Barian World:

Starlight's POV:

The dark sky roars as a bolt of lightning flashes across the moonlight night. The scent of musky rain fills my nostrils as I stand there staring downwards at the precarious rocks on the edge. The bottomless pit makes my stomach churn as I gulp at the eternal darkness below.

Footsteps approach me cautiously mixed with the pitter and patter of the rain.

He's here.

"End of the line, Princess," A masculine voice calls out as he steps towards me.

I turn to face him. "Must you do this?"

"I'm following his orders, Your Highness."

"Why?" I ask looking at him. "Your brother was once my father's most loyal advisers." Why do you betray us? Why do you choose him?

"Why?" He clenches his fist tightly. "You dare ask me why?!"

"I'll tell you why." He points a finger glaring at me in hostility. "He chose to pick you over everyone. Over the lives of millions of citizens, he chose to protect you of all people!"

"Do you have any idea how it feels like to have someone you admire and cherish die just so one person can live in exchange for the lives of my family and millions of others?"

"Do you have any idea how painful it was to watch him die in front of my eyes?" He screams as tears fall from his eyes.

(Flash):

"Father," I shake his arm as he lays limply on the cold hard ground.

Blood pools from his back forming a puddle. The scent of fresh blood fills the air as tears stream my face. His white hair stains with blood as it turns a light red color.

"W-wake up!"

A hand grabs mine weakly as bright and tired blue eyes stare into my emerald greens. "Run."

(Flash)

Father…

"I understand," I mutter quietly.

He blinks. "You…"

A bitter laugh rings out. "You think this is funny?"

"Don't play with me, Princess, there is absolutely no way that you will understand my pain. The pain of losing everyone you love, of losing your family and friends, the pain of being alone with no one to depend on."

He sneers. "A Princess like you would never understand 1/1000th of common folk suffering."

You're wrong. I might not understand to the extent of your suffering but I do know your pain of having family ripped apart in a matter of a day.

Tears blur my line of sight as I quickly blink them away. There is no use crying. Not now.

"Why don't you let me go?"

"Let you go?" He scoffs. "Now why would I do that when I can watch you suffer in an arranged marriage?"

The arranged marriage… My fists clench. No way am I getting married to a stranger. Not happening.

"You're ordered to bring me back alive, aren't you?"

His eyes narrow. "Yes…"

If I go back now, there's no way I would be able to escape marriage… but… I glance at the rocky bottomless pit below. I'm at a dead end.

(Flash)

"Don't be afraid to take risks,"

I tilt my head in confusion. "But aren't risks risky and dangerous?"

She giggles and carries me to her lap. "Yes, but without risks, what's the point of life?"

I blink blankly. "I don't understand, Mother."

A hand stroked my hair tenderly. "Don't worry, my little Angel, one day you will understand."

(Flash)

Without risks, what's the point of life? My eyes widen as I glance at the bottomless pit behind me again.

I understand… I finally know what I must do.

"I will ask you one more time, let me go."

"And I will say one more time, I'm following orders and there is no way you're escaping this marriage."

I shut my eyes listening to the rain. Mother… Father… Older brother… What would you do in this situation?

(Flash):

"Sometimes, you just have to take a leap of faith."

(Flash)

My eyes slowly open with a smile. Right. That is what I must do now.

"You will never bring me back to that place."

His eyes widen as I turn towards the cliff. "What are you planning?"

"Are you crazy? That's a dead-end!"

"So?" I said nonchalantly. "Sometimes, you just have to take a leap of faith."

I glance at him with a soft smile. "Jacob, I'm sorry for your family. If time can rewind, I wouldn't let my father sacrifice everyone for me but I can't."

"I'm sorry for everything, the pain that I have caused you to endure over the years," I swirl my head to the eternal darkness below.

"Goodbye,"

The weight from my feel shifts as my body becomes motionless. A sickening sense of no longer being supported by my feet takes over, my stomach churns, as the wind flows in my face.

Mother… Father… Dekis… I'm sorry.