Cursed Queen: Battle Against Gods

The Beginning

It has been quite some time since I had that dream about chaos. Ever since that incident, I have never stopped thinking about it. Bythos never talked to me about it, so I've been on edge for a few weeks.

"It will manifest within a day, so we should be careful," Aiyana said while staring at me.

"Do you know where the symbol would appear?" I asked.

She shook her head. "As much as possible, I hope that it will appear in a place where we can cover it up. The people might not accept a cursed person as their queen, so we will have to hide it."

I sighed and rested my head on Karis's shoulder. He was only sitting quietly beside me like he's thinking of something important. We were all silent, waiting. They didn't want me to train today because they're worried that it might have some sort of effect on the curse.

"Tell us immediately when you start to feel something," Aiyana said and left to prepare breakfast.

"Yes, I will."

I already told them about the dream that I had a few weeks ago, and they panicked. I was only confused and wanted to know more about the curse, so I asked them. Turns out they don't know anything about it, too. Ah, I wish Bythos would tell me something about it. Chaos said that they couldn't take over Bythos, so I'm sure that they've met. He surely knows something about this, and he never told me anything about it! That jerk.

"You haven't had those dreams lately, right?" Karis suddenly asked.

I nodded. "Why? What have you been thinking about?" I asked as I stared at his worried face.

"Nothing. I'm just worried since we don't know anything about it."

The atmosphere became gloomy because of that, but we still tried to lighten it up. I stood up and tried to help Aiyana cook instead.

"Shouldn't you be sitting there, so you could rest?" she asked while chopping vegetables.

"No. I feel like I'll go crazy if I don't do anything."

She nodded and allowed me to help her prepare. Meanwhile, Karis only sat on the chair and watched us. He helped us serve the food when we finished, but we were all still quiet. Perhaps they're also thinking of what to do regarding the manifesting of the curse.

Maybe it's better to stay outside to make sure that it won't harm anyone else when it appears. Although I know that Karis won't leave me alone if I tried to put a distance between the two of us. I'm really nervous, but I'm still able to keep my concentration level high. Since I have been training for this day, I don't have any problems keeping it that way all the time now. I'm really glad that my training paid off.

Hmm, I'm still worried about Aiyana and Karis. They have only been playing it cool, but they're also scared. I'm not sure if we're going to be able to get through this, but I'm hoping that we can. I mean, we've gotten through most challenges so far.

Cyrus suddenly landed on my shoulder. Oh, so Drake wants to communicate with us now? We waited for him to speak, but it took him a while.

"When are you coming back to the camp?" he asked.

"After Flare's curse manifests," Karis said nonchalantly.

What? Does he know about my curse? I guess they told him about it when we had to ask him to deliver our message to Alwina. And they didn't even inform me about it!

"I see. Are you sure that you're going to be okay?" he asked worriedly.

"Yes. Don't worry about us. How about you? What's your situation there? Hildus hasn't found out, right?" I asked.

He sighed. "No. We're doing great. Although, I'm not sure if Hildus is only playing dumb or he really doesn't know anything about this. He can be quite sly, so I'm starting to get anxious."

"Hmm. I see. Always exercise caution, okay? Don't put yourself in unnecessary danger."

"Yes, Milady. Please don't worry about me. Please contact me as soon as the curse manifests. I don't think I'll be able to sit still if I don't know your situation."

"Okay. Thank you."

We cut the communication off when he said goodbye. We decided to go out for some fresh air while waiting for it to appear. They seem to have noticed that I'm still on edge and decided to take me out.

"I know of a place that would make you smile," Aiyana said while giggling.

I chuckled. "Uh-huh. Take us there, then."

She nodded and called her horses. I don't want Karis to transform, so she called three horses. She took the white one while we rode the black ones. Aiyana seems to like the white horse so much, so seeing her caress the horse made me smile a little. Well, Aiyana really loves anything that contains life within it, so it's not a surprise that she loves animals.

