MEMORY FRAGMENT

Nymph Capital Sorgente, Nymph’s Era

The death of Prince Astrea came as no surprise. His condition had been deteriorating steadily for the last few years, most of which he hadn’t been seen in public. As was tradition, the news was announced in every corner of the kingdom. However, it was another event that gathered a lot more attention—the decifida of princess Tiallia. The miraculous awakening that had taken place four months ago had transformed her into an entirely different person. Timidness and uncertainty had been replaced by inquisitiveness and determination.

In just under a month she had become an inspiration for the younger generation, doing what even seasoned veterans couldn’t. There was talk that she had already passed the third awakening gate and had a higher magic trait than anyone in the kingdom. What no one but a select few knew, was that the so-called miraculous changes were because she had become host to an otherworlder.

Five down, Giaccia thought, looking at her sister fighting behind the protective wall of water.

To this day she had mixed feelings on the matter. She was fully aware that her sister had performed the awakening of her own free will. It was a huge risk, and for all intents and purposes it hadn’t panned out. The person Tia had become shared her appearance, her memories, in some aspects even her thoughts, yet she wasn’t her. Scholars remained divided on the subject, but as far as Giaccia was concerned, her sister had died in the awakening chamber months ago.

“Look, carefully,” King Cial said. “That’s what you should aim for. Remember, you’re heir now.”

“Yes, Father.” Giaccia nodded.

It was easier said than done. Tia had made a lot of progress in a very short amount of time, and although her combat skills left a lot to be desired, her magic was on an entirely different level. Even the royal mages were hesitant to teach her, out of fear that she might surpass them in a matter of years.

“She’s taking too long,” Giaccia’s uncle grumbled. “Relying too much on magic as almost as bad as having none at all.”

He had toned down his desire to inherit the crown, though that didn’t mean he had completely given up.

In the hall, Tia created a ball of fire which she hurled at one of the remaining water golems. The construct fizzled out of existence in a cloud of steam.

Giaccia crossed her arms. She could tell her sister was doing it deliberately. If she wanted, she could have completed the trial in half the time. Instead, she had chosen to prolong it, making sure that Giaccia’s record held.

With each spell, the water golems diminished by one, until finally there were none left. As the last one evaporated, the water wall fell into the floor, revealing the throne section.

The first thing that Tia did was to glance at Giaccia for approval, and Giaccia was quick to give it to her in the form of a nod. Otherworlder or not, she was the closest thing to her sister the world had to offer.

“Well done,” the ruler said along with a slow clap. “Not that it was a challenge.”

Giaccia noted that unlike during her trial, there was no mention of Tiallia not being the heir.

“You could have finished faster. Why didn’t you?”

“I wanted to show you my magic, Father,” the princess replied. “There’s already one fighter in the family.”

The comment caused a few smiles. Everyone could see it for what it was—an acknowledgement of Giaccia’s strength and rightful place within the family.

“Maybe you’ll tell me more during our opera,” King Cial waved his fingers, ordering the servants to quickly restore the throne room to its normal appearance.

This was also Giaccia’s cue to leave. Unlike her sister, she hadn’t been offered to stay. Leaving the fuss behind her, Giaccia left the throne room. Recent events had made her feel out of place. With her brother dead and her sister passing her trial, she felt more alone than ever.

“No congratulations?” a voice asked behind her.

Giaccia looked over her shoulder. To her surprise, Tiallia was there.

“Wasn’t that long ago that I congratulated you in this very spot,” the younger nymph said.

Instinctively, Giaccia gritted her teeth. She hated when the otherworlder used her sister’s memories. It was always very subtle, small remarks here and there, all aimed at creating the illusion that the old Tia was still present.

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“It was further away,” Giaccia said. “Aren’t you supposed to be with father and mother?”

“Why do you think I’m not?” A smirk formed on Tia’s face, completely out of place. “One me’s there looking at our glorious past and one me is here talking with you. Simple.”

“I’m sure it’s simple.” Giaccia caused the water of her clothes to ripple. “Congratulations, Tia. You’ve far surpassed me. There’s nothing keeping you from the throne.”

“Is that what you think? That I’m aiming for the throne?” She came closer. “You’ll get the throne. I promised you that. Not this throne, though.”

“Not this throne?”

“Come.” Tiallia reached out, offering her hand. “Let’s go see brother.”

See brother? Was this a threat? At this distance, Giaccia held a slight advantage. Her speed was greater than that of her sister, although there was no telling whether the real person was standing in front of her or just a copy created through magic.

“It’ll be all right,” the other smiled. “I swear by the Moons.”

There could be no doubt about it now—a Moon vow couldn’t be broken. And yet, doubt still lingered.

“Trust me on this,” Tia said.

Despite her fears, Giaccia took hold of her sister’s hand. The moment she did, a portal formed beneath them. A flash of purple later, the two were standing in front of the royal burial marker. It was tradition that all nymphs returned to the ocean upon death. Only markers commemorating their lives were left behind.

