Queen vs. Password

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Eydis propped her chin on her hand. Bored amber eyes drifted towards the her untouched coffee, then back to Natalia, whose rapid-fire gossip about forbidden love triangles seemed more suited for a bard's tavern than a high school cafe.

‘Charming,’ she thought, indulging Natalia for a moment. But a glance out the window revealed the pulsating pink eye, a constant reminder of her predicament.

Magic. She craved the feel of it at her fingertips once more.

Eydis gently cut Natalia off, "As enthralling as Athena and Theo's forbidden love behind the bleachers undoubtedly is," she grimaced, "our focus, I believe, is on yours truly."

Natalia tucked a fiery strand of hair behind her ear, waving a small box in her hand. “Sorry, Eydis! Gossip just finds its way to my phone, can’t resist!”

Eydis's gaze snagged on the monstrosity — a pink-encased box adorned with what appeared to be a deranged, sequinned rabbit and a suspicious amount of glitter.

A crystal ball?

"Can you converse with anyone you desire through this… phone?”

Natalia blinked. “Wait, don’t you have one too?” She tapped the screen, and Eydis startled with a yelp as her pocket suddenly vibrated.

‘This world possesses magic unlike anything I've ever encountered,’ Eydis thought, fumbling to locate the source of the unwelcome sensation.

She pulled the device from her pocket, its glassy surface glowing as she examined it. A swirling galaxy of colours forming before her eyes, soon followed by a prompt to enter a sequence of letters.

The Queen mumbled, picturing the most complex password she could muster from her vast villainous repertoire, "ShadowShrapnelSwarm… GrotesqueMonstrositiesThatSpawnDecay… MoonlightConcertoForTheCursed…" Each try failed, the screen flashing with a mocking red glow.

"Uh, Eydis," Natalia said gently, staring at her with a mix of concern and amusement. "It's your phone password, not a magical incantation to summon a demon horde."

Eydis sighed theatrically, realising a more diplomatic approach might be necessary. If this "kingdom" had any logic—her own logic, at least—how would they respond to a mysterious being from a different world pretending to be a citizen? A shiver passed through her.

Taking a deep breath, Eydis squeezed her eyes shut and hoped amnesia was a valid excuse these days. “It appears… I've forgotten," she announced, channelling her best damsel-in-distress.

"Your password?" Natalia’s eyebrows shot up. "Wait, you actually forgot? You never forget anything! Like, ever. Did Tiffany hit you harder than I thought?”

Eydis arched an eyebrow. So, it seemed this nerdy doppelgängers and the Queen shared a meticulous mind, at least.

Fascinating.

Eydis’s grin was mischievous as she reached for Natalia’s hand. The redhead’s breath hitched, a blush blooming across her face. "Whoa there, boundaries!"

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Eydis ignored the protest, her touch cool against Natalia's now-burning skin. Gently, she guided the younger girl’s hand to the prominent bump at the back of her head.

"Perhaps," Eydis purred, "a concussion explains this inconvenience."

Natalia's face contorted from red to anger. "That settles it! I'm reporting Tiffany to the dean later!" Her voice softened. "But for now, FaceID it is. Let's set up a new password... Now! Put your face this way…"

Eydis released Natalia's hand and began fumbling with the strange device. From Natalia's crash course, this "phone" seemed to be the ultimate appendage in this world. Perhaps it held the key to uncovering the original Eydis’s life, like a digital diary of a teenager.

A shadow of concern crossed Eydis's features. What became of the original inhabitant's soul? Where did it reside now? What was Teenage Eydis truly like? If she possessed the same personality as the Queen, why would she tolerate such blatant disrespect from these… lesser beings? Surely, she wouldn't hesitate to crush them.

Eydis leaned back. "You don't seem to know much about me, do you?"

Natalia opened her mouth to retort, then faltered. "Honestly, no one truly understands what goes on inside your head, Eydis. You've always been so... aloof."

"And yet, you considered me a friend?" the Queen asked with genuine curiosity. Had she even possessed friends in her own world? Consumed by conquest, perhaps she hadn't bothered.

"You don't remember..." Natalia mumbled.

Eydis shrugged. Seeing Natalia's gaze stray towards the untouched coffee, she added with a hint of amusement, "By all means, indulge. It seems to be growing cold."

Natalia drained her cup with a satisfied sigh. "You know, people talk behind your back because you're different, right? You don't bend over backwards to fit in with the gifted crowd. You just…" she shrugged, "seem content to be a lone wolf. Maybe that's why they..."

"Intensely dislike me?" Eydis asked. Schoolyard politics were beneath a queen in every sense. Still, the word "gifted" piqued her interest.

The redhead nodded eagerly, about to launch into another explanation. Eydis cut her off with a regal smile. “My concern lies not with the fickle opinions of the masses, but with the weight of my own decisions. And frankly," she added with a sly wink, "I've alway been rather forgiving of myself."

Natalia’s crimson eyes widened with astonishment and then softened with a touch of admiration. “You said that back then as well. When those girls were picking on me."

Now it was Eydis’s turn to be surprised. This bizarre realm seemed determined to throw her curveballs at every turn. Swallowing back a hint of unease, she decided to lighten the mood.

"Speaking of dorms," Eydis said, "do you think there's a way to get a handmaiden to, you know, help a girl out with a bath later? This chlorine aroma is rather unbecoming, wouldn't you agree?"

Natalia's face seemed to combust. “Uh, no! Absolutely not! Forget the handmaiden and the bath! Maybe... maybe there's a helpful instructional video online on how to operate the showers?" she squeaked.

Unfazed, Eydis propped her chin on her hand, her voice dripping with mock sincerity. "Then it seems I must find a more... cooperative participant."

Natalia's jaw almost scraped the floor. She cleared her throat to compose herself, then an amused glint appeared in her eyes. “Actually, there might be someone… Astra!”

“Astra? And who, pray tell, is this Astra? Weren't you my only confidante?" Eydis asked.

Leaning in conspiratorially, Natalia whispered in Eydis's ear, "Don't you remember, Eydis? Your... roommate? Your crush? Maybe you need a hospital check-up for that concussion."

The words hit Eydis like a rogue meteor. "My... crush?" She forced a laugh that felt more like a strangled cough. The urge to ask ‘What's a crush?’ was overwhelming, but a sliver of pride held her tongue.

“Remember that night with the questionable fruit punch? You wouldn't stop quoting love poetry about a 'celestial goddess.’ It was entertaining.”

“I live to entertain,” Eydis quipped, despite a tremor in her voice. Poetry? Goddess? Love? Her mild migraine was now on the verge of exploding into intense pain.

This strange new world was proving hazardous to her health.

Perhaps, she thought with a sigh, it was karma.

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Meanwhile, across the globe, the tranquil night sky was rudely interrupted by a celestial firework show—a dazzling white light streaked downward with alarming speed, slamming into the ground with a force that rattled teeth and souls alike, leaving behind a deep crater.

From the wreckage emerged a silver-haired man in gleaming silver armour, his blade planted firmly in the ground. Damien's eyes glinted with a fierce determination.

"I will find you, Queen Eydis!" he rumbled, his voice hoarse from yelling obscenities at the collapsing portal he'd just crash-landed through. "This time, your reign of... wait a minute..."

Damien squinted at the bewildered faces staring back at him. These weren’t the battle-hardened warriors or sorcerers he had expected. These were... ordinary women? In matching orange jumpsuits?!

"Where in the nine hells am I?"