The woman in a brown cloak put her head down and held onto her hood, with Dilara spotting her. "I did that…"

Looking back and forth, Dilara eyed the old woman. "Wh-Wh-Who are you?!"

"Ah, forgive me for failing to introduce myself. How rude of me," the old woman replied. "My name is Rhydian, and I had a vision that a mysterious person would defeat the dark lord on his planet. And"-Rhydian pointed at Dilara's chest and her hand was shaky a bit, sensing Dilara's necklace hiding inside her dress-"I sensed your necklace as something special."

Whoa, whoa, whoa! Is she for real?!

Dilara looked down at her chest, then back at Rhydian, broadening her eyes for a moment. Once she pulled out her necklace, she examined it and returned her attention to Rhydian. What does this woman want my necklace for? "You mean this?"

Rhydian nodded.

Dilara chuckled. "You must be joking! My necklace doesn't contain any magical powers." Dilara laughed harder and wiped her tear off of her eye.

"Oh, no. I'm actually quite serious," Rhydian said. She put her hand out, chanting her spell.

Dilara widened her eyes once she saw her necklace glowed white. The medium-sized sphere exited from the crystal, displaying a black silhouette casting a spell on the dark lord, ending his reign.

"There was a prophecy that a person with this necklace would defeat the dark lord," Rhydian stated, "People in the aristocracy and royalty had this all over Aniva and, strange enough, you're one of the ones to maintain its possession.

"Legend says the gods throughout Aniva have possession of this necklace as divine gifts to help set them apart from the rest of society. Only they get to have contact with the spirits and the gods with them.

"Anyone, who's not aristocratic possesses this kind of necklace, would be put to death as it would not only dishonor the gods in Aniva by someone deceiving others to be part of the aristocracy and take advantage of its powers. Where did you get it? Are you a lost aristocratic person?"

"I don't know. I swear it," Dilara replied, looking down below her. "But I do have these visions of a little girl leaving a woman behind in a castle though."

"Ah, I see. I searched everywhere for the person to take on a task – galaxy to galaxy, planet to planet, kingdom to kingdom, yet I failed to get one just due to the aristocrats' fear of getting killed on a quest. The royalty's interest in protecting their kingdoms from the dark lord matters a lot more to them, than defeating him and the dark lord's dominance."

"Uh-huh. And you think it's me?" Dilara asked.

When Dilara's necklace stopped glowing, she placed it back inside her dress. She shook her head.

"It's a possibility," Rhydian said. "Will you please join me on a quest to defeat the dark lord?"

"I think you got the wrong person to do this. I think you're better off asking someone else to do it."

"Please come on a quest with me," Rhydian begged, placing her hands on Dilara's arms. "You could be the one to save Aniva from the dark lord."

Dilara wiped Rhydian's hands off. "And then what? Get myself killed for nothing? Absolutely not! I don't know how to use magic besides healing and I'm not even literate! No thank you!"

"I'll teach you how to do these things, but only if you go with me to defeat the dark lord."

"I said, 'No, thank you!'"

"But ma'am, please-!"

Dilara glared at Rhydian, her eyes just slightly open, crossing her arms. "I said no! Now go away and never come back!"

Rhydian sighed and frowned at Dilara. "Very well then. If you insist. I'll turn to those aristocrats and the royalty over there." She pointed her head at the people near the late king's coffin and got rid of her frown. "Let me know if you’ve changed your mind."

Rhydian chanted her spell and snapped her fingers. Hearing the crowd whispered among themselves around Dilara, including her mother and sisters, she investigated her surroundings.

The funeral continued and the newly crowned king kissed the late king's forehead. Some aristocratic men wrapped their arms around the crying women leaning on them.

Others just stood there and watched, with their hands on the wen's shoulders. The children there just stood there and watched, showing no emotion.

The cool air hitted Dilara's cheek and made my cheeks feel cold. My nose sniffed its pleasant smell.

