The Source of All Evil

Chapter Twenty

Michaela Walker.

Michaela jolted awake after experiencing a weird feeling as if some energy was fluctuating inside her body. Her forehead was coated in sweat, resting her hand on her chest, breathing slowly to calm her racing heart.

“What was that?!” She mumbled under her breath, catching the sight of pink light coming from the side. She looked to her right to see Kirby emitting its powers while the princess was still unconscious, lying on the ground. Her initial thought was that the weird feeling she had must be due to Kirby’s powers, only to realize that those powers weren’t as effective as they were before. They no longer put her at peace nor stopped her mind and heart from panicking.

Her little pet c****d its head to the side as if it was as well thinking about the same thing. It closed its eyes tight shut, releasing a small whine as the powers radiating from it increased. Yet, both Michaela and her pet looked puzzled when they didn’t work on her.

Seeing that her pet was straining itself, Michaela formed a smile, carrying it in her arms, tutting. “It’s okay, Kirby. Save your energy and see if you can heal the princess.”

The pet glanced at where the princess was faintly breathing, her face contorting as if she were in pain, then back at her, shaking its head.

“You don’t want to help her?”

Her pet shook its head again, purring as if it was trying to communicate with her. Michaela figured that Kirby was willing to help the princess, but it must have a reason why it shook its head.

“You can’t heal her?”

Kirby shamefully nodded, driving Michaela to add, finally saying what bothered her for a while now. “You don’t have healing powers, do you?”

Her pet nodded, confirming her suspicions. So, it turned out that her pet wasn’t the one who healed her wounds when she got attacked by the Cursedwings, nor was it the one to heal her sprained ankle. Which left Michaela with one theory, and that was, somehow, she had healing powers.

Though she didn’t feel different, it didn’t change the fact that the body she was in wasn’t her own. The character might have looked like her, but it wasn’t her, and the cursed book was in full control over her fate.

Glancing at Princess Nirvana, she decided to give it a try and see if she could heal her. Crouching next to her, Michaela didn’t know what to do. She didn’t know if she was supposed to close her eyes, chant, or purr as Kirby would do. The last idea was silly; that she knew, but she was weighing her options here.

Kirby jumped on top of the princess’s body, facing Michaela, as it let out a sound to grab her attention. Once Michaela looked at it, Kirby did a little demonstration, showing her what to do. Her pet leaned its head against the princess’s, closing its eyes seemingly in a focus mode, as a wave of fluctuating pink aura emanated from it. It stopped, opening its eyes, looking her way in anticipation, and Michaela nodded with a smile.

She followed her pet’s instructions, leaning her forehead against that of the princess and closing her eyes, trying her best to clear her head. Michaela never knew how to meditate as she’d always get distracted, which was reasonable for someone with a vivid imagination as her own. Whenever she closed her eyes to rest, her mind would start running wild, imagining all sorts of stuff, or inducing unhelpful thoughts.

However, this time around, as soon as she focused on clearing her mind, something magical happened. As if she got put to sleep, Michaela found herself in a vast space where nothing tangible existed, floating in the air. The space was dark, illuminated by sparkling stars, making her feel like she was in outer space. She didn’t feel afraid nor surprised, embracing a sense of belonging, reminding her of the time she spent with her parents in a space camp.

The warmth surrounding her made her feel buzzed as she excitedly looked around, feeling her smile grew as the space moved around, allowing her to relish the marvels of the universe. The space she was in stopped in front of planet earth, and Michaela felt her eyes tear up both in wonder and sadness, feeling homesick and missing her mother and friends.

“It’s beautiful, isn’t it?” A soft, feminine tone of voice surprised her, turning around to see a beautiful woman in a black dress. Her long ebony hair laid on her shoulder, a dazzling smile played on her red painted lips, adorning her face. Her tan complexion complimented her look, and Michaela didn’t know why, but she felt that she was in the presence of royalty.

“Who are you?” She heard herself say, and the woman chuckled, wearing a motherly grin, saying.

“Dear, Michaela, I’m your mother.”

Though the woman didn’t resemble her mother from her world, Michaela couldn’t deny the connection she felt towards her. Or rather, the connection the body she was in had with this woman.