“I thought that mages could only get to Galatea’s Square,” Giaccia whispered.

The area was utterly empty. Few ever came here when they didn’t have to. No one wanted to be reminded where they’d end up. Ignoring that fact, the place was nice, even relaxing. Up till now, Giaccia had never noticed.

“See? I told you you could trust me.” Tiallia smiled.

A strong gust of wind passed through the burial grounds—the first sign of an upcoming storm.

“I used to come here a lot as a child,” Tiallia continued. “Before my awakening, this was the only place I didn’t have to see the pity and disgust in those looking at me.” She took a few steps to the royal burial marker. “You were the one exception.”

“You’re lying. Mother—”

“I’ve lied about many things, but not about that,” the other interrupted. “We both know I’ve been pretending to be someone I’m not. Or, rather, I’m someone who is more than what I was. Because I’m an otherworlder you think that I replaced your sister, don’t you?”

“Yes.” Giaccia wasn’t afraid to say. “But you also became what she dreamed of being.”

“See? That’s why I like you. I won’t lie, I don’t know what I am. I have two pasts, one here, one far away in another world. I know everything Tiallia’s been through. Even now I share some of her emotions just as I share those of my other self. Do you know the funniest thing of all? We also share the same name.”

I don’t see what that has to do with anything, Giaccia thought.

“It’s no secret that the kingdom is in decline. This has been so ever since the heroic deeds of the last major war. I’d like to say that we’re unique, but it’s a common occurrence. Those who’ve seen war never want to see it again. Those who have no memory of war have no love of peace. Our father, like most of the nymphs here, loves reading about our past, thinking how far we’ve come while ignoring the kingdom crumbling around him.”

“Careful.”

“Why? Because I’m telling the truth?” Tiallia tapped the side of the burial marker with a flick of her finger. A spiderweb of cracks emerged, spreading until it had covered half of the marble block. “I’m not saying this to piss you off. I’ve found a solution.”

The cracks in the marble vanished.

“There are two ways to remove rust. Either polish the metal to the point of breaking, or bring it through fire.”

“You’re saying that this kingdom needs fire?” As much as Giaccia disliked the idea, she couldn’t suppress the spark of yearning—the desire for battle she had experienced when facing the thunder fury.

“All of them do. The nymphs have grown complacent, isolating themselves in their small bubbles of water in the ocean.”

A vision appeared. Giaccia was no longer sure if it was occurring in her own mind or her sister was using a spell to make it manifest. The vision showed all nymph kingdoms shedding all their waste and uniting as one. That was a throne worth sitting on; that was the future that Tiallia had promised.

“How do we make it happen?” she asked.

“Slowly at first,” the other smiled. “And with a bit of help.”

In the next few months, a series of events took place, each rocking the kingdom more than the previous. The first came in the form of an unexpected war with the nymph kingdom of Bellucia. In many aspects the country was similar to Icestream, though with a less glorious history. There didn’t seem to be any apparent reason for the hostilities. Both kingdoms had isolated themselves, only attacking people that invaded their domains. Having them attack and sink one of Icestream’s ice cities came as a shock that needed a response. All the kingdom’s forces were sent into battle, with a small contingent remaining to protect the king and queen. Initially, both princesses were to remain there as well, but at the last moment it had been decided that Giaccia take lead of the armies.

The entire war was surprisingly short and bloody. Ignoring the enemy’s outer cities, Giaccia had gone straight for Bellucia’s capital. For the first time since generations nymphs clashed against nymphs on a major scale in what became known as the Two Moon War. It was said that the sight of combat had been so grotesque that only the Red and Purple Moon had remained in the sky to observe. Thirty-two days later, the Bellucia kingdom was no more. The capital had been utterly destroyed, merging into the ocean along with everyone in it. All remaining cities had quickly switched allegiance, doubling the size of Icestream’s territory.

That was only the beginning. Several months later, the same thing happened again. Alarmed by the aggressive nature of Icestream, another kingdom had declared war, and lost just as quickly.

An air of change swept through the inhabitants. No longer content with their comfortable but pointless existence, they joined the ranks of the awakened, looking forward to the inevitable battles to come.

Giaccia kept on leading the kingdom’s armies, bringing one victory after another. Each time she returned to her capital more and more crowds cheered. That was not all. All the external battles had driven her to succeed in her awakening trials as well. Already past her fourth gate, the necessity of quick improvement had made her speed past the fifth gate and keep on going. Soon enough, her level was greater than anyone else in the kingdom except for her father. Then, it exceeded his as well.

After six consecutive victories, King Cial abdicated the throne in favor of his daughter. A grand announcement was made, and even half a dozen bishops from the Order of the Seven Moons were present to witness the event. With that, the time of kingdoms had ended, replaced by that of the true nymph empire.