the morning so I didn't stay long and went back home. When I went out I was constantly looking around, it was like my heart was crushing thinking about that thing and it was a good idea to do some housework to keep my mind occupied.

As I was setting the breakfast table, Grandma came out of her room with a small blanket on her back. A wide smile appeared on my face. When I saw Grandma, it was as if the fear inside me had slowly subsided. Even though she was weaker than Kize, she gave me more confidence. She was the only person I trusted unconditionally.

"What happened, why are you shaking?" Grandma said and shook her head from side to side and made a chirping sound. That's when I realized I was shaking. "Are you hurt, this man is going to kill you." She came to my side and touched her cane to my leg.

"No, Grandma, I'm fine, but I'm very tired." I said and reached over and kissed her cheek. Then I sat down at the dining table. I couldn't wait to tell her everything.

"You seem to have aged ten years in one night, what did this man do to you." She said woefully, and to be honest, I felt as if I had aged ten years in one day. But it wasn't because of the training. I felt like my hair was falling out when I thought about that thing I saw in the forest.

I took a deep breath and said, "It's not because of Kize." I said, shivers running down my spine as I thought of that thing again. As I poured the tea, I started to explain everything that had happened one by one. Grandma was listening to me with a serious expression. I was so curious about her reaction and advice. Because I had no idea what to do.

After talking for a long time, I drank a glass of water because my throat was dry. Hadn't I been drinking water since yesterday?

Grandma put the plate down on the counter and said, "Is it good or bad that Kize realized that you are not from this world?" She murmured. I shrugged, I had no idea either. I thought Kize would hurt me, but was it right to trust him so much?

"He knew the first day he saw me, he said he was training me to talk to God." I said and took a big bite of the apple in my hand. I had a bad feeling, and I wished it was because of the creature I had seen.

"You'd better not be around too much these days." Grandma said and together we went into the living room and sat on the chair next to the stove. I had a hard time sitting down because of the pain in my legs. I put a sugar in my tea and stirred it slowly. My hands were still shaking and I couldn't stop it

"That thing wasn't normal." I said, absentmindedly taking a sip of my tea. Grandma nodded her head as if approving me. A thin pain in my head was creeping towards my forehead.

"If you didn't dream out of fear, the being you are talking about is not from this world." She put the tea in her hand on the table. "Let's take a look, I think I saw something like it." She got up and went to her room and came back with a book. When she opened the book, a small cloud of dust came out of the pages. Apparently Grandma had not opened this book for a long time. As she wiped the dust with the back of her hand and examined the book, I leaned over curiously and looked at the pages.

"I was very curious about these books when I was young, who knew that one day they would come in handy." She muttered and opened each page one by one and examined it. Of course, so was I. There were pictures of monsters in the book and explanations underneath.

Then Grandma opened a page and showed it to me. I took a deep breath and looked at the picture of the monster. It had long nails and a human shaped body. Instead of a nose and eyes, its skin looked like melted wax. My hands and feet trembled as I looked at the countless teeth in its huge mouth. It looked so similar! It was very similar to the monster I had seen in the forest!

"Was that it?" Grandma asked, as I read the writing under the picture of the monster. I nodded and swallowed. "It looks like it." I said, that monster had red skin, but the one in the book looked black. I had never felt such a bad energy in my life, like that monster was all evil. No, not evil. It was something else, something bigger than evil.

Grandma shook her head from side to side, took off her glasses and closed the book. "It's already forbidden to go to the forest this morning. They sent a letter, and from what I heard, dead animals were found in the forest." She mumbled something else as she took the book back to her room, but I couldn't understand what she was saying.

"Do you think this thing killed those animals?" I asked as I drank my tea, which was getting cold. "No animal leaves its prey in the middle of winter. And people don't just kill animals and throw them away." Grandma said and sat on the chair. We both looked thoughtfully at the table and neither of us spoke about it again. While Grandma went to Kamer, I took a book from the bookshelf and went to my room.

I opened the book and glanced at the first page. As I was reading the lines about the author, Kize's yellow light appeared in front of me. "Are you okay, Een?" he said without greeting me, his voice was calm, but he must have been worried because he immediately asked how I was. Apparently he had heard what happened in the forest.

"Yeah, I'm fine, how are you?" I said and put down the book I was holding and looked at the yellow light. "I'm fine, no problem. Just stay away from the forest for now." I nodded when he said, I would never go in the woods again anyway. I would have to lose my mind to do that. "Kize." I groaned and touched my aching leg. "My muscles ache Kize, I think I'm going to die." When I continued my words, I heard a short laugh from him.

"It's your first day, it's normal. I'm giving you a list of tasks." As he said that, an envelope came out of the yellow light and floated in the air and fell into my lap. "If you don't do these, the pain in your muscles will continue and get worse after each training session. Make sure you do it." He continued. I quickly took the envelope and opened it. I would have given my life for this pain to return.

