Page 22 of Crowned

Malia is gone.

This time, my gut churns. Something within me just knows where she is.

Dropping the food at my feet, I race out of the grove.

The wind slaps my face as I sprint towards the cliff’s edge, the salty tang of the ocean filling my nostrils. The sheer drop offers a breathtaking view of the crashing waves below, their relentless rhythm jarring against the icy stillness that now envelops me.

As I approach the cliff, dread claws at my insides, tightening like a vise around my heart. There, standing dangerously close to the edge with her back towards me, is Malia. Her silhouette is illuminated by the rising sun, casting a golden halo around her.

“Malia!” I call out, my voice edged with both relief and fear. She doesn’t move. Doesn’t even flinch at the sound of her name. Taking cautious steps closer, I reach out to touch her trembling shoulder. She is as cold as ice beneath my fingertips.

“Malia, what’s wrong?” My voice cracks with worry.

Slowly, she turns to face me, her eyes mirroring the turbulent sea below. In their depths, I see a storm raging–a tempest of emotions I can’t begin to fathom. I step back to give her space, watching her closely with concern.

“I can’t stay here anymore,” she whispers, her voice barely audible above the howling wind. “I need to find out what lies beyond.”

Terror grips me as I realise what she means. The cliffs are treacherous, their jagged rocks a grim reminder of the dangers that lurk below. Without another word, Malia steps closer to the edge, peering down into the foamy abyss with a mixture of longing and despair.

“No!” I cry out.

She’s standing on the edge like a statue, like some tormented spirit gazing out to sea, waiting for a lost love, except it’s not a love she’s lost, it's a part of her she needs to find.

I lunge forward, reaching desperately for Malia’s hand as she teeters on the edge of the cliff. My fingers brush against hers, but it’s not enough. With horror-stricken eyes, I watch as she plunges into the frothy depths below, disappearing beneath the churning waves before I can even scream her name.

Adrenaline surges through me as I scramble to the edge of the cliff, my heart pounding in my throat. I didn’t go through all of this to lose her now.

Without a second thought, I dive into the icy waters after her, the cold shock stealing my breath away. The saltwater engulfs me, pulling me deeper into its dark embrace.

My lungs burn as I search frantically for any sign of Malia. The underwater world is a murky maze of shadows and shifting currents, disorienting me at every turn. Panic threatens to consume me, but I push past it, driven by a single-minded determination to find her.

And then, just when despair threatens to overwhelm me, I see her. Her slender form drifts like a ghostly apparition in the water, her hair swirling around her like a dark halo. I reach out, grabbing hold of her limp body and kicking upwards towards the surface with all the strength I can muster.

In a desperate bid for survival, I kick with all the willpower I possess. The world around me blurs into a whirl of saltwater and a tantalising tease of sky as I struggle against the relentless pull of the ocean. Each stroke feels like an eternity, every second of holding my breath a battle against the suffocating depths below. Why hasn’t my magic kicked in? I should be able to breathe underwater. Instead, I can feel my oxygen running out.

As my vision begins to dim, the edges closing in like a tunnel, my chest constricts with the burning ache of oxygen deprivation. The ocean’s grip tightens around me as consciousness drifts away and Malia’s lifeless body slips from my weakening fingers and sinks into the abyss below.

“I know you,” I say, glancing around my surroundings and shaking my head. “I’ve been here before.”

The last time I saw the beautiful figure standing before me, I was locked in a prison cell and being burned alive by magical fire. Justice. She judged me and found me innocent, so why am I before her again? And where are we?

The last thing I remember was being compelled to dive off that cliff, even though I didn’t want to. It was like I had zero control over my body and was merely a puppet on invisible strings, dancing to a tune I couldn’t hear. The memory sends shivers down my spine, as I try to make sense of where I am. The courtyard seems different now, the marble walls towering higher and the fountain glistening with an ethereal light.

Justice looks at me with piercing eyes through her veil, her presence commanding respect and awe. She raises her staff once more, and this time, instead of flames, a shimmering mist envelops me. It swirls around me like a gentle caress, probing into the depths of my soul.

Memories flood back to me in a rush – moments of joy and sorrow, love and loss, all laid bare before Justice’s unyielding gaze. I feel naked, exposed, as if every secret I’ve ever harboured is being dragged into the light.

But amidst the flood of memories, one stands out like a beacon in the night. A face, blurred but familiar, flashes before my eyes. It’s a face I should know, but its features remain just beyond my grasp.

As the mist begins to dissipate, Justice speaks once more, with solemnity in her voice. “You have been brought before me not for your past deeds, but for your future path,” she intones. “A great darkness looms on the horizon, and you have a role to play in its unravelling.”

My heart pounds in my chest as I try to comprehend her words. What darkness? What role could I possibly have in it? And most importantly, who was the elusive figure in my memories?

Before I can voice my questions, Justice extends her hand towards me. “Malia, Asteria, my child…”

Her words hang in the air, heavy with meaning and anticipation. Asteria? The name resonates within me, stirring something deep and primal. Could it be possible that was my name once, long forgotten in the mists of time?

I reach out tentatively, my fingers trembling as they brush against Justice’s outstretched hand. A jolt of energy courses through me, sparking fragments of memories, long buried in the recesses of my mind.

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