In the prosperous empire of Aristia, there once lived a cold blooded ruler whose celestial beauty exceeds all.
She's seen as a human goddess, yet her heart is far from angelic. This corrupted Empress rules the entire country with an iron fist and bloody hand – a cruel, merciless woman.
However, people cannot go against Her Majesty – power so absolute and supreme – due to the prophecy of the empire's wisest men.
This heartless creature was born a noble and destined to be queen, and that's just how it should be.
That is until a new prophecy came up – pointing out an ordinary boy from a small village and declaring him as the empire's saviour.
Said boy didn't stand out at first – youngest son, short build, and the absence of any impressive feature. What's more, he's a battered child from an abusive family.
But then came the Cold War between nations, and the boy emerged victorious in a challenge against the opponent's strongest champion.
That's when the news broke out – the remarkable lad is indeed a king in making.
The enraged Empress, bloodthirsty, sought after the boy's life.
All the while, he gathered allies from her subjects, including many of the loyal ones. Eventually, he formed a huge opposing cluster, ranging from the highest ranked nobles to simple townspeople.
Then came the rise of the Four Heroes of Society – leaders of the revolt that aimed to overthrow the evil queen.
Seas of fire and deafening cries plagued the whole empire – an inevitable scene in this massive rebellion.
But then, contrary to everyone's expectations, the Empress did not flee.
Nor did she die at the hands of the four heroes.
The prideful woman chose to fall on her own blade in the end.
---
"WHAATTT...?!"
Eli's scream that night earned her a stern reprimanding from her mother.
Apparently, finishing the book only took her hours with minor interruptions. She remained wide awake on her bed until three in the morning. Then again, she simply couldn't help it since the story was such a roller coaster ride of emotions for her.
The prologue was already such a hook, with all the royalty drama and stuff.
All characters – both good and evil – were very interesting, especially the Four Heroes of Society. They're all just full of colours that it painted her whole reading experience in non-monotonous hues.
The benevolent main protagonist, in particular, is one of a kind and has a lot of tear-jerking developments. Furthermore, the plot was written well, with all of its intriguing revelations and unexpected twists.
In its entirety, the novel titled "Book of Metis", for some reason she wasn't able to find even after finishing it, is a fun read.
But then, while Eli languidly rolled on her stomach, heavy eyelids drooping in exhaustion, some sort of emotions ascended – a feeling like she can't quite put a finger on something.
In the deep of the night, she continued to be in an unfathomable train of thoughts on one peculiar character.
"What a villainess..."
Seconds later, she's already drifting away in her own dreamland.
---
A grand throne room in shambles.
Someone in ripped, blood-stained clothing.
Piercing shrieks like that of the damned souls in Hades' Gates.
Deafening clashing of steels.
Crimson-filled vision.
And the foreboding glint of a sharp, silvery peak.
"May the goddess of love never smile upon you..."
Then the sound of metal hitting flesh.
The world, fuzzy and bewildering, spins out of sight until all that's left is vast emptiness.
A hand strays to a chest, then winces in pain.
Hollowing darkness.
A trembling, cold body.
Then her hand, only to see it bloody.
"Wake up, sleepyhead! You'll be late for school!"
With messy, tangled locks, Eli abruptly jolted from her bed.
A painful lingering sting all over her torso made her recoil and gasp for air as if she just ran a marathon.
She then fisted the fabric of her shirt that's covering her chest, wrinkling it in the process. It's been a while since she last felt her heart beat this fast. Her vision eventually cleared up as she eyed a faint sunlight coming from the window.
After a few more sharp intakes of breath, she finally finds herself calming down.
"What was that all about?" the horrified girl mentally grimaced.
The scene was very familiar, but at the same time, it wasn't.
Dread filled her stomach as she recalled that she had a first person point of view in that dream where she's placed in the fictional world of the book she read last night.
Although it's vague, Eli could tell that she was in that villainous empress's perspective.
However, dreams are just supposed to be fabricated by the back part of a person's mind, right?
No need to bother figuring them out since they're unreal – an illusion.
"Eli! It's already 6:45!"
And that's her last straw.
Eli jumped out of her bed immediately, pushing aside her disconcertment for the meantime. There's no way she's going to let a mere dream be a reason to miss school.
The panicking girl didn't even make time to take a shower. She just washed her face and brushed her teeth as fast as she could.
Then, she proceeded to wear her long sleeved white polo before tucking it under a thigh-length, black plaid skirt. She hastily tied a black checkered ribbon around her collar and put on a velvet red sweater vest and a black jacket with the shiny silver brooch of the school's logo on the left side of her chest before slipping in her black stockings.
After easing out the tiny creases on her uniform, she walked towards the mirror to comb her hair.
Then, she froze.
Instead of the usual reflection of an ash-haired girl who looks old for her age, before her is one stunning piece of art – silky snow white hair, balmy red lips, symmetrical nose and jaw lines, and enthralling ancient grey eyes that somehow glow like a full moon in the night sky.
The unfamiliar face on the mirror is that of a lovely maiden with jaw-dropping beauty.
Eli quickly rubbed her eyes in shock and bewilderment. When she opened them again, her perplexed expression greeted her instead.
She wouldn't be hallucinating now after spending the whole night reading a fantasy novel that's full of good-looking characters, would she?
After all, her adventure on the way to school remained bland and uneventful, just like any other day.
As usual, she would enter the classroom, saunter to her seat beside the window at the front row, and quietly flop down on her chair. For the next hours to come, she'd steer clear of anyone's way, only responding to Leah's morning greeting and occasional chitchatting then proceeding to focus in class.
It's just a typical day – nothing big or special is going on.
That's until Geometry class.