“You know, someday I want to become emperor!”

“Emperor, why? Do you want to follow into that criminal’s footsteps?”

“No, no, of course not. I wan-“

“You do know that this will never happen, don’t you? We are not like them. Can’t you see our difference by how they treat us?”

“Yes, but-“

“They sent us away! How would you ever become emperor, when we are not even allowed to leave this stupid moon?!”

Beli furrowed his brow, as he lingered in silence for a fleeting instant. Then, he broke the silence with a soft and low humming: “Hmmm… I don’t know yet, I just know I want to get rid of this segregation.”

Naamala’s throat clenched tightly as she gulped a heavy throat, her wide eyes fixated on Beli.

Beli continues: “What is it that is different between us?”

“Don’t you dare compare us to this trash, to these… humans!”

“Why do you hate them so much?”

“Are you really asking that? Look at how they treat us!”

“Shouldn’t you hate us as well then?!”, Beli countered, flustering and angering Naamala.

The corners of Naamala’s mouth dropped, a sudden emptiness etched itself on her face.

“Look at how they treat you”, Naamala said in a quiet sigh, barely audible.

“Hatred is only dividing us more.”

“They are scared of us! That’s why they lock us away and oppress us!”

“You might be right, but that is no reason to hate them!”

“What are you talking about? They hate us too! They see us as devils!”

“Shouldn’t that show you especially how similar we are? Our people treated you just as bad as they treat us!”

Tears welled up at the corners of Naamala’s eyes, as she turned away from Beli. Her heart heavy with confusing emotions, she started running only to hear Beli’s voice trailing after her: “Wait, Naamala, don’t run away! I didn’t mean it like that!”

Nonetheless, Naamala’s legs did not stop, she kept running relentlessly. As she rushed forward, she was contemplating the reason for her flight.

I know that he didn’t mean anything bad when saying that. He was just saying the truth. Beli is such a pure soul; he just wants good for everyone. I understand that, I know that he is right. I know that his goal is good. Then why am I running from him? Why am I crying, what is this feeling? Why can I not control my body?

Emptiness spread in Naamala’s thoughts as her mind shifted to a different focus.

The emperor! Wait, where is the emperor? Why is Beli still here? I hate the emperor. Why does Beli want to become emperor? No one likes the emperor! We should just destroy this whole god-damn system! The biggest riddle to her though, was the thought she could not get rid of: Beli… why are you here?

Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

Suddenly, Naamala’s frenzied sprint ended. It felt as if she collided with an imperceptible obstacle, yet she remained unaware of her own stop. She felt the same as before, unable to further progress spatially. In the fleeting moment of realization that she stopped actually moving, the tendrils of darkness snaked through her mind, suffocating her thoughts until only nothingness remained.

An unknown voice presented itself: “So, do we know how security is set up at the station?” The voice unfamiliar to Naamala lost itself in her empty mind and Naamala found herself unable to pinpoint the origin of this voice, as if the emptiness in her mind created it. It felt like an inner-monologue, yet so foreign that she knew: It was not hers!

As swiftly as the void has emerged to cloud her mind, it dissolved into nothingness again. Naamala found herself standing amidst a bustling sea of people. Her mind was not in chaos anymore, rather she felt a sensation of happiness. What is going on now? Among the bustling crowd, familiar voices melded into a chaos of murmurs. What is it? Stretching before her stood a puny fence that didn’t even rose all the way to the level of her hip. Beyond the fence lay a big, road, typically mundane in its ordinariness transformed into a spectacle of wealth. Golden monuments were scattered all around the road extending far towards both directions below her. She felt the realization that this was a familiar sight. This common road was changed into a showcase road, a stage for something epic. Across from her, branched upon another elevation, a raised embankment fitted many poised spectators. What was it? What were they waiting for? Out of nowhere, the bustling crowd fell into a hush, a silence that let through the sound of music further away. A grand symphony enveloped the air. Trumpets blared triumphantly accompanied with the soaring grace of violines and many more instruments produced a majestic melody. As Naamala was trying to focus on the scene in front of her, a gentle squeeze wrapping her right hand. Her gaze traced the span of her right arm, wandering along its path until her eyes reached her hand which was found within another’s grasp. Her eyes trailed the other arm upwards, noticing the all too well known old yellow garment. With her ascending gaze going over damaged edges and torn spots of the garment, it finally reached a familiar face. She noticed the round and soft contours of the face, framed by smooth, dark purple skin. Wide eyes, filled with curiosity, portrayed his gaze towards the source of the newly emerged music. It was Beli, her friend, standing before her. No. Beli, why are you here? No! I can’t let it happen; we need to get away from here! Naamala’s desire to escape surged, but as if rooted in place, she was immobilized. Her body refused to obey her. Meanwhile, the music originating on Naamala’s left, grew louder by the second while the once bustling crowd grew quieter with each heartbeat. Soon she could even identify the approaching footsteps of a group of people. Still, she was trapped in place. I need to get Beli away! Why won’t this useless body listen to me?!

“There he comes!” Beli whispered.

Naamala took a deep breath and swallowed a dry throat. Her eyes fixed on the road to her left took in an unfathomable sight. A figure of pure elegance rose from the horizon, marching slowly towards her on that empty road. With each step of the far away silhouette of a person, Naamala’s heartbeat quickened. Alone amidst the expanse of that empty road was one single person, striding forward with purposeful determination. After a fleeting interval, the solitary figure was joined by 4 others. These 4 figures emerged from the same horizon as their predecessor followed later by an even larger ensemble that was responsible for carrying the music through the air. Soon the leading figure was close enough for Naamala’s eyes to note his formal attire. Clad in robes of dark majestic blue and furious red, crafted from the finest materials, his presence exuded pure power and royalty.

The emperor! I need to get Beli away!

The emperor pressed on with his majestic march, bringing him directly beneath Naamala and Beli. Naamala felt the crowd all around her getting pushy out of nowhere. Getting nudged and shoved from everywhere, one heartbeat passed and suddenly an audible gasp swept through the crowd. In a heart-stopping moment, a boy plummeted from the elevated embarkment.

Beli!

In a futile attempt to grasp hold of Beli, Naamala’s hand extended desperately over the fence. It was left hanging on its own though. Beli’s shocked face engrained itself on Naamala’s mind, feeling the wind on her empty stretched out hand, she could only watch as the scene played out. Beli’s drop was about to get stopped in the worst way possible: He was about to crash into none other than the great emperor himself. Just as Beli’s collision with the emperor seemed inevitable, Naamala jolted awake in a surge of adrenaline. Her heart hammered against her chest with such intensity that it felt like it was rupturing any second, while drops of sweat fell from her face. Her only thought: I am sorry Beli.

“Look at that! The sleeping beauty finally woke up.”