Ah, the funeral's back on.

Then she turned her head behind her and saw Rhydian disappeared, nowhere to be found. She broadened her eyes in her mild gasp. She didn't notice that people were watching her.

Noticing Rhydian was gone, Dilara wondered where Rhydian went and moved her head sideways out of search for Rhydian. She was sure Rhydian was here a while ago.

Her mother's eyes searched for Dilara and noticed her not paying attention to the funeral. Her mother frowned in embarrassment when she noticed people were watching and gossiping about her. She fought through the crowd and tapped Dilara on the shoulder, whispering Dilara's name.

Dilara turned to her mother and whispered, "Yes, ma'am?"

"What the hell are you doing?! You're supposed to be watching the funeral! Are you trying to embarrass and get us all in trouble?! Did you even see people staring at and gossiping about you?!" Her mother pointed her hand at the crowd.

It didn't take long for Dilara to finally notice the crowd. She covered her mouth and her cheeks turned scarlet, when she watched the crowd being rude to her all around her. Dilara's sisters turned to their mother, Dilara and the crowd, doing the same to Dilara. Dilara felt guilty for being too distracted over searching for that old lady and hoped she and her family wouldn't get arrested for it.

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"Well?!" Her mother impatiently asked in a low voice, crossing her arms. "I'm waaaaitttiiing! I don't got all day, you know!"

Dilara turned to her mother, whispering back, "I'm sorry, ma'am. I was searchin' for this old woman here named Rhydian and I thought for sure she was here a while ago."

Her mother searched for Rhydian with Dilara and she also failed to find her, as most people around her were fairly young to middle aged. She returned her attention to Dilara, waved her dismissal hand at Dilara. "You're just imagining things!"

Dilara widened her eyes when she heard what came out of her mother's mouth, messing with her fingernails. "But, ma'am! I-"

Her mother turned back to Dilara in haste and glared at Dilara. "I do not want to hear it! You will be punished accordingly when we get home. Do you understand me?!"

Dilara frowned and sighed. "Yes…ma'am…"

"Good!" Her mother then smiled at Dilara out of relief, then she turned to the crowd to not only apologize but also added, "This woman will be punished accordingly when she, my daughters and I return home. Please don't report us to the authorities. She'll take full responsibility for this."

Once the crowd and her mother's daughters stopped what they were doing, Dilara and her mother continued to watch the funeral as normally as possible. Dilara frowned once more, believing that she would be whipped and do more extra work on top of that as her punishment.

******

With nighttime's arrival, her mother and sisters were getting ready for the night; Shakila and Ingrid stood by the door in their red and blue low cut, silky dresses, waiting for their mother to arrive. Dilara exited the kitchen and walked towards her sisters. "Are you two forgettin' somethin'?"

Ingrid sighed out of annoyance when she turned to Dilara. "What do you think?!"

"Yea!" Shakila agreed, shaking her head when she turned to Dilara.

Dilara closed her eyes and quietly sighed as not to give her sisters her attitude. She clenched her fists and put her head down for a few seconds.

"Now can you get away from us already, servant girl?!" Shakila asked as she crossed her arms and turned her head in the opposite direction.

"Yeah!" Ingrid agreed.

Not wanting to cause trouble with her mother for standing up for herself against her sisters, Dilara took a couple steps back while keeping her head down. "Very well, you two."

"Good." Ingrid smiled when she turned to Dilara, then her younger sister. She excitedly raised her fists up underneath her chin, and her eyes were broadened. "So are you excited to go to the ball tonight, lil' sis?"

Shakila quickly turned to Ingrid. "Are you kidding?! Of course, I am!" Then she looked up at the ceiling and placed her hands on her reddened cheeks, with her eyes sparkling. "Oooo, I can't wait to meet my true love, Mr. Right! I bet there's going to be a lot of handsome guys there."

"I know, right?!" Ingrid questioned when she and Shakila chuckled a bit. "I would no longer be doing some dull lessons in this house."

