I opened my eyes and gasped. I wasn't on Earth anymore. I knew once I stared at the pitch-black setting surrounding me.

It was cold and dark. There was a strange ominous feeling that coursed through me; it felt as though light had never once reached this place before. I shivered and looked desperately around, trying to find an exit. The dark field suddenly changed into another background.

Suddenly, I found myself standing in a festival. Quickly, I recognized the colorful lights and chatter of Cardea's once a year festival. Before I could even start to wonder why I was here, I spotted a familiar woman walking up to me with her head down.

"Mom!" I cried in relief, smiling. "Thank god you're okay. I—"

"It was because of you," she started. Turning her face up, I screamed in horror at her appearance. Her clothes were white, but splattered with a red color that looked like blood. Her eyes were dark, endless holes.

I felt myself take a step back from her.

"Because of you," she repeated. "It was because of you that I was captured by those evil people. You did not even try to reach out or call my name when I was held by those filthy hands. But May did."

I froze, and my insides turn to ice.

No, no you're wrong. I did try to call you out. I did. I really tried to. But my voice...it didn't work...I...

The scene suddenly changed before I could say anything. Looking around, I realized I was back at the campsite with May and the others. I saw myself again, but this time I was lying on the ground, helplessly watching May fall to the ground.

Suddenly, the scene disappears from underneath me, and it was just me and May on the ground, staring at each other.

"Because of you," May whispered into my ear. I raised my head from my face, whitening in horror as I saw May's body hover over me like a ghost.

"Because of you," she whispered. "I am hurt. How selfish of you. So weak. So useless."

My body suddenly forgot how to function. My breath disappeared as my body numbed. The background switched back to the cold and dark atmosphere I was in first.

But I couldn't feel anything anymore. I wasn't scared nor tired anymore.

I was...empty.

A roaring sound suddenly rumbled towards me, yet I didn't acknowledge it. Something slammed into me, and all of a sudden, I feel myself being submerged in water.

I tried to struggle against the waves, but my arms and legs refused to work. Instead of trying to fight anymore, I let the numbness spread farther and farther, until I slipped into the deepest, darkest place in the bottom of my heart.

...

A sound.

Someone was calling me.

Who?

"Miss!"

A familiar voice.

"Can you hear me?"

I remembered this golden hair.

"Hey!"

Yuri?

"Grasp my hand if you can hear me."

A different voice this time. Warmth suddenly enveloped my hand. I had no strength in me, but I moved my hand slightly in his palm, indicating that I could hear him.

"Oh, thank god."

A relieved sigh escaped someone's lips. I flinched as something wet touched my lips, but quickly welcome it when I realized it was water. In my haste, I choked on the cool liquid, sending violent shivers through my body.

Someone helped me up and lets me rest on their chest. A familiar smell of the forest and soap filled my senses and strangely calmed me down. I tried speaking but all that comes out is a strangled noise.

"J-Justin?" I croaked after several attempts.

"Right here," he murmured against my hair.

Gingerly, I forced my eyes opened. They burned a little, but after blinking several times I could see clearer. One, two, three, four, five, six, seven..... I shook my head, and immediately regretted it as my head began throbbing again.

"Hey, hey," Justin said, hitting my head lightly. "What are you doing?"

"More people?" I muttered to myself. "Hallucination?"

"Yes," I detected a hint humor in Justin's voice. "We are in the safe haven now so there are more people."

My eyes widened. I clutched Justin's arm.

"May," my voice cracked from the sudden pitch of volume. "Where is she?"

Justin kept quiet, but I could feel his tense muscles underneath me. A stone dropped in my stomach. I pushed myself up from Justin and stumbled away from him. A few people I didn't recognize grabbed my arm to steady me, but I pulled away in fear. I swiveled my head from one to another, trying to find May.

"You need to rest," Justin grabbed onto my arm. I resisted and tried pulling free. "She's still alive so calm down."

I flinched. "I want to see May."

Justin sighed. "How stubborn can you get?"

"She needs rest," a stern voice interrupted us. "Your wound has not healed yet, girl."

"Wound?" I muttered, tilting my head at Justin. "What wound?"

"She's not a very sharp one, is she?" the voice sharply remarked. "How can you not feel a cut about one foot long across your arm?"

At those words, I turned my head to see a long piece of gauze bandage wrapped around my arm. Blood had swept through the bandage, and it looked as if it needed to be replaced with a new one soon.

"It reopened again," Justin sighed as he wrapped his arm around my waist and tried pulling me in. "Hey, Maida. Do you think the bandage will be okay to bring her to see her sister for a moment?"

"Absolutely not," Maida refused. "She will stay in bed—"

I had no time for their bickering. I pulled myself free from Justin as he tried to reason with Maida. I tripped forward over my haste and fell landed on a firm body.

A collective gasp traveled through the crowd of people as I glanced up to see Justin's irritated expression. He muttered something about 'annoying girl' before sweeping me up in his arms.

"Even if you tried to force her to go to bed, she probably wouldn't listen to you and get her wound to open even more." Justin said. "She's the type of girl who would rather die than admit she's wrong and listen to other people's orders."

If he had said that about me under normal circumstances, I probably would've shoved a few of May's fried dumplings down his throat, but right now didn't fall under the category "normal circumstances." In fact, it never had since three days ago.

I didn't hear Maida say anything more as Justin started to walk away. He abruptly stopped and let me down. I gasped when I saw May's state.

She laid on a thin white cloth. Her dress was on a heap next to her and her body was covered in a robe. A long red piece of gauze bandage wrapped tightly around her forehead. I realized sickeningly that the red was her blood.

May's breathing was hard and labored. Sweat slicked her forehead and her eyebrows knitted, creating a crease in between. Her once smiling face turned into a painful grimace and her hair splayed across her back messily.

"Because of you."

That's right. Because of me, May was now in a life or death situation. Because of me, I wasn't able to protect Mom. Because of me, I lured the royals to our campsite and got everyone hurt. Because of me, I couldn't protect May with a sword. All because of me.

"Hey."

A hand touched my shoulder.

"You got what you wanted. Now, go back and rest."

This time, I didn't resist. Someone brought me against their chest again and laid me against a soft cloth. As I started to drift away, I didn't mind if I never woke up again. If I disappeared forever on the face of the planet, no one would care.

In fact, everyone would live better and healthier without me around. All I've done up to this point is trouble and hurt people. There's no more reason for me to be here. With that on my mind, I felt myself slowly drift away.

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And that's Chapter 5 for you guys!! Thank you to everyone who has been reading!

<3

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