The Emperor's Concubine

B.2 Chapter Sixty-Five

I flinch, opening my eyes.
I look around at the night sky, the bright lights surrounding me.
"The stars seem brighter..." I mutter, looking around.

"It's you?..."

A light child-like voice calls out behind me.
I turn, to see a sphere of light float down to me.

'That's right... These aren't stars... They're souls-'
My thought is quickly cut off as my eyes widen.
The ball of light shifts, quickly taking form of a young girl.
The night sky disappears as a white light surrounds us.
Esmerelda stands in front of me.

"E-Esmerelda?" I whisper.
"Sister..." She whimpers, her eyes tearing up.
"Is this real? Is it truly you?" I ask.
She nods, fiddling her hands.
"Sister... This is the afterlife..." Esmerelda speaks.
"Afterlife?"
She nods.
"Sister... I-I'm sorry... It wasn't me who caused you pain, but I know you hate me-"
I tightly hug her, holding back my tears.
"I don't hate you! I could never hate you! I know it wasn't you, so don't apologize! What happened to you?" I pull away, wiping her tears.
"Sister... Knights came to our castle and so brother and I ran... We ran and lived in a cabin, but brother didn't think it was safe... We moved locations until coming across a lady... The lady promised to help us... But only in exchange for me. I wanted to run, but brother wouldn't let me. She said she would help him, so he agreed... It hurt... She... She hurt me..." Esmerelda sobs, clinging to me tightly.
"He gave you to her?" I ask.
She nods.
"She kept my soul... I was trapped with others. But a light came through and we were freed." Esmerelda sobs.

"Thank you."

Whispers echo through the white scenery.
I watch as balls of light fly around us, one of the lights freezing, taking on the shape of a man.
My eyes widen as I look at him.
"K-Kerin?" I call out.
"Lady Luna..." He speaks, "Thank you..."
"W-What? But how?"
"I-I was under her control... I thought killing myself would free me, but she already had a tight grip on my soul... I'm sorry, Lady Luna... I never wanted to cause any harm."
"It wasn't your fault-"
"I-I'm sorry... What were we talking about?" Kerin gives a confused expression, his form slowly becoming less opaque.
"Kerin?" I whisper, taken aback by his confusion.
"Kerin? Who's that?" He asks dubiously.
"Sister... His time is up." Esmerelda speaks up.
Kerin smiles, innocently staring back at us.
His form disappears as he fades into the air.
The lights around us begin to fade too.
"What happened?" I ask.
"He's dying... When you die, you forget your memories... Sol told me I would forget too, but it won't be scary."
"You're dying?... You're not dead yet?"
"My body is, my soul isn't."
I think to myself, looking back at her.
My eyes widen as her form begins to fade too.
"I guess it's my time too..."
"Esmerelda... You didn't even have a long life... Will you be reborn?"
"That's not up to me to decide... My memories are already fading though..."
Her body begins to float, just almost out of my reach.
I grab her hands, trying to stop her.
"Wait! Y-You can't just die!" I exclaim.
"Sol said that soul's are reborn or brought to rest... It's my time to go, sister... I wish I could have stayed longer, but it wasn't meant to be-"
"No..." I whisper, shaking my head, "You never had a good life... You had a short life that was taken away from you too soon..."
I stare at her small frail hands in mine.
"Please... Let this child be reborn... Let this child have a longer life... Please!" I beg, my tears dripping down my cheeks.
"Thank you..." Esmerelda sweetly smiles, her body disappearing.
Her hand slips through mine as she's quickly taken away.

The scenery changes, becoming black with the scene of souls in the distant.
I aimlessly float, my chest pained.
"What happens to me now?"
I close my eyes, my body feeling weightless.
"Am I dead too?" I whisper.
My mind blanks, memories of how I got here almost impossible to remember.
"Why did I die?..." I stare at my hand, confused by my physical state.
My body gradually becoming transparent, my mind grows numbed and light.