What?
"What did you just say? He's being controlled?" Kairos raised an eyebrow, taking the words from my mouth.
It made sense.
He was a kind ruler, it made no sense out of nowhere he started controlling people to his will. Even if he was going to control people, he wouldn't make them against each other. He wouldn't want them to destroy each other to build a new-
Wait.
I know who.
I know who was controlling my father. It was the same person that was in my head. The same person who made me lose control of myself. The same person who hated the Kingdom and wanted to rebuild a new one.
"Mother." I sneered.
Of course it was her. She wanted to control everyone. Control them till they went against each other and start destroying themselves. She wanted to wipe everyone out and create a new kingdom where people aren't 'filthy'.
The Hollow King and The Hollow Queen started fighting. I guess that's why she disappeared. So that she could control him to her will and eventually The Hollow Kind became The Marionette King. The people weren't the only marionette's though. He was one as well.
The Queen didn't wasn't as powerful as the King. However, she was strong in controlling people's minds and bend them to her will. The Hollow King had power over the people. So maybe that's why she decided to control him, so that she could have a better reach of people.
My fiancé was working with her. That's why I ended it. I found out about him working with her, about him using me and him being the inside man.
I couldn't hear anything Sera was saying. She was explaining it all, but I knew it already.
I knew it as my memories came back.
All of it.
At once.
She had been inside my mind, keeping it locked away until Sera cleared her out.
And I still remember that day. That day when everyone thought my father had turned. The day Seraphine had lost her eyes. The day I escaped the palace with her.
A council meeting in the palace. I was sitting next to my father on the throne, Karios standing next to me as still as a statue. My father had called a meeting and demanded everyone to be there in seconds.
In the center of it all, was Seraphine, looking the same as ever, in white robes, and flowers in her hair. She looked like a Goddess. Her eyes, they were there. Golden eyes with specks of orange as if it was the Sun.
"I have decided, that the Kingdom of Valarium will be under my control." His voice roared. " I will be taking over their minds until they are destroyed to rebuild a new Kingdom. You all will join me, or die."
Whispers among each other. Kairos and I looked at each other, and then I looked at my father. The kindness in his eyes replaced by disgust.
"Your Majesty, surely you must be joking? This is not the order for when the Gods made you The Hollow King." Seraphine stepped forward cautiously.
"Does that mean you are against me? Dear Oracle, I advise you to think again. I will not kill you to go against the will of the Gods, however, I will harm you."
Everyone looked at him like he actually lost his mind. Harming the will of the Gods? Surely he had a death wish.
Seraphine narrowed her eyes. She reached out her hand and golden swords coming from everywhere pointed towards the King. She mumbled something, no one could hear it.
But I did.
"Get out of his mind."
She knew.
I didn't know what that meant.
My father stood up quickly. "HOW DARE YOU THREATEN THE KING?" His voice boomed in anger, the swords that were in the sky, now disappeared.
I guess Sera didn't want to hurt him because she knew that it wasn't him doing all of this.
Before she could do anything, he summoned chains from thin air, forcing her hands down to the ground, making her kneel.
Hot iron rods came from the air, pointing at her eyes.
Just for a moment. A single moment, I could see him falter. As if he was trying to gain his control back. Then, the rods went piercing her eyes, everyone winced and looked away as she screamed, golden blood flowing out. Her eyes that were the Sun, now a blackhole.
"Anyone else that chooses to defy me?" My father looked around searching for anyone that would end up in a worse situation than The Oracle.
No one.
No one dared to defy him. The man that went against The Oracle.
I did.
I stood up and walked over to Sera.
"Kill me if you must, however, I shall not tolerate this." I unsheathed my sword and hit the chains that was holding down Sera.
Kairos joined me.
I guess it was my father that regained his control, just for a minute that let us escape. He was sweating and straining, holding back for us to make a run for it. Just before he sent out all the guards to go after us, we escaped the palace. I thought he did that because I was his daughter and he wouldn't kill me.
My mother would've. He didn't want to kill anyone.
As we ran, everyone was watching us. Like an infection spreading, each person had their eyes turned black as the 'King' took control of them.
I think Sera knew.
She stopped and we stopped with her.
As she mumbled something, a glowing golden aura surrounded us. The ground cracked open and the three of us fell into the pit. The blackness surrounded us as we fell.
Then, light. Cities.
"Sera?" I turned to her confused.
"I hid some of the cities from your father's control."
Something wasn't right.
That's what I thought back then
"Lira~"
She's back.
You pathetic woman.
Get out of my head.
She could control my father. She could control me directly as well. She's been controlling people through my father, and my father had been refusing to control me. The voices that I thought was him, was actually her reaching towards me directly.
"L̸I̶R̶A̶!~"
GET OUT!
