Daughter of the empire

Miri's POV

"Miri! MIRI!!"

I hear someone yelling my name, but I feel way too sleepy to actually focus on whose voice it is. Well, I've never been a morning person, and I made the painstaking decision of not starting now, so I snuggle deeper into my very cozy blanket only to feel it pulled right off me.

My eyes widened.

"Well, now I'm awake, all than-"

I swallow the rest of whatever I was about to say as I see that it's my mother. But I stopped too late; she had already understood my earlier discontinued statement and flicked my head.

"Come downstairs, you lazy creature. Don't tell me you forgot what today was, right?"

I hear my elder brother, Torven, snicker from the door, already able to tell from my facial expression that I had indeed forgotten. My mom just sighs and, with a shake of her head, repeats her earlier command:

"Come downstairs."

Then she walks away.

I quickly gather myself and head downstairs.

My father, Jack Morvain, sat at the single armrest chair in the living room, arms crossed but with the same gentle gaze he always has on his face, making him look younger than I can actually give him credit for.

My mom, Lisa Morvain, sat opposite him in the matching chair, with a sweet smile plastered on her face. The earlier scowl from trying to wake me had already vanished, which made me smile in return.

And then lastly, I see my brother Torven laying lazily on the couch, ever the jerk he is. But me, staying true to the role of his beloved sister, decided to be a bit troublesome, so I sat beside him and rested part of my body on his thigh.

At first, in a moment of insanity, he gently strokes my head before his brain seems to reboot and then he flicks my forehead.

I yelled indignantly, "What was that for?"

He has the actual audacity to shrug... and even stifle a laugh. Well, so did my parents but that is beside the point.

Since I can't really do anything to them, I put all my focus on the one person I can do something to.

While acting innocently, I adjust myself on his thigh and pretend I'm about to get up, all while supporting myself on my elbow placed directly on his thigh. I get a twisted sense of satisfaction as I watch his face contort in pain once my body weight starts to settle in.

But my dad stops me in my tracks by simply clearing his throat.

I instantly stop, feeling wronged that I didn't even get the opportunity to land this small win.

"Sometimes I think I'm not even your daughter and you actually picked me from bushes," I mutter.

The atmosphere instantly becomes weird. Mom lets out a laugh that sounds mechanical... fake, even. But I choose to ignore it.

Once again, Dad clears his throat.

"It has been 24 hours since your 14th birthday. You remember our tradition, right?"

And it instantly clicks.

Every year, a day after my birthday, Dad tells me two stories: the founding of the empires and the story surrounding the loss of the princess.

How could I forget that?

I internally slap myself.

Dad speaks again.

"Usually I tell two stories, but today I shall give you three."

Just when I'm about to speak, he interrupts:

"Do not say anything or ask anything until the end of all three stories. After that, I will answer whatever questions you have."

We all nod in unison, responding to his earlier command. Then he begins:

"I will first tell you how our empire came to be, and of the war that plagued several centuries ago..."

Miri's POV

"Many, many years ago, supernatural creatures said to have descended from heaven themselves landed in this world," my father began. "The four supernatural beings were: a demon king, a supreme dragon, a shadow ruler of the night and darkness, and lastly, a human warrior mage who possessed powerful magic called Myrridan.

"These four creatures divided the lands into four and each founded their own empire. The unenlightened people who once inhabited the land were now given mystical powers and identities in accordance with the empire they belonged to.

"The dragon shared his blood with his people, forming the Dragonian Empire, descendants of the dragon himself. The demon shared their essence, subdividing clans according to various gifted powers leaving only the royal family with the right to wield all three. The Shadow Empire shared their core, adapting quickly to this new structure due to the flexible nature of shadow powers. The human mage spread his magic across his people, and his empire thrived."

He paused briefly, his eyes glinting with intensity.

"But the human mage grew greedy. Wanting more land and power, he attacked the still-developing Demon Empire, the most unstable at the time, as their long assimilation process left them weak and incomplete.

"The humans launched a fierce battle, nearly wiping out the demon race. The Dragonian Empire chose silence. But the Shadow Empire, unable to tolerate the absurdity of the war, stepped in. They turned the tide, saving the Demon Empire.

"Afterward, the human empire was reduced to a realm under the rule of the Shadows. And after much deliberation, they jointly sealed the Myrridan bloodline in humans. But knowing exceptions would always exist, they made a decree: all humans born with Myrridan were to be either killed at birth or forever serve the Shadow Dynasty.

"This was done to prevent rebellion and to maintain the fragile peace we hold onto to this day."

Wow, I thought. No matter how many times I hear this story, it still amazes me. Maybe it's the way my dad tells it or maybe it's just the sheer stupidity of the mage warrior, throwing away his entire dynasty for a mere possibility of gaining more land. Like, did he seriously think no one would intervene? Did he think he could win even if the other three empires joined forces?

I sighed to myself. No need to delve into the thoughts of the long-dead.

Dad's voice pulled me out of my head. "Now, for my second story. This centers on the Shadow Empire and how it affected the human realm."

