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"So we're finally here huh?" Y/n asked as the two were able to see broken ruins covered in moss and vines, in a distance. There was barely any space on the ground to walk comfortably as long grass blades covered the remaining pathway. 

Alhaitham swung of blade flawlessly as he cleared out the grass to create enough space to walk through. 

"Hold onto my hand unless you want to trip and fall down on your face." Alhaitham told as he reached his hands out to her's. She looked at him for a moment before holding onto to his hand. 

"What makes you think I'd fall?" She questioned playfully as she was guided towards the ruins with him taking the lead. 

"You're clumsy." He remarked. 

"For someone who is an alumni of the Haravatat and has expressed his feelings towards me, your choice in words are quite harsh. Ouch." Y/n responded back with a sarcastic tone laced with her words.

Alhaitham looked at her for a moment before he looked back towards where they were heading to. "I prefer to be frank with my thoughts and answers and I cannot sugar coat words just like those male leads in your romance novels. Being straight to the point is more healthier than having a twisted relationship with anyone." 

"Hey, don't you dare bring in the male leads from novels into our conversations." 

"Is there a problem with that?" Alhaitham asked out of curiosity as he tried his best to not sound rude. 

"Well...How do I put, they do give me unrealistic standards. It's physically impossible for any partner to meet such standards, including you! " 

"From what I've understood, you  have come to realize such male leads are non-existent. That's quite the character development you've achieved." Alhaitham responded with a slight chuckle. 

"Hey! It- It's not a character development! Rather it's YOU who went through it! Who knew the scribe of the Akademiya had such a nice personality to himself. Maybe if you were more open minded like you are right now, I would have been head over heels for you. Who knows...maybe two rings as well..." Y/n blurted out with no consideration of what she was speaking. 

Upon hearing the word 'rings' Alhaitham looked at Y/n with gentleness in his eyes.His ears were slightly red.

Only then did it strike to the woman about what she had mentioned. "No-! No forget what I said!"

"Two rings you say..." He told in a low tone, trying his best to not sound expressive. "I'll remember that once we return back to Sumeru City." 

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The entrance of the ruin was in shambles. Supported by weak age old pillars, it was a half broken ruin with no source of light besides the canopy from the broken ceiling. As the two walked around, they couldn't find a single room, relic or mural. 

"What is this! Not a single relic or mural? Are we even at the right place, Alhaitham?" Y/n spoke loudly as she felt a burst of anger course through her blood. 

Alhaitham stood away at the entrance as he made observations about their surrounding. Y/n stalked through the corners of the broken walls, looking out for a hidden mechanism that may open up to another room. 

"This...can't be...Not a single mechanism to any room..." Y/n said in frustration. Alhaitham squatted down to check any sort of mechanisms were hidden. 

At that moment, for a fleeting second, Y/n noticed a black creature stare into her soul from outside. She blinked twice as she walked towards the broken part of the wall. It was the very same creature that she had slayed with a sword back in the forest. 

As she walked up, Alhaitham noticed her and got back on his feet before he noticed the creature too. 

"The curse ends soon! For they are back!" The creature spoke with joy as the two were left confused. The floor beneath them began violently shaking before visible cracks were noticed by Alhaitham.

He looked at Y/n who stood away from him in a distance and immediately called her as he reached his hands out to her. "Hold my hand now!" Before she could hold on, the floor had broken and the two fell down into the depth as their eyes closed.

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"...mm" Y/n groaned a little as she woke up with a slight stinging pain in her head. As she opened her eyelids halfway, she called out for her companion, Alhaitham. To her surprise she heard another voice. 

"You're finally up." She heard a cold, strict voice. After sitting up straight and opening her eyes, she noticed a man with white hair and dark purple eyes. He wore a black robe and stood there as he looked at her. 

"Who are you..." The woman asked as she tried to get up from the ground. 

"That is none of your concern. I should be asking what is your purpose of visiting this place." The man said as he stood there. Only his purple eyes moved as Y/n got up from the ground and balanced herself. 

"I'm a scholar from the Akademiya...I and my companion came here for an investigation." Y/n managed to speak up as she looked at the man. 

"I haven't seen your companion but you must leave. It's not safe here. Follow me."  The man said in an arrogant tone as he began walking away. His words had stung Y/n for some reason. 

"You think I traveled a long distance through the entirety of Sumeru, had to accept the fact my mother died in my absence, all alone, all for me to return back empty handed?! No, I cannot...I cannot go back till I solve this story." She raised her voice as she was reminded of the entire journey here.

