Gate Guardian - Song of the Frozen Soul

TIARA'S FORGOTTEN MEMORIES - THE VESSEL OF THE CURSE

TIARA'S FORGOTTEN MEMORIES - THE VESSEL OF THE CURSE

My name is Tiara Hikari, and this is my lost story.

"...Tiara, my lovely daughter..."

My mother was waiting for me at an empty wide room of our Japanese-style house. She was sitting down on a mat in a traditional manner as if she was about to reveal something to a four-year-old me.

She was alluringly beautiful. Long black hair, fair white skin, and golden brown puppy eyes. All females from the Hikari bloodlines are this gorgeous as if we are the model of the word beauty itself. Some people say that our beauty can rival the goddesses of any mythology.

But behind the beauty of my mother is a pitiful suffering. I can see the passionate cries of her soul inside that crimson left eye of hers.

"Mama..." I rushed to my mom and hugged her tight.

"Tiara... Tiara my dear... I'm sorry if I will leave you this early..."

"...Mama... Don't go, please..." I cried.

"Promise me that you will have a happy life. Promise me that you will find the love of your life, who will undo the Curse of the Brightmore Witch for you and the future generation of our bloodline..."

"Mama... I don't understand... Mama..."

"You will, Tiara. You will understand once you grow up. Just promise me... that you will remove the Curse..."

"I... promise..."

Suddenly, my mother gave me a kiss to my lip. Her tongue swirled inside my mouth, and then I felt that she is pushing an orb straight to my throat! It blocked my windpipe, but after a second, I managed to successfully ingest the spherical curse.

Mama pulled her face away from me after that, and then she hugged me tight as water droplets crawled to her cheeks.

"I'm sorry for being a bad mother... But I have to do this. I can't take the curse anymore. But you, my beautiful daughter... I know you can do it. I know you can do what I have failed to achieve."

Suddenly, the walls blasted. Several people came in; men, women, children, farmers, priests, fishermen. All of them aggressively breached our house for some unknown reason.

All of them have hollow black eyes oozing with black blood. I can feel their hatred towards my mother who offered no resistance when she was grabbed and chained.

"...Everything will be okay, Tiara... I promise..."

"Mama!" I cried.

Then there was a blunt weapon that hit me to the head.

<>

The next time I woke up, I was already inside a ring of gigantic flames. I am laying flat in a hill of the haystack, and at the center of it, is my mother tied on a wooden pole. Sweat ran down to our faces as we endured the extreme temperatures of the burning stake.

I can't do anything! I'm shackled by chains! I can't even crawl to my mother properly!

"Don't worry... My daughter... For he is coming to save you. Just promise me that you will live a happy life..."

Suddenly, a tall man wearing a white hooded cloak landed in front of me. I could no longer remember his face, but I'm certain that he is the one who will save me from my doom. The white knight carried me and then dashed at an extreme speed, leaving my mother alone in the burning stake.

"Aaaaaaah!!!" My mother screamed as the flames melted her skin.

"Mama!" I cried. Then I slammed the white knight's shoulder over and over in protest. "Why didn't you save her!?"