"For centuries, it has been proven that female royal Shadows are far more powerful than males. But female royals are born only once every several centuries. There have only been ten recorded in all of history the most recent being the lost princess.

"The queen of the Shadow Empire had just delivered the princess safely when a maiden nurse took her to clean her up... and then disappeared. Outside the palace, masked men ambushed and stole the baby.

"By the time they realized something was wrong, the culprits were already far away. The Shadows gave chase, but only one man was captured and he was revealed to be a Dragonian citizen.

"The Shadow Empire was furious. They stormed the Dragonian Empire in a siege, threatening to wipe out their royal family. The current Dragonian king swore innocence, and the princess wasn't found.

"Using the Essence Elixir, an artifact that detects any non-shadow who entered their realm recently, they located two more of the assailants. Upon interrogation, those men confessed: they had acted on personal grudges. The plan had been too risky, so they had thrown the princess at the outpost border... of the human realm."

My father's voice tightened.

"After this, Shadow security grew harsher. Tests to detect Myrridan became more advanced. Every child had to be registered. Orphans were tested, tracked, monitored. The princess had to be found at all costs.

"As reparations, the Dragonian prince was handed over to the Shadow Empire. He remains there to this day, not allowed to return home until the princess is found.

"It has been 14 years. And the unrest of her disappearance has twisted the once noble Shadow Empire into something oppressive and negligent. So, everyone, everywhere waits. Praying."

I didn't have any special feelings about this one. But I do wonder if those Dragonians had known what would happen, would they have still taken her?

Again, Dad's voice pulled me back. His tone was different now. Quieter. Heavier.

"These two stories are ones you're familiar with. But the last... is not. Your mother and I believe it's time you knew."

A chill ran through me. I obeyed his earlier instruction and stayed silent, only nodding slightly.

"This happened 14 years ago. Your mother had just given birth to the most beautiful baby girl. Shiny brown hair. The most entrancing eyes. We fell in love with her the moment we saw her.

"She was born weak... frail. It worried us. But, as the law required, we took her for testing on the second day.

"The results came back. She had no Myrridan.

"The official scanned her name: Miri Morvain. It cleared. We released a breath we didn't know we were holding.

"But... the test had taken a toll on our little girl. She couldn't handle it. She... she died."

I froze.

"We were supposed to report it. But we were overwhelmed with grief. We did nothing.

"We took her body to just outside the outpost border. We refused to bury her in human realm soil. We buried our baby with our own hands.

"And just as we turned to leave... we heard a cry. A baby's cry.

"We followed the sound and found the most beautiful baby girl. A good patch of silver hair. Eyes sparkling black with faint red streaks."

I was shaking.

"We don't know why, but... we took you. We gave you our daughter's name. We told no one.

"Later, we discovered you had Myrridan. But we already loved you. We couldn't lose you. So we planned.

"We built the secret room. We studied forbidden books to learn how to train you. When you were five, we began your training-physical strength and magical control.

"We made you act weak. Forbade you from telling anyone. We used our daughter's identity to protect you. That's why you must always wear your brown contact lenses when you go out."

I couldn't speak. I was stunned. Silent.

Mom reached for me, her eyes wet. "We didn't mean to lie to you, honey. We didn't know how to tell you. But we love you. We love you so much. Please don't ever doubt that our love for you wasn't real."

I looked at Torven. He lowered his head.

That was all the confirmation I needed.

I looked at the people who'd raised me... trembling, afraid, heads bowed. Waiting for me to speak.

I was still in shock. But I knew one thing-they loved me, and I loved them.

Without them, I wouldn't even be alive.

So I took a deep breath and forced my voice to sound as playful as always.

"Wait!!"

Their heads snapped up instantly.

With a giggle, I said,

"So you like, you quite literally took me from the bushes?"

There was a pause. Eyes widened. And then-

Torven burst out laughing.

Then Mom and Dad.

Then me.

We laughed so hard, clutching our stomachs, tears mixing with joy. Torven hugged me first, tightly. Then Mom. Then Dad.

"I love you guys so much," I whispered. "Never doubt that."

We snuggled tighter together.

But then-

The scene morphed before my eyes.

My hands, once holding my family... were now covered in blood.

I looked around frantically at my parents' bloodied bodies on the cold, hard pavement.

I ran to them, shaking them, screaming their names.

"Wake up!"

"Please!"

"Just one more time!"

Another scream tore through the air.

Torven. Bloodied but alive being carried away by masked figures.

I ran. I screamed his name. I reached out, tried to grab his hand.

So close. Just a few more steps.

Then one of the hooded figures turned his head... a full 180 degrees.

Still running. Still holding Torven.

"You can't do anything," he sneered.

"Can't save anyone."

"STOP!!!" I screamed.

His words echoed.

"Weak."

"Pathetic."

"Useless."

With one final, feral scream,

Everything went black.

I'm jerked awake, my heart beating faster than I think a human heart should. My sheets are drenched in cold sweat. I sigh as I make my way to the bathroom, maybe to take a shower and get ready for the day. Ever since that day four years ago, I've been plagued by the same nightmare over and over again.