"Are you okay?" Karis suddenly asked while we were on our way to the place Aiyana mentioned. "You're not feeling sick or anything?"

"I'm okay. I promise I'll tell the two of you once I feel anything weird, so don't ask me continuously if I'm okay," I said and squeezed his hand lightly.

Indeed, I'm not feeling anything weird yet, so I don't want them to keep asking me the same question. He went silent, but he still kept his eyes on me. I don't think he's ever taken it off me, yet I don't feel uncomfortable about it.

"We're almost there," Aiyana said.

I nodded and kept my eyes on the road instead. The path we took was different and I don't think we've ever been here. But I trust Aiyana and I'm sure she won't take us to some weird place, so I kept quiet and just followed her.

"It's not a hot spring, is it?" I asked.

She laughed. "No, it is not. But I'm sure that you will like it. You seem to always be fascinated by these kinds of places, so I am certain that you will not be disappointed."

"Okay, if you say so."

We went deep inside the forest and it was so dark. Fortunately, I'm used to the dark so it doesn't scare me anymore. Karis went near me, probably to make sure that I won't suddenly disappear. He also seems to be accustomed to the dark, as well as Aiyana.

We suddenly saw light coming from the direction we are heading to. Oh, that's quite strange. I'm also used to the light, but I had to place my hand in front of my eyes because I feel like I'll be blinded. Although, I immediately removed it when I have adjusted to the light.

My jaw fell when a white tree greeted my eyes. It was small, but it was shining brightly. A small smile crept on my lips as I got off the horse. I couldn't wait to touch the small tree. I removed my shoes and started to walk across the pond so that I can reach the small piece of land where the white tree grew.

"You know, there was quite a peculiar story regarding that tree," Aiyana said.

I looked back at her while I was trying to touch the white leaves. She was smiling while watching me fidget around the tree like a child. Well, I badly wanted to touch it, but I don't know if I should. What if it suddenly withers if I do so? That would be way too upsetting for me.

"I want to hear it," I said.

She chuckled at the impatience I showed. "Alright, then. There was once a god who fell in love with a mortal. You see, this kind of love has always been forbidden. A curse befalls their offspring once they get married. This god refused to give in and married the person he loves, creating a huge uproar. They had an offspring named Snow. That child was fated to die at some point. Her parents knew about it and tried their very best to get rid of the curse. One starry night, she took a stroll around here. The Supreme King decided to activate her curse right here. No one knew when she died here because she didn't tell anyone when she went here. This pure white tree emerged from her dead body slowly, burying her body beneath it."

My mouth went agape as I looked at the tree once again. I even looked at the roots to check if there was a body here. There was nothing, but I'm sure that this is the exact place where she died. And so I took a few steps back and made a white flower on my hand. I placed it on the roots as a way to pay my respects.

Aiyana continued the story when I finished doing that. "When she went missing, her family looked for her everywhere but failed to find her. When they saw this tree, they realized that it was their only daughter. They know that it was their fault and thus decided to take their own lives. Monsters emerged from their bodies, protecting this part of the forest from anything that tries to harm their daughter."

I looked around to see if there was a monster anywhere, but I couldn't find anything. Karis also came nearer and I noticed how he put his guard up. He also had his sword in his hand, ready to fight in case something suddenly appears.

"I always come here to pay my respects, so they will not attack us. And besides, they must have recognized your presence as the queen. They never attack those who have pure hearts. And if they ever show themselves to you, they will probably only bow down to you."

I nodded and looked at the tree once again. Probably because it emerged from a real person, I felt someone's presence from it.

"Are you Snow?" I asked from my mind.

"Yes, I am, Your Majesty..."

I was surprised when she replied. Whoa. Perhaps her soul is still here. I looked at Aiyana and Karis, but it seems like they didn't hear a thing. Karis was still watching out for enemies while Aiyana was looking at her reflection in the pond.

