I hate people.

That's what I told myself over and over again.

People are horrible. They're lazy, unreliable, stupid and careless.

Throughout history, they've done so many bad things that they make the few good things just fade away.

I hate people. I hate working with people. I always work alone.

In school, I was always the outsider because of this. Nobody has ever really liked me.

The feeling was mutual.

When high school began, I didn't even try to socialize. I just wanted it to be over quickly, so that I could find a job I can work alone and live the rest of my life alone.

I hate people.

Oh, and who am I? It's a good thing you asked, fellow reader, as I almost forgot to introduce myself!

My name is Jake. I just turned 18 this month.

But the story I'm about to tell you happened some time ago. Two years ago, actually, not long after I turned 16.

It's the most phenomenal thing that's ever happened to me, and I remember it, clear as day.

I just had a particularly bad argument with my parents. Although it was late at night, I felt like I was going to explode and say things that I would later regret.

I grabbed my keys and unlocked the door, then started walking around.

I remember it was cold, and in my rage I forgot to pick my jacket up.

My blood was still boiling by the time I went outside, so I felt particularly cold.

It should have been February or early March.

I walked around the streets, looking at my phone from time to time to keep an eye on the time.

Eventually, I reached one of my favorite spots in the city – a bridge built over a river-like canal.

I remember the water was quite wild that day. I leaned against the bridge and observed it.

'Beautiful night, eh?' I heard a man's voice.

I didn't really expect anyone to be here, so I jumped and looked at him.

'I'm sorry, did I scare ya?' he asked and grinned.

I ignored him. He seemed like a shady fellow, the type that should normally be avoided.

I expected my ignorance to make him go away, but he was still standing there, watching me.

I turned around.

'Excuse me, do you need something?'

'Oh, just the usual – cash, phone, MP3 player…'

That was when I noticed the knife in his hand pointing at me.

'Great…'

'Come on, I don't have all night'

I looked at him. Like hell I was gonna give him my belongings!

I put my hand in my pocket, pretending to look for something, then I quickly kicked him in the groin.

To be honest, I'm not the best hand to hand combatant out there, but I can definitely stand my own in a one on one fight.

The man grabbed his stomach and was about to fall to the ground.

Most people would run off after that.

Most people care about their lives and have little pride.

I punched him once in the face and attempted to take the knife out of his hand. But it was hard.

The guy's skull was so thick that after hitting him, my hand started bleeding.

Despite the pain and the numbness I felt, the adrenaline was kicking in and I was desperately trying to snatch that knife out.

But I underestimated him.

The guy was shady. He was working as a mugger for a long time.

And the coat prevented me from seeing his massive muscle mass.

Without much effort he made me trip and threw me across.

I didn't even realize what had happened when I sensed that I was falling down.

I literally couldn't think about anything. I was just observing his smile slowly getting away from me.

And then, darkness.

'WARGH!'

I woke up to the smell of freshly baked cookies.

I looked around. I was topless and in a bed, and around me were a few nicely painted walls.

In the other room I could clearly hear a girl humming a beautiful melody.

To be honest, at first I thought I had died and I went to Heaven or something like that.

Then the headache hit, followed by a sharp pain in my ribs.

I'm normally quite resistant to pain, but this caught me off-guard, and I let out a short scream.

Suddenly, the humming stopped, and I could hear footsteps approaching.

A young girl, about my age, with slender figure, a very pretty face and the most beautiful long and green hair was standing near the door of the room.

'Ah, so you're finally awake! You're very lucky to be alive, you know!' she laughed.

That's when I fully realized that whatever this place was, it was not Heaven.

'Urgh… where am I?'

'Oh' she smiled once more. 'This here is my house!'

I looked down at my body once again, and I noticed something I missed the first time.

It was bandaged.

Across my chest, abdomen, upper left arm and right wrist, laid clean, white bandages.

I couldn't really see my legs because of the sheet that covered them, but I guessed they were in similar condition.

'What happened?'

'A friend of mine found you in the river. You were soaked and unconscious, so we brought you here. I bandaged your wounds, but I'm no doctor, so I don't know how I did…' she blushed.

Well, considering the sharp pain in my chest, I'd say some of my ribs are broken, but I guess she really couldn't do anything about that.

My first thought was to just thank her and go to a hospital.

'Well… thanks a lot for this. You saved my life'

'No, I didn't. You really need to thank Haku when she visits'

I wondered. Haku?

'Oh, I'm Miku, by the way' the girl introduced herself.

What was up with these names? Did the canal waters bring me to Japan or something?

'Jake' I said my name. 'By the way, how long was I out again?'

'Oh… well, four or five days, I believe… It could be more, I have no idea how long you were floating in the river'

FOUR OR FIVE DAYS?

'Ugh…' the sharp pain started again as I tried to get up.

'Don't! You're not completely healed yet! You must not get up for at least another few days!'

'Agh… Hey, listen, Miku, I'm very grateful that you healed me…'

…though I didn't remember to ask why she didn't just call an ambulance instead of nursing me to health…

'…but I really need to go home now. My parents are probably crazy with worry right now. Do you mind lending me your cell phone? I'm gonna call them to pick me up'

'Cell… phone? What do you mean?' she asked.

'Huh? You don't know what a cell phone is? A mobile phone, a GSM!'

She looked even more confused than before.

'Alright, just give me whatever phone you have!'

'Phone? What's that?'

I sighed.

'Listen, I'm in no mood for jokes! I'm tired, I'm wasted and I wanna go home! Just give me something to call my parents!'

The girl looked at the ground.

'I'm sorry… I really don't know what you're talking about…' she suddenly looked up. 'But if you know where your parents live, I'll go to them and tell them to pick you up! Or you can write them a letter!'

A letter? Really?

'Listen, I… I just need some fresh air, alright? Can you show me where the… argh!'

The sharp pain started once again after I got up. She ran over to me and helped me up.

'S-sure! Let's go outside for a while! I'll help you out!'

'Thanks'

Miku helped me and soon, I reached the front door, which looked nothing like any front door I had ever seen. It was wooden and it appeared to have been made by hand.

But the real shock to me was when I stepped foot outside.

'AAAAAAARGH!' I screamed and fell on the ground. 'WHAT… WHAT THE HELL IS THIS?'

Miku also jumped.

'What's wrong?'

I barely got up and looked again.

People. Dozens of people dressed in medieval clothing.

No roads, no cars, just houses and shops, all done in the same medieval style.

As if I was transported in a friggin fairy tale.

'Wha… what treachery is this? How's that even possible?'

Miku kneeled down next to me.

'Jake, relax! You're in shock! It must be the fever…'

'No, I… where are all the cars, and the roads, and the skyscrapers, and…'

'What are you talking about? The roads are outside of the kingdom, and the cars are right there.

She pointed at an old-fashion car with a horse attached to it.

'This… this can't be happening. Did I… Did I…'

Did I travel back in time?

'I… I need a moment to completely comprehend this'

'Sure' she smiled. 'I'll go and check on the cookies'

About ten minutes later, I had finally completely accepted what had happened.

Though that didn't mean I understood it.

Miku came back, bringing a big plate with hot cookies.

'Here!' she invited me. I picked one up and took a bite.

'Hey, that's not bad at all!' I say and quickly devour the entire cookie.

Miku blushed.

'He-he… you're just saying that cuz you're hungry'

'No, I'm serious. Can I get another?'

'They're all for you!' she smiled. 'Just leave a few for Haku when she comes over, OK?'

I smiled widely and ate another cookie.

'Thanks a lot'

'So… I hope you don't mind me asking, but what was up with that act earlier?'

'Well…' I sighed deeply. 'I hope you won't think I'm crazy, but… I'm not from here. I mean, not from this time and place. I think I went back to the past…'

…but not to play some crappy games that suck ass, that was for sure.

'So, you say you came from the future?'

'I'm not sure. Maybe it's just a different dimension altogether, but… I'm quite sure I'm not from here. When I landed in the river, I think I traveled here! I was sent here!'

'I… see… So now you wanna go back, right?'

'Guess so'

She smiled widely.

'Alright! I'll help you with this, and I'm sure Haku won't mind as well!'

Wait, what?

'Wait, so you don't think I'm crazy?'

'You don't look very crazy to me. And I thought that your clothes were weird when I first saw them. Now it all makes sense'

'Are you making fun of me?'

'No. Why should I?'

Something hinted me that Miku was actually believing me here, despite how weird this whole thing was to her.

'Thanks'

'Of course' she smiled. 'Now go back to bed! You need at least a week of rest! And I will personally see it that you don't get up at all!'

'Aaaaaw' I sighed. 'Hey, what if I need to go to the…'

'Go back to bed!' she demanded and laughed. I jokingly looked down and marched back in.

A few hours passed and I woke up from my short nap.

Surprisingly, I fеlt much stronger than before. Guess I really did need the rest.

However, as I felt first-hand, it was still quite painful to get up.

Clenching my teeth, I stepped on the floor and went to the balcony.

