Chapter 39: The Day That Vanished
The stars hung low and solemn over Oki's forest palace as Prince Kimo sat by the glowing lake, his mind a storm of questions.
"Oki," he said softly, not turning to her, "why is it that I can remember everything… every moment from my childhood—even when I was just four or five… but I can't remember the day she disappeared? I was ten. I was there. Why can't I remember?"
Oki knelt beside him, her eyes full of quiet compassion. "Because, my prince… your mother wiped it."
Kimo stiffened. "She what?"
"She sealed that memory away," Oki continued gently. "To protect you from unbearable pain. She didn't want the horror of that moment—the fear, the heartbreak, the betrayal—to haunt you forever. She gave you a chance to grow without that wound bleeding inside you."
Kimo's hands trembled slightly in his lap. "So she… she was thinking of me, even in her last moments?"
"Always," Oki whispered. "Your mother loved you more than her own life. She knew what was coming. She chose to vanish from your world so that you could keep living."
He clenched his fists. "Then why did my father change after that? Why did he become so cold?"
Oki looked into his eyes, her voice low. "Because he was broken… but also confused. He loved your mother, deeply. But he thought she betrayed him—that she chose someone or something else over your family. He didn't understand what truly happened."
She hesitated, then continued, "And in his grief… he tried to protect you in the only way he knew. He believed that if he hardened your heart, made you rely on no one—especially not women—you wouldn't fall into the same pain he did. He thought strength meant distance. Coldness."
Kimo's jaw tensed. "He thought love was weakness."
Oki nodded. "Yes. But he was wrong."
At that, a gust of wind blew through the forest.
The lake's surface dimmed.
Oki stood and extended her hand. "Come. It's time."
With one final glance at the lake, Kimo rose and took her hand. In a shimmer of light, they vanished from the forest palace.
They reappeared at the palace gates just before dawn.
Inside the grand halls, the king sat alone on his throne, surrounded by silence and guilt. The memories of the recent battle, his son's transformation, and the warning from Elira's spirit left him hollow.
When he saw Kimo enter the throne room, his voice cracked. "Kimo…"
Kimo looked at him—his father, the man who once only ruled from shadows of authority, now stripped bare in guilt and yearning.
"I thought you hated me," the king said. "But the truth is… I never stopped loving your mother. I just thought… she chose another life. I thought you would hate me less if I taught you to live without love."
Kimo's voice was low but firm. "You were wrong."
"I know." The king's eyes filled with tears. "But I want to make things right. I don't know how… but I want to try."
Oki stepped back, letting father and son stand face to face.
Kimo's expression softened slightly. "Then start by telling me the truth. About her. About what really happened."
The king bowed his head. "I will."
The morning sun began to rise through the stained glass, painting them in light. A moment of reconciliation. A beginning of something new.
But beyond the palace walls, shadows still lingered.
And far off in the queen's chamber, her mirror trembled—cracked by the power of Elira's warning.