Kayesha’s POV
I was jolted awake this morning by the booming voice of Manang Lice echoing through the hallway.
Now, time has swept past like a silent storm, and we’re standing inside an eerie, abandoned building its air heavy with mystery, like it’s hiding stories of its own. My heart beats a little faster as I take in the cracked walls and dust-drenched floor, but I’m pulled back to a memory that happened just a few hours ago.
We were gathered in the living room. I had just woken up, and the sunlight had already surrendered to the darkness. The room felt quiet, but the weight in the air spoke volumes. I didn't even ask how they all got back to the mansion so suddenly. I was too dazed to process it.
“Sa wakas, makakabalik na rin tayo sa Dark Kingdom,” Kylene murmured, her voice trembling slightly. Relief washed over her expression as she exhaled deeply. “Miss na miss ko na sila Papa at Mama.”
“Me, either. After so many years... makakabalik rin tayo,” Suzy added, her voice thick with emotion.
Years? I blinked, confused. “Years?” I asked, uncertain.
"Yes, Princess," Eros replied, his tone calm yet heavy. “We’ve been to Canada, Germany, Japan, Korea so many countries I can’t even name them all. We've been looking for you for a little more or less than eight years.”
“Searching for you cost us our freedom to be with our families,” Suzy said quietly, eyes downcast. “It drained us... but now that we’ve finally found you it’s all worth it.”
Kurt stepped forward, eyes distant. “We were only eleven years old when the King and Queen entrusted us with our mission. Our purpose. And that was to find you.”
My chest tightened.
Kylene’s eyes sparkled with sincerity. “I’m sure your parents have missed you deeply, Princess.”
Parents... That word caught me off guard. It echoed in my head like a bell.
“I have... a family there?” I asked softly, almost afraid of the answer. My voice barely escaped my throat.
They all nodded firm, silent, unified.
My heart clenched. They had been sacrificing for me this whole time. I had spent my life thinking I was alone in this world, when in truth, I had a kingdom… a family… waiting.
With a deep breath, I met their expectant gazes. “I’ll go back with you.”
The moment those words left my lips, a warmth enveloped me Kylene flung her arms around my neck, sobbing with unrestrained joy.
Suzy wiped tears from her eyes, her cheeks flushed with emotion. Even the boys looked away, blinking rapidly.
They were hurting all these years… and it was because of me.
The guilt stung sharper than any blade.
But not today. Today, I’ll choose to be brave for them.
“Salamat, Kayesha. Sa wakas… makikita ko na sila,” Kylene whispered, her tears soaking my shoulder.
I awkwardly patted her back. She was the only one crying, but their fragile expressions told me every one of them had been silently suffering.
I looked around and forced a smile. “No problem. Cheer up, you guys. We’re finally going home.”
Their faces brightened, and their smiles were the kind you don’t forget.
But I had one last thing to do.
“I’ll take my leave. I have some things to settle first,” I said, standing up.
I walked toward the staircase, each step echoing in my chest like a countdown. I needed to leave things in order before I disappeared for good.
My company would go under the watch of someone trustworthy from the upper management circle. My right-hand man from the underground world someone who owed me loyalty with blood would monitor everything. Anyone who tried to bring the business down in my absence would regret it.
As for my home, my sanctuary... Manang Lice would take care of everything. This house held my past, but it would no longer anchor me.
Because now, I had a future to chase.
---
“Hoy!”
Suzy’s loud voice snapped me back to the present.
“Ano ba, Suzy? Ikaw na nga ang gumawa ng portal, nagtutulakan pa kayo!” Eros grumbled.
With a graceful flick of her hands, Suzy summoned a portal. A swirling vortex of shadows and wind opened before us, shaped like a glowing ring. It pulsed with raw, ancient magic.
The wind blew against our faces, and I saw what was on the other side trees, thick and dark, a forest that seemed to whisper secrets.
“Pumasok ka na, Kayesha,” Kurt said, motioning toward the portal.
I hesitated for a moment, then stepped through.
The air shifted as I crossed into the unknown. A cool breeze brushed my cheeks, and the dark woods around us were alive with faint glowing plants, making the scene look like something out of a dream or a nightmare.
The others followed behind, and we started walking. Time felt frozen as we made our way deeper into the forest.
Until—
A kingdom unveiled itself before us.
Golden torches lit the stone walls. Music floated on the wind. Children laughed in the distance. The sky above shimmered with streaks of purple and blue, unlike anything I had ever seen.
It was beautiful.
This was the Dark Kingdom?
No one could blame me for thinking otherwise. With a name like that, I’d imagined ruins and bloodshed. But this… this was life.
“We’re home,” Suzy whispered, her eyes shining.
“Welcome to the Dark Kingdom… Princess Helliana,” Eros said with pride.
I turned and saw them all bowing their heads, smiling with respect.
Helliana?
“That’s your real name,” Eros explained. “Helliana Dark.”
I blinked. Kayesha Wallace the cold, nerdy girl hiding behind glasses and a monotone voice was no longer who I was.
I reached up, removed the thick lenses shielding my red eyes, and untied my messy bun, letting my hair fall freely over my shoulders. I kept the colored contacts in—for now. The world wasn’t ready to see what I truly was.
But I was.
I was ready.
I was home.
YOU ARE READING
"THE SACRED BOOK"
Random{Kingdom Series #1} She always believed she had no one-until a group of unexpected strangers stepped into her life and filled the empty corners of her world. The dark memories of her dreary, haunted past began to fade. But as the saying goes: for ev...
