-Malia’s POV-

The blurry voice of Ranveer coaxed me back into my conscience. I squinted my eyes at him, trying to adjust to the light. His disgusting fingers touched the side of my face and I eagerly tried to shove him off but I found my arms chained to the wall.

“My queen. You’re finally awake.” his disgusting breath invaded my personal space.

“I’m sorry- your what now?” I looked at him, utterly confused at my surroundings.

“What’s your name?”

“Malia.” I said, not realising I just gave this guy my name.

I was in a red carpeted room with no windows and a large crystal chandelier hanging in the middle of the room.

“You will be my queen when I win the tournaments.” he evaluated but it just added to my confusion.

“You do know who Zeref is, right?” he questioned but the look of confusion in my face told him I didn’t. He smirked.

“He is powerful?” I guessed.

“He is the lightning contestant. He was taken from his real world and born into this one to compete in the tournaments of the monarchs.” he said with a convincing face.

‘Tournaments of the monarchs‘… the phrase circled my head. That sounded familiar. I furrowed my eyebrows trying to recall from where I’ve heard it.

History of Mana: Book 1- Higher. My mind clicked into place as I realised what he was talking about. There was no way. I laughed.

“Funny.” I scoffed at him but what he said made sense. Zeref had multiple elements and was super talented. But I couldn’t wrap my head around the fact that he was a contestant and wasn’t who I thought he was.

“Prepare for the throning ceremony.” Ranveer placed his crusty lips on my cheek. My blood ran cold as I kneed him where it hurt.

“Don’t touch me.” I cringed.

He wheezed trying to catch his breath on the floor. “It looks like you won’t be with me willingly.” he choked out.

“Well no shit you pedophile.” I scoffed, watching him hit the floor in pain. He clicked his fingers and poof. Two men appeared and unlocked the chains on my hand. I instantly activated my mana to find that I couldn’t. I looked at him, shocked. What did he do?

“It’s the collar. It prevents the use of mana.” he stood up, shaking. Just as he said that, a beep from something on my neck buzzed my neck, making me fall to my knees. Electric shocks invaded my veins, cutting off my air supply.

“It looks like you will need to be convinced…” he said, an evil glint to his tone and with that, I was dragged out of the room and down a dark staircase, into a dungeon or chamber.

They stood me in front of a wall made off boulders with three missing for air. It slid open as they threw me in.

It wasn’t a room like I expected. It was more like a tube. The wall slid shut and Ranveer looked at me through the gap.

“Have fun. I’ll see you for dinner.” he smirked before leaving with his men. There were no handles, just a chair and a little place to stand. Little shuffles were heard next to me and I saw a little missing boulder in the wall next to me.

“Hello?” I whispered.

Instead of a hello back, I heard small sniffles of a girl. “Hello?” I tried again but there was nothing. No response except for the small cries. I guess she was stuck in a tube made of rocks too.

I mean it wasn’t that bad. Why was she crying? It’s just a tube.

My head buzzed as I realised they hadn’t treated my head wound. I hated migraines. I probably had a concussion.

Suddenly, a large sound of moving bricks from above me snapped my head upwards. Glowing red rubies filled the ceiling.

What the…

“AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!” I fell to the floor trembling.

The tube started to shift into a familiar room. My old room. I stood up again, tears running down my face. BAM! The door slammed open and in came my mother. Her beautiful eyes staring at me lovingly.

“Mum…? Am I dead?” I walked to her, holding her arms to see if she was real. My skin touched hers. I looked down at our intertwined hands and smiled. I felt as if my heart just stopped beating as if it would stop time so I could stay with her. I looked back up at her and met her beautiful green doe eyes, glinting at me. She smiled and shook her head as I looked down at her arms, tears rolling down my face and onto the floor.

“Malia. You disappointment.” she growled making me snap up to her face. The confusion and hurt resonating in my heart weighed down my whole body.

“W-What? N-No.” I shook my head. “Mama, I love you-“

“I HATE YOU! I SHOULD’VE HAD A SON!”

I screamed, closing my eyes as she raised her hand to slap me. Just like dad.

