Even though the king had only said one sentence, it didn't completely registered in my mind because I hadn't heard him properly.

Shaking my head, I told him, "Er, I'm sorry, but I wasn't able to catch that. Can you please say it again?"

The king's face clouded with confusion while he was walking toward me, making me take a step back because he was kind of intimidating. He had dark hair and a scruffy beard. "Welcome back to Calares, our great Heroine," he slowly repeated when he stopped in front of me. He was staring at me like I was a first grader that couldn't understand basic English.

When I repeated his sentence in my head, a chill ran down my spine and I stood straighter. My mind was also whirring too fast.

Calares...Heroine..."Heroine of Calares." My eyes widened. Holy poop of unicorns! This geezer isn't high on drugs, is he?

The guards, the queen, and the people wearing white robes stopped bowing and gave cheers like they were singing "Hallelujah."

I massaged my head and looked all around me. "You've got to be kidding me, people." Then I gazed back at the king, gulping down my nervousness. "Did you inject an illegal drug in my body? Because what you just said is absurd! Or maybe I'm still dreaming?"

"What are you talking about, our great Heroine?" one of the women wearing a white robe asked, puzzled. "Did you forget what you did in Calares seven hundred years ago?"

I gaped at her. Wait, seven hundred years ago?

"You came back, Heroine!" the queen exclaimed. Her blonde hair was straight as a waterfall that reached her waist. "You came back once again to save Calares and its people. Though it is kind of unreal that you still look the same." She stood beside her husband.

"C-cool your jets!" I yelled, gazing at them with confusion plastered on my face. "I seriously don't know what in blazes is going on around here, but-"

She was baffled. "What are je-"

"Just hold up and let me explain!" I felt guilty that I was talking like this to a royal person, but I couldn't control my emotions. "You guys saying 'Calares' and 'Heroine,' and wearing costumes...all of you aren't making any sense!" I told them.

The king frowned. "But we are not wearing costumes, our great Heroine. In fact, you are the one who has a weird outfit."

"But I'm not your 'great Heroine' or whatever," I said, now exhausted. "Firstly, Calares was just a story that my grandmother always told me about when I was still a kid. Now...gosh, I don't know what to do and think anymore. My head's starting to hurt from all these lies."

"That is impossible!" one of the guards exclaimed in disbelief. "You are the one and only..."

All of them were now looking at something behind my back. I couldn't help following their gazes. And when I did, my jaw dropped to the floor and I almost fainted on the spot.

There, a large painting was pinned above the huge double doors. In it was a lady who was mounted atop a blue stingray that was wide as a road, and long as a pickup truck. She was wearing an elegant mint green dress and she had long, curly dark-brown hair and fierce gray eyes that'd make you shudder with fear if you stared long enough at them. In her hands was a bow that had the form of a soaring falcon and looked like it was crafted out of crystals, with an arrow attached to the string. The view behind her was a spectacular sunset.

Not being a narcissist here, but the lady was very gorgeous and painted almost real-like, and it was none other than...me.

"B-but...that's me!" I cried, then furiously shook my head. "I mean, th-that can't be me!"

"It seems she is a shapeshifter that can take the form of any human being and is playing a trick on us," a clear and smooth voice mocked, causing me to turn around. It came from the guy who'd saved me. He was walking in my direction and had this intense gaze on me. "She must be a spy sent by the Destroyers. Should we kill her now, my king?"

"Whoa, wait! Don't kill me!" I shouted, holding my hands up, scared. "And I really don't know what you're talking about! I swear!"

"That is what all liars say," he said, producing a wooden staff adorned with a jewel from behind him, and I felt strong energy radiating from it.

"But I'm telling you guys the truth!" My voice was raising up a notch.

The queen was bewildered. "Are you telling us that you are not Macxelda Castell, the 'Heroine of Calares'?"

And just by hearing that name, I gasped out loud.

That name...it can't be!

My knees started wobbling, and I felt nauseated because of what was happening right now; it was so out of the norm and unbelievable. I didn't know what to say to them.

So I gazed back at the painting.

And then I fainted.

♒ ♒ ♒

It seemed I had a migraine from the sudden events a while ago.

"She must be Macxelda," I heard a deep voice say. "She looks exactly like her."

"But she told us she is not the great Heroine," a female voice said.

"Perhaps she has amnesia and cannot remember everything about Calares."

