I walked toward the horizon where the sun was beginning to set, painting the sky in deep oranges and purples.
Okay, this open plain is just vast. I picked up the pace. I have to hurry up and find a clue about what this place is before I wake up back in reality.
I cupped my hands around my mouth.
"Hello!!! Anyone?! Is there anyone here?!"
My voice echoed slightly, but there was no response. Just the wind whistling through the grass.
Ugh. What the hell? There is literally no one.
But then, suddenly, to my right, a massive cloud of dust began to rise in the distance. It was moving fast, churning up the earth.
I squinted my eyes, shielding them from the sun. What is that?
In just a few seconds, the rumble of the ground started vibrating through the soles of my shoes. It was getting closer. Fast.
Then, shapes began to emerge from the dust cloud. Horses? People riding horses?
Finally! Somebody!
But as they got closer, the shapes sharpened, and my blood ran cold.
Wait. That's weird.
Those weren't people riding horses. They were fused. Human torsos on equine bodies.
Centaurs.
A bunch of—no, hundreds of—Centaurs! Actual half-human, half-horse fantasy monsters like I just read about in that history book!
They were thundering toward me, spears raised, eyes wild.
Oh, wait. No, no, no! I'm going to get crushed!
They were closing the distance at terrifying speed. I didn't think. I panicked.
RIP!
I grabbed the hem of my heavy royal gown and tore the skirt right up above my knees to free my legs.
Run!
I spun around and sprinted in the opposite direction.
Fuck! They aren't stopping!!
My lungs burned instantly. Huh... huh... damn it!
This body—Cyrina's body—is so frail! She has absolutely no stamina!
I kicked my heels off as I ran, feeling the grass dig into my bare feet, but the thunder of hooves was getting louder. It sounded like an earthquake right behind my ears.
And then, because the universe decided to make this a typical movie moment—
Thump.
I tripped over absolutely nothing.
I hit the ground hard, rolling onto my back. I scrambled backward on my elbows, staring up in horror.
Wow. I'm dead.
They were right there. Just five steps away. A wall of muscle and hooves about to turn me into paste.
I squeezed my eyes shut.
KAEL!
SHING!
A sound sharper than wind cut through the air.
I opened my eyes.
Standing directly in front of me, back turned, was a figure drenched in blood.
It was Kael.
But not the polite knight from the palace. This Kael had eyes like a cold, unfeeling butcher.
He moved in a blur.
SLASH.
In a single instant, a horizontal line of silver light erupted from his blade.
The charging front line of the Centaurs simply... separated.
Heads flew into the air, spinning against the sunset sky. Blood sprouted like fountains, painting the green grass crimson. The headless bodies took a few more galloping steps, driven by momentum, before collapsing into a heap of twitching limbs right at my feet.
The rest of the herd skidded to a halt, terrified.
Kaelen stood amidst the carnage, flicking the blood off his blade with a sharp snap. He didn't look at me. He just stared down the hundreds of monsters remaining, his killing intent suffocating the air.
I stumbled, trying to scramble to my feet in the grass, but my stomach lurched.
No... Blugh!
The metallic stench of fresh blood hit me like a physical blow. The severed horse bodies, the human heads rolling with eyes wide open... I couldn't handle it. I clamped a hand over my mouth, retching violently.
But the nightmare didn't stop.
ROAR!
The remaining Centaurs screamed in rage, but their cries were cut short by wet, sickening crunches.
Kaelen wasn't just killing them; he was butchering them. He tore through the herd like a meat grinder, hacking them into pieces with brutal, emotionless efficiency. Blood sprayed like rain, soaking the ground.
Urghhh!!!!
I squeezed my eyes shut, unable to watch the massacre any longer.
"MY LADY!!!"
Kaelen's voice echoed—not cold and distant, but sharp with panic.
Gasp!
My eyes snapped open. The smell of blood vanished instantly, replaced by the sterile scent of the palace hallway.
"Huh... huh..."
I was hyperventilating, my heart hammering against my ribs like a trapped bird.
I wasn't on the grass. I was standing in the corridor. But I was surrounded.
Five identical Kaelens were crowding around me, their hands gripping my arms and shoulders to steady me.
"No!"
Panic flared. All I could see was the blood-drenched butcher from a second ago.
I shoved them hard, scrambling backward until my back hit the cold stone wall.
"Get away!"
The four clones froze instantly. The real Kaelen stepped forward, his hands raised in surrender, his face pale with worry.
"What happened, My Lady?" he asked urgently. "You... you blanked out for a moment. You looked terrified."
I slumped against the wall, clutching my chest.
Right...
I looked at the clean floor. No blood. No Centaurs.
I went to that place—that Mind Realm—in the split second between him making the clones and now.
I'm back to reality.
I looked up at him, studying his face.
His brows were furrowed, his eyes wide with genuine panic and concern.
Damn.
Just a second ago, inside my mind, he was a heartless butcher slaughtering hundreds without blinking. Now, he looks like a kicked puppy because I stumbled.
The sight of the four identical faces around me made bile rise in my throat again.
"Erase these clones!" I snapped, my voice coming out harsher than I intended. "I hate them!"
He didn't ask why. He didn't hesitate.
Whoosh.
In an instant, the four figures glowed blue and vanished into thin air.
The hallway felt less suffocating, but my legs were still turning to jelly. I stepped closer to the real Kaelen, reaching out to grip his wrist—his metal gauntlet—tightly to keep myself from sliding to the floor.
I let my forehead drop against his chest plate, closing my eyes and breathing in the scent of cold steel and soap. Not blood.
Was that really him… or my fear wearing his face?
"Kael..." I mumbled into his tunic, my voice trembling. "Have you ever seen a Centaur?"