The other man only laughed as he . "The story of our Queen and that King? How unfortunate, it's not a fairy tale like you humans assume. Leave, lest you wish to be caught up unnecessary problems." The man said as he walked away down the path. 

Right as he walked down, he noticed many dark creatures fly past him, towards where Y/n stood. He turned around to find the dark creatures surround Y/n in a dome. 

"Run! Leave now!" He said as he summoned his sword and charged towards where she stood. 

Y/n who was slightly panicked by what was happening around her, took a few steps back as she had no idea what to do. 

"The Queen is back! She will free us!"

"The Queen is back! She will free us!" 

Hearing their short whispers only made her headache turn for the worse. She was taken aback by how they kept addressing her as the Queen. 

As they got closer to her, caving her into a small space, Y/n's hydro vision reacted as it left a huge wave of elemental energy, dispelling the dark creatures. The other man only stopped running halfway as he stood there in shock. 

His eyes were widened in disbelief as he stared at Y/n. He walked towards her and knelt down on his knees as he bowed his head in respect,  which startled Y/n. 

"Your highness, Queen Elina. Have you......truly returned for us?" The man spoke with astonishment laced in his tone. Y/n took back two steps as she did not understand.

"I'm afraid, you've got the wrong person...I'm not Elina...I'm Y/n." She muttered loud enough for the man to look back up at her. The man only smiled at her.

"My Queen, you....you may not remember but I am Azro, your personal Knight. I suppose you were finally reincarnated into this world after years....It's.." The man was at loss for words.

Y/n only heard him halfway as she was shocked at the sudden revelation. Queen Elina was her all along? It felt like a fictional nonsense to her but from the look on the man who was currently kneeling down before her, it wasn't wrong.

All those dreams...they were an indication, weren't they?

"I...I don't know..I'm not Elina...She's not me. You make no sense!" The woman shouted loudly. Azro only looked at the lady with a soft gaze as his white hair shone 

"M'lady. You have returned to liberate us from the curse that you have left behind...no wonder so many of those lost spirits surrounded you.... you liberated their souls! Ah, it's such a relief..." The man before her completely changed. His tone wasn't the one of coldness but rather of relief. 

Y/n only took a deep breath as she tried to slowly accept the fact was true. The dreams she had as well as how the creature refused to attack her, everything connected the dots perfectly. It was useless to continue denying. 

"If you really knew me from the past, what do you even mean by 'liberating souls'? How are you even alive? or are you perhaps a reincarnation as well-?" Y/n was suddenly interrupted by the white haired man as he raised his voice. 

"No." 

"No...I'm...I've waited for so many centuries...everyone's souls never ascended the heavens above as you left a curse along with your death....the people who once followed you are the very same black spirits that you see. Now that you're back, we all can finally leave..." The man said as he took out a little gemstone from his pockets to show off. 

Y/n only stared at it in confusion. "What is it?" 

The man smiled widely as he held it out. "It is a gemstone that you had given me. It is the only reason why I could retain my physical body for all these years." 

His gaze once more softened as he expressed his grief for a moment. "The curse...it was no less different from the one that was cast by the gods upon another kingdom. All of their minds corroded as time passed and they lost their physical body only to become those creatures you see today but I hope you could forgive us all and let us ascend the heaves above for once and all..." 

Upon hearing it all, Y/n's heart nearly stopped beating. A curse. Of course, Elina jumped into the pits of hell along with Hayi, leaving her hatred towards the people in the form of a curse. A curse that was so similar to the one cast by the Gods upon Khaenri'ah.

Just who was Elina? How was she capable of leaving such a curse? Could it have been the abyss's influence that caused the curse? 

Moreover, how could Y/n free all of them from the curse? Was it even possible? To say it wasn't Y/n's problem would be a lie now if the Queen, Elina and Y/n were the same people. It equally meant, she was responsible for what had happened. 

If she could free everyone's souls just like Azro said, would the problem be solved? Will she be able to present a proper thesis as well as reduce the threats similar to the ones she and Alhaitham had went through?

Alhaitham...He wasn't around. A sudden shiver went through her back as she couldn't find the ashen-haired man in the surrounding. She should probably go look for him but right now, she wished to know one answer. 

"How do I liberate all of you from the curse that Elina had placed?" 

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END 

a/n : two more chapters to go woo!! Hope you liked the chapter!