There, Miku was sitting on a table with another girl with long, white hair.

Miku immediately noticed me and rushed to me.

'Jake! What are you doing up? You were supposed to be in bed!'

'Yeah, I… I felt better and decided to walk around for a while. Who's this?'

'Oh!' she smiled. 'That's Haku! She's the one that pulled you from the river'

'Nice to meet you' the girl said quietly and smiled a little.

'Uhm, yeah… Thanks for saving me. I hope I didn't cause too much trouble'

'Not at all' another faint smile.

'I told Haku about the… time travel' Miku blushed.

I sighed.

'Well, I know it sounds crazy, but—'

'She believes it'

Huh?

'Wait, she does?'

'Yeah' Miku smiled. 'We're gonna help you!'

I smiled.

'Thank you so much for trusting me!'

'I don't trust you'

'Huh?'

'Don't get a wrong impression, stranger. I do not trust you. But I trust Miku, and if she has a reason to believe you, then so do I'

Yeah, I figured this much out.

'Thanks. I appreciate it'

Miku looked at us both and laughed.

'Alright, alright! So, me and Haku are gonna be asking a few people about this, see what they have to say. In the meantime, Jake, if I see you out of bed one more time, no cookies for a week!'

'Aaaaw….' I said and went back to the bed.

Miku had once again defeated me with the power of her cookies.

A week and a half passed with me under Miku's care.

After that I was almost completely healed, and although I still had an occasional chest pain, I could move around just fine on my own.

I was extremely grateful to Miku for this. It was probably the nicest thing anyone had ever done for me. I wanted to repay her somehow, but she just kept on smiling.

Eventually, I learned that she and Haku were working as maids in the kingdom's castle, which to be honest kind of surprised me.

After the week and a half, I decided to leave Miku's house, as I really felt a burden by that time.

That's when it hit me – I was all alone, in a completely different world, with no contacts, experience or money.

'Well, I think I can help here too' Miku smiled. 'The castle I work at are looking for construction workers. I know that you're not completely healed, but…'

'Miku, I don't know what to say. You save me once again. I really don't know how I'll repay you for everything'

She laughed.

'You don't have to! As long as you're happy, I am too!' the girl smiled.

I remember how confused I was at this answer.

I mean, every single person I had met in my 16 years of life was just an egoistical bastard that cared for themselves.

Miku couldn't be any more different.

Despite having a full-time job, she still cared for me after I fell and did everything she could to make sure I was feeling well. All without requesting for anything in return.

It was… weird, to say the least.

It was then that I decided to repay Miku, no matter what.

The very next day me, Miku and Haku went to the castle.

Needless to say, it was impressive.

It looked more like a mansion than a castle, and I doubted it would survive a battle.

The only thing separating it from the outside world was a relatively high stone wall, but even that could have been overcome by a simple ladder.

I figured that the land I was in was peaceful, so the designers paid a lot more attention to the gardens (which were incredibly beautiful, unlike any garden I've seen in my time) than to the actual defensive purposes of the castle.

When we entered, Haku quickly changed to her maid uniform and started attending to her duties, while me and Miku climbed the stairs.

There weren't that many guards around there keeping post, which again confirmed the castle was more like a residence than an actual fortress.

Soon, me and Miku reached a door that was guarded by 2 soldiers (which was at least twice as many as the other doors). The girl winked to the guards, who in turn smiled and moved away.

Miku knocked on the door twice, then stepped away.

'Who is it?' a beautiful male voice sounded from inside.

'It's me!' the girl laughed.

The door almost immediately opened.

Inside, a tall and handsome young man with blue hair was standing.

'Miku! You're back already?'

'Yeah!'

The man turned his eyes at me.

'So this must be the one you nursed back to health, right?'

'Uh-huh' she nodded. 'Jake, this is the Prince of Marlon!'

'Wait, the prince?'

To be honest, I was quite shocked. I didn't really expect the first person I met there besides Haku and Miku to be the prince of the land.

'Just Kaito, please' he gave me his hand. I shook it.

'Uhm… Jake…'

'So… Kaito, you read my letter till the end, right?' Miku smiled.

'Yeah, I did. And if Jake doesn't mind, I've managed to find a job for him'

'Great! Thank you so much, Your Ma-… Kaito' I smiled back.

'You're welcome. Miku's friends are my friends as well. Make yourself at home'

'Thank you once again!' I thought for a second. 'So what's the job?'

I remember the first thing that went through my head when I first saw that axe stuck in the log.

"Seriously?"

'Our lumberjack escaped with a maid a few days ago, so now the position's open' Kaito explained to me. 'We're expanding the west wing of the castle, but now that we lack material, we can't continue the work. I can offer you food, shelter, as well as a small salary, if you accept the job. What do you say?'

I thought about it for a second.

'Thank you, Kaito. I gladly accept this task!'

I took my jacket off and picked up the axe.

'How much do you need?'

'As much as you can chop. Dinner's at eight!' Kaito said and left me alone with an entire horizontal forest for me to chop into small rectangular pieces.

'Oh well… This wood won't chop itself…' I said and hit the log, splitting it into two.

Three knocks on the door interrupted my short nap.

'Come in' I said and tried to stand up, but the best I could do was to just sit up.

The door opened, revealing Miku. She carried a big tray with food.

'Hey!' she greeted me.

'Hi!'

'You didn't show up for dinner, so I decided to bring you some over here' the girl smiled.

'Yeah, thanks. I'm beat. I can barely even move'

She placed the tray on the floor (as there was no table in my small room) and sat on the bed next to me.

'You're not used to hard work, are you?'

'Far from it. In my time all I did was lie around and play videogames'

'Videogames?'

'Never mind'

The girl thought for a moment, then looked at me.

'Kaito said you did a great job. They're continuing the construction tomorrow thanks to you'

I made an attempt to smile.

'That's good. Argh!'

Suddenly, my chest started to hurt.

I almost forgot how badly injured it was. All that work today could not have been good for it.

'Are you alright?'

'Yeah, I'm okay… just extremely tired'

'Well, I'll leave you alone then'

'Alright. Thanks'

Thanks.

For the last two weeks, I said that word more than I ever had in my entire life.

Not that I was ungrateful. It was just that every single person in that fantasy land was incredibly kind and gentle.

At least, that's the impression I got from the three people I knew.

I was sure that someone, somewhere, was the polar opposite of them. It was just how things worked.

But I sure as hell hoped I wouldn't have to meet them.

The next few days passed by rather quickly, and with nothing special happening during them.

I decided to work there for a while, and after gathering some money, to go away and search for a way to return to my own time.

Soon, the exhausting and hard work didn't really bother me anymore, and the days passed quite nicely.

Occasionally Miku came by to my room and we had a little chat before curfew. I often ran into Haku as well.

Probably the most interesting thing that happened was one afternoon when I was taking a break from chopping wood.

I decided to visit the gardens, as I was quite impressed by them, and I never took my time to look around.

They were made as a big labyrinth, with flowers, trees and grass all over the place.

I was just casually walking around when I saw something… interesting.

It was Miku, in Kaito's arms.

The prince was holding her and kissing her passionately, and she returned it.

Ashamed, I immediately turned my head around and kept on walking as if nothing had happened.

Now that I think about it, I think I did have a little crush on Miku then. But again, who didn't? Even the prince himself couldn't resist her charms.

Even though I felt a little jealous at first, I could only blame myself for having such feelings.

But, as I said, it wasn't anything serious, so I guess I got over it quite quickly.

And maybe a little visit in the evening helped.

As usual, I was resting in my room after dinner, preparing to go asleep.

The door slightly opened, and I assumed that (as always) it was Miku, and smiled in anticipation.

You can understand how surprised I felt when I saw Kaito at the door.

'May I?' he asked.

'Kaito!' I jumped. 'Sure, come on in! What brings you here?'

The man stepped in. I moved, making him some room to sit. He did.

'Well… Today I was at the gardens, and… I just can't shake this feeling that… you saw why I was there…'

He was obviously looking for the right words so that he won't reveal himself to me if I didn't actually see him.

Poor guy. I smiled and decided to just tell him the truth.

'Yeah, I saw you two. I didn't mean to spy, it was just-'

'It's OK' he smiled back. 'In fact, I was kind of hoping you did see us'

'Huh?'

'Well, as you probably figured it out… we keep our relationship a secret'

'Yeah, I figured, but why is that?'

'Because I'm a prince… and as such, I'm supposed to marry a princess. That's what my father wants, anyway. So if I make our relationship public… there may be a lot of trouble between us'

'Hey, Kaito…' I looked at the ground. 'Do you seriously love Miku?'

'Are you kidding? I love her with all my heart. I've loved her since the day I first met her, and I'll love her until the day I die'

'Kaito' I look him in the eye. 'Miku is the nicest person I've ever met in my entire life. If she returns those feelings, then there's absolutely no reason NOT to be together, okay?'

'I'm not sure I understand…'

I cursed my lack of understanding in this stuff.