"Honestly, please, if there's some higher power listening, can you stop allowing my last image of them to be their bloodied and pale faces? Don't you think that's a bit traumatic?" I say to absolutely no one in particular.

I reach the bathroom and look at my reflection. My long silver hair, which usually cascades down my back, is now in knots, and I can already feel the migraine brewing from the untangling process. But somehow, that serves as a small comfort remembering that Alira is going to have it way worse.

I hear the door slightly open, and I watch as a girl with curly red hair, fairly dark skin, and the biggest eye bags walks in.

"Speak of the devil and it shall appear," I say as she walks toward me and punches my shoulder, still half-asleep. She stands beside me in front of the mirror and finally opens her eyes. We both look at each other's reflections, then turn to face one another and burst out in mock laughter.

We laugh so hard we nearly double over. After we finally catch our breath, Alira asks, "If only those boys could see us like this... would they leave us alone forever?"

I snicker. "I doubt it. They might use it as a new line to profess their love: 'Even when you look like a bird's abandoned habitat, I will always love you, Alira.'"

We erupt into another round of laughter, this one taking a bit longer to subside because of how true it is.

Alira is my best friend actually, more of a sister. After the incident four years ago, she became something of a rock for me, as I did for her. Our relationship wasn't always like this. At first, we hated each other. Couldn't stand each other. But now, we're inseparable.

After the incident that took both of our families, we were sent to a group home with ten other girls who were all deemed "safe." When we arrived, I was moody, snapping at everyone and being difficult. Alira, on the other hand, always smiled. Acted well-behaved and tried to comfort the others. But she stayed away from me, which I preferred.

Then one day, we found ourselves alone in a secluded alleyway. Something about her smile reminded me of something my mom used to say: "The saddest people smile the brightest." And I couldn't help but ask:

"Why do you always put on a mask? Smile when your eyes show you're dying inside? Act kind when I see the killing intent in your eyes? What do you gain from pretending you're some perfect little princess who didn't become an unwanted orphan just like me just like the rest of us?!"

Before I knew it, she lunged at me. And while dodging her attacks, I noticed something: she had experience. Real experience. Not martial arts, street fighting. As if she learned it not by choice, but by habit.

She grabbed a random object off the ground and went at me with great speed and precision, always aiming for vital organs and weak spots. I dodged, fought back hard, and by the end of it, we were both bruised and injured, lying exhausted on the ground side by side, staring up at the sky.

And then she spoke.

"I wanted them to die. I had prayed several times for that day. And I was so happy when I saw their lifeless bodies. They were never good people, much less good parents. Putting on a mask is the only way I could survive in this unfair world. I even taught myself how to fight."

I offered her no sympathy. Instead, I said, "Teach me how to street fight, and I'll teach you martial arts. With me, no masks. The real you is more my style anyway."

Then I winked. Since then, we've been inseparable.

Alira's voice pulls me out of my reminiscing.

"Hey girl, are you even listening to me? I said "help me with my hair and I'll help you do yours."

"Deal!" I yell almost instantly as she gets to work.

I glance once more at our reflections. Objectively speaking, we're extremely good-looking girls. Me with long silver hair that shines in the sun, fair skin, long legs, and just the right amount of curves. Alira with her fiery red curls, tan skin that complements her hair beautifully, and a strong, striking presence.

I'm about 6 '1, and Alira's 5' 9 just the perfect balance of attractive and intimidating, drawing in admirers from both genders.

Luckily, humans attend their own school, while the other empires share a joint academy. At school, I play the meek, shy introvert, and Alira plays the athletic extrovert the perfect, protective best friend. Our masks allow us to live relatively peaceful lives.

"Miri, I do not care what you're thinking about, but I am a living being who feels pain, so can you try to be gentle?"

I laugh loudly in response before giving a reassuring nod. We both finish getting ready and then head out for school. We greet a few younger kids who are already awake before making our final exit for the morning.

Our residential school is quite close to the group home, so we walk together laughing and discussing any and every random topic.

By the time we reach the school gate, we can already sense that something is happening. Something big. Everyone's talking excitedly. The whole school is buzzing.

Alira, always the extrovert, asks a nearby boy what's going on.

"What? Alira, didn't you hear? The Shadow Empire is holding a coliseum event in two days! All the royalty from all three empires will attend and this time, we humans are allowed to come too! They even said that day will mark the 19-year wait... because the lost princess will finally be revealed! Everyone's excited, planning what to wear and everything!"

He practically bounces as he runs off, leaving Alira turning to me.

"Do you think everything will be okay?"

I answer truthfully. "I have no idea... but I do have a bad feeling about this."

Alira stares at me and whispers, "You can control yourself well, right?"

I know where her concern stems from. After all, she's the only one who knows I can use Myrridan. Of course she's worried.

I reassure her, "Yeah. But if it makes you feel better, I'll keep practicing."

I give her a slight smile. She nods and taps my back reassuringly just as the bell rings, and we head off to our first class.