"Do you need help? How come your soul is still here?"

"No, please don't bother. I am merely communicating to you to ask you to tell my parents to leave that place."

"What do you mean?"

"They have been guarding that place for more than a century now. I don't care about that tree anymore, so please tell them to hurry up and follow me. Their souls are left there to become monsters who can guard that place. I can't bear to watch them anymore. If they don't agree, please kill them. They've been suffering for a long time..."

I sighed and tried to search for her parents. The curse will be manifesting soon and I'm afraid that it would appear while I'm fighting. That would be quite a pain.

"I'll try when my curse manifests. It's quite dangerous right now."

"Okay. I'm willing to wait as long as you free them from their misery. Thank you so much, Your Majesty..."

"No problem..."

I stood up and approached the two. "Come here," I told them.

They were confused, but they still approached me. And so I told them about the whole situation and they listened to every word I said.

"But we're leaving once the curse manifests," Karis said, irritation was laced on his voice. "Why did you agree?"

"We can do something about it, but not now. We will have to wait until the symbol is big enough to the point that it is no longer dangerous to those around us. At this point, we are unsure of its effects, so you have to refrain from using your mana up."

I nodded. "Okay, I understand. But let's help them out once this is over, okay?"

Karis groaned and held my shoulders. "I know that you're going to be a queen and all that, but you can't help everybody, okay? At this rate, you're going to help everybody to the point that you're already exhausting yourself. You are not your people's errand girl. Learn to say no at times."

I smiled and held his hand. Karis is just worried about me, I know that much. He's always scared that I might be overworking myself. Well, I can't blame him since I often do it.

"Don't worry, I'm only doing what I can. I wouldn't force myself if I can't."

Even after I tried to assure him, he didn't look convinced. I looked away and pretended to talk to the horse that I brought here.

"We should go back before the curse starts to manifest while we're here. I'm sure they are also avoiding you because of it," Aiyana said and rode her horse.

I nodded and followed her. Since we're not sure if Snow's parents would appear, we kept our guard up to watch out for them. As soon as we were outside the forest, I felt my heart beating so fast. It was as if I was just in a marathon when I only rode the horse throughout the journey! I also started sweating buckets and I was about to fall from the horse due to dizziness. Fortunately, Karis was able to hold me in place.

"How do you feel?"

I heaved a sigh. "Not good. I feel like I'm about to throw up."

"Aiyana," he called. "We need to go to an open space."

"Got it."

Karis rode on my horse to make sure that  I won't fall. Luckily, the horse was big and strong enough to take both of us for a ride. We went to our usual training ground while I was holding on to my head. Karis was behind me, trying to comfort me.

"It'll be fine. Just try to endure it for the meantime..." he whispered in my ear.

I nodded and tried to keep my focus amidst the pain. My head was throbbing and my heart feels like it's about to explode any minute now. Ah, f**k. Did Bythos go through this, too?

Karis helped me come down the horse when we reached the training ground. My knees went weak and I fell to the ground. Karis tried to help me up but Aiyana pulled him up.

"Hey, what are you doing?!" he shouted.

"Let her be. She will get through this, just believe in her."

Due to extreme pain coming from my chest, I couldn't help but scream. I removed my armor as I held onto my chest as my life depended on it. Tears streamed down my face as I felt extreme heat within my body.

"Help me..." I mumbled.

"Submit to me, child..." someone said from my mind.

Ah, f**k. It's chaos again, I'm sure of it. Who else would it be? I suddenly saw myself in front of me. It was weird, alright! But it was really me. I feel like it was a from that chaos took to be able to talk to me.

"Won't you give yourself to me?" it asked, smirking.

I feel like it's my old self. Her eyes were dead and she's looking down on me. Huh. So this is how talking to my old self feels like. Although I know that this is only a form that Chaos decided to take, I still feel that way.

"I will never hand my own body to you..."