'It's just that… I think that if you really love her, you should just marry her, despite what everyone says. Not to mention, the entire city loves Miku. I seriously doubt anyone would have an objection if you choose her as your queen'

Kaito reached in his inner pocket and took out an unsealed envelope, then handed it to me.

'And… there's this, too…'

'What's this?'

I opened the letter and read it.

From what I remember, it was a marriage offer from a princess addressed to Kaito.

'Do you know who that is?'

'The princess? No clue'

'This is Princess Rin. They call her the Daughter of Evil'

'Huh…'

'She's torturing her people with taxes and hunger, keeping all of the food in the castle for herself. Rumor has it that once a group of guards decided to kill her in her sleep. When she found out, she… She executed them publicly and threw their bodies into the river for their families to find'

'Oh my God… Please don't tell me you're not marrying her!'

'I… I don't know… If I don't, who knows what kind of evil she'll bring to this land…'

I thought for a few seconds, reading the letter once more.

'Listen, Kaito, I… I don't really understand politics, but I understand people. And if you ask me, yours will be much happier with Miku as their queen than Rin! Do you really want to force this evil on them?'

'I don't know… I still get the feeling that something really bad is gonna happen if I don't marry her'

'I'm not sure if I can give you an adequate advice here. Both options have strengths and weaknesses. So I can only tell you this – listen to your heart, and only your heart'

He thought about it, trying to fully understand what I just told him.

'Yeah… Yeah, I'll do that. Thanks'

'I wasn't much help, but I tried' I laughed.

A few more days passed since then.

Kaito still hadn't made his relationship with Miku public, but he also hadn't accepted princess Rin's proposal, so my guess was he was just looking for the right time to deny her.

Sunday was always Market day in the kingdom of Marlon.

I had already missed two of these, but according to Miku they were a spectacle.

So, that Sunday, the two of us decided to go to the market and see what we could buy.

I had already gathered some money and decided to buy supplies for the trip.

I also decided to buy something for Miku as well, a memento of some sort.

I got a nice, big backpack and some potions to fill it (it WAS a fantasy world after all), as well as a few other necessary things for my journey.

'Hey! Over here!' I heard a male voice.

'Kaito?' Miku jumped and went to him. I followed closely.

'Guess you're wondering what I'm doing here' he said.

'A little bit, yeah' I responded and smiled. 'I didn't know princes needed to go to the market'

'We don't. But it's fun anyways. So, what are you guys doing?'

'Oh, just looking around! Hey, look at that!'

Miku saw a huge stand full with various cloths and materials.

'I'll leave you, boys, here for a second, okay? Feel free to look around without me!'

'Sure!' I waved as Miku went to the stand.

'So… what are we looking for? I'm here, maybe I can make you a gift or something' Kaito told me.

'I'll have to decline your offer, but thanks. I've got just enough money for everything I need. By the way…'

'Yeah?'

'I wanna get Miku something. As a parting gift'

'Parting gift? Are you leaving us, Jake?'

'Yeah. Didn't she tell you?'

'No, she never even mentioned it'

I smiled. So Miku kept my secret even from the person she loved, huh…

What a unique girl.

'Well… I want to travel around. See the world a little. If I can't find what I'm looking for, maybe I'll come back and work for you again'

Kaito laughed.

'Sure. What are you looking for, by the way? Or is it a secret?'

'It's not really a secret, it's just kind of complicated'

'I see. Hey… check this out!'

Kaito stopped at a stand and took a face-sized green mask. He put it on and looked at me.

'How do I look?'

'Surprisingly menacing' I laughed.

'You know… why don't you buy it?'

'Buy it? Why?'

'And you ask' he laughed. 'For Miku, of course!'

I thought for a second.

She did, actually, have green walls in her house. Maybe she could hang it on a wall there. It would fit right in.

'You know, that's actually not a bad idea. I'll take it!'

I handed the merchant a few golden coins and jokingly asked him to wrap it up.

Surprisingly, he did.

I picked it up and put it in my backpack, then started looking around.

Miku was approaching, with a few full bags.

'Hi, boys! What did you get?'

'Oh, hmm… nothing much…' I lied. 'What about you?'

'It's a surprise!' she laughed.

Great…

'I see…'

'Hey, what's up with this guy?' Kaito asked.

I looked in the direction he pointed at.

A man with a hood was slowly approaching a young boy, no more than 14 years old.

He had blonde hair and was dressed poorly, most likely a pauper.

When the hooded man finally approached the boy, he kicked him in the stomach as hard as he could, then grabbed the bag the boy was holding and ran off.

'Hey!' I yelled and ran after him.

Miku immediately kneeled down to the boy and turned him around from his fetus-like pose.

'Are you okay?' she gently asked.

'He's getting away!' Kaito remarked.

'Not if I have anything to say about it! Come on!'

The two of us started running around the market, desperately trying to catch up to the incredibly fast thief.

He was quite agile and was going through the crowds like it was nothing. He even went right past a couple of guards.

But when we tried to pass the guards…

'Prince Kaito! What are you doing here? Who are you chasing?'

I looked at Kaito.

We both knew there wasn't much time to waste.

'Go! I'll handle this!' he yelled at me, so I ran off, catching just a glimpse of the thief.

Eventually, I started getting tired, but my determination to catch him and help the poor boy was too big to stop me.

I was chasing him for about 15 minutes before I finally cornered him in a dead end.

Now that I look at it, I gotta say…

This was one of the most satisfying moments in my entire life.

Not knowing what to do, the thief was stuck in the corner.

I slowly approached him, a grin on my face.

'The bag. Please'

'Here, take it, man! Geez!' he threw it at me. 'Just don't hurt me!'

I remember feeling quite disappointed with the lack of resistance, so I punched him anyway and made my way back to Miku, Kaito and the boy.

But not before taking a peak inside the bag.

When I reached him, the boy was sitting on a bench. Obviously the thief hit him quite hard.

'My bag! Did you get it?'

I threw it at him.

'Oh, thank you, sir, thank you! You have no idea how important this is!'

'Yeah, I'm sure it is'

'Kind sir, how can I ever repay you?'

'By not calling me "sir". I'm Jake' I introduced myself and gave my hand.

'My name is Len. I'm a messenger. I came here on a job, but I kinda… got lost…'

'Oh, that's so bad! Kaito, do you think he can stay in the residence for a few days? Just until he completes his assignment?'

'Fine by me' the prince smiled.

'Thank you! You're too kind to me!'

'It's OK! I'm glad you're alright!' Miku laughed. The boy blushed.

'Who is it?' Len asked.

'It's me'

'Jake? Come in!'

I pushed the door open.

'What brings you here?'

'Well… seeing as we'll be sharing a home for the next couple of days, I decided we need to get to know each other better'

'Yeah… I guess so' he smiled.

'So… what is this assignment you're on?'

'Oh! I have to take a message from someone and bring it back to my kingdom!'

'Uh-huh… And can you please explain to me why a messenger carries a bag of gold bigger than the prince's?'

Len remained silent.

'So you looked inside'

'Yeah, I looked inside'

I came close to his face to intimidate him.

'Len… Who are you?'

'I…' he looked around. It was obvious he didn't know what to say.

'Go on'

'I… I really am who I claim to be! I'm Len! I'm a servant, a messenger! I just… work for someone very rich, alright?'

He looked me in the eye.

He was telling the truth.

'I see… Well, that's what I wanted to know' I said and prepared to leave.

'Hey, wait!'

'Yeah?'

'I have a few questions for you'

'Sure, shoot'

'Shoot?'

I sighed.

'Ask them'

'Well… it's about the girl that helped me…' he blushed.

'Yeah?'

'What's her name'

'She didn't tell you? Her name's Miku'

'Miku… such a beautiful name…' he blushed even more, if that was even possible.

I sighed.

'Forget it, hotshot. She's already with someone'

'She… She is? Argh, uhm… Not that I intended to… You know, I… I was just-'

'Save it, Len. Half of the city has a crush on Miku. You're not any special'

'Oh… Yeah… Sorry…'

'Don't apologize' I pat him on the back.

'And what about you, Jake? Do you have a crush on Miku?'

'Well… maybe once, yeah. But now I know she's got someone a lot better than I can ever be'

'I see… Who is he? The blue-haired man?'

I kept silence for a few seconds.

'Yeah'

'I see…'

I put my hand across his shoulder.

'Hey, don't get depressed now, alright? She can still be your friend. And trust me, from what I can see, you do need a friend like her to fix your mood from time to time' I laughed.

He grinned

'Yeah, I guess you're right'

Len remained for a few more days in the castle.

I politely reminded him of his task, but he just refused to answer.

I wasn't really interested, as during this time the two of us had become very good friends and I didn't want him to leave.

One evening I went to his room and revealed my secret to him.

He took it… like anyone else would. But eventually, he started to believe me, as he considered me his friend and saw that there was no reason for me to lie to him.

'Jake… if you ask me, this sounds like magic'

'Magic?'

'Yeah. Don't tell me you don't believe in magic!'

