Asaíra's part of the middle class in a land where status is all that matters. But love causes her to break all the rules with great consequences. Once her King chooses to use her mistake to his advantage, Umærium has yet to feel the wrath that Asaír...
I woke up with my back on the ground, dazed and an excruciating headache. I expected nothing more than a frenzied panic, but all I heard was silence. It was quiet.
Too quiet.
The last thing I remembered grabbing Ramona and demanding she gave me my daughter.
I rolled to one side. There was nothing but a vast void. Everything seemed chalky. The ground beneath me was cold and grey. The sky looked the same. The atmosphere felt freezing.
"She's awake," I heard someone say. I sat up. I was in what looked like a white plain that went on for miles. Had I succeeded? Or had I been caught, and this was some kind of prison?
A pair of lavender eyes came into my view. Läera was sitting cross-legged in front of me. Between us was a wooden tray with a teapot and two mugs.
"What is this?" I asked. She smiled sadly. It felt like that same night after I'd given birth. That smile haunted me.
"I don't know what you did, but..." I tried to reach out but noticed my hands were bound behind my back. I looked at Läera questioningly. She looked at something above my head and nodded. I felt the restraints on my hands tighten. Soon enough, King Cadmus came into my line of sight. His claret eyes etched a callous persona. I looked around. There was no one else but the three of us. How could this have happened?
"My dear Asaíra," he voiced with a deep purr. "You had so much in store for you." He shook his head in disappointment.
"Where are we?" I asked croakily. There were no signs of life anywhere.
He held up his hands. "This is your creation." I frowned. "This is your world." My world would have never had a live King Cadmus. I blinked.
"I don't understand." He merely chuckled. He sounded genuinely amused. I glanced at Läera. She didn't look how I last remembered her. Her ivory hair was smooth and neatly brushed over her shoulders and stopped near the collar of the white sweater she wore.
"You've been out for two days," she said to clarify. I closed my eyes.
"What happened?"
"You tried to eradicate your own kind," King Cadmus said, a bit sternly. "But instead, you made us one. We've merged." I looked down to my feet. I was so busy trying to get my revenge that I hadn't considered all the outcomes. Maybe it wasn't as bad as I'd pictured it to be. Then again, we were in this all grey space. It seemed like everything, including time, had vanished. I looked at Läera. I couldn't tell whether she wanted to be here or not.
A line appeared mid-air until it formed what I understood to be a door. It was pushed open and in popped an unfamiliar face. He made eye contact with King Cadmus and gave a curt nod.
"Well then ladies," King Cadmus said. "I must get going. The Earth awaits me." His intense stare landed on Läera for a short moment. He turned abruptly and walked to the door. It closed behind him and blended in. I was still staring off into space when I heard liquid pouring into a mug.
"Where's my sister?" I asked. She didn't reply immediately. Instead, she shoved the mug towards me. It smelled of a mixture of herbs.
"Drink up." I simply stared.
"My hands are bound," I snapped. She sighed.
"Your sister is fine."
"Am I in prison?" She shrugged.
"Some people call it that. But it's not." She sipped from her mug. "When the portal exploded, the two worlds merged. All the streets and buildings disappeared as if to leave a blank slate so that we could restart our lives." She seemed happy describing it.
"Then why am I here?"
"Once the earth's people saw our technology, they agreed that we should take control. King Cadmus remains where he's always been." I closed my eyes.
"What about Sabaire?"
"Ramona and your parents will take care of her." I felt a hand on my shoulder. "The rules of the environment have changed, meaning no more sacrifices. But King Cadmus deemed you unfit to be a mother." I clenched my jaw. "I'm sorry it's come to this Asaíra." I opened my eyes.
"Are you?"
"No. I tried to warn you before." Her eyes mirrored hurt. "You left me to die just make sure your plan went through. I don't know Asaíra, but you deserve to be here." I bit my quivering lip. Is this what defeat felt like?
"What happens to me now?"
"I don't know. That's up to our king." It was all for nothing. It was as if the universe was on a loop and we ended up right where we started. How was I to sit here and reassure myself when all I could stare at was cold grey walls.
"I'm sorry." An apology was all I had to offer at this point. The sad thing was, I wasn't even sure if I meant it. She withdrew her hand, the mug trembled in the other.
"Are you?"
***
And this is the end of Umaerium guys! Thank you so much for reading! This was a beautiful journey.
However, this is not the end of Asaíra and friends. Check out the Origins of Iregal for more appearances. Try typing 'Iregal' in the search bar.
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