Ysa lay motionless on the bed, her gaze fixed on the ceiling. The tiny lights that hovered above her flickered faintly, casting a soft glow in the darkened room. They had been with her since her "first awakening," always present, always watching. She had no answers as to why they remained, even as her life crumbled around her.
Ysa whispered to herself, "Why…why are you still here?" Her voice is a weak as she felt, barely audible, but the lights just keep hovering, no response.
The pain, the blood, her loss. She could still remember it all. The way Marcus laughed. They he mocks her as cried over the death of their child.
"Serves her right. No-affinity like hers has no place in this family."
She will not forget those words. It will always echo in her mind. They had taken away her hope, leaving her numb and empty.
Her hand instinctively went to the cold necklace around her neck. It had once provided comfort, a link to the mother she had never known, but now, it was just as cold and lifeless as she felt inside. She closed her eyes, gripping it tightly, as her memories drifted back to the moment, she had lost everything.
"I'm sorry, Ysa. There was nothing we could do." the doctor's soft voice is still fresh in her memory.
But what if. What if her child live?
Ysa smiled, as if she could clearly see, as if it is happening in front of her. The soft giggling of a child, the dull ache in her chest lightened for a moment.
In her mind's eye, her child was there, running and dancing in the garden. "Mama!", Ysa could see her child's bright smile calling her.
"I'm here little one". She could imagine the small face of her child as she laughed and twirl. She imagines holding her child close.
She knew they will be happy. For a moment, it felt real. Her pain eased; her sorrow dulled. For a moment they were safe. But then, slowly, everything is fading.
"Wait...please no... don't leave", with a trembling voice wishing it was all real.
"Stay a little bit more..." then the laughter was gone. Her laughter is fading, and Ysa was alone again.
Her smile faded and with it her last hope.
Ysa murmured absentmindedly, "Nothing left… there's nothing left."
The wind from the cracked window rattled through the stone walls, but Ysa barely noticed. The world around her had grown dim, meaningless. She no longer spoke to anyone, and the servants avoided her like she was a ghost haunting the halls of the mansion.
"I'm nothing now. Just a shadow… a shell."
The lights above her dimmed, as if they sensed her sorrow, but even their flickering glow did nothing to comfort her. Her thoughts drifted, her mind replaying the cruel moments of her life, and the last pieces of who she had been. Marcus's cold eyes. The empty rooms. The mansion that had never felt like home.
And then, something else. A memory—older, distant, buried beneath layers of pain. A cave. Stone walls etched with symbols. Ancient writings, glowing faintly in the dim light.
"She had seen them before… hadn't she? But when?" feeling confused. "Ahhh! What does it matter … I'm too tired to fight anymore."she silently sigh.
Her grip on the necklace tightened. The Baybayin symbols engraved on it glimmered faintly, casting a soft glow over her fingers. It had once been her anchor, but now, it was just a relic of a past she could no longer grasp. Even its warmth had faded.
She sank deeper into the bed, feeling the coldness of the room seep into her bones. The weight of sorrow pressed on her chest, pulling her down. The darkness closed in, and she no longer had the strength to resist.
The lights above her pulsed softly, as if urging her to stay, to hold on, but Ysa couldn't hear them. She had slipped too far.
"I'm done… I have no reason left to fight."
Her breathing slowed, and so did her heartbeat. The necklace in her hand flickered, its glow weak. But then, suddenly, it flared brightly, casting a blinding light across the room. Ysa's eyes fluttered open in surprise, but the exhaustion was too much. She was slipping away, and she didn't care.
The lights above her pulsed rapidly, almost in a panic, trying to pull her back, but it was too late. Ysa closed her eyes, letting the darkness claim her.
In that final moment, the necklace burned hot in her hand, filling the room with a brilliant glow. The air around her hummed with energy, and time seemed to slow.
And then, everything faded to black.