'Well, after what I went through, I'm ready to believe in anything, as long as it'll take me home'

He sighed.

'You really want to go home, huh?'

'It's my goal, yeah. To go back to my parents and my previous lifestyle'

'But why?'

'Huh?'

'I mean… Here, you also have friends. You have Miku and me. You have a job, a good lifestyle… Why would you want to go back to a place where you lack these things?'

'Well…'

I thought for a few seconds.

That was actually a really good question.

'I… I guess I just want to return to what's familiar to me, that's all'

'I see… Well, I think I can help you, if you really want it'

'You can?'

'Yeah. My king gave shelter to a sorceress a few years ago in the castle. She's currently researching all sorts of strange and occult stuff, so maybe she can help you'

I smiled widely.

'Great!'

'When I go back to my kingdom… maybe you'd like to come with me?'

'That'd be awesome! Thanks a lot!'

'He-he… awesome… what a neat-sounding word…'

Then we both laughed.

A week passed since me and Len first met, and it was Market Day again.

So, naturally, me, him, Miku and Kaito went shopping.

Len assured me that we'd be going very soon, so I stocked up on supplies once more.

The strange thing I noticed was that Kaito was particularly nervous, but happy at the same time. At first, I really didn't know what was up with this.

We shopped for about half an hour until we finally reached a small scene in the middle of the market.

Dozens of people were gathered around it and were listening to messages about the kingdom.

Kaito adjusted his beautiful suit, coughed a few times, then whispered in my ear:

'Wish me luck'

'Huh?'

He went to Len and tapped him on the shoulder, then handed him an envelope.

'Len, I'm ready with my response'

'Huh?'

'HUH?'

It was then that I realized what was happening.

Len really was a messenger. And his job was to take a letter from the prince and deliver it somewhere.

However, he wasn't aware that the prince was Kaito.

Kind of strange now that I think about it, but who knows what went through his head.

Len was looking at the envelope, confused and kind of worried, trying to grasp what had happened.

To make it even more clear, Kaito went onto the stage and clapped his hands a few times for attention.

'Hey, look, it's Prince Kaito! The prince has a message for us!' the people were whispering.

'Attention, citizens of Marlon! I have an announcement to make' he pronounced.

Silence.

'I wish to inform you that, as your prince, I chose my wife, and the future queen of this land'

More whispering in the crowd.

'This woman… is called Miku Hatsune'

I grinned from ear to ear once I heard Miku's name, then turned around to look at her.

She couldn't believe what was happening.

Kaito waved at her, giving her a sign to climb up on the stage.

Miku laughed cheerfully (the happiest laugh I had heard from her) and ran to the stage, then jumped into Kaito's arms.

In front of everyone, the two shared a passionate kiss.

The moment of silence was followed by incredibly loud cheering and whistling.

As I had predicted, everyone was happy that Miku, the most beloved person in the city, would become their queen.

I also applauded and yelled as loud as I could.

There was only one person who wasn't happy.

Len was just standing by the side, staring at the envelope he received.

He looked like he was ready to cry.

I went to him.

'Len, are you alright?'

'Huh? Yeah, I'm alright. What a great surprise, right?'

Len tried to smile, but failed.

'Len… what's wrong?'

'Nothing… It's nothing… We're leaving tomorrow'

The next morning I spoke with Miku while Len was making the final arrangements for our travel.

'So… when's the wedding!'

'Oh!' she smiled. 'We haven't really talked about it yet, but... It'll definitely be after you come back! I don't want you to miss it'

I laughed.

'You don't have to do it for me, you know'

'But I do' she smiled. 'I won't be as happy without you! You're my friend, and I want all of my friends to be present when we exchange rings!'

I sighed jokingly, then smiled and hugged her.

'Jake… promise me something' she said while still in my arms.

'Yeah?'

'Promise me that if you find a way to go back to your own time… You'll come and say goodbye first'

I laughed.

'Are you kidding? I wouldn't miss your wedding for the world!'

She looked at me. Her cute eyes were filling up with tears.

'Hey, hey…' I wiped them away. 'I promise. You have my word'

She sobbed, then smiled again.

'Sorry, I'm just not good with saying goodbyes…'

'But there's nothing to be sad about! I'm not leaving forever, just for a month or so. I'll come back in time for the wedding, no matter what!'

'Thanks' she smiled widely. 'I'm so glad I have you as a friend'

'Trust me, I should be the one saying this' I laughed.

'Jake! It's time! Let's go!' I heard Len's voice.

'Coming!' I yelled back, then turned to Miku.

'Well… Goodbye…'

'Goodbye, Jake'

I exhaled, then grabbed my stuff and ran off to the carriage Len had prepared, then got inside.

When it was leaving, I showed up at the back window and waved at Miku. She waved back.

When I could no longer see her, I turned forward and looked through the window.

The next chapter of my life here was about to begin.

We arrived in Lucifenia after a 3-day trip.

Len commanded the servants to carry my luggage to my room, which kind of confused me, as I doubted a simple royal messenger would have such rights.

Then again, I did suspect he was not just a messenger.

This castle was the exact opposite of the Marlon residence.

It was built for war, and even though the defenses were lacking, the offensive capabilities were extraordinary, with catapults and giant crossbows on every wall.

However, even though I never was an expert on castles, I noticed one very fatal flaw – the defenses relied too much on people to do the job.

But then again, maybe every castle did.

Len told me that it was proper to introduce myself to the princess of the castle, as I was going to be living under her roof for a while.

Meanwhile, he'd go and speak with the sorceress and eventually arrange a meeting.

When I asked her why I can't do that myself, he explained to me that she was very secretive, and only trusted him and the princess' late father.

Even though I didn't really want to burden him any more, I did realize there was no other way.

After he explained to me the way towards the throne room, he went towards the basement, while I was left alone to express my gratitude towards the princess.

After a while I managed to find the room and spoke with the guards about my intentions.

They moved away and opened the door.

'Princess Rin! This boy is here to see you!'

I shivered. My worst fear had come true.

I remembered Kaito's story about the Daughter of Evil and sighed.

It occurred to me that maybe it was Rin that sent Len to Kaito, but I wasn't sure, and to be honest, I hoped that wasn't the case.

But apparently it was, so now I had to deal with the evil princess.

I stepped inside and started walking towards the throne.

On it was sitting a girl that resembled Len quite a bit. In fact, she could be his twin.

'Princess Rin?' I asked.

'Who are you? Why do you disturb my afternoon nap?'

'I sincerely apologize' I bowed. 'But your servant Len has allowed me to stay in the castle for a while, and I saw fit to come and introduce myself'

I grinned on the inside.

Who'd have guessed that this fine way of speaking I normally used for jokes would actually save my life?

'Is that so? Well, if you truly are Len's friend, then you can stay for as much as you like!' she smiled.

'Yes, tha—'

'But if you're not, then I'm sending you to the guillotine this afternoon! Ha-ha-ha!'

Yikes!

No wonder she got the nickname "Daughter of Evil"!

'That won't be necessary. I'm sure you'll see that—'

'Princess! I'm back!' Len came in just in time.

'LEN!' the girl smiled from ear to ear, jumped down from her throne and jumped into Len's arms.

That actually got me quite confused, but I figured they just loved each other as friends.

They had a little chat about Len's task (obviously ignoring my presence there), until finally Rin asked that fateful question:

'So, Len, what did prince Kaito respond? Did he accept my proposition?'

Len saddened and looked at his feet.

'Yeah… about that… Princess, I am so sorry! I lost the letter on the way back! Please, punish me as you see fit!'

Len fell on his knees as Rin was staring at him, confused. But finally, she smiled.

'Well, it's OK. He probably said yes anyway'

She called a few of her servants and told them to immediately start preparations for the grand wedding, which actually made me giggle a little on the inside.

Yeah, I have an odd sense of humor… But still, this Rin was like a stereotypical villain, so I thought she deserved this.

'Oh, and Len' she turned to him again. 'What about this vermin? He claims to be your friend'

'Oh, sorry, I forgot to introduce him. Princess, this is Jake'

She smiled in that charming way again and looked at me.

'Nice to meet you! I'm Rin!'

"Uhm… Need I remind you that you just called me a "vermin" and threatened to execute me a few minutes ago?" passed through my mind, but I was too intelligent to say it out loud.

'Yeah… same…'

'So, Jake… I spoke with the sorceress, and she is interested to see you, but she demands it immediately'

'No problem! Princess, if you'll excuse me…' I bowed and followed Len out of the room.

The two of us started going downstairs, to the basement where this supposed sorceress lived.

'Jake, be careful… She's been here for five years now and she's only spoken with me and the King, so she's a little… eccentric'

'Oh, I think I can handle it' I grinned.

Soon, we reached a relatively big wooden door. Len knocked a few times on it, then opened it and made me a gesture to go in, so I did.

The first thing I saw there was books. And the second as well. Just like the third and fourth one.

The entire basement was filled with all sorts of books. There were probably thousands of them lying around.

Then, I saw the sorceress.

