Long live the Villainess

#2-Marianna Mhyrr

5 years later...

"Why are you up at this hour, Raven?"

Marianna stands alone in the kitchen. Even though her clothes are jet black, I can see small dark stains on the fabric. It is not very difficult to guess the nature of it.

"I couldn't go back to sleep," I whisper.

The woman puts her giant sword on the table and covers it with a blanket. The wood protests against the weight as she walks swiftly towards me.

"Did you have a nightmare?" she asks anxiously.

She gently cups my cheek. I close my eyes, feeling her scent tickling my nose. She smells of fresh night air and woods. Her scarred hands are perfectly clean. The evidence of the acts she committed are nowhere to be found.

I nod weakly, "Where is..."

"Your dad still has some work to do," she interrupts me, kissing my forehead.

I've never addressed them as dad or mom. At first, they tried to coax those words from me before noticing my strange mutism.

"Do you want to talk about it?" she asks softly.

I shake my head. Since my rebirth, frequent nightmares about my death haunt me. At first, I used to scream and tremble like a madwoman. But slowly, I became used to it. Cold sweats and a racing heart are the only reactions those dreams can get from me.

It is another kind of dream that makes me cry and stay awake: the good ones. The beautiful memories of my previous life. The sun-bathed faces of my loved ones. Their sweet, honeyed smiles. Their gentle, kind words. Their loving warmth. Then everything is taken away from me. I am alone in the dark. I run and run, but I am alone in the infinite darkness of the world.

"You know you can talk to me, right?"

Marianna raises her hands to pat my head, before stopping midway and retracting it.

"If you are not going back to sleep, how about you come with me to the village. I need to buy some fruits. I can buy you some amdelheunin."

My eyes sparkle at the mention of this little outing. During those five years, I familiarized myself with the strange culture of Esmeray to the point where I learned to love it. But what makes me jump with excitement are the amdelheunin. Those little pastries filled with mashed nuts-usually almonds-mixed with honey wrapped in extremely thin, crusty dough.

Marianna's eyes glint with a strange expression as she chuckles at my excitement.

"Come on, go change, we are going to leave in ten minutes."

I run quickly upstairs without noticing the sadness in her eyes.

I softly open the door and grab the first tunic that falls on my head. It is made of loose green lightweight fabric with silver patterns.

Even though Marianna and Frederick earn a very comfortable living, it is nothing in comparison to the luxury I bathed in for seventeen years. Still, I strangely enjoy the familiar creaks on the pavement, or the oasis surrounding our house.

After putting the tunic on, I run downstairs. Marianna is waiting for me in a pair of new clothes. Her hair is tied up in a high ponytail, the strands falling gently on her bare collarbone, partially covered with a warm brown leather suit. Her weapons are nowhere to be found.

"Let's go then," she smiles, opening the front door.

The sun is slowly rising in the burnt orange morning sky. The people are still sleeping, except for a rare few roaming the streets. Seeing their red-shot eyes and slightly open mouths, it isn't difficult to guess that they never went home.