"And I wouldn't have to be stuck in this forest forever and suffer from boredom."

"I just hope Mother doesn't marry off guys who aren't right for me."

"Yeah, me too."

Watching and hearing her sisters talk, Dilara glared at her sisters and crossed her arms, quietly growling at them with her mouth closed. Why do I always have to remain here at this lonely mansion?! I want to go to the ball, no matter how much I worked, even when finishing up my punishment!

As soon as her mother entered the living room, her sisters turned to her with a couple grins on their faces, seeing her in her white, silky dress. Her mother smiled back at them while she headed towards them. "Well, why, I'm so glad you ladies are happy to go to the ball! Ready to head out?"

"Mmm-hmmm!" Her daughters exclaimed with their mouths closed, shaking their heads.

But before her mother and her daughters headed out for the ball, her mother turned to Dilara with a vicious smile. "Now, Dilara. I want you to keep performing your chores and supervise the house while we're gone, yes?"

"Yes, ma'am…" Dilara nodded and held her hands together.

"Good," her mother said as she was about to place her hand on the door knob.

Dilara put her hand out forward and took a couple steps. "Wait!"

Her mother and sisters sighed and quickly turned to Dilara, glaring at her.

"Oh, what the hell do you want now?!" Her mother roared, "And make it quick! We don't got all night here, y'know!"

"May I come with you guys to the ball next time?" Dilara asked. "I've never got a chance to go since I've never been there before."

"Oh, heavens no!" Her mother responded. "I can't have you ruin my daughters' chances of getting their future husbands. Absolutely not! And there'll never be a next time! Got it?!"

Dilara widened her eyes. "But, ma'am, I-"

Her mother quickly turned to Dilara one last time while her daughters viciously smiled and laughed at Dilara. "No buts, Dilara, and that's final! Do you understand?!"

Dilara frowned and put her head down with her hands together. "Yes…ma'am…"

"Good, finally!" Her mother said out of relief when she returned to the door. "Let's go, daughters."

"Finally, about time we go!" Ingrid agreed as she, her mother and sister exited the mansion.

"I know, right?" Shakila also agreed before she closed the door behind her mother and her sister.

Now standing there all alone, Dilara moved her eyes sideways for a little while. She tilted her head left and frowned even more whenever she thought about going to the ball. She wished she could go to the ball. It was better than doin' some chores for the rest of her life though. But still…she want to go there so bad, yet there was simply nothing she could do to change her fate.

Then she expressed her determined, serious face as she retook a look around her surroundings. It was time for Dilara to continue doing some chores before her mother and her sisters returned from the ball and give her more chores as punishment.

After Dilara completed her chores, she entered her room, with some leftover food and a glass of wine on the silver tray. Her eyes scanned her room.

Dilara turned her head to her desk and placed her tray there gently and slowly. Once she lit her candle, she sat in her chair and ate her food and drank her wine. She opened a book and only looked at pictures throughout each book that was stacked on her desk-there were only three.

While she was looking at pictures in the last book, the visions of the woman placed a little girl on the space pod and took her away from the castle, waving her a good-bye.

Dilara tried to enjoy looking at pictures in the books, yet those same visions kept distracting her so much that it caused her to close the book, before she could even finish looking at them. She decided to draw something to relive her of her boredom.

Dilara placed the book back on the stack and pulled out a white paper from her desk. While she drew something, the same visions kept distracting her mind, no matter how many times she tried. She just couldn't do it.

So she stopped drawing and stared at it for a few moments before she heard a banging sound from outside. She shivered when she stared at where the sound was coming from. "Wh-What the hell was that?!"

She stood up from her chair and ran towards the front door. Once she opened it, she widened her shocked eyes, covering her opened mouth with her hand. She tried to convinced herself that it wasn't real, yet it was anyhow.

There she saw a big flame burning Castoria while the stars, the crescent moon and the clouds frowning down at it.