She was a tall woman with pink hair, around 20 years old.

'Welcome, Jake. My name is Luka' she introduced herself to me.

'Uhm… Hi'

'Len told me a lot about you when he came to visit earlier'

'So? Do you believe me?'

She grinned.

'I am a sorceress. I believe many things. However… are you sure you really are from the future? What if you're just some lunatic that started to believe it after falling into the river? What if you lost your memory and replaced it with some fairy tale about the future? What if…'

'Luka… I didn't tell Len anything about a river' I smiled.

She smiled back.

'Good, good…Well, I have good news and bad news for you'

'Start with the bad news'

'We'll get to them. The good news is that you're not crazy, and you haven't lost anything when you fell except for a week or so of healing'

'Tell me something I don't know'

'And that's where the bad news come in. I can tell you about what happened to you. The problem is I lack motivation to do so'

'What are you implying?'

She raised one finger in front of my face.

'One year. Work for me here at the library for one year, then I'll tell you anything you want to know!'

I started breathing heavily.

'One… whole year…'

'Yes. Of course, you can always decline my offer and leave through these doors... However, if you do… they will never be opened for you again'

I panicked. I didn't know what I should do. Work for a year in some basement or never return to my own time? What kind of choice was this?

'One… year… NO FRIGGIN' WAY!'

'Huh?'

'YOU THINK YOU CAN BLACKMAIL ME INTO WORKING FOR YOU FOR A WHOLE YEAR? SCREW THAT!' I started yelling at the top of my lungs.

'…'

'WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS TO ME? IT DOESN'T COST YOU ANYTHING TO HELP ME!'

'…'

I raised my finger in front of her face.

'One month. That's as much time as I can spend here, and not even an hour more!'

She looked at me coldly for a few seconds, then burst into laughter.

I remember that agitated me a lot, as my blood was boiling.

'Good, good, Jakey-boy! Test passed!'

'Huh? That was a test?'

'Of course it was! I mean, work here for a year, come on! Do I really look like the kind of person who'd want someone around them for a year? I'd have turned you into a frog or something while you were sleeping!'

'Oh…'

'However… These books do need a little re-arrangement… So I expect you to hold your end of the deal. One month! Work for me for one month, and I will tell you everything!'

'That's… not some other trick, right?'

'I swear on my pride as a sorceress'

I wasn't really sure how much pride a sorceress had, but I decided to risk it.

'Alright then. But you have to promise me that you won't turn me into a frog, or a rat, or a bird, or anything else! Ever!'

'Hmm… how about "Only in extreme situations"?'

'Works for now'

'Great!' she smiled. 'Then welcome aboard!'

The month passed quite quickly, actually.

I brought my luggage to the basement and lived with Luka there.

The only problem was that when I was unpacking it, I realized I had forgotten to give the mask to Miku when I left, so I decided to keep it as a wedding gift instead.

Meanwhile, I even made friends (if that was even possible) with Rin, though her attitude really bugged me sometimes.

Still, the main show stealer was Luka. All she did all day was to sit in a corner and read something while I was sorting through her books and writing a huge index in an empty book.

It was hard work, but after playing lumberjack for so long I was used to it.

From time to time she gave me other tasks as well, mainly acting as her communication vessel for the servants.

But probably the most interesting thing that happened to me involved princess Rin herself.

One day, Len decided to take her to the beach and invited me too.

I was kind of curious about what their beach looked like, so I said yes.

When we went there, I remember Len picking up a glass bottle and putting a piece of paper inside. He closed the bottle, then threw it as far as he could.

I remember that left me quite… baffled.

'Len, are you doing this stupid wish thing again?'

He laughed.

'Yeah. Would my princess like to try it?'

'Ha! Such a trivial thing doesn't need me to try!'

He laughed again.

'What about you, Jake? Would you like to try?'

'Uhm… I'm not quite sure what this is in the first place...'

'Well, it's simple. You write your wish on a piece of paper, you put it in a bottle, then throw it in, and it comes true!'

'It really does?'

'Yeah!'

'Well, guess there's no harm in trying it out then'

Len handed me a bottle and a piece of paper.

I wrote my wish quickly with my pen, then put the piece of paper in the bottle and threw it away.

'Wow, it flew so far away!' Rin was amazed.

And I felt kind of proud.

I mean, it's not every day you get praised by the Daughter of Evil.

'What did you wish for?' she smiled and looked at me.

I laughed.

'It won't come true if I say it out loud, right?'

She laughed with me.

My observations on Rin back then were that although she was spoiled and, let's face it, evil, she was still just a 14-year old girl.

She laughed, she smiled, and she had a collection of heart-shaped cards that even Len didn't know about, which I accidentally found while looking for her in her room.

Overall, if she wasn't a princess, she'd probably have been a very cute and caring young girl.

It's amazing what power can do to you.

However, even though I had to act all formal around her, I still considered her a friend, and took it she did too, even though she never admitted it.

But all good things come to an end, and soon, the month I had promised passed.

'Jake! Come over here for a second!'

I got up from my bed and went to Luka.

I had already finished assorting the books a few days ago, so I wondered why she called me.

She smiled gently when she saw me.

'Jake, do you know what day it is?'

'Wait, don't tell me… Did it pass? The month?'

She threw me a book. I caught it with one swift move and opened it.

It was written in some strange language, surprisingly similar to Mandalorian.

In fact, I could even read some of the words, as I'm quite fluent in the language.

It's times like these I'm proud to be a hardcore "Star Wars" geek.

'I spent more than three years analyzing and translating this very book' she explained to me. 'I have no idea where it's from. I've had it since I was a small child. Bought it from a merchant who said it was magical. It's probably what hooked me on becoming a sorceress in the first place'

'Te jag ven cinari te ori'dush...' I read. 'The man who will purge the evil...'

Luka looked at me.

'Oh my God… It really is you…'

'Huh?'

'You… You can read this! I spent three years trying to decipher it, and you can read it!'

I looked at her. That was the first time I ever saw her this happy.

'Don't get so worked up. I can't understand everything. There are some words that I can't read'

'Yeah, it was really a pain to translate everything. In fact, I think I may have mistranslated a few words, but the overall meaning is the same!'

'And what is this meaning?'

'It clearly says "He will come from different lands and different time"

'And what else?'

'There isn't much else'

'Huh?' I looked at the book.

It was quite large.

'The entire book's full of prophecies, but none of them made any sense. "Two brothers will fall from the beaks of two birds", "The world will be destroyed and created by one", "Nothingness is what awaits those who…", and I can't understand the next few words'

'Those sound just as implausible as the one about the man who will purge the evil'

'No, look… Notice anything?'

I looked carefully.

'What am I supposed to notice?'

'Try reading this one, for instance'

I looked at it and read it.

'Ib'tuur jatne tuur… ash'ad kyr'amur' I read the two lines. 'Today is a good day for someone to die. What kind of prophecy is this?'

'Exactly! Now, notice how the lines are spaced. Notice something?'

I looked carefully

'They rhyme…'

'Exactly! Everything in this book is just random nonsense that rhymes! Except—'

'Lemme guess. The man who will purge the evil?'

'Exactly! It makes sense as a prophecy and it does not rhyme at all when read in the language!'

'So you think it's true?'

'It has to be! You're here, right?'

I thought.

Was I really sent there because of some mission? Or a prophecy? To "purge the evil"?

'I… I don't know what to say…'

'You don't have to say anything' Luka smiled. 'When the time is right, you'll know what to do'

'Is this written there as well?'

'No' she laughed.

'So… what do I do now?'

'For starters, I say go tell Len about what you learned here. He may not be able to help, but at least you owe him that'

'Yeah, I agree' I smiled and went to the door. 'Be right back!'

'Waiting!' she smiled as I exit the door.

'Len, you're never gonna…'

I stopped when I saw who was sitting on Len's bed.

'Rin? What are you doing here? I thought you were in the throne room, like usual'

'Oh! I'm waiting for Len!' she looked around. 'I haven't been to this room for a while… More than a month now, actually'

'Oh, I see. Do you know when he's coming back?'

'I expect him any minute now'

She looked around.

'To be honest… I was always attracted to this little room. I don't know why. But it seems so… comfortable' she smiled, then went to the closet and opened it.

'Hey, what are you doing? Aren't those his belongings?' I asked.

'He won't mind. Not to mention, I'm looking for something mine'

'I see… Well, you're the princess after all…'

I just stood by the door, waiting for Len to come.

And, surprisingly, he did.

'Princess!' he yelled. 'What are you doing?'

She ignored him and kept looking through his stuff.

'No, don't look in there!'

Len dropped what he was carrying and tried to stop her. Fruitlessly.

Suddenly, Rin took out a small glass bottle quite similar to the ones we threw while at the beach.

'What's this?' she asked.

'Princess…'

Rin quickly opened the cap and took the piece of paper from inside, then read what was written on the envelope.

'Oh… Just as I thought. I knew you were hiding this letter from me, Len'

'You… You did?'

