The dark sky rumbles full growls outside a broken window, and leash out rounds of lightning in successive snaps. This is, while thousands of men rushing, in great turmoil, pass the huge hall. Though clad in massive metal armor and equipped with swords and spears — sparkling, sharp blades, no one could hold their shivers and fears.

Down a slim corner watches a little girl, trembling on every thunder like thuds of thousands of feet passing. Silently, she’s praying for the welfare of her people, especially the safety of her family. That’s the only thing she could do with her tiny hands and flimsy body.

“Princess! Why are you still here?!” asked a nervous lady in uniform. The little girl lifted her head up, shaking helplessly.

“I-I… I can’t move…”

Without wasting a second, the lady held the poor princess up in her arms. She runs ceaselessly with other maids of the palace. They head up to the exit, prepared for such an emergency.

Few yellow lights from torches of hold by some fellow royal maids does not suffice what is needed. Plus the haste and heavy charge of human stride, not only a couple tumbles down the ground.

Standing just before a turn in the hallway, a royal maid--short and round, waved to stop the lady carrying the princess.

“Layla!” She pointed to their left. “Turn there. The princess will be safe that route.”

The lady called Layla creased her forehead. At once, she glanced at her right where all maids streams to before gliding to the older lady. “Why? What about them? And you?”

Hardly visible wrinkles by each sides of her eyes, extending to her temples and other parts of her face, crinkles thicker folds with her distorted smile. “Just save the princess and we’ll be fine.”

The pour of ladies speeding to the right route is still nonstop. For a moment, Layla ponder the situation and upon realizing, her eyes widened a fraction. She couldn’t help her yell. “Are you out of your mind?!”

Deep in her heart, she knows she would do the same if happens. But, with how things suddenly came,  it all still feels like a dream and only her senior’s thought of sacrifice snaps her mind of how much reality what is happening now is.

“I know you understand. Promise me, please…” The older lady's eyes firm, determine for assurance, yet a tinge of plea in her tone.

The task is heavy. Very heavy. But even with this serious load pressed to her shoulders, without a single doubt, Layla nodded. “Yes, of course. I promise. “

The little lady at arms understood nothing from the older two. She just stare at them although she got a feeling something big is about to happen. What can she do anyway…

Layla started running in the direction instructed to her, never letting herself fall in grief for what her beloved senior is going to face. While her thoughts are these, the young princess had her eyes focused on the previous middle-aged woman Layla talked to.

She clearly saw how the said carried a girl, around the princess’ age, strangely wearing a nightgown like hers, and proceeded to the path opposite with them. The girl was crying but for a while; she looks straight at her eyes. It was full of fear yet hope and prayer for everything to be fine, as usual. Only distance separated their sight.

“Layla?”

The lady, out of breath but keeps on running, answered, “Y-yeah?”

“They’ll be okay, right?”

The princess did not know how her question made Layla’s knees weak. The older lady just said, “Absolutely…”

That eased the heart of the princess. Everyone in the palace, all that’s in their land, they are her precious treasures. That’s how she was thinking, that’s how she feels, and it will remain for eternity.

Roars of triumph, pleas of the weak, and agonies for the lost filled the air as they reach the secret gate. Earsplitting clings and clangs of blades quivers the princess’ system but fought it silently. She keeps in mind Layla’s words.

‘They’ll be alright.’

Just as soon as they arrived at the foot of the door, a group of foreign clothed men, around eight, blocks their way. They are multiple times larger than Layla's vile frame. The princess try turning to them, dragging the men's sight to her. For who knows what reason, something sparked in their eyes before moving to Layla. Terror immediately struck Layla yet has to think clearly. She secured the princess won’t be able to turn at the dangerous, mysterious men in front.

“Who are you?” asked Layla with the remaining strength and bravery she has gathered. It is a relief she didn't stutter.

The guy at the center motioned his hand in front. “Hand the princess over…”

His quiet, chilly voice still lingers in Layla's ears after seconds but it didn't move her.

“No.” She firmly said as her pore sharpen. “You have to pass over me first.”

A round of ticklish, titter yanked from beside the muscular man in the middle. Compare to all his company, he's quite thinner. “Ha ha! Silly…" He smirked. The striking scratch across his left cheek down to his jaw then arched in mocking grin. "You know you can't…"

The princess wants to check who's at her back and wants her away, but Layla locked her head down her shoulder.

“I am not. You can’t get our princess. Not while I’m still alive.”

“Really!" He mimicked a surprise face at the turn to his chuckling companies at his back. The man in the middle smirked too. After then, bloody swords swish against scabbards and slashed air when the first twirled head back. "Then you had this coming…”

From the princess’ perspective, all happened fast from that very point. She still could not process the situation when she heard grinds of deadly weapons. The princess knew she limits Layla’s fast sways and shifts, building heavy tension in her heart. From her peripheral vision, blood shed from the guys down the dark grassy ground. Every grunt and howl bothers her to clasp both her ears and clench eyes close.

The chaos filled her every inch with overwhelming bewilderment. In any minute, she knew she will burst out.

Suddenly, the princess felt Layla stopped. Puzzled, the princess argued to lift her head up. However, this time, no one restricted her. Not even when Layla’s one hand remains pressed on her hair. It's as if it has no strength at all.

The princess searched for Layla’s eyes. “Layla?”

The princess was able to caught the horrified look in Layla's hazel iris before she could clear it. The later tearfully transferred her gaze to the little girl and smiles weakly. “Princess…”

The princess' head fogged. She can't properly create a single sentence and only stares at Layla in knotted forehead. From Layla's lips, a drip of blood tugged the shock princess' head down. As if her fright is still not enough, past the maiden flows an abundant, dark liquid of viscosity.