"But that cannot be. Remember when she said 'Calares was just a story that my grandmother always told me about when I was still a kid'?" Then a pause. "What did she mean by that, exactly?"

"Or perhaps this is a trap set by the Destroyers to let our guard down," another one uttered. "They must be desperate by now. We must be more vigilant and aware of our surroundings these days."

I groaned and finally opened my eyes, and all of the voices instantly grew quiet, causing me to become wary.

"We apologize that we woke you up. Please do not be afraid of us," the female voice said; it was soothing to my ears. "How are you feeling?"

I turned my head a little to the right and saw that the queen was sitting in a chair and gazing at me, clearly worried. She wasn't wearing her tiara. I guessed she was in her forties. The look she was giving me reminded me of my mom whenever I got sick or hurt, and it made my heart ache.

"I-I'm okay...I think. Thank you," I replied, smiling a little at her, then slowly gazed at my surroundings and realized that I was lying in bed back at the guest room. Only the king and the dark-brown-haired guy were with her.

She sighed in relief. "Thank goodness! We were so worried when you fainted. It must have been because you were overwhelmed. Good thing Dmitri was fast enough to catch you before you fell to the floor."

"Oh. Who's he, if I may ask?" I asked, curious.

"I am he, and my name is spelled as D-M-I-T-R-I," said the guy who'd saved me from drowning.

So that's his name, I thought.

He was staring at me blankly, making me cautious. Maybe he still thought I was a spy sent by the...what was the name of that stupid group? "The Evil People" or something?

"Oh, um, th-thanks, dude, for saving me twice," I said, doing my best to give him a smile.

"'Dude'?" He tilted his head to the side. "You speak Calarian differently."

"Calarian?" I echoed.

"The language that we speak."

"What're you talking about? I'm speaking in English. And you guys, too." This conversation was giving me another bad headache.

His face remained passive. "I read some historical books that mentioned English; it is one of the languages that people on Earth use." He paused. "Does that mean you are from the world called Earth?"

I sat up straight, but instantly regretted it because my head started pounding again, making me clutch it with my hands.

"Oh, dear," the queen gasped. She turned to her husband. "Rafael, can you please ask Avelina to make Heiling Soup for our guest?" Then to Dmitri, she said, "I also want to be alone with her for a while. And I am sure she is innocent, Dim; not a spy."

Dmitri was about to protest, but decided against it. He nodded and left the room, King Rafael following behind him.

When the queen and I were left alone in the guest room, she smiled warmly at me while patting my head, and it made me feel kind of comfortable.

"Lie down again, dear," she told me kindly, though there was something in her voice that said I shouldn't argue with her, so I did just that.

I got the feeling that were going to have a loooong talk.

"I apologize for what happened earlier," she started.

"It's okay, um...Your Majesty."

The queen chuckled. "Do not be afraid. You are safe here in Sabrelim."

I couldn't help widening my eyes. From what my grandmother had told me, Sabrelim was the third largest kingdom and also called the "Floating Kingdom" in Calares. The kingdom had five islands that floated above the continents and seas. Sabrelim was also famous for its flying stingrays.

Did this mean that Grandma's stories had been real all along? And that she'd been the...

"So...Calares is real and I'm still sane?" I clarified slowly.

"Yes," the queen answered, and it seemed she understood what I was currently feeling. "By the way, my name is Analyn, and I am the queen of Sabrelim. How about you, my dear?"

"M-my name..." Why am I stammering? Get a grip, Klein! "is, erm, Kleindiana Powers..."

Not a grand way to introduce yourself to a queen, I know.

Queen Analyn pursed her lips. "So you were really telling us the truth? That you are not Macxelda Castell?"

"Um, yeah, about that..." I gulped. "Actually, Macxelda Castell Powers is-I mean, was my grandmother..."

There, I'd finally said it.

It took the queen a moment for her to distinguish what I'd told her. Then she gasped, "Oh! You mean to say that Macxelda is already dead, and that you were her granddaughter?"

I nodded. "She died ten years ago because of a heart disease. In earth time, anyway. I know that a month on Earth can mean an indefinite amount of time had passed in the other worlds, like Calares, or vice versa. Grandma told me that."

She blinked. "Macxelda really told you about Calares?" she asked, curious.