'Of course. I know everything in this castle. You should know that best of all. Though I can't understand why. Surely prince Kaito has…'

She stopped as she read the first sentences of the letter.

'Wha… What… What is this, Len?' she asked, quite confused.

'This… is the response from prince Kaito, my princess. You can now see why I hid it from you'

Rin was just staring at the letter, shaking. Tears started falling down her eyes.

'I… I imagined our… Our wedding… The… The white dress and the… And the…' she started sobbing.

I gave Len the old "I told you so" look, then went to Rin to comfort her.

'My princess… I deeply apologize for upsetting you' Len said. The girl looked at him.

'Who… Who did my Kaito choose instead?'

I gave Len another look, this time to make him keep quiet.

'It's… not really important'

'Who, Len?'

He sighed.

'A young girl. Green haired one. Very beautiful'

She kept on sobbing. I put my hand on her head and rubbed it to assure her everything's gonna be fine.

Then, she wiped her tears away and stepped on the floor firmly, the sign that she was about to give orders.

Suddenly, a bunch of guards came into the room, including one other person who was nearby I recognized as the minister.

'Minister, prepare the army. We're going to Marlon' she said.

'Excuse me?' the minister asked.

'EXCUSE ME?' I asked.

'Go! This is an order!'

'Right away, my lady!' he left.

I was left speechless.

'Wait… WAIT! Rin, you can't do that!'

She turned to the remaining soldiers and Len.

'Oh, and also…'

She smiled like a tiny devil, then gave out her last order:

'Murder the woman with the green hair'

'WAIT! NOOOOO! MIKU!' I yelled and tried to run off, but was quickly captured by the guards who held me tightly.

'Jake?' Rin asked, confused.

'NO! Please, you can't do that! No! Not her! Don't kill—'

'Take him out'

'Huh? Wa—'

And that's the last thing I heard.

'Aaaauch…' I said when I felt the sharp pain in my skull.

I tried to rubbed it, but couldn't, as I could barely move my hands.

I tried to focus my vision and looked around.

I was chained in a dungeon.

'Urgh… What… Where am I…'

'Quiet, you peasant!'

I remember feeling dizzy and in pain. I couldn't feel the back of my head at all.

'Princess Rin was merciful towards you! She only chose to imprison you here instead of beheading you like a common thug! You should really be grateful!'

Rin…

And that's when I remembered about what happened.

'Argh! Please, you have to let me go! I—'

'Shut it, you dirty rat! I… Hey, what are you doing here?'

The guards left me alone for a while to go and see someone outside.

I desperately tried to find a way to break free of the chains, but failed.

'I'm here to see the prisoner. He's there, isn't he?' I heard a familiar voice.

'Shut it! No one is allowed to enter!'

'Is that so?'

A moment of silence.

'Last chance to let me pass'

'Do you wanna take his place or something? Go away!'

A bright flash followed, and the guards' shadows disappeared.

Instead, a mouse and a frog came back.

'Who's the rat now, huh?' the voice said and came to me.

'Luka! I… urgh…'

'Don't move!' she unlocked my cuffs. I didn't see how. 'You've lost too much blood. I have no idea how you're even conscious.

That's when I felt the back of my head.

It was bleeding.

'Guh… I need some water…' I felt dehydrated.

'There's a fountain just outside of… Hey!'

I ran off as fast as I could (which wasn't very fast considering how dizzy I felt). I went to the fountain and drank some water from it, then cleaned the blood from my head and headed outside.

'Hey, where are you going? You're hurt, you need to rest!'

'Miku… I have to save… Miku…' I said.

Suddenly, I lost my balance and fell on the ground.

Then, I lost consciousness.

I woke up once again, this time in a big wooden box.

Surprisingly, I felt much better.

I got up when I felt I was moving, then I realized I was in a cart.

I looked at the pink-haired driver and asked the obvious question.

'Where am I?'

'Almost to Marlon' Luka turned to me and smiled. 'I healed your wounds, but don't overdo yourself, alright?'

'Ugh… I guess… Wait a minute… Why?'

'Why what?'

'Why are you doing this?'

'Well, you wanted to go to Marlon to save this Miku person, so I…'

'No, I mean… If I remember correctly, you haven't left the castle for 5 years. Why did you do it now?'

She smiled gently.

'Because now I have a reason to'

I smiled back.

'How long to Marlon?'

'A few hours, maybe. If we hurry up, we'll catch the army just as they're attacking'

'A few hours, huh… Wait a minute, how long was I asleep?'

'A little more than a day'

'So you're telling me that you drove all the way from Lucifenia to Marlon without stopping or taking a rest?'

'More or less…'

My eyes opened wide.

'Give me the bridles!' I yelled.

She laughed.

'I'm alright. I'm tougher than I look, you know! I can handle this! It's just a few more hours anyway…'

She yawned.

'But then I'll be sleeping like the dead…'

A few hours later, we reached Marlon.

I started breathing heavily.

The entire city was in flames.

'Oh god… We're late!'

'No, we're right on time! Look, they're still fighting!'

I saw the soldiers fighting inside the city.

'Yeah. Hurry up!'

Luka did so. She accelerated, and after a few minutes dropped me at the city gates.

'That's as far as I can take you! The rest is up to you!'

'Thanks! For everything!'

'You're welcome!' she laughed, then turned the cart around, leaving me in front of the burning city.

I took a deep breath.

'Alright… here goes nothing…'

I entered in and started looking around.

'Ah, please, help me!' a man was yelling besides me. He had a large piece of wood, most likely from a house, crushing his leg. I quickly went to him and released him.

'Thank you, sir, I—'

'Where's the prince?'

'He's still there, sir! In the castle!'

I left him and ran there.

The castle was visible in the distance, and, quite surprisingly, it wasn't on fire… yet.

I started running towards it. I ran for about five or ten minutes, as fast as I could.

Then, I got a hunch. A feeling, out of nowhere.

I turned around and ran the other way, towards Miku's house.

I decided just to check if it's empty before going to the castle.

When I went there, I saw her beautiful, comfortable home on fire.

In front of it, Haku was dragging a man away.

'Haku!' I yelled.

'Jake!' she screamed, tears flowing down her eyes. 'Miku! Miku's still inside!'

I trembled.

My hunch was correct.

I ran and kicked the burning door to open it.

I failed, though I did manage to crack it.

I took a few more steps and ran, this time slamming it with my whole body.

It finally broke down and I started looking around.

'Miku! Mikuuu!' I was yelling desperately.

No response.

At first, I decided she couldn't hear me, so I yelled even louder, hoping to get her attention.

Then, I figured she had fallen unconscious, so I started looking through every room in the house in order to find her.

And I did, in the last room I checked.

'Oh God… Oh God, no… No, no, no…'

I fell on my knees.

Miku was lying there, covered in blood, her eyes closed.

'Miku… Miku… Miku…' I slowly approached her, tears falling down my cheeks.

I looked at her.

Her beautiful wedding dress was red with blood pouring from her abdomen.

And her chest wasn't moving.

'Miku…' I hugged her and started sobbing uncontrollably.

I have never cried so much in my life as in that moment.

I turned around and looked at the person next to me.

'Why?' I asked, still teary-eyed.

The man dropped the knife he was holding.

'I… I…'

'WHY THE HELL DID YOU DO IT, LEN? I THOUGHT SHE WAS YOUR FRIEND! WHY?'

Len was just standing there, silent, covered in Miku's blood.

'ANSWER ME, YOU SCUM!' I gently placed Miku's head down and got up.

'I… I…'

'WHY DID YOU KILL HER?' I screamed and punched him right in the nose. He fell back and on the ground. He didn't even try to get up.

'WHY, LEN? TELL ME WHY? BECAUSE YOUR FRIGGIN' BITCH OF A PRINCESS, IS THAT IT?'

He still kept silent.

So I did too.

I wasn't thinking straight at that moment.

I saw the knife lying down next to me.

I kneeled and picked it up, then started to approach Len.

Nothing passed through my head then, nothing but pain and suffering.

I wanted him to feel it too.

I prepared to strike. He didn't resist.

Then, a piece of the roof fell down next to me.

That didn't bother me very much, but I think it took me out of my trance-like state.

I looked at the knife covered in Miku's blood, then threw it away, disgusted at what I was about to do.

'I pity you, Len' I said to him, then kneeled down next to Miku and took her in my arms.

I carried her out of the burning house.

Haku and Kaito were waiting there.

Probably the hardest thing I've ever done in my life was to look them both in the eye.

Haku started sobbing and fell on the ground, no will for life left in her.

Kaito started shaking, desperately trying to hold his tears in.

'I'm sorry' was the only thing I could say to them.

Miku's funeral took place the next day on a hill close to Marlon.

It was just me, Haku, and Kaito with a few of his still faithful servants who dug the grave.

'I should've been the one to die, not her' Haku said. 'She… She didn't deserve it'

'No, the fault was all mine. If only I had taken up that stupid proposal from that… that daughter of evil…'

I looked down and kept silent.

It was obvious that all of us were blaming ourselves for what happened.