I opened my eyes to see she had vanished. The room shifted into a field full of dead bodies. Zeref and Jace being among them. In the pathway stood me, bloodied as I ripped out Naz’s throat.

The bodies littered all around me looked drained of colour and their faces held a permanent look of fear. Every atom in their bodies faded into a pale, decaying blue. Their hair was matted in blood and parts of them were missing.

My teeth were coated in hot blood and my eyes darted everywhere, unfocused and wild. Blood dripped down my chin, colouring my neck dark red as blood pooled at my feet in a dark water consistency.

“STOP!” I screamed, running to myself, holding her wrist. My anxiety heightened to the extreme, suffocating me into a panicked trance. She faced me, her eyes dark. I watched myself look crazily into my soul, like a rouge.

I screamed again, letting the fear consume me as I stumbled backwards, running away as she ran after me. Her footsteps stormed closer behind me which drove me to push myself faster.

What the hell is this?!

I was knocked to the floor by someone strong as my surroundings shifted again into a dark hollowness. I turned to see Zeref on top of me. He gripped my neck, choking me as I struggled under him.

“YOU MONSTER!” he yelled into my face with every intent to kill me. The hatred in his eyes made me tremble. No, No, No.

His face changed into Jace then flashed into Mike’s. The shifting continued until it stopped. A face I never thought I’d see again roared at me. I trembled, screaming.

Jerry.

He was my imaginary friend until Kenny ruined him for me by saying that Jerry would kill me in my sleep. I never slept the same again and would wake up in tears, looking at Jerry’s deformed face in my dreams. Now he was here.

Jerry was crumpled with broken scales and from its looks, it was clearly past the decaying stage and now onto decomposition, teeth dulled and rotting.

“You left me Malia. I just wanted to play.” his shrill voice snarled. No words came out, only screams. I screamed till I felt the fear eating up my throat.

“Shut up.” a cold voice snapped me out of my trance. The darkness shifted back into the tube I was in before. The red rubies stopped glowing as I cried loudly, hyperventilating.

“Wh-What is this place?” I choked out in my cries to the person who spoke.

“It’s a fear tube. It shows your worst fears until you slowly die from them.” she said calmly. She was the same girl who was crying earlier on. Did she hear my screams? I stood up and peered through the gap. Her face popped up, shocking me. She was a beautiful Asian girl with sharp eyes and fair skin. She had a small mole under the corner of her eyebrow and puffy cheeks.

“How come you’re so calm?” I sniffled, feeling my eyes swell.

“Coz I’m not scared.” she lied. “Mama, I love you… Ahhhhh…” she mocked me, laughing. I might just like this girl. I giggled, surprising her. What? Did she think I’d be embarrassed?

“I’m Malia Stronghold. You?”

“Soyeon Park.”

**

I rolled on the floor in a fit of laughter. “So you and your twin brother rejected the offer to be the fire contestant’s second in command?” I recalled.

“Yeah, my brother and I have an ability. We can merge our powers together to make a rare element. We can control the wind. So Ranveer kidnapped me to convince my brother.”

“Damn, that’s cool. I’m here because Ranveer wants me to be his bride. I have the fire element.”

“Are you going to?” Soyeon asked, watching my expression change into disgust.

“Of Course not! My friends are coming to get me outta here.” I said but it was more directed at myself. Zeref would come for me.

He will come. Then I can kill him with my bare hands for not telling me he was a contestant.

“Same. My brother is coming for me. I just have to hold up with my fears long enough-” Soyeon looked up to see the glowing of the rubies.

“What’s happening? I thought you didn’t have a fear.” I looked into the gap at her rubies.

“Yeah well the rubies are sensing that I have unlocked a new fear.” she said, her voice cracking.

“Huh?”

“The fear that my brother won’t come for me.” she whispered, tears filling her cat- like eyes.

The bricks around her shuffled and the gap between us closed. My heart stopped beating as I felt the bricks around me start to shuffle too.

The screams of Soyeon fuelled my anxiety and soon, it was joined by my screams.

Hurry Zeref.