JEOPARDY: The Cursed Soldier.

35. Red

Hot.

It was so hot that every part of her was on fire but not burning. Kayla twisted, trying to run away from the fire and its heat... But to no avail. She was stuck. How? She had no idea. She tried to find her bearing, but she couldn't see anything. It was pitch dark. All she felt was the all-consuming heat.

Where am I? What is happening?

Despite the darkness and because of the heat, Kayla turned around, trying to hear or see something that would help her.

"You aren't burning, or you would feel pain, darling." A familiar yet unfamiliar, feminine but coarse voice taunted her. It felt like so very near to her—closer than her ears. Kayla turned all around but saw nothing. Just that darkness that felt like it was swallowing her whole.

What is going on?

"Your eyes are closed, dummy," the voice mused out, forcing Kayla to peel her eyes open.

Red.

That was the first thing she saw. Not in the figurative way that meant anger or passion, but just the color red. Nothing else.

Kayla blinked several times, trying to clear her vision. After several attempts, something changed. Her eyes opened to see an orange glow accompanied by an intense assault of noise.

Kayla's hands went to her ears, to block the noise, but to no avail. Screams, shouts, yells, wails, groans, and mourns filled her ears and shook her eardrums. She closed her eyes again at the resulting pain. Between the unbearable heat and the ear-breaking noise, she was sure she'd faint.

"Move closer," the voice, somehow, managed to be clearly audible despite the noise and Kayla's disheveled state.

Kayla went still (still feeling and hearing everything) as she tried to gather the strength to obey the voice. She inhaled deeply, then exhaled several times until she felt strong enough to stand and walk.

Opening her eyes, she again met the orange glow and the accompanying cries. Yes, the noise had been the sound of people crying. In pain. In anguish. Their voices and emotions bathed Kayla like an endless waterfall. And now, Kayla was dripping in their wailings and their agony.

Who these people were, where they were, and why their pain affected her so, she didn't know. What she knew was that she needed to move closer.

Kayla moved forward. Step by step. And every step brought her closer to the heat, the noise, and the pain. Now her heart was bleeding in pain. Bleeding for these people she didn't even know.

Despite the grimace on her face, she kept moving closer. Closer until she finally knew where she was. She was at the palace. The Lunaheart palace, on the training field the epsilons used on Saturday mornings for their exercises.

But she couldn't tell what time it was. So, she looked up and saw the sun. A frown quickly replaced the grimace on her face. What surrounded that sun wasn't gray clouds or a clear blue sky, but a dark blanket. Like it was midnight.

Kayla followed the light from the sun and realized that the sun was responsible for the orange glow she had been seeing. A glow that only covered that field. Nowhere else. Everywhere else, beyond that field, it was dark. As dark as the blanket surrounding the sun.

What is going on?

"You will see. Keep moving," the voice answered.

Kayla turned around again, searching. Now that she could see, she hoped to see the owner of the voice and find out why the voice was familiar and yet not. Her memory was remarkable. So, why couldn't she match that voice to its owner... yet?