"I ache everywhere Kize, if it doesn't go away I'll die in a few hours." I said in a tearful voice. "You won't die, don't cry." He said mockingly. I smiled. Inside the envelope was a white page and a necklace.

"I have to go, wear that necklace and don't take it off. If anything happens, put the stone in the necklace in your mouth and I'll be right back." I was surprised when he said that, it was the first time I was getting a gift from someone. Okay, it wasn't exactly a gift, of course. He was giving it to me for protection, but it still made me happy.

"Thank you." I said happily and at that moment the yellow light disappeared. Oh, I had forgotten to tell him about the man with the red eyes, I shook my head, he was busy at the moment and he might not listen to me if I told him anyway. I would tell him when we were face to face.

I picked up the necklace and looked at the yellow diamond on the end, the color of the diamond was just like Kize's eye color. After examining the necklace with a smile, I put it around my neck. I opened the page in the envelope when I thought of the tasks Kize had given me. I was happy to get rid of these pains.

To be honest, I had expected things like pain cream, plenty of rest and hot showers, but the page was all about sports.

Seriously, half an hour a day of running and 200 squats without weights! And weren't we only supposed to train on Sundays?

I took a deep breath and lay down on the bed. This man definitely wanted me dead. But I didn't think Kize would lie to me. I was willing to do it if it would relieve the pain in my body. Besides, I had to do this training until I was strong. Then I would be able to use magic.

I made a sound like crying and got out of bed and ran out of the room at a slow pace. Grandma was sitting at the table reading a book. She looked at me over her glasses. I ran around the table and went back to my room. After all, I didn't have the courage to go out, I could only run in the house.

"What are you doing like a mad cow?" Grandma said, watching me run from one side to the other. I looked at her, panting.

" Kize gave me an assignment, I have to jog for half an hour a day." I said and kept running with Grandma grumbling behind me. I wanted to be strong when I got home. I didn't want to go back to my family as a weak and cowardly person.

And my brother would appreciate me for that. So would my sister. Together we would roam the butterfly realm freely and help anyone who was in a bad situation. The kingdom laughed at what I said about helping the people because I was weak and not someone who would stay for long. But when I returned there as a strong woman, they would respect me and listen to my ideas.

Just dreaming about it made me happy, it made me want to grow stronger.

*******

Ducceta looked at the king's pale face and long beard. He had bags under his eyes and looked as if he had not eaten or slept for a long time. He was emaciated, and you could see how thin he was even under his bulky clothes. His broad wings were withered and worn. The young woman was surprised that the king was so miserable when the people were so happy and loving.

"King of the butterfly land, I have come to speak to you about something." When she said, the king looked at Ducceta with glazed eyes. There was no expression on his face, she felt as if she was talking to a rotting body and not to a human being.

"I am listening." He said in a raspy voice. This man looked like he was going to die at any moment. The young woman frowned and glanced at the guards standing in every corner of the hall. They all looked like they were going to cry at any moment.

"I have learned that the secret to the world of the gods lies with an organization called the Board, I will ask you to help me reach them." Ducceta said, whatever was happening here was of course none of her business. As much as she wanted to ask if there was anything she could do to help them, her priority was different. They had to catch the demon that had escaped them, or a world would be destroyed.

"Don't speak the name of those devils!" the king said in a loud voice and stood up. His face was full of rage and his hands were balled into fists. When one of the boys reached for his sword, Ducceta gave him a stern look out of the corner of her eye. The guards noticed the boy's movement and stepped forward. They would protect their king even if he was dying, which meant that this man was a good king. Or the people were idiots. When the king raised his finger angrily at Ducceta, he was suddenly shaken by a cough. The king's face reddened and he fell to his knees, coughing so hard he couldn't breathe, and several servants rushed to his side and tried to help him.

Ducceta stepped forward and ignored the king's distraught state. "I need to talk to them, I don't know what animosity there is between you, but it is a matter of life and death." She said and walked towards the king, who was immediately blocked by several soldiers. Since the young woman did not intend to cause trouble, she stopped and did not touch the soldiers.

The king looked at her as he dismissed the servants with his hand. He took a deep breath as his coughing slowed. "I have no contact with them." He stood up and sat back on his throne. "But if you want to find them, go to the wild forest. They will try to kill you, for your information, it is forbidden to trespass there." When he said that, Ducceta smiled.

"Do you mind if I kill whoever attacked me?" said the young woman, her confidence surprising the king. "Young lady, be careful with them, but if you can kill them, I will give you big rewards for every head." Said the king, still trying to cope with small coughs. The smile on Ducceta's face widened.

"No reward is necessary." She said, her red eyes blazing like fire. A moment later she bowed to the king and turned to look at the two kids standing behind her. "Brats, time for fun." She said and walked towards the exit door of the palace. She was leaving behind a king who would die very soon.

Everyone hoped that the king's successor would be someone who would treat his people well. But with all the heirs of the king dead, a new king meant a war.