“What —“ her unfinished question as her sight touched the ground where Layla stands. Her quivering hand cups her mouth.

“P-princess…” the lady insisting for full attention. Tears build up the princess’ eyes while she answered by a sob.

Layla looks at her orbs, straight. “Live.”

Upon delivering the word, one slayed her from behind. The princess could not even take a gulp at what she saw and continued to fall with Layla on the bloody grass.

Even in her last minute, Layla put the princess’ safety a priority as she let herself fall on her back, taking both of their weights at her injury. She did not close her eyes to see the little girl for the last time.

“Layla…” the princess trailed off. Though with open eyes, the unseeing lady did not react to her gentle taps. From then on, she knew her friend has already left. Her voice broke. “L-layla…”.

She’s one of her closest, since she was kind and fun to be with. How she roamed around the palace to announce within every corner that she is finally engaged with her beloved boyfriend still looks fresh in the little girl’s memory. How she talked about her excitement for the upcoming new chapter of her life. Even she, the young princess, heard about it. She cannot imagine then that she will stare at the lady’s lifeless body. Her chest tightens.

“Tsk… tsk… tsk… That's what stubbornness gets you.”

The little girl froze. Fresh downpour of skin piercing cold water threatens her veins from delivering blood through out her body. A lone tear again fell to her pale face as another wave of fear trembles her every limbs. From a moment of grief, she stupidly forgot how serious her situation now that she lost her sole protector.

A guy from her back took a long, scandalous gasp. His thick, low voice again vent a heartbroken puff. “Alas! Such a young maiden… What a petty earth asked for her very soon." He paused. "If not for you, princess…"

Her ears rang. He clearly know how to piss her off. He knows she's blaming herself and there he is, feeding her up. She turned at him and his comrades, and yelled through gritting teeth. “No! You all did this! You are evil… Evil!”

“Oh please, princess! Who are you fooling?!"

It stopped her. She creases cloth that's over her knees as her orbs travels around the six men standing not far.

“Aww… A princess… without a kingdom. Very bad." He shook his head. The muscular man looking their leader tacked his long, bath with Layla's fresh blood, sword in it's scabbard. He turned away and started quiet steps.

"Who's taking care of you now?" She shifted back at the lean-muscled man. His nonchalance-- both in voice and physical gesture, irks the princess. "Well, you're a little fortunate… I am taking you with me. Sounds great, doesn't it?"

“Shut up! You're just trying to fool me!”

Again, he scouted a laugh. “Fool you!" All feigned bravado she facade melts as she flinch by him squating to hold her dark-brown orbs. He sends gaze at his upper right. “Look at your palace, princess…”

Even though filled with anger, she absent-mindedly followed and look up at the tall wall.

This side should have been dark since it’s night, yet detailed ornaments are still visible. She knows this is because of the battle inside. She believes there’s even a big fire. That twittered her chest.

“I saw a tearful woman, with icy blue eyes, beg for her husband before  Wynn slash her to pieces by her spouse's sight." Mother! "And it didn't take long before Wynn second the useless one armed king." Father… "The fraud princess by the secret door opposite to here, and the bait royal maids, do you think they survived?”

Her tiny body shudders as soon as each words sink in her mind. Her heart beat fast and loud while dread fills her eyes.

She’s maybe young, but old enough to understand what the stranger told her. Deep down, she believe, yet do not accept.

All the memories in the palace, the ones where she runs through the hallways, the smiles from her people, they all rushed in.

‘He's kidding, for sure.'  She try hushing her ugly feeling, believing later, Layla, or her queen mother herself will wake her from this nightmare.

“Alone. You are all alone.”

Her head bows down while his whispers reaches her. Suddenly, her expressions escaped her face, all the same the sounds around.

Someone from the group of stranger toss a another ridicule to mock her sorrow and pain, supposedly, when at once, a strong quake throws the guys off somewhere meters farther. They were all shocked and afraid when they saw she’s still at her spot.

“We did nothing wrong… Why…? Tell me…” the princess mumbles to herself, her eyes reflecting no emotions.

Skin tearing chills slowly tense up the moonless night, whereas the men look for the lost pieces of their minds from the sudden. They couldn’t believe a six-year-old girl can possess strange domineer and an overwhelming bearing suddenly. She only said those in her tiny voice, but no one can deny the coldness brought by it. Somehow, regrets gradually bloomed in their hearts. They know something is off.

Her stare was blank when she asked again. “How did they even offend you?”

The talkative guy drags his body away by his hands as his throat visibly waves. He shakes, seeing how the princess rises in the air little by little. Harsh circles of the wind made him cover his eyes, but he was sure that the princess was certainly glowing meters above the ground.

Weird rumbling surfaced from under until the ground finally quake continuously. It was so powerful that it immediately cracked the earth to pieces.

One thing is for sure; the nature is empathetic to the princess' rage.

Eyes finally at the men, one stuttered, “M-mo… m-monster!”

Orbs in flashing white light, she stated, “I, the princess of the Hyzia Kingdom, hereby sentence you… You’ll all be buried with this kingdom. No one will ever see you. No. One.”

In a blink of an eye, the entire kingdom crumbled. It looks a if the soil swallowed everything. Just as promised, the eight men were buried and vanished with the kingdom. No debris nor pieces. Just a plain vast of land.

I jerked up my bed. My eyes immediately survey the area and found everyone sleeping soundly on their beds. There is no clock around but glancing outside the window, on the dark scene, I am sure it is still very early to start a new day. Maybe, previous one is not even past yet.

I clenched my eyes and sighed heavily as I go rest my back on the bed again.

Another dream…