Chapter 38: The Reflection of Pain and the Truth in the Waters
The moonlight spilled over the palace rooftop like liquid silver, but Prince Kimo's eyes were fixed elsewhere—on Oki.
"Oki…" he said, voice low and urgent, "I want to see her. Take me to the lake… please. Show me my mother again."
Oki paused. Her eyes searched his, as if trying to measure if he was ready. But his pain was undeniable—etched in the tight lines of his jaw, in the haunted flicker in his icy blue gaze.
Without a word, she took his hand.
They arrived in Oki's hidden palace deep within the enchanted forest, veiled from the world by illusion and guarded by spirits. But to Kimo, it still looked like a quiet grove—until she lifted the veil from his eyes.
The entire place shimmered, golden towers rising among the trees, a palace too beautiful to belong to mortals.
She led him to the lake—still, serene, and glowing under the moon. She knelt by the edge, muttered a quiet incantation, and the water rippled with light.
Kimo watched, breath held, as the lake's reflection shifted.
There, beneath its surface, Queen Elira appeared—bound by dark vines, her once-glorious form dimmed but not broken. She was struggling, fighting, teeth clenched, as a shadowy female figure stepped into view. Her voice was low and cold.
"Choose, Elira. You or your son. One must fall."
Kimo gasped, hands trembling.
Elira's eyes, full of tears but unwavering, locked on her child—his ten-year-old self standing behind her in the memory. "Take me," she said. "Spare him."
"No!" the younger Kimo shouted in the vision.
The shadow figure vanished with Elira's body, but not her spirit.
Kimo sank to his knees. "She… she gave herself for me?"
Oki placed a gentle hand on his shoulder. "Your mother is not weak, Kimo. She is the strongest woman I've ever known. You must believe that. And you must believe in yourself. You are her son."
Kimo looked up at her, tears clinging to his lashes. "Oki… who are you, really? Please. Tell me."
Oki paused, her eyes glowing softly in the moonlight. "That's a long story, my prince." She gave him a faint, teasing smile. "And I don't think you're ready for all of it."
"Then let me be," he said. "I want to know everything. About you. About my mother. About myself."
But before she could answer, a wind carried through the trees. Something dark stirred in the air.
Back in the royal palace, tension was rising. The king stood in the throne room, unusually solemn.
"I want to speak with my son," he told the guards. "No crown. No throne. Just father and son."
Meanwhile, the queen paced her chamber, her nails digging into her palm. "They grow closer," she hissed, watching Oki and Kimo through her mirror. "Too close…"
Her reflection shimmered—and for a moment, Elira's spirit appeared in the mirror, her gaze sharp with warning.
"Enough," Elira's spirit said, voice echoing with power. "You've stolen too much already. You will not take my son."
The queen staggered back, heart pounding. "No… no… not you…"
Elira vanished, but the warning lingered in the air like thunder.
Back at the lake, Oki stood and helped Kimo to his feet.
"You saw her pain," she whispered. "But she still believes in you. And so do I."
Kimo looked at her, his voice raw. "Then I'll be strong for her. And for you."
Their fingers brushed.
And though the truth had only just begun to surface, the bond between them—twisted by fate, fire, and frost—was deepening beyond even Oki's expectations.
To be continued.....