The Black Swan

Chapter 19: Rise.

Part 2 - Self-Discovery

(A/N: YAY! We made it to the second part of the book! I'm so excited - in view that I've planned so much plot for this story! Really hope that I will be emotionally stable and physically well to continue writing for you guys - so keep commenting and upvoting for me~ It means a lot to know that you love my stories!)

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So... tired...

She found herself on the ground. Yoonie lifts her elbows to press herself off the floor, feeling sore after the intense battle with Eunbi. Had I been so worn out to collapse on the floor- wait a second, where am I? Strange enough, the porcelain skies were vast, yet clear; clean; beautiful. Where she was, she felt like the world was art in its purest form. The clouds were delicately designed to appear fluffier than the fresh wool of sheep; the sun, light and comforting in its warmth, while the air cooler than the other side of the pillow. The sceneries right before Yoonie's eyes were unreal; unimaginable, even - considering what the world had been transformed to with mankind's footprint. 

"I... I am sorry, Yoonie." 

A voice thundered across the world. Glancing around, Yoonie tried to identify the source of the echo-ey voice, as it boomed into the space around her. But there was nothing - no one in sight. Nonetheless, the voice continues, 

"I am sorry that you have been presented with a tough decision." 

Many questions emerged within Yoonie. Hesitantly, she shouts back at the voice, "H-Hello? Who's there?" 

The speaker completely ignores Yoonie's plea for identification - continuing with their intended speech. It was as if they had not heard Yoonie at all. "You deserve a normal life - you do. But every power must have an alternate proponent: With dusk, comes dawn. With calm, calamity ensues. Every yin, requires a yang."

"What are you talking about? Who are you?" 

"...It just so happened that you could maintain that balance."

A crystalline mirror materialises in front of Yoonie - so suddenly that it caused Yoonie to skip a feet behind. The glass showed Yoonie a reflection of herself, then slowly fades to portray her former encounter with the Nightmare Monarch. The very instant where Soyeon laid a curse on Yoonie was replayed on the mysterious glass piece. Then, it occurred to her that she was watching herself from the past. These events, they clearly happened several months back. How is it that I can look at the past, and at myself?

As Yoonie is drawn nearer to the surreal experience of watching herself, something strange happens. The moment where Yoonie had been cursed, there was a split-second where the light was struggling to keep lit, but eventually, a dark shadow enters to assume its place, overwhelming it. Then, as she had expected, that was the very moment where Yoonie collapsed on the ground before Soyeon. The two queens make haste to exit the cavern, right before the smoke subsides. As Yuri brushes the cloak of dust away, all of them ran up to Yoonie - Lia at the forefront. The mystical recollection ends there.

"I... I don't understand." Yoonie thought out loud. 

"There will come a point in your life where you will understand why you have been chosen. But you are too young now, so learn. Seek to improve your powers and forge good relationships. They will serve you as you grow."

There was a brief pause as the speaker lets out a deep breath, though so loud and audible from where Yoonie stood. 

"Just remember... Things in life, are not just black or white...