'So, uhm… Does anyone want to say anything?' Kaito said as we all looked at Miku's grave once the diggers were done burying her.

'Miku… was the best person I had ever seen in my life. She was kind, soft, gentle, innocent… I thought people like this existed only in fairy tales. And before I came here, I… I hated people. Thought they were cold and unable to feel true love. Miku changed that in me. I…'

Tears started falling down my eyes as I said this.

'I… I'll miss her. A lot…'

'I… don't think we can add anything' Kaito wiped a tear away.

After the funeral, the three of us sat in the grass on the other side of the hill.

'So, what now?'

'Marlon has been completely destroyed. All of its residents are either dead or in Lucifenia. I… truly have lost everything'

'I… I'm going to go to the monastery at the beach. I grew up close to it, and the nuns know me. Maybe I can work there'

'And… I'm going back to Lucifenia. I'll keep looking for a way to go back to my own time. There's nothing left for me here' I said.

'And I'm coming with you' Kaito stood up.

'Kaito?'

'Princess Rin did this to us! I want vengeance! I'm ready to die for it!'

'Vengeance won't bring Miku back' I said.

'It's better than just… not doing anything'

Haku looked at her feet.

Tears were filling her eyes up.

'Haku?'

'Some time ago, I was completely alone. Everyone thought of me as a freak because of my white hair. I… I considered killing myself. A few times. That's when I met Miku. She fell from a tree, and I helped her. I remember that… even though we didn't really know each other quite well… she hugged me close to her and told me… "You are the best person here". I… I cried so much when she told me that. That's the first time anyone has ever been so gentle to me…'

Haku burst into tears.

'I'm sorry! I'll… I want to go to her! Excuse me!'

She got up and went to Miku's grave again, leaving me and Kaito alone.

'Kaito… You do know that you'll need a lot of forces to kill Rin'

'I know! But I don't care! I'll organize a revolution if I have to!'

I kept silent.

'My father… He didn't really trust the servants in the castle, so we hid all of our money in a well just outside of the city. I'm going to use that to hire a mercenary army from within Lucifenia and take it over'

'And then what?'

He smiled gently.

'Then… I'm going to Miku'

I looked at the ground, then opened my bag and took a package out.

'Here… I want you to have this'

'What's this?'

He opened it.

It was the mask I wanted to give to Miku.

'I think you should have it. If the princess learns that the prince of Marlon is in Lucifenia, she'll send her entire army after you'

'Yeah… you're right… Thanks'

We kept silent for a while.

'And what about you? Don't you want to join me? I saw how you swing that axe, you must be good with a sword too!'

'No, thanks. I… I have another job now. I need to solve a riddle in order to go home'

'A riddle? What is it?'

'Well, it goes something like "The man who will purify the evil will come from a different land". The sorceress I spoke with thinks that's me'

'Maybe that's a sign you should join me?' he laughed sadly.

'I'm not sure. I'll return to the sorceress and see what we can figure out. With a lot of luck I may even be able to go home'

'Well' he tried to smile. 'I guess this is goodbye then'

Kaito gave his hand.

I took it.

'Yeah. Goodbye'

I found Luka's carriage after a few hours of walking towards Lucifenia.

Just as I suspected, she was sleeping soundly in it, and the horses were drinking water from a nearby pond like there was no tomorrow.

Since I wasn't sure I could reach Lucifenia by myself, I decided to wait for a while until Luka woke up and the horses rested.

Since I was quite exhausted myself, I decided to take a nap as well in order to be fresh for the trip.

Unfortunately, I only managed to sleep for a few hours before the sorceress' voice woke me up.

I rubbed my eyes and got up.

'So, how did it go?' she asked me.

'Not good at all. Marlon's completely obliterated, and from what I see Lucifenia's not too far behind'

'But we're going back, right?'

'Of course. Let's just figure out how I can get home already so I can leave'

Luka closed her eyes.

'So there's nothing keeping you here anymore… I see… So be it, then'

After a 2-day trip back to Lucifenia, me and Luka sneaked into the castle and went back to her quarters.

From what I gathered, Len was still at Marlon, seizing what was left of it with the rest of Rin's army.

The princess herself had, apparently, locked herself in her room and only let a servant in from time to time.

My guess was she was fearing an assassination, but I didn't really care.

The fact that I wouldn't have to interact with any of the two for the time I had remaining there was good enough in itself.

For the next few days, all me and Luka did all day was look at that old book over and over again.

We deciphered it again, correcting a few of the errors she'd done in her first translation.

We tried sorting the passages, changing letters, reading it backwards, directly converting into other alphabets, but nothing made any sense.

No matter how we looked at it, the book didn't hold any secrets we hadn't already uncovered.

'What if that's not it at all?' I suggested one day. 'What if we've been on the wrong lead all along?'

'That's completely impossible. How else can you explain your knowledge of the language? And the description fits you, too!'

'The description could really fit anybody in the right context. Think about it! The "Different lands" part doesn't even make any sense. Different to what?'

'To our entire world' she noted.

'How do you know? Maybe it's just a different land from the one the book was written in. Like, if it was written in Lucifenia, it could very well fit someone from Marlon. Same with the time. The book seems quite old. Maybe it was exactly that – a prophecy. The "Different time" means it'd happen in the future'

'But it's really the language that bothers me' Luka looked at me.

'Oh, will you please drop that? It's probably an ancient language similar to the one I know. A lot of languages are similar to each other'

'Yes, but not like this! Most of the languages I've heard or read about sound almost exactly like this one, with the only difference being the dialect. The language in the book is NOTHING like that. If someone who couldn't decipher it looked at it, they'd say it's a bunch of scribbles that don't make any sense. The fact that you can translate so fluently and that the description fits you should mean that—'

*knock* *knock*

Luka turned to the door.

'Should mean that I'm the one prophesized? It could've been anybody!'

The sorceress suddenly got up and headed towards the door, which kind of annoyed me.

I mean, the only person who could be at the door was a servant, and 99% of the time the girl simply ignored them.

This time, I was the one ignored.

The girl quickly opened the door and let the person knocking in.

Then, without saying a word, she just left the room.

I'm not really sure, but I think Luka figured everything out at that exact moment – what the prophecy meant, how I was related to it and how to make it come true.

I guess she wanted me to find out for myself, too.

I quickly got up and looked at the opened door.

The person standing next to it was none other than princess Rin.

But not just any Rin – it was a Rin I had never seen before.

Her face was lacking her usual evil smile and arrogance.

Instead, all it showed was unbelievable grief and misery.

'You…' was the only thing I could say before she started to approach me.

The princess quickly leaned her head on my chest and started to cry.

'I'm sorry… I'm so sorry…' was the only thing she managed to say through her tears.

In that moment, I realized a few things about her.

Or rather, I just reminded myself of them, but in a completely different light.

The main one was that, even though she had all that power, Rin was only a fourteen year old girl.

She reacted like any other fourteen year old girl in her position would react upon being rejected.

However, in her anger, she never really realized what consequences her orders would have.

In reality, she never truly wanted to harm anyone.

But the order was given, and there was nothing the princess could do about it except lock herself in her room and cry.

At that moment, when Rin cried in my arms, she truly seemed like the weakest and most pathetic creature in the world.

But, despite everything, she still did something unforgivable.

I shoved her aside and looked at her coldly.

'Excuses won't fix what you did'

Rin turned her head to the side.

She couldn't bear to look me in the eye.

'I know… But I just… I just wanted to tell someone how sorry I was before I…'

'Before… what?' I asked her.

Finally, she looked at me.

'Len returned a few hours ago. He told me there was a rebellion that's been forming in Lucifenia for quite a while now. They'll attack any minute now. And with my soldiers all at Marlon, there won't be any resistance from the castle. They'll capture it immediately, and then…'

The girl's eyes filled with tears once again, but she wiped them and looked me in the eye.

'Then they'll kill me, and take over my kingdom'

I remember wondering how she could say it so bravely at a time like this.

Later, I realized the reason, too.

She'd already accepted it.

It was like all of those events had already happened for her.

However, back then, all I could do was to keep quiet.

Then, the door opened again.

This time, it was Len.

'Princess!' he looked at her, completely ignoring me.

'Len?' she asked.

'They're attacking! They've already breached the gates! The guards… The guards have all betrayed us! They'll be here anytime now!'

'They attacked already?' the little princess' eyes filled with fear for one brief moment, before returning to their blank stare. 'So be it then. I will go back to my chambers and await for them there'

'Princess…' the boy started to shake. 'Are you really going to just… surrender?'

'I have no choice' she said firmly.

'No way!' the servant shouted. 'I'm not letting them take you! No way!'

'It's over, Len' Rin gave him a faint smile.

'Not if I have to say anything about it' he said and undid his tie, then started to take off the rest of his clothes.

'Wait…' I finally said. 'What exactly are you doing?'

'Princess, let's change clothes!' he looked her in the eye.

'Are you crazy?' I asked him. 'That'd NEVER work!'