“It’s ironic,” the woman said. “I hoped that no one would suffer from my curse, yet it had to be my own daughter who unlocks this world.”

Her vague words made Michaela frown, looking at her in askance. The woman smiled, approaching her and holding her hand as they both floated in the air.

“There is so much you need to know, but we don’t have enough time to discuss it now. . .” The woman reached inside her long sleeves, pulling out a vial with a floating drop of clear liquid inside it. “Take this and go see your father. He’ll know what to do.”

Michaela opened her mouth to say something, but some strange force was dragging her away from the woman. She struggled to reach for her hand, but the pressure was far greater than she could handle, pulling her at a fast speed towards an opening.

Michaela opened her eyes and jumped away from the princess, who was now awake, sharing her surprised expression as she glared inquisitively at her hands. Michaela’s hands had this ominous black smoke coming out of them, and the more her sense of panic increased, the thicker the smoke got, traveling up her arms.

“Make it stop!” Michaela yelled at no one but herself, dusting and rubbing her hands, trying to get rid of it. Her sense of panic doubled, unaware of the person holding her until she heard the sultry voice whispering in her ear.

“Relax, I got you.”

She didn’t know if the person holding her used some sort of magic or charm, as the ominous smoke has disappeared. Michaela glanced back, expecting to see Rafe's face but got surprised when the person holding her was some stranger wearing a peculiar mask.

She noticed how the princess’s eyes widened, looking apprehensive, glaring at the stranger, and it didn’t take a genius to figure out who this person was. Michaela was in the presence of the Evil Master.

“You’re okay now. I got you,” he said softly, kissing the top of her head, trying to console her, while Michaela’s expression turned even more paler. She pushed away from him, holding Kirby, who was gritting its teeth at the Evil Master.

“W-Who are you?!”

The Evil Master doubled back, bringing his hand to his mask as if he just realized he had it on. He let out a sound like a grunt, sighing as he stared at her.

“He’s the Evil Master,” the princess was the one to talk, probably assuming that Michaela didn’t know who he was. The stranger shot a hateful glare towards the princess, and she visibly flinched back. His eyes softened as he faced Michaela, smiling.

“I prefer the Demon Emperor title more,”

“Just as worse,” Michaela mumbled under her breath, but the stranger heard her, chuckling as he said.

“Once you get to know me, you’ll see that I’m not as bad as people think. . . Come on,” he reached with his hand for her to take it, wearing a friendly grin. Michaela felt disturbed that she could only see his lips and eyes, shaking her head.

“Come on. Are you seriously thinking of staying here? The night is still young, and the wild beasts are out hunting for their dinner.”

Michaela glanced at the princess, who instantly shook her head as if she could read her mind. If given a choice, Michaela would refuse to leave with him, but there was the possibility that she’d find Rafe at his palace.

Against her better judgment, she took his hand, which felt familiar to her, as if she held it before. Once she stepped out of the hollowed tree, the stranger hugged her waist possessively, smiling down at her. “Are you hurt?”

Hearing his question, Michaela remembered the original plot of the story, saying. “No, but Princess Nirvana is wounded.”

The Evil Master didn’t show a slight reaction to what she said, his smile widening as he went on. “Good, good. I’m glad you’re not hurt.”

Michaela tried to lose his grip, but couldn’t, glancing at the princess who followed them out of the tree for help.

“Look, she can barely stand.”

The princess was actually fine, but Michaela wanted to get rid of this man by sacrificing the other. At this point, it was either her or the princess, and she'd prefer if the Evil Master showed interest in the latter.

The Evil Master just glanced at Princess Nirvana with his calculating eyes, then let out a whistle, startling Michaela. “I’ll carry you while the princess can ride the Windhorse."

Michaela looked behind her at hearing the sound of flapping wings, spotting the majestic black Windhorse as it elegantly landed next to them. Her lips formed a thin line, saying as politely as she could. “You don’t understand, Evil Master of this land. You’re supposed to tend to the princess’s wounds, not mine.”

The other let out a euphoric laugh, leaning forward as he whispered hoarsely in her ear. “Love, how can I look after another woman when my future wife is injured?”