"Yeah. She told me about your world as bedtime stories when I was still a kid. I asked her before if Calares were real, and she only gave me vague replies," I said, missing Grandma more and more and wishing that she was here with me. "I wished that her stories were real, but I didn't really expect that they indeed are real. Though she didn't tell me that she was the 'Heroine of Calares' all along. And I didn't know that we exactly look-alike when she was still a teenager. Well, except for the hair, that is." I paused. "Um, how many years have passed since she left to go back to Earth, again?"

"I see," Queen Analyn said with a nod. "And seven hundred years have passed since she saved this world from the dark forces. Calarians are forever grateful to her. That is why Macxelda has many monuments all over Calares, especially in Sabrelim, because this is also where she was found first-at the Great Library of Sabrelim, to be exact. You can read books and memoirs about Macxelda there, too. Her love, courage and hope will never be forgotten."

Wow! How to be you, Grandma?

So many questions were running in my mind. I took a deep breath, exhaled, and then asked my first question: "Where exactly did Dmitri find me, Your Majesty?"

"Dmitri found you in the largest river of Sabrelim," she answered.

Second question: "I remember you said 'You came back once again to save Calares and its people.' Were you implying that Calares is in danger again?"

The queen's face darkened for a second. "Unfortunately, yes." Before I could ask my third question, she told me, "This is not the right time for me to explain more, Kleindiana Powers. You need to rest for now, since it is already evening."

I gazed out the window, seeing many stars in the sky. "Klein will do, Your Majesty." She was right that I needed rest, since my head was still in pain, and that everything that was happening was still kind of surreal to me.

She smiled. "Very well, Klein." There was a knock on the door, and Queen Analyn said, "You may come in."

The door was opened by a guard outside, and a short, old lady with long white hair entered, a tray with a wooden pot on it in her hands. That must be the Heiling Soup, no doubt. Queen Analyn took the tray from her. "Thank you, Avelina."

Avelina bowed her head at the queen, then her gaze landed on me, smiling. I smiled back, though I hope it didn't look uneasy.

"Klein, this is Avelina, the eldest seer in Calares," Queen Analyn introduced. "Avelina, this is Kleindiana Powers, Macxelda Castell's granddaughter."

"Um, hi," I said while thinking, Awesometastic! A person who has the power to foresee the future.

"You do look like Macxelda." She sat on the edge of the bed. "How are you holding up, my dear?"

I laughed without humor. "This is still a lot to take in, to be honest."

"I understand where you are coming from."

The queen was about to spoon-feed me, but then I grew uncomfortable because, well, a queen doing this to a normal human being? It was shocking, so I told her, "Y-you don't have to spoon-feed me, Your Majesty. I can do it by myself." I hoped she wouldn't view it as an insult.

"But your headache," she said, sighing. "Klein, at this moment please do not think of me as a queen."

Can she read my mind? Or I'm just really easy to read? I wondered.

"And," she continued, giving me a sad smile, "you are like a daughter I never had..."

Suddenly feeling bad, I told her, "I take back what I said, Your Majesty. You may spoon-feed me." I opened my mouth.

She was alleviated and happily put the spoonful of soup into my mouth. It was a little bit sticky but yummy. "Heiling soup will make you feel better."

Gosh, this moment was reminding me so much of my mom.

When the bowl was now empty, I thanked the queen, then Avelina verified to me, "You came from Earth, yes?"

I nodded, feeling full but also drowsy for some reason.

"The Eleventh Prophecy..." I heard her mumble. She turned to the queen, now looking worried.

Queen Analyn slightly shook her head. "We will tell her tomorrow, Avelina. For now, she needs a long rest."

"Wait, the 'Eleventh Prophecy'? What do you mean by that?" I asked them with a yawn while covering my mouth with a hand.

Queen Analyn patted my hand. "We will answer all of your questions tomorrow, Klein. I have told you before, have I not? That Heiling Soup will make you feel better. You need to sleep now; this is for your own good."

"But..." I couldn't fight to keep my eyes open anymore. "Never mind. Okay."

Before I completely dozed off, I heard Queen Analyn say, "Good night, our Savior."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hi, friends! Sorry this chapter was long overdue. I didn't have the will to write because of my last work. Next story to update is Look Like Love. Hoping this productiveness will continue for a long time haha!

I hope you enjoyed reading the chapter. Please don't forget to vote/comment. Mwahugsss~!