GET OUT! GET OUT! GET OUT! GET OUT! GET OUT! GET OUT! GET OUT! GET OUT! GET OUT! GET OUT! GET OUT! GET OUT! GET OUT! GET OUT! GET OUT! GET OUT! GET OUT! GET OUT! GET OUT! GET OUT! GET OUT! GET OUT! GET OUT! GET OUT! GET OUT! GET OUT! GET OUT! GET OUT! GET OUT! GET OUT! GET OUT! GET OUT! GET OUT! GET OUT! GET OUT! GET OUT! GET OUT! GET OUT! GET OUT! GET OUT! GET OUT! GET OUT! GET OUT! GET OUT! GET OUT! GET OUT! GET OUT! GET OUT! GET OUT! GET OUT! GET OUT! GET OUT! GET OUT! GET OUT! GET OUT! GET OUT! GET OUT! GET OUT! GET OUT! GET OUT! GET OUT! GET OUT! GET OUT! GET OUT! GET OUT! GET OUT! GET OUT! GET OUT! GET OUT! GET OUT! GET OUT! GET OUT! GET OUT! GET OUT! GET OUT! GET OUT! GET OUT! GET OUT! GET OUT! GET OUT! G̴E̸T̶ ̶O̶U̵T̸!̶ G̴E̸T̶ ̶O̶U̵T̸!̶ G̴E̸T̶ ̶O̶U̵T̸!̶ G̴E̸T̶ ̶O̶U̵T̸!̶ G̴E̸T̶ ̶O̶U̵T̸!̶ G̴E̸T̶ ̶O̶U̵T̸!̶ G̴E̸T̶ ̶O̶U̵T̸!̶ G̴E̸T̶ ̶O̶U̵T̸!̶
"L̶I̸R̸A̶!̷ ̸ L̶I̸R̸A̶!̷ ̸ L̶I̸R̸A̶!̷ ̸ L̴̙̃I̶̡̊R̷̥̎A̷͙̽!̸̗͒ ̸̥͂ L̴̙̃I̶̡̊R̷̥̎A̷͙̽!̸̗͒ ̸̥͂ L̴̝͗I̶͖̕R̵̠̉A̸̹͐!̷͂ͅ ̸̙̉ L̴̝͗I̶͖̕R̵̠̉A̸̹͐!̷͂ͅ ̸̙̉ L̵̞̳̿͒͝ͅÎ̶̺̘̕R̵̬͔͍͇͗͝A̵̭̥̦̍͋͜!̸̠̳̮̍̾̓͘ ̷̨̘̤̔̑̆͝ L̵̞̳̿͒͝ͅÎ̶̺̘̕R̵̬͔͍͇͗͝A̵̭̥̦̍͋͜!̸̠̳̮̍̾̓͘ ̷̨̘̤̔̑̆͝ L̸̢̲̙̥̔͋͝ͅI̵͓͍̽͌̔Ř̷̢̥̓̒́A̸̫̜̮̭̱̫̕̚!̴̨̻͖̻̭̿͒̆͌̀ ̸̣̞̥̦́̕ L̸̢̲̙̥̔͋͝ͅI̵͓͍̽͌̔Ř̷̢̥̓̒́A̸̫̜̮̭̱̫̕̚!̴̨̻͖̻̭̿͒̆͌̀ ̸̣̞̥̦́̕ L̸̢̲̙̥̔͋͝ͅI̵͓͍̽͌̔Ř̷̢̥̓̒́A̸̫̜̮̭̱̫̕̚!̴̨̻͖̻̭̿͒̆͌̀ ̸̣̞̥̦́̕ L̸̢̲̙̥̔͋͝ͅI̵͓͍̽͌̔Ř̷̢̥̓̒́A̸̫̜̮̭̱̫̕̚!̴̨̻͖̻̭̿͒̆͌̀ ̸̣̞̥̦́̕ L̵̻̈́̌̊̆̇̌I̵̜̬̫͔͔̼̙̱̊R̴͉̫͖͉̉A̸̛̭̒̇̂̎̎͝!̷͚̋̚͜ ̵̫͔̞̭̣̻̅̏̐̈͊ L̵̻̈́̌̊̆̇̌I̵̜̬̫͔͔̼̙̱̊R̴͉̫͖͉̉A̸̛̭̒̇̂̎̎͝!̷͚̋̚͜ ̵̫͔̞̭̣̻̅̏̐̈͊ L̵̻̈́̌̊̆̇̌I̵̜̬̫͔͔̼̙̱̊R̴͉̫͖͉̉A̸̛̭̒̇̂̎̎͝!̷͚̋̚͜ ̵̫͔̞̭̣̻̅̏̐̈͊ L̸̡̧̛̮͕̭͚͚͙̖͉͙͕̊̏̾̌́̚͜ͅĪ̶̡͇̗͎͙̤̺̖̐R̸̜͔̺͓̻̺̩̣͔͙͚͚̲͌͋́̓̐̿̅̀Ȧ̵̢̨̧̬̭̮̮̩̘̳̟̐̅̈́̔̈̋͆̀͆͜͜!̴͖̪͕͕̺̺̪͙̰̺̊̈́ ̴̛̲̘̲̽̆̋͛͋̆̾̽̈̚̚͠ "
"𝐋⃥⃒̸𝐈⃥⃒̸𝐑⃥⃒̸𝐀⃥⃒̸!⃥⃒̸ "
"Ḻ̸̴̸̢͛͞Í̷̸̶̷̶͙͋S̵̡̢͎̑Τ̸̤̀͟͞É̵͘Ν̇͜͜͝ ̸̢̢̺̯͒ͧ͞͝T̵̴̡̘̩̏ͪ̀͟Ο̸̬̈͠͞͠ ̴̷̴͉̏͞M̷̴̢̫̘̾̀͟E̴̴̡ͣ͘"
"Lira?" I snapped out of it. Sera was in front of my face. I was sweating a lot. "Are you okay? Is she back in your mind?"
She glared.
"Yes."
"You must learn how to get her out or..." She hesitated.
"Or what?"
"Or you'll become your father, but even more power, and you could cause a cataclysm."