'Why not? We're twins, nobody will find out if we switch places'

'Sure they will, mainly because, I don't know, YOU'RE A BOY AND SHE'S A GIRL! A look under your skirt would be all they need to find out they got the wrong person!'

'Really? How so?' he looked at me curiously.

I sighed.

'Never mind. Even if you did change places and, miraculously, no one found out, it'd still only mean you'd die in her place!'

'Yes, that's right' he confirmed.

'LEN!' the princess cried.

'Please, my Princess' he smiled. 'All these years I lived for you, now let me die for you!'

'LEEEEEN!' she hugged him tightly and started to cry on his shoulder.

And I couldn't blame her.

She was faced with a dilemma – die or let the person closest to her die in her place.

It's not an easy choice at all.

And then it hit me.

This was the "Daughter of Evil" we're talking about.

The princess who burdened her people with unbearable taxes and kept all the food for herself.

If anyone was simply told that such a person was given this choice, they'd probably think she gladly accepted Len's offer.

But that wasn't the case.

At this moment, her words from earlier echoed in my mind.

She was ready to die.

She was ready to atone for her sins.

She didn't look for a way out or anything like that.

All she wanted was to apologize to at least one person she caused pain to.

I also remembered my own observations about her.

"Overall, if she wasn't a princess, she'd probably have been a very cute and caring young girl"

And the prophecy suddenly made sense.

'Of course… Of course!' I laughed.

The two looked at me.

'OF COURSE! That's it!'

'Jake?' Len asked me.

'Shut up and put your clothes on before I change my mind'

'What're you talking about?'

'Whatever happens, just know I haven't forgiven you for what you did' I looked at them. 'But I think you deserve a chance'

I quickly went outside.

There, right in front of the door, Luka was waiting for me… with a sword in her hand.

'Need this?' she asked.

I took it from her hands and swung it.

'Perfect foresight, as always. Anyway, you think you can—'

'Sure, I'll take them out through the back door. Remember, the one we used to escape a week ago?'

'Right' I smiled.

She smiled back.

'Hey, Luka' I said before I turned around.

'Yeah?'

'Thanks. For everything'

She closed her eyes and grinned.

'It was an honor'

'Wait! Jake!' Len, who'd suddenly appeared next to me, pulled my clothes. 'What're you doing?'

'Isn't it obvious? I'm saving you both! I'll go and distract the rebels long enough for you to escape!

'Are you crazy? You'll be killed!'

I smiled.

'I'm already dead'

'Huh?'

'You killed me back in Marlon' I smiled sadly.

It was true, in a sense.

Miku and the people around her was the only reason for me to live in this world.

With her gone, my life there became meaningless.

Len started to shake.

'Thank you! From the bottom of my heart, thank you!'

I remember how nervous I was before I encountered the rebels in the castle.

But once I did, it wasn't so hard anymore.

It was like, subconsciously, I was feeling secure with someone I knew, even though that wasn't the case.

After a few minutes of walking, I found myself face to face with Kaito himself.

Or rather face to mask, as he was still wearing the one I gave him.

Behind him were about twenty rebels (I'm guessing everyone else was outside), and, I have to admit, with so many people behind him and that mask on, the normally kind and gentle prince suddenly started to look extremely menacing.

'Jake!' he stopped as he saw me. 'You know why we're here, right?'

'Yeah…' I lifted my sword. 'That's exactly why I'm here, too'

'What the hell are you talking about?' he stepped back.

That's when I realized exposing my intentions from the start wasn't such a good idea considering the fact that I was only buying time.

'You heard me! Princess Rin chose me as her champion. That's why if you want to capture her you'll have to go through me first!'

'What… Jake, what did they do to you? This isn't like you! Come to your senses and let us pass!'

'I'm sorry' I smiled. 'That's not going to happen'

He shook.

'Why?'

'Why?' I repeated.

'You know better than me that this evil has to be destroyed!'

'No! No, it doesn't! It needs to be purged, but not destroyed. Purge the evil, remember?'

'Purge the evil? No way such an evil can ever be purged! Don't tell me you already forgot about Miku!'

'No, I haven't. And that's exactly why I can't let you through. Think about it! You're on this big vengeance crusade for her sake, but… is that what Miku would really want?'

'Huh?'

'Do you really think that the most gentle and caring person in both of our worlds would want you to cause more pain to others to avenge her?'

'The evil must be punished!'

'And so it has been! The castle is yours! But leave her be!'

Kaito sighed.

'You've gone mad, Jake. You know full well there's no way I can do that'

'I know. And that's why I'm prepared to fight'

'Very well then' he turned to his right. 'Meiko, take him out'

I lifted my sword and looked at my opponent.

A young woman dressed in red, with short, brown hair stepped forward.

She quickly removed her cape and took out her sword, then swiftly placed it into position to attack.

I sighed.

'Alright then. Let's roll!'

With this, I immediately lunged at her and tried to strike her with my sword.

However, the woman blocked extremely easy and quickly stroke.

I could only dodge barely.

I wish I could tell you what I was thinking at that moment… but I can't.

Not because I don't want to, or because I'm keeping it a secret, but because I didn't really think about anything.

In that moment, my mind was overtaken by instincts and reflexes. Thoughts had no place there.

During the next two minutes, we dealt each other strikes and dodged those of our opponent.

However, the skill was obvious, as at the end I was hit three times, and she didn't even have a scratch on her.

Maybe it was the loss of blood that dizzied my mind.

Or maybe a small thought had penetrated the wall of instincts and broke my concentration.

I'm not sure exactly what went wrong, but I slipped and couldn't handle my next strike as I wanted to.

Meiko didn't miss the opportunity to dodge and stab me in the chest.

It's a funny feeling, being stabbed.

You'd imagine it would hurt like hell, but actually, you don't feel anything, at least for the first few seconds.

After some research, I think the brain doesn't comprehend the injury immediately, and can actually never fully do.

That's why I was just standing there, motionless, trying to realize why my body won't move an inch.

It was when she took the blade out that I finally felt the pain, which caused me to fall on the ground.

'NO!' I heard Kaito's scream as he rushed towards me.

He grabbed my hand, then looked at Meiko.

'I only told you to take him out, I didn't mean for you to kill him!'

I don't know how to interpret the girl's lack of response, but I'd like to think she felt at least a bit sorry for murdering me.

'Jake… I'm so, so sorry'

I tried to talk, but I only choked.

I wanted to tell him so many things.

I wanted to ask him to leave Rin and Len alone once more.

I wanted to tell him to rule Lucifenia and restore it to its former glory.

I wanted to tell him to rebuild Marlon and, who knows, maybe the two countries could be merged?

And last, I wanted to tell him to never, ever forget Miku.

Not how she died, but how she lived.

I wanted him to keep her alive in his heart until the day he went to her.

But no words came out of my mouth.

And a few seconds later, I fell asleep.

The next thing I remember was VERY confusing.

Honestly, now that I think about it I wonder how I never went into shock and fell into a coma or something.

I mean, not only was I completely alive and well, but the setting I had spent nearly two months in was now replaced by modern machinery.

And then there was Miku, standing over my bed.

Her hair was a lot shorter and was black instead of green, but that was most definitely her, no doubt about it.

She was humming a beautiful melody while looking through some documents.

I tried to rise, but I couldn't, as the sharp pain suddenly took hold of me.

'Ow' I yelled.

Suddenly, Miku shifted her green eyes at me.

'Oh! You're awake!' she smiled.

'Awake? I wonder how I'm even alive' I said.

'Yeah, it's really a miracle' she laughed. 'After two months, the other doctors had lost hope that you'd ever wake up. But not me! I believed in you!'

'Yeah, thanks for that… Ow, man, that hurts!'

'Sorry. The last surgery was yesterday, so it might hurt a bit. I'll give you some morphine in a minute'

'Yeah' I smiled. 'Thanks, Miku'

'Miku?' she looked at me like she'd just saw a ghost. 'Why'd you call me that?'

'Huh? That's your…'

And that's when I noticed the nameplate on her uniform.

Nurse Michelle.

'Oh…' I closed my eyes, then lied back down.

The realization that the last two months were nothing but a dream suddenly hit me.

'Sorry' I apologized. 'I just thought it fit you'

'Really?' she looked around carefully, as if what she was about to tell me was top secret. 'It's a bit silly, but… Sometimes, that's what people in my dreams call me'

'Your… dreams?' I looked at her.

'Yeah. You're the first person I've ever met to call me Miku, but in my dreams, no one calls me otherwise! Weird, huh?'

'Not really' I smiled.

'Thanks' she smiled back. 'I'll leave you to your rest now. Maybe we can speak again later?'

'Sure' I nodded.

The girl turned around, then headed towards the exit.

'Nurse Michelle' I asked her.

'Yes?' she looked at me.

'Did I ever appear in your dreams?'

Michelle didn't respond.

She only smiled widely, then turned around and left the room, leaving me all by myself.

That's when a very strange thought hit me.

What if the two months I spent in that world weren't a dream after all?