She laughed maniacally while holding my chin tightly. "That body of yours would be mine soon. Just you wait..."

I gritted my teeth as tears continued to stream down my cheeks. My body feels like it'll explode, even though I believed that it wouldn't.

"Stop..." I mumbled.

"Flare, I know that you're not, but I'll still ask. Are you okay?" I heard Karis ask.

I shook my head. "Help me..."

"Aiyana, what do we do?"

"We can't do anything but wait."

"But she's in so much pain!"

"And?! Do you think I know anything?! I am barely hanging here because I know that Flare is in so much pain..."

I suddenly felt a stinging pain in my chest, like it was being ripped open. I had to scream because of the unbelievable pain that I felt. Even after going through a lot of things, I can say that this one is the most painful yet. I felt something burning within me. I looked at my chest and found a symbol slowly appearing from it. The symbol looked like the one I saw from Bythos's body when he showed it to me. It was small, but I can see it getting bigger.

The symbol was supposed to be black, but it is glowing right now. The light was so hot to the point that it burned my top to smithereens. I tried to touch it, but the heat was too much to bear. As the symbol grows bigger, the pain gets harsher. I didn't know what to do aside from trying to endure it. Despite all that, I had to keep my focus because I know that it will go out of control if I don't.

"Hurry up..." I murmured.

I feel like I'm about to faint any moment now due to the pain. But I know that I can't just faint once this is over. The symbol was almost at its last phase when I fell on the ground, holding onto the grass tightly. Karis and Aiyana couldn't touch me or come near me because they could have been turned to ashes if they did. All they could do was watch me suffer from a distance.

Ah, fuck...

I heaved a sigh when the symbol was finally formed. My breathing was still labored and I can feel my head throbbing badly. Aiyana covered me with a blanket when I fell on the ground, still in so much pain.

"How long do we have to wait?" Karis asked her.

Aiyana shook her head. "I am not sure. Flare, do you want to rest or go home?"

"Please let me lie down here for a while..."

They allowed me to rest on the grass while they stood guard for my sake. I can't afford to lose my focus from now on, but I really need to rest. I feel like I went through hell within a matter of minutes. I tried to sit upright and Karis helped me up while holding the blanket in place. I wanted to see the symbol, so I moved it a little. It was black now, unlike earlier. The circle was quite big with eight arrows that look like daggers attached to it.

It looks quite scary, especially when I remember that it's trying to take over my body. Huh. So this is what having the symbol of chaos etched on your body feels like. I swallowed hard as I looked up to the sky, wondering what the Supreme King is thinking by making this kind of curse.

"How do you feel?" Karis asked worriedly while cupping my cheeks.

"I'm...okay," I replied hesitantly.

My whole body still hurts and I'm having a hard time trying to move my limbs. Ha, it seems like the effect of the curse is quite bothersome. Did Bythos experience this too? He should have warned me about this so that I could prepare myself. Had I known that this would be this painful, I would have tried some sort of method that could help me relieve it. Or maybe there isn't any?

Aiyana approached me and held my hands while looking at me with a smile on her face. "You endured it well. Thank you for all your hard work..."

I smiled a little. "Of course, it's my duty. Thank you for staying with me through everything."

"I vowed to serve you and I will continue to do so. Also, I am very sorry for putting all these responsibilities onto you."

Even after I said that I have accepted all these, they still appear to be guilty about making me take all of it. I'm glad that they're genuinely concerned about me, but I want them to stop worrying about me.

"Please stop saying sorry. If you're really guilty about it, then serve me for the rest of eternity. Stay by my side for as long as you can," I told her. I also looked at Karis to make sure that he heard what I said.

The both of them nodded and bowed their heads for me. "Yes, Your Majesty."

Now that the curse has manifested within me, I'm starting to feel more responsible for this world. I can't afford to mess things up. Especially now that we're going back to the camp to plan things out.

I swear from the bottom of my heart that I will become a leader that will not abandon her people...