"Keje marie ana…
Kathron Levi thoi…"
The words were like a hum, a rhythmic beat that filled the room. A group of women stood around a bed, their voices rising and falling in a rhythm.
In the center of it all was a woman. She was beautiful. There was something familiar about her. My breath caught as I realized she looked like me. Not exactly. Enough to make my chest feel tight. It was like we were connected in a way I did not understand. She looked a bit older. She was in labor, her body weaker.
Her scream cut through the air, a desperate sound. Sweat clung to her skin as her body shook with pain. The midwives surrounded her, urging her to push. There was nothing calm about this.
I could feel her pain, an ache that gripped me from the inside. She had no choice but to push the life she had carried in her for a long time.
"Push!" one of them cried. Then. A cry split the air. The baby was born. For a moment, everything was still, but the woman did not move. She was too weak and drained to look at her child.
Before anyone could react, noise erupted from outside. There was. Screaming, and I felt drawn to it. I moved toward the door like my body was moving on its own. I was outside. It was a painful sight. It hit me like a blow.
People were in chaos. Magic was clashing in bursts of light and shadow. Some fought desperately, their power flickering. Others ran, fear written over their faces.
They were trying to protect this place and the woman. They were losing.
Then I saw him. He stood apart from the chaos, untouched by it. He looked like a man in his mid-thirties with eyes and a smile that looked out of place. It was a smile that did not belong in a place like this.
He walked towards the door. Tried to force it open, but the chanting inside pushed him back. He looked irritated. Then he slowly reached into his pocket and pulled out something small.
Without hesitation, he pressed it against the lock. A soft hiss. Then, green vapor began to seep out. It curled through the air like something alive. It seemed deadly.
My chest tightened as I turned and rushed inside. The chanting faltered, and one by one the women collapsed. Their hands clawed at their throats as they gasped for air. It was a painful sight, and I did not understand why they were on the floor. The green vapor was poisonous. The sound of choking filled the room.
Then there was silence. The air turned thick. Panic surged through me. My eyes darted to the bed and froze. The baby was one. There was no cry or movement. Just nothing.
The woman stirred weakly, her body trembling as she tried to sit up. Around her, the others lay still lifeless. She was alone, dying as she kept on coughing. The green vapor curled around her, stealing what strength she had left, but she forced herself up. There was a strength in the middle of all the destruction.
Then a shadow. It was him. He stepped inside, looking unaffected. His presence filled the room, suffocating in a way.
The woman dropped to her knees, coughing violently. Blood spilled from her lips and nose as she struggled to breathe. Her eyes burned with defiance.
"You will pay, " she whispered, "for what you have done, Damien."
He chuckled softly. His voice was almost gentle. "It is you and your child who will pay the price for daring to bring a forbidden hybrid into this world."
His gaze flicked to her stomach. He thought the child was still there. Her lips parted, to speak, maybe to curse him, but she was too weak, and he did not wait. He stepped closer deliberately and locked eyes with her. He had a smile on his face, and then a blade flashed. It plunged into her stomach, and her body jerked. A broken gasp left her lips. A tear came from her eye.
Everything went black.
---
Reality
I woke up screaming, the sound tearing out of my throat before I could stop it. My body shot upright. I gasped for air, my chest rising and falling too fast. My heartbeat would not slow down.
Everything about the dream came rushing back into my brain. The way the man had plunged the blade into her womb, the way he had chuckled and called her name. She was Kathy. Who was she, and why did we look so similar? Why was I having these dreams in the place? And what's a hybrid?
For a moment, I did not know where I was. This was not my bed, and the sheets beneath me were soft and foreign. The air felt different, cool and still.
Above me was a chandelier that cast a golden glow across the room. Velvet curtains framed windows, barely moving despite the stillness. The floor was tiled in marble. It looked too smooth and perfect. Everything about this place felt expensive and unfamiliar.
'Where was I? ', I thought, as I pressed a hand to my head, trying to steady myself.
My thoughts were scattered, and then I noticed I was not wearing my clothes. A silky nightdress clung to my body, light and unfamiliar.
My breath. My hand flew to my neck. I realized it was bandaged. Someone had treated me.
'Who?' My mind was filled with questions.
I did not feel any pain, not a sting on my neck. Frowning, I touched it again just to be sure.
Nothing.
Then memory came rushing, Mom, Maggie, the mall, the dream, the mark, the abandoned library, and him, the stranger. My stomach. I felt a chill run down my spine. He brought me here.
"You are awake ", a voice said, and I froze.
A woman stood in the doorway. She walked in slowly, confidently, as if she belonged here. Like everything belonged to her.
She looked young in her twenties, but there was something older in her eyes, something knowing. She was tall, elegant, and dressed in shimmering silk. Her silver hair was tied neatly at the back. Her heels clicked softly against the marble floor.
In her hands was a tray. It was filled with food. Her gaze settled on me, not warm, just controlled.
She placed the tray beside the bed. Then she said, "Welcome back, Halia."
My chest. I asked, "How do you know my name?"
She let out a quiet laugh like my reaction amused her, and then she asked, "May I?" She gestured to the edge of the bed.
Something about her felt off, too calm, too composed. I nodded anyway, and she sat beside me, close but not too close.
"How is your wound?" she asked, her eyes flicking briefly to my neck.
I admitted, "I do not feel anything."
Her brow lifted slightly. She said, "Interesting."
She reached out. Gently removed the bandage, and I tensed, but I did not pull away. Her eyes scanned my skin. Then she smiled.
"You heal faster than expected," she said softly.
She handed me a mirror. I looked. There was nothing. No cut, no scar, no mark. It was like it had never happened.
A chill ran down my spine. She said, "You are as beautiful as the prophecy demanded."
I looked up sharply, and I asked, "What prophecy?"
She met my gaze, still smiling, and she said, "You may call me Selora."
I said slowly, "Nice to meet you ", even though nothing about this felt normal.
My thoughts were racing. Who is she, where am I, can I trust her, is Maggie at home already, and what prophecy?
Selora said calmly, "I can see the questions in your eyes."
I shot back, "Then answer them ", before I could stop myself.
For a second, something flickered in her expression of amusement.
"Straight to the point ", she said, then she picked up the tray and placed it on my lap.
"Eat first," she said.
I stared at the food. Rice, beans, chicken stew. It smelled amazing. My grip tightened slightly. What if -
Selora said lightly and chuckled, "If I wanted you dead, you would not be here asking questions."
I did not respond. She was not wrong. Slowly, I picked up the spoon, took a bite, and froze. It was really good, and my body betrayed me. I was starving.
She was watching me. It was pretty funny to her.
"Is it good?" she asked me.
I nodded my head, still eating my food.
She leaned back a bit, and her face changed.
She did not look like she was having fun anymore.
She looked more serious now.
"Now we can talk", Selora said